Learning to Live Forward

As women, we’re pressured to be so much to so many. It often feels like the only way to do it all is to be perfect, and so we build a box. Anything that doesn’t let us appear perfect to the outside world goes into the box. But what happens when your box leaks? Or worse—explodes?

Darlene Lekowski knows this fear, and its consequences, better than anyone. She spent fifty years building a successful career as a sales executive in a male-dominated industry, all while carrying a secret that shaped every relationship and decision she made.

In this powerful and candid talk, she draws a direct line between the hidden burdens women carry and the ceilings they can't seem to break through — and makes the case that letting go isn't weakness, it's strategy. Rooted in her own story of survival, silence, and ultimately freedom, this talk gives women leaders permission to stop performing and start leading as their full, unguarded selves.