🎤 Podcast Show Notes
The Kathie Owen Perspective
If you’ve worked around high-stakes decisions long enough, you know the moment.
It doesn’t happen in the boardroom.
 It doesn’t happen during the presentation.
It happens late at night.
Around 3 a.m., when confidence suddenly feels fragile and decisions that were clear hours ago feel uncertain.
In this episode, Kathie explores what is actually happening during the “3 a.m. moment” — a predictable physiological and identity-based response that shows up in leadership, in major transitions, and especially in mergers and acquisitions.
You’ll learn:
• Why nothing changed — but everything feels different
 • Why fear at 3 a.m. is biological, not logical
 • Why reacting in that moment creates instability
 • How serious operators contain the moment instead of being driven by it
 • What M&A professionals can do to prepare for late-night panic before it appears
This is not about emotional support.
It’s about decision stability under pressure.
Kathie also shares why nearly every mergers and acquisitions professional she has spoken with describes this exact late-night call — and why preparing for it changes outcomes.
If this episode resonates, you can read the full article and access additional resources here:
👉 Blog Post: https://www.kathieowen.com/blog/3am-panic
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About Kathie Owen
Kathie works with leaders operating in high-pressure environments where human behavior quietly becomes the greatest risk factor. Her work focuses on decision stability, identity transition, and preventing predictable human reactions from destabilizing outcomes.
Learn More About Kathie here: www.kathieowen.com
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If you found value in this episode, share it with someone who makes serious decisions for a living.
