Leadership is often seen through the lens of strength, vision, and tireless energy. We picture the unshakable leader; the one who always shows up, ready to carry the weight of the world. But what happens when life delivers a blow so powerful, it shakes even the strongest among us?

Prerequisite
None

Outline
Last October, out of the blue, I was diagnosed with cancer. But this isn’t just a story about illness. It’s a story about resilience, transformation, and the surprising ways leadership deepens when we face our greatest personal challenges — whether those challenges are visible or hidden.

This session is about redefining strength in leadership. It’s about learning when to show up, when to ask for help, and when vulnerability itself becomes a powerful act of leadership. It’s about balancing the needs of a team, a community, and a company… while, moment by moment, learning to care for yourself.

It’s about what leadership looks like when you’re facing battles no one can see. How to continue inspiring teams, make tough decisions, and show up — even if "showing up" looks very different than it used to.

Whether you're leading a project, a community, a company — or simply leading yourself — there’s something powerful waiting on the other side of struggle

Learning Objectives
In this session, I’m going to share practical strategies I learned — sometimes the hard way — about how to maintain leadership roles while facing major health challenges.
We’ll cover topics like:
Setting realistic expectations for yourself and your team
Communicating transparently without losing authority
Delegating more effectively when you have to
Recognizing when to push through — and when to step back

My goal is for the audience to leave not just with inspiration, but with a toolkit they can use, whether they’re personally facing a health battle, supporting someone who is, or simply preparing to lead through future adversity.

Experience level
Beginner