The new shape of strong

This morning, I walked into the office with my hands full of pastries.

A small gesture, but one that felt deeply needed. My team has been under enormous pressure these past weeks from the relentless pace of daily demands to the adjustment of returning to a full-time office rhythm. They've shown up for me, for each other, for the business, again and again. And I wanted to show up for them too. Not with a strategy or a new plan. Just with something warm, sweet, and simple. A moment of connection.

They’re tired. I see it. Since the announcement two months ago that the company had been acquired, uncertainty has been hanging in the air. And while they continue to focus on what needs to be done, there’s an emotional undercurrent, anxiety, anticipation, the quiet energy of change.

So today, pastries. Tea. Gratitude. A reminder that I see them, and I value them not just for their output, but for their presence, their humanity.

It made me think back to the early days of MadeComfy. I remember feeling disoriented, especially after facing rejection after rejection from male investors. I often asked myself, “How do I show up stronger?” I wanted to be respected, to be taken seriously. And like many women, I looked outward for answers.

I remember reading Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. I underlined advice like: Don’t bring food. Don’t smile too much. Don’t be too nice.

The message was clear: strength meant sharp edges. It meant being less of something.

But after ten years in business, ten years of building, failing, learning, leading, I know now that real strength looks very different.

Strength is showing up when things are heavy.
It’s staying composed under pressure.
It’s finding creative solutions when nothing seems to work.
It’s leading with courage when the future is murky and your own doubts are loud.

And it’s also being soft. It’s empathy, collaboration, openness. It’s knowing when to listen more than speak. It’s sharing pastries because people matter more than posturing.

I've seen too many women in leadership harden themselves in an effort to be taken seriously. They cut off parts of who they are, thinking that’s the cost of authority. But in doing so, they lose some of their greatest assets: their warmth, their intuition, their ability to lead with heart.

I don’t believe leadership has to look like that anymore.

Today, kindness felt like power. And I’m certain it was.

What’s one belief about leadership you’re ready to rewrite?

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