I’m honored this week to share this deeply personal story from my friend Diana Funk, who reminds us that our most challenging transitions often become our greatest teachers. She shows  us what it truly means to be present and compassionate in the face of the unthinkable.

On her husband's 50th birthday, Diana Funk received news that changed everything: he was given a rare cancer diagnosis that would later become stage IV and incurable. What began as her worst nightmare became an unexpected teacher in presence, compassion, and what it truly means to be alive.

The sacred fall isn't about failure. It's about having the courage to let go of what no longer fits so you can discover what's actually yours to build.

There's a moment in every high-achieving woman's life when the very foundations we've built our success upon begin to crumble. Not because we've failed, but because we've outgrown the person we had to become to get where we are.

This week, I'm sharing a story a friend shared with me. It's from a woman who had it all—thriving business, international speaking career, long-term relationship—and who made the radical choice to walk away from everything when she realized she'd lost herself in the building of it all.

Ancient wisdom for Sacred Passages leadership in modern times

We've all been there. That moment when everything falls apart—personally or professionally—and we're supposed to lead others through the chaos while we're barely holding it together ourselves. The board meeting where you have to announce layoffs while processing your own grief. The team crisis that hits right when your personal life is imploding. The moment when your carefully constructed leadership persona crumbles and you're left wondering if you're cut out for this.

Pay Attention

Much has already been written about the state of our world—the rise of extremism, the impact of unrestrained capitalism and patriarchy on families and communities, the environmental devastation, the systematic destruction of entire peoples. No matter where you sit on any spectrum, you're feeling it. We'd have to check your pulse if you don't.

These are hard, dark times. Even the world's wealthiest discover that billions cannot protect them from reaping what they've sown—from publicly destroying powerful relationships to watching their empires crumble.

It feels overwhelming. What can any one of us do that makes an actual difference?

When the life you built perfectly stops serving the soul you're becoming

The executive coaching client sat across from me in my home office, tears streaming down her carefully composed face. "I built everything I thought I wanted," she whispered, "and I've never felt more empty."

A story about remembering what matters most

Last year, as an internal coach at my former employer, I was on a coaching call with a senior architect. She'd reached out because she felt stuck—technically brilliant, steadily moving up in her responsibilities, but feeling increasingly disconnected from her work.

"I used to love solving problems," she told me, her voice carrying that particular exhaustion I recognized too well. "But now it feels like I'm just optimizing metrics. Revenue up 23%, user engagement climbing, technical debt piling up... but when did we stop talking about the people our code actually serves?"

There comes a moment in every woman's journey when the whispers of untapped potential grow too loud to ignore. For me, that moment arrived last year when I answered a deep call to pivot from my corporate role and fully embrace a new path as a solopreneur.

This transformative year has been about releasing what was, discovering what is, and owning all of who I am. Through study and exploration, I found myself drawn to my Celtic and Eastern European ancestral roots, where I discovered …

Staying in the moment keeps me focused and concentrated and fully present with the task at hand. And that works with small, daily things as well as major events in my life.

Speak up, boldly. Demand. Fearlessly confront those who would take away our rights.  

Picture of a happy middle aged Korean female manager standing behind glass wall, adding colored sticky notes on window, organizing working processes or adding steps, developing corporate strategy.

The most powerful leadership transformations often begin with a single moment of truth. For me, that moment came when my supervisor shared their own story of change.

Be the change you want to see in the world, and start by creating that change within.

Overview of transformational leadership, its relevance in today’s business landscape, and why executives should care.

When do you schedule in rest?

Photo captures a man mid-flight leaping from one cliff to another with a sunrise or setting in the center of the cliff gap.