Donette, tell us.

so there there's absolutely been a lot of moments where the definition or the traditional definition of leadership stopped fitting for me um recently i've been challenged in that role after returning to work from um maternity leave and it's been like you know whereas trying to choose between whether i show for my kids or put a hundred percent into my job And while I'm doing both, I think that's being questioned.

I'm being, you know, hey, can you can you really do this? And I remember recognizing like how much of my worth had become tied to output the, you know, productivity, the titles, the recognition and being needed as a mother, especially I feel like this unspoken pressure to constantly prove that ambition and motherhood cannot coexist.

and i'm i'm honestly like i'm here i'm showing up every day i may not show with 40 100 i may give you the 40 but that's my 40 and it's it's all i have because they are there i have to show for them as well there are moments when motherhood was viewed as almost as a limitation instead of a strength most of my strength comes from where i've learned to be mother like being patient you know being resilient showing emotional intelligence being able to adapt intuition and that's where a lot of my leadership has um skills have come from also transitioning from a new country like it's only been about three years so far and we've been able to adapt hold each other together uh look at different managing different schedules trying to make sure that the kids have you know, their life, my life, while no one's being put down.

I think I've stopped trying to fit in the systems.

i've stopped trying to fit in because i realized that i do have ambition before the kids there was ambition i'm not going to just dwindle down into um just one title of being a mother because while it is special and i won't take anything from that but at the same time i do have ambitions and i want to pursue them so what i've learned to now ask myself is what kind of life and leadership actually fits with what aligns for me asking that question constantly and if it doesn't fit then i just adjust learn to adapt and make changes say no when i you know i can't and being able to live with that honestly has been the most changing thing for me

So my question for both of you, and maybe we'll start with Danette and then move to June, which is, you know, what did you have to let go off in order to truly lead, but also live fully as yourself?

For me, it's letting go of needing validation.