Zen and the Art of Credit Management: Staying Calm, Focused and Fierce Under Pressure

About the webinar:

Credit professionals operate in an environment where pressure is constant: demanding customers, collection challenges, sales expectations, tight deadlines, difficult credit decisions and the responsibility of protecting the company’s largest asset—its accounts receivable.

Stress may be part of the profession, but it doesn’t have to dictate how we respond.

In this practical and engaging session, attendees will explore how stress affects decision-making, communication and performance, and learn simple techniques for staying calm, focused and effective when the pressure is on. From quick breathing and mindfulness resets to prioritization strategies, communication techniques and resilience-building habits, these tools are designed specifically for the realities of the credit professional’s workday.

Attendees will also learn how to develop a “calm but fierce” mindset—approaching collections and difficult conversations with confidence rather than confrontation, focusing energy on solutions rather than frustration, and recovering more quickly when situations don’t go as planned.

Participants will leave with a practical personal toolkit of small, repeatable “Zen habits” they can use immediately to reduce stress, improve focus and bring greater confidence and composure to their work.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Recognize how stress can influence credit decisions, communication and customer relationships.
• Use simple techniques to reset and regain focus during high-pressure situations.
• Reframe difficult collection and credit conversations from conflict to problem-solving.
• Communicate with greater clarity, confidence and composure.
• Apply practical strategies for prioritizing competing demands and reducing overwhelm.
• Develop a personal set of repeatable habits for building resilience and maintaining professional effectiveness under pressure.

About the speaker:

DeAnna Leahy, CCE

DeAnna Leahy, CCE, brings over 38 years of experience in corporate credit management in the construction industry. She specializes in balancing risk with relationships, helping organizations protect cash flow while preserving strong, long-term customer partnerships.

In addition to her career in credit leadership, DeAnna is a 500-hour certified yoga instructor with additional certifications in meditation and sound therapy. Her unique combination of credit management and mindfulness training gives her a practical perspective on managing stress, maintaining focus, building resilience, and communicating effectively under pressure.

An experienced instructor and speaker, DeAnna is passionate about helping credit professionals develop both the technical and human skills needed to succeed. Her engaging, practical sessions provide tools attendees can immediately apply to their work—and their lives.