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Most people think leadership is shaped in boardrooms. For me, it was shaped in a moment I didn’t fully appreciate at the time. Years ago, before I became an executive, I was leading a project and focused on execution. I wanted to prove myself, so I did what I thought great leaders did. I moved fast, focused on being efficient and achieving results. But I remember feeling frustrated in meetings. Because instead of getting straight to the point, the Vice Presidnet I was working

There’s a version of success we all recognize. The titles.The promotions.The moments where people look at your life and think, she made it. But there’s another version that doesn’t get talked about enough. The one where you’re showing up, doing everything you’re supposed to do…and quietly carrying things no one can see. That’s what this conversation with Shirell Gross reminded me of. Shirell has had an incredible career. Global chief counsel. Advising leadership. Sitting at

One of the most common patterns I see in high achievers is overfunctioning. Overfunctioning looks like: Carrying too much responsibility Solving problems before others can engage Absorbing emotional pressure for the entire team Believing your value comes from how much you can handle From the outside, it looks like competence. From the inside, it can be exhausting. And sometimes it isn’t leadership at all. Sometimes it’s simply a trauma response that was rewarded. The Leaders

There are moments in life when reinvention feels like a choice. And then there are moments when reinvention becomes a requirement. For many professionals right now, especially Black women, we are living through the second kind. Recently I read that more than 600,000 Black women are currently unemployed. Six hundred thousand. Behind that number are leaders, strategists, communicators, operators, and builders who spent years contributing value inside organizations. But we also

This year, I turned 55. People call it a milestone. Some call it the golden anniversary of life. Others quietly label it “early senior.” But I don’t feel decline. I feel awareness. At 55, you stop assuming you have endless time. You start realizing time is precious. And precious things deserve intention. Six months ago, I had one of those nights where grief sat heavier than usual. Widowhood has a way of revisiting you when you least expect it. I poured a glass of wine. Then a

For the past three years, I've been doing something I never expected to be doing at this stage of my life. Grieving. Not quietly, in a corner somewhere — but out loud, in boardrooms and green rooms and strategy sessions. Managing teams. Making decisions. Showing up as a leader. Signing contracts and giving notes and holding space for other people's uncertainty while quietly drowning in my own. My husband and partner of 33 years was gone. The world kept moving. And so did I —