Helen Hynson Vettori — a former paramedic, DoD medical intelligence officer, and federal pandemic planner turned award-winning novelist — joins me to unpack what true leadership looks like during a crisis. Drawing on decades spent preparing the government for biological threats and on her Black Swan thriller trilogy, Helen makes the case that crisis leadership starts with the individual and ripples outward, ideally culminating in resilience and recovery.
What does it take to lead when the unimaginable happens?
In this episode of Leading Through Crisis, I talk with Helen Hynson Vettori – former paramedic, senior medical intelligence officer, and emergency manager who spent from 2005 until her retirement planning and preparing the federal government for biological threats, including pandemics (long before COVID-19 made its mark).
Helen traces her unlikely path from a childhood fascination with first responders to working an active shooter scene as a paramedic, to a career in the Department of Defense's Protective Medicine Branch, to becoming the internationally award-winning author of the Black Swan thriller trilogy.
We dig into what real leadership looks like in a crisis: why humility and honest communication matter more than authority, how ordinary people become leaders for themselves in moments of chaos, and why community – not individualism – is what actually gets people through disasters.
The conversation also covers practical emergency preparedness and how Helen turned her professional frustrations into fiction.
This episode is incredibly fascinating for leaders and readers alike; a must-listen for anyone drawn to entertaining stories with practical takeaways!
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Helen Hynson Vettori was born in Washington, DC, and has always lived and worked in the National Capital Region. Her knowledge and experiences gained as an EMT / commended paramedic in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad and Employee of the Year emergency manager in the Department of Homeland Security enable her to write books with credible and thrilling Black Swan plots.
A Black Swan event is a catastrophic incident that no one could have foreseen or imagined because of its unprecedented impact.
The first two books in her Black Swan Trilogy Thriller Novel Series, Black Swan Impact and Black Swan Shock, won the speculative fiction category from the International Impact Book Awards in 2025 and 2026, respectively, and Black Swan Impact won the Publishers Weekly choice for its 2026 fiction category. Both may be found worldwide. The third novel, Black Swan Terror, is in the editing process.
Vettori lives in Leesburg, VA, with her husband.
Learn more about Helen and her books at helenhynsonvettori.com. Or connect with her on Instagram (@helenhvettori).
Helen: [00:00:00] He said, "If you don't go to work every day expecting to be fired, you're not doing your job. Because emergency management is not political."
Judith: Welcome to the Leading Through Crisis podcast, brought to you by reVisionary. Exploring resilient leadership in a world of constant change. Every few weeks, Céline Williams — speaker, strategist, and trusted advisor to leaders navigating change — brings conversations that explore how to deal with the inevitable and perpetual shifts of leadership. These discussions reveal practical insights, thoughtful strategies, and stories of resilience to help you lead with clarity and calm.
Céline Williams (she/her): My guest today is Helen Hynson Vettori, author of the internationally award-winning Black Swan trilogy thriller novel series. Welcome, Helen
Helen: Thank you Céline for having me. It's a pleasure to be here
Céline Williams (she/her): It is a pleasure to have [00:01:00] you, not only 'cause I am an avid razer- reader, and I'm very curious to hear more about your books, but because I am very interested in hearing all about you and starting with what I always start with, which is the name of the podcast is Leading Through Crisis. What does that mean for you, or what comes up for you when you hear that phrase?
Helen: Well, leadership is something that boils down to the leader him or herself. It's a person who must be humble, because without humility, the other components of a leader might fall flat or become something that is abrasive. You want to have someone who can build trust and admiration from those who are willing to be invested in the vision or mission.
And you do [00:02:00] those through things that are standardly defined as transactional, collaborative, dema- democratic, and adaptive. But there's more to it than that. It's that humility combined with communication that really makes someone special, that stands out. The communication must be timely, must be frequent, must be clear, and must indeed own up to foibles that are either something that came about that were out of the control of whomever, or indeed, as we all are human, being able to own up to a mistake.
But then adding to that, being able to find workarounds, to be adaptive, and to collaborate with others so that you can realize that goal by making whatever pivot happens to be. I [00:03:00] enjoyed listening to the podcast you had with Amy Reilly, and she really emphasized all that I have come to know as, good leadership qualities, and I highly recommend anyone to listen to that podcast
Céline Williams (she/her): Well, that's incredibly kind of you. Thank you. And Amy's a lovely human, so I would agree with that. And I love that you started with humility in leadership. And I, for those who listen to this regularly, I have said more times than I can count how important I think humility is in leadership and how undervalued it is because it's often not the showiness or the overconfidence that we can equate with good leadership, right?
Someone who fills a room is not alway- And they might be humble. I'm not saying it's not. But we value that, that ownership of a room rather than humility, and I think humility is [00:04:00] incredibly important. So I love that you
Helen: Yeah.
Céline Williams (she/her): with that
Helen: When you say what you think and think what you say, you are real. You create an identity that everyone can embrace, and, um, that's who I am and who I've always been. Sometimes it was good in my work, and sometimes maybe caused friction, but I never strayed from my ethics and morals, and I was willing to stand up to even being fired if I needed to be
Céline Williams (she/her): I am gonna actually build on that for a second and ask you why do you think that is? Where do you think that comes from in yourself? Because that's hard for many of us, it's hard for most of us, and I recognize that the more we practice, we can build that muscle. But for you, and you can tell whatever of your story you're comfortable with, but where does that come [00:05:00] from? How did you build that? How did that become your practice?
Helen: Sure. Well, I will say to- I'm gonna say a quick answer, and then elaborate on it.
Céline Williams (she/her): Perfect
Helen: owe it to my parents. My parents were not just loving and guideful, but they allowed each of us to express our identities and personalities with great gusto. I was a child who had many issues as, from a baby. I was born way too premature.
I should have died. I was born at five and a half months,
Céline Williams (she/her): Wow
Helen: um, so I had health issues, and I was falling behind in school, and yada, yada, yada. But they, they supported me, and it, it made me, perhaps subconsciously at first, but as I matured, [00:06:00] understand that I could be a person of value and offer things that maybe someone else couldn't.
And I lived a very eclectic life, which built me into this person who I became. So, I really do say that my parents were the driving force beyond that
Céline Williams (she/her): I appreciate that answer and kudos to your parents because it's a wonderful quality to, have as an adult and to be confident in, right? To have that foundation. so I am curious a little bit about your journey and the eclectic life that you referred to, if you're comfortable kind of telling us, just telling us some of your story and how you got to, 'cause I wanna get into your books as well, how you got to being an internationally acclaimed award-winning author
Helen: Well, yes. It, it is the reason [00:07:00] that I traveled my paths, that allowed me to become an author. I never in a million years would have thought when I retired that I was going to write. So let's start at the very beginning, the, the, the foundation of how I took the avenues that I took We lived on a very busy street when I was a preschooler.
We moved from there not long after I turned four, but that, that first couple of years was a, a place where automobile accidents happened a lot.
Céline Williams (she/her): Mm-hmm.
Helen: my parents had given me one of those pedal fire engines for one of my birthdays. It, it was likely my second. I don't remember which.
Céline Williams (she/her): Mhm
Helen: time I would hear that tremendous crash sound, I would get in my little f- pedal fire engine and go to the scene and [00:08:00] watch the first aid people go in action.
And I said to my parents, "I'm going to be one of those people one day." And I said, "firemen," because at the time there were no firefighters. They were firemen. But I was gonna be a fireman when I grew up. Well, so 18 years later, I was able to join the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad and become a paramedic, and my experiences there were profound.
I developed a, a character and a strength that I myself didn't know that I had. But beyond that, I learned to be a part of the service community and to be able to make a difference, whether it was one life or many lives. For example, I became a paramedic who s- quite a few things in my [00:09:00] day, including an active shooter situation where I was crawling in and had to shed a lot of my, equipment because it was more and more dangerous.
And yet, when I came to people that were in very traumatic situations, I needed to treat them. So one person had a ch- a sucking chest wound, and I was down to next to nothing on my person. So I took what's called an electrode. It's something that's got a l- a, an a- adhesive disk with a gel in the center that was really designed to pass the electronic, pulses from the heart to a monitor.
But I put that patch, that electrode, on the, o- a sucking chest wound, and the patient was better off for it. So fast-forward, when I [00:10:00] became a, a paramedic preceptor- I didn't know it, but the student who I was, you know, trying to coach, said to me how thrilled he was to learn the alternative method of, of treating a s- a sucking chest wound.
And I said, "Oh, well, what is it?" He said, "What? What is it? It's your move. It's the Vittori move." So I had no idea that, that that was something that was in the works. And likewise, you know, I, I then was so interested in the fire and rescue field that I was able to establish myself. And it wasn't for my glory, it was for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, for the community, for those who I could help.
And it was quite a nice, journey for [00:11:00] me, and hopefully good for society. But, when my husband and I decided to have children, gave that up because he was a firefighter, and two in that field with shift work just didn't make sense. After 9/11 happened, I said to my husband, "I wanna go back and serve."
And our daughter at the table broke into tears. Our hu- my husband had been one of the ones to be dispatched to the Pentagon. She broke down in tears and she said, "No, I can't have both my parents in that job." So I appreciated that, but I still wanted to serve. So I called up my former paramedic partner, who was at that time in the Department of Defense in something called the Protective Medicine Branch, and I asked him if he knew of a job.
And he said, "As a matter of fact, [00:12:00] go to this site, the, the, the, government job site, and apply for that." I applied for it. I got it. And I started my career there in the Protective Medicine Branch. I was the senior medical intelligence officer. I got my master's in strategic intelligence and worked up through that, and then, well, as always, one administration to another, things get, you know, changed around, and my job was all of a sudden gone.
But someone I worked with over several years said, "Come over to my shop." And the reason we had worked together so much is because in 2005, George W. Bush declared and tasked that the federal government should plan and prepare for pandemics. So from 2005 until I retired as an emergency manager, I planned [00:13:00] and prepared for biological threats to include pandemics.
And then that's how we get to where I'll pick up when you are ready, for the explanation of how the books came about.
Céline Williams (she/her): I am ready. I, please continue. This is fascinating, and I appreciate you sharing your story. It's, it's incredibly interesting, and, even as you're telling it, it's so funny 'cause I am, my brain is clicking into, like, the first of all leadership opportunities that you would have had and the leaders you would have worked with, and also, and for, you know, anyone who understands what a black swan event is, right?
The, the when you have a black swan trilogy, the crises and the things that you must have seen. So I, please continue. This is fascinating
Helen: Yes. Well, let's define a black swan because there may be people that [00:14:00] don't know what it is in terms of emergencies.
Céline Williams (she/her): Yes
Helen: because, a, an economist developed it talking about a depression, which certainly is just devastating for economies. But it, it's been adapted in other fields, including the emergency fie- field, and that is a catastrophic event that could not be foreseen or imagined because of its unprecedented impact.
And so when I walked out the doors in 2018, thought I was going to go to a life of, you know, leisure and travel, and I love to paint, so paint to my heart's content. Then, of course, 2020 happened with the emergence of COVID. Well, originally, yes, I was all on board. We don't know, we didn't know what this, organism was gonna be like.
Lockdown is appropriate. [00:15:00] But as things went on, in both administrations that dealt with this, there were foibles, in my opinion, foibles and missteps that were confounding. Couldn't un-know the things that I knew because I had been planning and preparing for biological threats, including pandemics, since 2005.
So, you know, there were things that just bothered me, and I was ranting and raving to my siblings on one of our many Zoom calls, and my sister said to me There is a story in that. Well, I do like to write, so I thought, "Okay, it could be cathartic for me to write a journal."
But the journal turned into a novel, and as I would write each chapter or a couple of chapters, I'd shoot them off to my siblings, and my brother was astounded. [00:16:00] Because things that I wrote would happen days, weeks, even months after I wrote them, and he said, "How is it that you knew that this was gonna happen?"
And well, it was my job to anticipate things like that. It was my job to plan and prepare for contingencies. But that's not to say that there wouldn't be alter- alternatives that must be developed, because you never know. Every situation is going to have its unique elements. But I didn't see those unique elements being added, much less falling back on the foundations that were left.
So I was very upset, and the story that I wrote, I wrote it as, almost, in the year 2113 so that there's sort of a, a shield between the current events and [00:17:00] what I foresaw, the cautionary tale. And, that hopefully will allow readers not to revisit the traumas of COVID-19, but to learn from COVID-19.
The, the, leadership qualities of Dr. Saya Case are there. She is a collaborator who wants to create the atmosphere where everyone can move forward and be successful. And then you have the leader who's the Well, I'm gonna call him the despot, who want- is autocratic and wants everything the way is said, and no- nothing's gonna change.
It's political, and political it's going to be. And, you know, someone back in my career early on, you would know the name, Vice Admiral Thad Allen, [00:18:00] said to a group of us, he said, "If you don't go to work every day expecting to- to- to be fired, you're not doing your job. Because emergency management is not political.
It is for the health and well-being of communities, individuals, whole states, et cetera." And that hit home for me, and in my first book, I tried to relay that. And some of the things are really clear in what I'm saying, and some are kind of obtuse. But when I put the pen down, so to speak, from that first book, I knew the characters had much more to say.
And I knew that I wanted to introduce the idea of how people can take control in a situation that's dire, and to [00:19:00] be able to not only, get through it, but maybe also to be altruistic at the same time. And those are leadership qualities that people don't know necessarily that they have in them, like the character Mar- Marla, who emerges accidentally.
It's not that she went into it kicking and screaming. It's the fact that she was suddenly plunged in an earthquake situation, and she herself found that not only was this a problem for her, but it was a problem for everyone around her, and how she could help. And she became a beacon of hope. And then finally, what I'd like to say is, in the, book club section of the second book, it's Black Swan Shock, I offer a way for people to evaluate their readiness for emergencies and how they might improve their [00:20:00] situation
Céline Williams (she/her): That, I love that there's a, a real applicable takeaway from that. That's... What a bonus. That's very cool. oh, I have so many questions that I want to ask. Um, the... So I- you touched on something that is always a theme in my world, and that is this idea of control in these moments of, I mean, I would say crisis 'cause this is leading through, but, like, i- the unknown and these shocks and these black swan events.
Helen: Yes
Céline Williams (she/her): Yeah, chaos, I was gonna say. And is it a black swan event if it was something that was potentially predicted or, you know, like, there's always that... You know, I'm sure that is part and parcel of what you talk about as well. But that
idea-
Helen: A black swan certainly in its pure definition means that it's catastrophic in totality, [00:21:00] but, to a society. But let's focus on the individual just for a minute. A cat- a catastrophe for an individual is just as devastating, and so it starts with the individual. When an individual is in crisis, there's a lot to handle.
There are many hurdles. And so whether that person can embrace them and become a leader for him or herself is what's at question here, and it's my opinion that anyone can get that leadership, ability to be able to foster through. Now, that doesn't mean it's easy,
I certainly think everybody can
Céline Williams (she/her): I would agree with you, and based on your experience, the experience of also writing a book and characters, because that while [00:22:00] it is not necessarily your specific lived experience, I recognize that they are characters in a book. There is an experience of being in those characters and writing those characters and thinking through the scenarios.
So I'm, I'm wanna clarify, I 100% count that as experience, Helen. don't think I'm saying not the books. But in your experience, how does one do that or what are some of the... And I, whether it's practical steps that someone can cultivate that in themselves to be a leader in those moments of chaos or, if it's, whether it's activities or mindset or qualities that they were, or behaviors.
What are some of those things that either they can cultivate to lead themselves, I'm not even talking about other people, more effectively at this point, or that they can be aware of, Like, what does that look like?
Helen: Well, I [00:23:00] think it boils down to being able to reach out. And that can be finding mindfulness or psychological assistance so that that person can realize what needs to happen and become the adaptive leader who can find a way through all this chaos
Céline Williams (she/her): We all think we should, could, can, must do things by ourselves, and we don't reach out for help. And many people are even more adverse to do so in those moments of chaos. I think what you're saying important, which is that not about doing it by yourself, and it is about getting support in some way.
By the way, which can be, I'm gonna tell you what I'm thinking, and someone [00:24:00] either validates or gives you a different per- All of that is support as well
Helen: Exactly. Or the neighborhood when a big blizzard hits, go out and shovel for someone who's not able to do so. Or reach out, say, "I can't shovel. Will you help me, please?" You know, those are things that just start the community to work together to find focus, to be able to find that, that vision to achieve the goal of whatever it happens to be
Céline Williams (she/her): You mentioned community, and I'm curious from your, again, experience perspective, how does community factor into these times of chaos.
Helen: Well, I said early on everything starts with the individual. So you get one person who accepts responsibility, and, the things [00:25:00] that I'm talking about are for emergencies. So let's be clear about that. If someone finds a way to be more prepared, to be able to be self-sustaining for not only him or herself, but loved ones, including pets, for a minimum of 72 hours, that helps the neighbors, the community.
Because there is less stress on the overall situation because that at least one person plus, you know, however many loved ones, family, friends, are included in that circle are better off. And then neighborhoods then can get together. There's the neighborhood watch program. Well, why not a nei- a neighborhood emergency program?
I'm sure you can find one in your community. Then extend out to your town or city, [00:26:00] your county, your state, the whole country. It just starts with the individual, but blooms into, a symbiotic relationship that helps everybody in the end to recover and rebuild perhaps even better than it was before
Céline Williams (she/her): You mentioned preparedness, and I think that anyone who experienced the pandemic, which would be all of us at this point, saw people that, I, th- is gonna sound like a judgment, and I don't mean this as a judgment, but it's, they, it's almost like they went too far with preparedness. Like, it turns into paranoia, right? Like, it becomes all-consuming and negative. And post-pandemic, there's still, that head space exists in a lot of people still. And the reason I ask that is I think, and I'm gonna... I'm on your side with this. I think preparedness is extremely important. I [00:27:00] talk about it even from leadership or, you know, leadership, emotional intelligence, emotional management. you're in the thick of it, and that's when you're trying to do your first moment of emotional management, it's never going to work.
We have to be prepared for those moments. We have to think about them, practice, et cetera. So from whatever perse- perspective, I'm on your side with preparedness. And do we prevent that from becoming all-consuming and negative? And you worked in this world where you were thinking about these possibilities all the time, so I imagine you have some great ideas about this.
Helen: I know there is a negative connotation to the preppers, right? Maybe some people go overboard, I will admit to that. But there's, there is a happy, I'll call it, medium that y- you can take and [00:28:00] be, pragmatic maybe is the best word to use. For instance, it's not hard to keep a, a bunch of new batteries available for a radio that will work when the electricity is down.
It's not hard to make a phone tree emergency calling situation. Because here's something that most people don't know. When there's a crisis, the cellphone towers become overloaded, and you can't make any phone calls whatsoever it seems. But you usually can have a workaround by calling someone out of state or country for c- because those are different, lines, so to speak.
And so, you know, have your great-aunt so-and-so be the person who's going to be the contact. "Yes, Mom's safe. Yes, Dad's safe. Yes, children are safe. Yes, the [00:29:00] dog has been located." And, you know, that's easy to do. There are some other things that I, I mentioned, like keeping enough medicine and food and water on hand.
You know, those are things that are just common sense. Now, mea culpa. Because I planned and prepared for pandemics, I bought the crate, yes, a crate, of N95 masks. There must have been quickly 24 boxes, each box holding 20 masks. I bought those early on, and my husband would gripe and carry on, "Why do we have to have this in our basement on these shelves?
It's, it takes up a lot of room." I said, "Well, just humor me." When we moved, he said, "Oh, good. Now we can finally get rid of these." And I said, "No, it's just one box. It's a big box, I agree, but it's just one box, and I, [00:30:00] I will carry it." And we had the N95s when nobody could find them on the market. So maybe that's s- that's something that someone would be consider, would consider it's, an extreme.
I'm not saying you have to necessarily do that much. Why not have a hand-crank radio? Why not have a flashlight? Why not keep your meds so that you have many days ahead? Why not keep cash on hand? I mean, there are easy things you can do.
Céline Williams (she/her): I completely agree and I appreciate that you had a crate of N95 masks. I think that's incredible. You were definitely thinking ahead. And I think that everything that you're talking about is very pragmatic, right? And I think that's really important to keep in mind. And my, I think that, it's the people that take it, I'm gonna say too far, but where it becomes all-consuming.
And it's [00:31:00] even ... And it's not, you know, someone who wants to build a cabin in the woods and be isolated. I'm not even talking about that Like, great if that's what you wanna do, do that. It is the people who now everything is tainted with the negativity, and they can't take anything. You know, everything becomes, uh, it, it's even beyond the prep.
It really is that negativity overwhelm as a result of that. And I think that to what you said, there is a happy medium. These pragmatic steps, let's take them, let's have people be aware of them, let's not confuse that because it does sometimes get confused with the people that have gone to an extreme where it is affecting their lives in negative ways, because that also exists
Helen: Yeah, it does. It does. And, and it across the board in every kind of situation, I'm sure. But yes, it, it's there. We can acknowledge it, and we can decide what is [00:32:00] appropriate for us and maybe what's not
Céline Williams (she/her): Yeah. I'm gonna ask you a very specific question about your books. Pardon me. There are two, and there's a third coming out. Is that correct? That, do I have that right?
Helen: You do. It is called Black Swan Terror, and I'm in the editing process
Céline Williams (she/her): Amazing. Good luck with that. I hear editing is a process to say the least.
Helen: Oh, it's long
Céline Williams (she/her): so this is a, love reading. I love books. So I'm gonna ask this question, which is what do you hope people who read your books,
what do you hope that I take away from it, go into it thinking? What is, what is, what is it that your, not goal for the book, but what would you hope that your reader is walking away with or taking away or learning at the end of it?
Helen: Bottom line, entertainment. I love, mm-hmm, I love to [00:33:00] read. I will read just about any genre, just about. And if it's entertaining, and it can be entertaining in a cerebral way or in, as I call it, mcfiction way. As long as it's entertaining, that's what I hope for. And I d- get a nice Kirkus Reviews. It's, it goes that, it, it, it said, "Black Swan Shock is an intense, futuristic thriller that recalls the best of 1970s disaster cinema."
So it's, it's fast-paced, it's, dynamic, and it's backed with credibility because I've been there, done that. The first book too, yes, but the first book was more politically, oriented.
Céline Williams (she/her): Mmm-hmm
Helen: The second book, pure unadulterated thrill.
Céline Williams (she/her): I love that. I think [00:34:00] entertainment's the best answer that you could have given, truly. And I think that I love that you have a background that is so related to what you're writing about in the sense that, my experience has been when I have read novels where someone's background is related to what they're writing about, there is a groundedness that allows you to really, empathize,
but, like, you feel what the characters are feeling, 'cause it is not a compl- you know, completely out of the realm of what this person has experienced.
Helen: Agree
Céline Williams (she/her): I that despite the overlap that you might have with this, you started with entertainment. I think that is wonderful.
Helen: yes, I did say earlier that, my mission is to make people plan and prepare for emergencies, but why not do it in a way that they'll embrace [00:35:00] happily?
Céline Williams (she/her): Before we wrap this up, Helen, I'm gonna ask the question, which is, is there anything that we didn't talk about or get to, or that we did that you wanna emphasize or nothing at all, that you'd like to, to, that you'd like to take a couple minutes to get to? And nothing at all is a valid answer for the record
Helen: Well, all I'd like to say is that I appreciate your podcast. I appreciate your vision, and I hope that people will listen to what you have to offer. I've listened to two, as I have told you. I plan to listen to more, and I can learn and, and be, aware of things through your podcast and enjoy them at the same time
Céline Williams (she/her): Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I always hope that these podcasts are also entertaining, and I tend not to take myself super seriously, so hopefully that comes across, 'cause it can be both things, right? And [00:36:00] so I appreciate that about you. Thank you. For anyone who is listening or watching, you can...
There will be links to everything to find out about Helen in the show notes. Her website, you can find her books. Is there any pr- Do you have a preference of how people connect with you if they wanna connect with you?
Helen: They can, reach out through my website, to send an email. They can go to my Instagram site and, write something in the comments. However they feel comfortable is fine
Céline Williams (she/her): Perfect. So that will all be linked. And Helen, you so much for coming and chatting with me. It is a thrill for me to get to talk about a novel on this podcast. I hope more novelists reach out and wanna be on and find us because it is, not maybe what one would think of as the, a traditional to- i- topic here, and yet it's so applicable and it's so [00:37:00] wonderful. And I love your creativity, and I thank you so much for being a guest and for sharing your s- fascinating story with us. I really appreciate it
Helen: Well, thank you for having me, and have a good day
Céline Williams (she/her): Absolutely.
Judith: You’ve been listening to Leading Through Crisis, hosted by Céline Williams and brought to you by reVisionary. To learn more, visit leadingthroughcrisis.ca. Connect with Céline on LinkedIn, and explore the show notes for resources and next steps. Until next time, keep leading with courage and clarity.