Transitions

Transitions is a story about who I am and what I do and why I do it and what I've learned along the way. My life has held moments of incredible privilege and moments of deep intersectional oppression. And these experiences, the highs and the lows, well, they've become some of my greatest assets, some of my biggest lessons, and the deepest reserve of resilience that I carry. And as I share a few of these moments with you today, remember this, that every leader has transitions in life. Mine simply taught me to see privilege and oppression up close and turn both into strategic insight. I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and we were forced to move to Canada when I was 6 years old. One evening, three men in black masks came to my parents' door and threatened our family. 30 days later, we were living in Canada. I sometimes call changing my home country my first transition in life. I didn't recognize it then, but that experience became my first real lesson of how invisible systems work. Sometimes for us, sometimes against us, and sometimes driven by hatred and fear. Now, faith is my second transition in life. I grew up as an Irish Protestant household. Later, when I was married, I became Roman Catholic. I was so Catholic, I was teaching catechism to other adults. But today, I simply define myself as spiritual, and each step invited me to question what I believed and to see the world through a much wider lens. When I explored faiths and cultures thousands of years older than my own Christian upbringing, I realized how narrow my view had been, and it taught me to look beyond the familiar, to seek acceptance over certainty, and to listen first and speak second. Those lessons continue to guide how I lead. Reflecting back, my career grew very quickly, becoming a C-suite technology executive leading teams across continents and sitting on boards. These were the visible signs of leadership—the titles, the travel, and the recognition. But they also taught me that leadership without humanity is hollow. Power means little if it doesn't mean making space for others. My gender's my third transition in life, the most profound and the most liberating. When I began living authentically as myself, the world changed overnight. Where I was once welcomed, I was now questioned. And I learned in a very real way what it means to lose privilege while holding on to purpose. But that transition didn't break me. No, it refined me. It deepened my empathy. It sharpened my courage. And it gave me a lived understanding of what psychological safety truly means for myself and for others. Seeking to grow, I became somewhat nomadic, spending time in South America picking coffee in Colombia, spending time in the Amazon forests of Peru, and yes, even having a monkey on my back. Those moments reminded me that leadership isn't confined to a boardroom. It can be found in curiosity, in humility, and seeing how others live and lead. All of these transitions from countries, religion, gender, and career gave me a very rare lens. I am one leader with two genders worth of experience from local to global. They shape how I work with leaders today, letting them understand that inclusion isn't a policy, it's a practice built through everyday courage. I've seen both sides of life, the high of privilege and the low of oppression. The wounds have worked to heal, but they've become wisdom, like discovering one of the most amazing hugs you can ever get. Is from a sloth. These experiences taught me to see systems clearly, to challenge bias with compassion, and create space for others to rise. And yes, even how to deal with the occasional monkey on my back. That's why I do what I do. Through the Fortlage Collective, I work with organizations so that no one else has to experience these extremes so that leaders can turn awareness into action and workplaces into places of real belonging. These are my transitions, but every leader has theirs. Mine simply taught me to see that privilege, when recognized, can become a bridge. I hope this story encourages you to look at your own privileges And experience your transitions, uh, not with fear though, but with acceptance and curiosity, because it's through our changes that we discover who we really are and how we can lead others to thrive.