Too Bold To Break: Why Authentic Leaders Are the Future of Work

I wrote HEY GLITTERBOMB for every leader who’s ever been told they’re too loud, too much, or too different.

The ones who felt punished for having opinions, taking up space, or refusing to lead like a cardboard cutout.

That’s the lie so many of us swallowed for too long—and it’s the first one I challenge when I walk onstage.

That’s where I challenge teams to do the exact opposite: to turn up the dial on their too-muchness, together. Because your people don’t need tighter performance plans. They need to feel like there’s room for all of them to show up.

Your employees need to be freed, not fixed.

And when they are? Here’s what happens.

Snapshot 1: From Divided to Unified

The team showed up to the workshop feeling disjointed. Tired, tentative, and a little too practiced at working in parallel instead of in partnership. This was a leadership team in the middle of big changes—new goals on paper, shifting responsibilities in practice, and unspoken friction underneath it all.

They had the titles. The talent. The goals.

 But not the trust.

Our session cracked something open.

Through guided conversations and custom exercises, they got clearer on what each person actually brought to the table—and what had been missing in the in-between. Real talk surfaced. Vulnerability followed. And with it, a shared commitment to rebuild the culture from the inside out.

By the end of the day, the dynamic had shifted. The group that walked in feeling uncertain and divided walked out with a renewed sense of connection, empowerment, and possibility.

Because when leaders feel seen for what makes them different, they start leading like it matters.

Snapshot 2: From Quiet to Clear

This team wasn’t lacking ambition. They were lacking alignment.

Everyone was working hard, but no one was entirely sure if their efforts were moving in the same direction. They’d been pulled together from smaller units and pairs, mashed into one team through an organizational realignment that felt more arbitrary than intentional.

Inside the retreat, we named what was fuzzy. Expectations. Roles. Accountability. And, just as important, what made each person’s approach uniquely valuable.

Because here’s the truth: teams don’t just need clearer rules of the road. They need clarity about what makes them special—individually and collectively—and how to leverage those strengths to disrupt industry norms instead of replicating them.

By the end of our time together, they weren’t just aligned on tasks. They were aligned on trust. They left with language, agreements, and a shared sense that their voices mattered.

And when people believe their voices matter, they stop holding back. They speak up. They lead. They change the room.

Snapshot 3: From Numb to Unleashed

I see it every time I deliver a keynote: the moment when the energy shifts.

At first, the room feels careful. People nodding politely, waiting to see what kind of leadership talk this will be. Then something breaks open. Someone laughs a little too loud. Someone admits they’ve been hiding parts of themselves. Someone else finally says out loud what’s been on everyone’s mind.

That’s the moment when numbness turns into possibility.

After one talk, an audience member told me she’d been carrying layers of burnout and self-doubt for years. In that room, she felt permission to stop pretending and start naming the truth—for herself first, then for others. That clarity cracked something wide open: she began sharing her story publicly, creating art she’d held back for years, and even launching a new initiative rooted in her own lived experience.

This is the ripple effect of unleashing your too-muchness. It doesn’t just change how one person shows up. It changes the culture they go back to, the teams they lead, and the industries they disrupt.

Bottom line? When leaders are freed to bring their full selves, organizations stop running on autopilot and start sparking with creativity, courage, and connection. That’s not just good for morale; it’s how industries evolve.

If you’re ready to see that kind of shift in your people, let’s make it happen.

Book me to speak at your next team offsite or leadership summit and see for yourself why one recent client said,

“Kari isn’t a guru or a fixer. She’s a compassionate witness. She helps people get unstuck — and move toward who they already are, underneath all the conditioning. If you’re thinking about reaching out, do. Especially now, in this moment of political upheaval and personal reckoning for so many organizations. Kari is showing up with real, tangible support for leaders and teams who are just trying to get unstuck — and move toward who they already are, underneath all the conditioning.”