Retail Explorers Presents: Learning to Live Forward
How to Take Control By Letting Go
As women, we’re pressured to be so much to so many. It often feels like the only way to do it all is to be perfect, and so we build a box. Anything that doesn’t let us appear perfect to the outside world goes into the box. But what happens when your box leaks? Or worse—explodes?
Darlene Lekowski knows this fear, and its consequences, better than anyone. She spent fifty years building a successful career as a sales executive in a male-dominated industry, all while carrying a secret that shaped every relationship and decision she made.
In this powerful and candid talk, she draws a direct line between the hidden burdens women carry and the ceilings they can't seem to break through — and makes the case that letting go isn't weakness, it's strategy. Rooted in her own story of survival, silence, and ultimately freedom, this talk gives women leaders permission to stop performing and start leading as their full, unguarded selves.
You will leave with:
Lived insight into how hidden shame and fear quietly undermine confidence, connection, and career growth
A powerful metaphor — Pandora’s Box: for identifying what they're hiding and understanding what it's really costing them
The permission and the tools to stop performing and lead from a place of authentic strength
Everyone will receive a free copy of: Shattering Silence: A Story of Survival, Justice and the Power of Telling the Truth
Darlene Lekowski is a speaker, bestselling author, and business leader who knows firsthand the cost of hiding our true selves, and what becomes possible when we finally start living as ourselves. Darlene is a survivor of childhood trauma who climbed the corporate ladder in a male-dominated field, becoming a top account executive at a $30B+ company. Her memoir, Shattering Silence: A Story of Survival, Justice and the Power of Telling the Truth, became an Amazon Best Seller and #1 New Release in multiple categories. Today, Darlene speaks to corporate, leadership, and survivor audiences, inspiring others to let go, break free, and Live Forward — with courage, resilience, and agency. https://www.DarleneSpeaksUp.com