When Plan A Fails and You Show Up Anyway

Last week, I had a full-circle moment.

I was invited to speak to a team at Campbell’s—a company that shaped so much of my corporate journey. I spent three years there, building brands, leading teams, and even co-creating a mentoring program that’s still going strong, serving six hundred associates.

So when they invited me back, it felt big.

But it was also personal.

Because when I left Campbell’s four years ago, it wasn’t to chase another title or role.
It was to do something far less Instagram-worthy—and, yet, far more important.

I left to become a full-time mom to my 17-year-old son.

He was struggling during the pandemic, like so many kids were. And I felt us reaching a crossroads—one of those quiet, critical turning points where the cost of “pushing through” would be too high. I couldn’t delegate it. I couldn’t delay it. The only choice that felt right was to show up.

Fully. At home. For him.

So to return now, not just as a guest speaker but as a woman who chose differently—it meant more than I can fully explain.

And then… the tech failed.

I got locked out of Teams. No slides. No screen. Just me, my voice, and a phone call with somebody else running my powerpoint deck.

The Myth of the Polished Leader

It wasn’t how I pictured it. But honestly? It was okay, maybe even better.

Because it reminded me—and hopefully the team—of something we all need to hear right now:

Leadership isn’t about Plan A working flawlessly.

It’s about being the kind of person who shows up—especially when it doesn’t.

When the Most Powerful Move Is Presence

We live in a culture that celebrates perfect execution.

But real leadership? It lives in the Plan Bs.
In the missed log-ins and the awkward pivots.
In the moments when life doesn’t go as planned—and you show up anyway.

Whether you're navigating economic uncertainty, work pressure, or a personal crossroads of your own…

Here’s what I know:
You don’t need a perfect plan to show up powerfully.

You Don't Have to Trade Your Voice for Permission

You don’t need the title, the podium, the polish.
You don’t need to wait until it’s convenient or universally approved.
And you definitely don’t need to ask permission to do what you know is right.

Leadership isn’t a performance.
It’s a presence.
And that kind of leadership? It’s more urgent—and more magnetic—than ever.

Your Turn

As we close out May and roll into summer—a season that often brings disruption with a few moments of reflection—I want to ask you:

Where are you waiting for the conditions to be perfect before you step into what matters most?

This week, show up anyway.

Even if it’s messy. Even if it’s not Plan A.
Even if it’s just you and your voice on the other end of a phone call.

Because you don’t have to shrink to be celebrated.
And you sure as hell don’t have to do it perfectly.

P.S. Want more behind-the-scenes conversations about what real leadership looks like now? Join the waitlist for The Joy CEO Podcast. It’s launching soon—and it’s everything I wish existed when I was quietly choosing courage over credentials.