When I was in college, my walk from the car to class each day was quite far and there was often horrible weather. I’d schedule my classes in the morning and work in the afternoon, so I’d always be wearing a suit and heels. When the weather was bad, I’d imagine myself in war with it, I’d put my head down, take one step at a time, and battle through it. Ever since, when obstacles approach, I remember that mile-long walk in the nasty weather in stilettoes.

When I was thirty-two years old, I was in the middle of launching a new global operating model at a large medical device company when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Having no family history, it was quite a shock to learn that I had to shift my primary priority away from work and towards battling an aggressive cancer, over which I had very little control. It was the same as the walk on college campus, I put my head down and took one small step at a time, but this time around, I also learned to lean on those around me. We don’t always have to be fiercely independent in the storm alone. Throughout my treatment, I continued my work, but I let co-workers and family help me along the way. I was also fortunate to work for an incredible company, where our medical devices were critical components of my treatment pathway. I learned deeper gratitude for our products and the depth of relationships, both personally and professionally, that vulnerability can breed.