Suddenly, I was being asked to lead people

17 years ago, I stepped into a role that would change everything: Head of Engineering.

It felt like a title draped over me like borrowed authority, ill-fitting, unfamiliar, and impossible to ignore. Beneath it, I was still an engineer who loved puzzles and clean code. But suddenly, I was being asked to lead people, hold space for others, and make decisions without clear answers, all while being a single mother with a newborn at home.

That first leap was messy.

🖤 I overworked instead of setting boundaries.

🖤 I carried everything alone instead of asking for help.

🖤 I avoided conflict instead of leading through it.

🔥🔥🔥 The fire nearly burned me out. Yet, it also forged me.

I learned that leadership isn’t about proving yourself or carrying the weight for everyone. It’s about learning to trust, to set boundaries, to lead yourself first with compassion before you can lead others.

🐲 This story, and the lessons that came from it, is what I share in my book, The Leadership Leap – Now Without Crash Landings.

📖 Get your copy here: avagasso.com/shop

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/b32f5e_38dae276c1e2431fabe9e94e862d39aa/360p/mp4/file.mp4