Struggling to focus or even care? You aren't alone.

There’s something in the air lately. A slow leak. A collective sigh. I’ve been in dozens of conversations with agency leaders over the past few months who are struggling. Some whose businesses are thriving, some trying to stay afloat, some who are contemplating closing shop. And no matter where they are on the curve, there’s a heaviness they struggle to explain.

I’ve felt it myself. Not burnout exactly. Not depression. More like a fog of apathy that’s hard to shake. And it can cause some serious damage if we give into it.

Fighting Apathy in a Changing Industry

Apathy doesn’t always announce itself. It’s not a slammed laptop or a middle finger to the world. It’s subtler. It’s waking up uninspired, procrastinating what used to excite you, feeling less curious about what’s next. It’s doing the minimum to keep things from breaking and convincing yourself that’s enough while knowing it's not.

And when you’re a leader, that feeling doesn’t just affect you. It echoes through the whole team.

Lately, because I'm feeling it too, I’ve been wondering what’s feeding this wave of indifference?

The Age Factor

A lot of us aren’t the scrappy 27-year-olds building something from nothing anymore. The average age of agency founders is climbing. The adrenaline has worn off, and we’re staring down the second (or third) act of our careers asking: Is this still who I want to be for the rest of my life?

The Identity Crisis

The word “agency” is muddied. More shops are calling themselves studios, collectives, or consultancies. More roles are fractional. Fewer people are starting new firms. And AI? It’s turning a ton of agency sites into a remix of the same positioning. I've said it before, we’re losing our edge.

The Evolution

But this isn’t the end of digital services. It’s the beginning of something more sustainable. Smaller teams. Smarter models. Less drama. More collaboration with in-house teams. Less posturing, more partnering.

This feels bad because we've been taught that bigger is better. Headcount defines how awesome we are. I firmly believe the opposite is true. The more focused and deeper our knowledge on a specific topic or technique, the more valuable we are to our clients.

But it only works if we stay present. If we keep showing up. If we don’t let the apathy win.

So how do we fight it?

I don’t have all the answers, but here’s what’s helping me push through:

1. Reconnect with your people.

Nothing snaps me out of a spiral faster than a real conversation with someone who I trust that gets it. Not a status call. Not a webinar. A conversation. Grab a friend. Open up. Let yourself be seen. Say the quiet part out loud and all that stuff. (This community exists for a reason.)

2. Make something. Anything.

Don’t overthink it. A short post. A dumb reel. A half-baked workshop. Creativity shakes off the rust. Movement creates momentum. You don’t need a perfect strategy to start. Just f'ng go!

3. Redefine what success looks like.

Maybe it’s not a record setting revenue year. Maybe it’s rethinking cultural goals. Maybe it’s firing the one client that's always a jerkface. In a world that keeps shifting, your goals should too. Trade comparison for clarity.

4. Get curious again.

The ones who will lead the next era won’t be the ones who bolt AI onto every deliverable like a desperate Lego set. It’ll be the ones who stay curious. Who ask better questions. Who treat this moment like a puzzle, not a problem.

5. Remember why you’re here.

This industry was built by rebels. Misfits. People who didn’t want a boss, so they became one. The fog may roll in, but the fire’s still there. We just have to stoke it.eed to make now. It stops you from over-hiring, over-investing, or convincing yourself you can coast because things “look good.”

If you’ve been feeling over it, you’re not alone. I’ve recently been there too. But I’m moving back into the sunshine, and I know you can too. And never forget, we don’t have to figure it out alone.