Blog

Written by Dorothy A. Martin-Neville, PhD

True leadership isn’t defined when everything is flowing and the path is clear. It’s shaped, refined, and revealed in times of adversity—when plans fall apart, the future feels uncertain, and we’re asked to make decisions without guarantees.

Adversity strips away the nonessential. It removes the illusion that we are in control and instead invites us to lead from essence, not ego. These moments can feel like a reckoning—where the strategies that once worked no longer serve, and we’re left to ask: Who am I when I’m not being who they expect me to be? – or – Dealing with things I never anticipated?

Leadership in adversity is not about pretending to have all the answers. It’s about becoming the kind of presence that allows others to stay grounded, even when the ground is shaking. It’s about being the true leader others can follow and depend upon. It’s about honesty, vulnerability, and the quiet courage to face the unknown without abandoning yourself or your deeper purpose.

Transition is the space between stages. The old way no longer fits, but the new way hasn’t fully emerged. It can feel like a void—a pause where you’re no longer who you were, but not quite who you’re becoming. These are the times leaders are called to do the deeper work: to reflect, recalibrate, and realign. Your ability to adapt, to shift, and reassess is what frees and strengthens you simultaneously.

Transition is not simply about change—it calls for transformation. It invites us to die to outdated versions of ourselves, to release what was safe but limiting, and to step into a leadership style that is more embodied, more conscious, and more deeply connected.

And then—there is hope.

Hope is not passive. It’s not simply wishing things would get better. Hope is active. It’s rooted in vision and fueled by faith. It’s the choice to believe that even here, even now, something meaningful can be born. Something is meant to be learned. Hope doesn’t ignore reality—it works with it. It breathes life into exhausted bones. It whispers to the leader: You were made for this moment.

In the midst of adversity, transition, and the wild unknown, we get to ask powerful questions:

Where is life asking me to grow beyond who I’ve been?
What have I outgrown that I’m still trying to carry?
And how might my leadership evolve if I stopped performing and started embodying?

The world doesn’t need perfect leaders. It needs present ones. Leaders who are willing to be reshaped by change, rooted in truth, and guided by something greater.

This is sacred work. And you’re already doing it.  Call me if you’re ready to grow and lead differently- and more powerfully!

To your success,
Dr. Dorothy