Don’t you hate the tight grip of stress around your whole entire being before you have to do a presentation in front of a group of peers? Or clear up conflict with a colleague? Or be incredible in that job interview that you so desperately want? We all do, and I’m about to explain how Wonder Woman can help you in any situation.

Firstly, I am in a very fortunate position (finally!) to be in a fantastic firm that has an amazing HR team. There is one woman in particular who I credit for my incredible transformational powers towards stress, conflict and bullying. To me, she is Wonder Woman and I’ll tell you why I call her that.

Very recently I had to confront a bully in my workplace. Look, it happens.

I’m not a confrontational person, but my acting training allows me to put on a mask (not a real mask) and go deal with a situation. I was petrified of confronting this bully so I ended up asking Wonder Woman for advice. She had helped me in the past and I know she could help me now.

I took all her advice on board (which I will explain in another article) and then she said to me,

“Go into the ladies’ bathroom and do the Wonder Woman pose before you go in to talk.” 

Sorry, what?

I had a giggle at what she told me and then Googled “Wonder Woman pose” to send her a picture of the pose and make a joke to lighten the tension. Because that’s me, I’m the funny girl in a very tense situation. It’s my defence mechanism to try and mask all that fear.

Google opened a plethora of Linda Carter and Gal Gadot images for me, but it was 1 picture sitting right in the middle of them all posing in their glory that caught my attention. The image had a caption beside it that said:

Standing like a Superhero for as little as two minutes changes our testosterone and cortisol levels, increases our appetite for risk, causes us to perform better in job interviews, and generally configures our brains to cope well in stressful situations.

Mind. Blown.

I nervously walked to the ladies’ bathroom and posed like Wonder Woman for about 10 minutes to work up the courage to: (a) knock on the junior lawyer’s door, or (b) email the junior lawyer to see if she was free for a chat. I went with Option B. Before I walked into the junior lawyer’s office, I stood at my desk in full Wonder Woman pose and gathered just a little bit more confidence. It helped me so much.

When I told Wonder Woman about my success in clearing up the situation, I asked her why she suggested that pose. She told me that whenever she has to have a meeting with the Managing Partner or go into a serious meeting situation, she does the Wonder Woman pose at her desk beforehand to calm her nerves and get her in the right mindset.

Genius.

So next time you have to confront a bully, do a speaking presentation or have to save the world: assume the Wonder Woman pose!