The Future of Self-Leadership: Aiko Bethea in Conversation with W+K Portland Head of People + Culture Yehoshua Gotfried
Join Aiko Bethea, leadership coach and author of Anchored, Aligned, Accountable, in conversation with Yehoshua Gotfried, Head of People + Culture at Wieden+Kennedy Portland.
This session will explore "The Future of Self-Leadership," examining how individual accountability and alignment serve as the essential foundation for collective organizational growth. Attendees will gain insights into leading with intention, navigating complex professional dynamics, and remaining anchored in curiosity.
Event Details:
Date: May 20, 2026
Time: Doors open at 3:00 PM PST
Location: Wieden+Kennedy, 224 NW 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
Bookseller Partner: Powell’s City of Books will be onsite with copies of Anchored, Aligned, Accountable available for purchase.
Admission: This event is free and open to the public; however, registration is encouraged to secure your attendance.
About the book:
From one of our most visionary leadership coaches comes a bold new framework for successfully navigating complicated interactions at work, at home, and in all our relationships—featuring a foreword by Brené Brown.
“Drawing on her years of coaching experience, Bethea names what is often left unspoken in our workplaces: the dynamics of power, identity, and accountability that shape our relationships.”—Prentis Hemphill, bestselling author of What It Takes to Heal
We’ve all had them—awkward interactions at work that could have gone differently, misunderstandings at home that led to avoidable blowups. But what if those uncomfortable moments could become opportunities for personal transformation?
Renowned leadership coach Aiko Bethea gives us an innovative and road-tested framework for learning to show up in any situation authentically and not as the people-pleasing or conflict-avoidant versions of ourselves that have become second nature to so many of us.
The framework lays out how to successfully navigate moments of conflict: first we must be anchored in our values and purpose, then our actions and principles must be aligned, and finally we must be accountable for our impact. With these three steps, we can remake ourselves and our connections with others, fostering constructive dialogue and creating opportunities for growth.
Throughout the book, Bethea draws on decades of real-life experience to show us the many forms that these scenarios can take, offering practical advice to help us lead from our most genuine selves and deepen relationships in every part of our lives. In doing so, she shows us how to transcend the bullshit we constantly encounter and meet each new day grounded in truth, connected to our values, and in control of not just what we do but who we become.
About the author:
Aiko Bethea has held executive roles in government, philanthropic, nonprofit, and private sectors, including the City of Atlanta and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She oversaw the development of leadership strategies for the Brene Brown Education and Research Group, which she continues to support. Bethea is the founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting, which provides leadership development to Fortune 100 leaders and global nonprofits. Recognized by Forbes and CultureAmp as a top anti-racism educator, her work has been published in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the NYT Best Selling anthology, You Are Your Best Thing. She holds a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and an undergraduate degree from Smith College. The Industry Leaders named Aiko #3 on the Top 25 Executive Coaches in 2026 List.
About the Conversation Partner:
Yehoshua Gotfried is the Head of People + Culture at Wieden+Kennedy Portland. He first joined W+K in 2019 as an HR Business Partner specializing in Employee Relations and Learning & Development and prior to that, gained early management and HR experience in operations & store management for Target. Yehoshua is passionate about helping teams build authentic cultures where everyone can do their best work and be valued for it. When he’s not working, he relishes any activity that taps into his childhood growing up in Mexico. He enjoys traveling, swimming, and staying active so he can keep up with his two sons, and cherishes a date night out with his wife.
About the Host:
Wieden+Kennedy is an independent, global creative company that has built and transformed some of the world’s most well-known, exciting brands for over forty years. Offering world class creative, media, social, design and strategy operations, W+K's guiding principle is to create great work for inspiring clients.