The Gold in the Cracks

Now look at this, I found a little article I wrote on LinkedIn. I posted it over two months ago, it didn't have a lot of traction but every few weeks it gets a little attention, I don't even know how people find it.

As I'm in a more corporate mindset today I thought I share it. This was a little act of defiance as the company I work for shows more and more toxic traits. I will never fit any mold, so this was written from the center of my heart.

Lately I’ve been thinking about what kind of culture actually allows people to thrive at work.

Not just perform. Not just survive. But thrive.

What I keep coming back to is this: people need to feel safe enough to be their full, messy, evolving selves.

Not just the top performers from the best schools.

Not just the ones who look and sound “professional” in the narrowest sense.

But everyone - with different brains, backgrounds, life phases, and ways of thinking.

I’m thinking about women finding their voice at different stages in life. About people who carry grief or rage under their well-fitted blazer. About those who were never taught how to “play the game” because the rules were never made for them.

We’ve moved so far into metrics and “merit” and standardization that we risk forgetting how real innovation actually happens. It happens when someone feels safe enough to speak.

To ask the strange question. To say the awkward truth. To pitch the idea that’s a little out there.

That’s what DEI can protect and amplify - not just diversity of identity, but diversity of expression, thought, rhythm. And that’s not soft. That’s strong leadership. It takes real courage to create a space where people can stop performing - and start thriving. Like a cracked bowl repaired with gold, we become more valuable when we’re allowed to be whole.

Not flawless - just fully seen.

A safe culture isn’t a luxury. It’s the soil where brilliance grows.