Christina Helena is a speaker, playwright/performer, and founder of My Scar is Sexy, based in New York City. As one of the youngest pancreatic cancer survivors with a thirteen-inch scar across her abdomen, she is redefining the stigma behind trauma and pain with one simple thought: “Your scar is the sexiest thing about you.” Most recently, Goalcast featured Christina’s talk, “My Scar is Sexy,” on mental health, and overcoming adversity received over 10 million views.

Her story is currently in development as an off-Broadway, autobiographical solo show entitled SCAR directed by the award-winning director Larry Moss. Her TEDx talk, “Dear Unresolved Soul, It’s Not Death You Fear, It’s Life,” is about facing mortality and how death is the greatest catalyst to discovering the authentic self.

A Quote From This Episode

• "It took me many years of just asking myself, 'Why did you have that thought?' Then, again, 'Why did you have that thought?' And then, 'Why did you have that answer, and why that thought?'"

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Christina's Website
• Christina's TEDx Talk
• My Scar is Sexy Talk
• Goalcast
• Other resources/people mentioned in this episode are linked to in the episode transcript.

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Register for ILA's 26th Global Conference in Chicago, IL - November 7-10, 2024.

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: The Leader's Edge
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

Colonel Matt Horner, Ph.D., is the Director of Staff of the Dean of Faculty and was recently nominated for the role of Permanent Professor for Character and Leadership Development at USAFA. He has served in multiple administrative and instructor roles in the Directorate of Athletics and is an Assistant Professor of Management, teaching courses on organizational dynamics and leadership. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served as a mobility pilot on active duty. He received his doctorate in sport management from Florida State University.

Lt Col Matt Orlowsky, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Management and teaches courses on organizational dynamics and leadership. He is a graduate of USAFA and served as a force support officer on active duty. As a human resource professional, he has held responsibilities at tactical, operational, and strategic levels and has held assignments all over the globe, including the United States, Korea, Germany, Iraq, and Qatar. His doctorate is from the University of Denver, and he explored how leaders translate experiences into insights.

Daphne DePorres, Ed.D., is an assistant professor at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), where she teaches organizational behavior and organizational development, as well as a management consulting capstone course. In addition, she has over thirty years of experience in Organization Development and Change. Before her academic career, she spent nearly a decade consulting with large and small, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, working with them as they developed strategies, pursued organizational goals, analyzed and changed their cultures, and developed effective teams.

Dr. Dave Levy is a Professor of Management at USAFA and teaches courses on leadership, power, organization development, and change. He is a USAFA graduate and served as a security forces officer on active duty. After leaving the military, he worked as an organizational change consultant for Grant-Thornton and KPMG. He received his doctorate in organizational behavior from Cornell University and is the author of several books, including The 52nd Floor: Thinking Deeply About Leadership, Attitudes Aren’t Free: Thinking Deeply About Diversity in the US Armed Forces, Echoes of Mind: Thinking Deeply About Humanship, Evolution of Government Policy Towards Homosexuality in the US Military, and The Line: A Very Short, Short Story.

A Quote From This Episode

• "Every interaction is an opportunity to go ahead and fulfill the needs of agency, efficacy, and belonging."

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Article: Lens X: A Practical Approach to Taking Care of Your People
• Links to other resources in the transcript

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Register for ILA's 26th Global Conference in Chicago, IL - November 7-10, 2024.

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: The Leader's Edge

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

Dr. Stoller is Chairman of the Education Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He holds the Jean Wall Bennett Professorship of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and the Samson Global Leadership Academy Endowed Chair. He is a pulmonary/critical care physician in the Cleveland Clinic Integrated Hospital Institute. He serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (Cleveland Clinic) in the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

In 1979, Dr. Stoller earned a medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and later completed an internship and residency at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. He then completed fellowships in pulmonary/critical medicine (Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Yale), clinical epidemiology (Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at Yale), and respiratory intensive care (Respiratory Intensive Care Unit of the Massachusetts General Hospital) before joining the Respiratory Institute Staff at Cleveland Clinic in 1986.

Dr. MinhTri Nguyen recently graduated from Cleveland Clinic’s Hematology and Oncology Fellowship program. He has had leadership experiences as the Associate Director of Outpatient Services at Metrohealth’s Internal Medicine Department, Chief Resident, and President of the House Officer’s Association at MetroHealth.

MinhTri has a longstanding interest in emotional intelligence and leadership, with ongoing research in both subject matters related to physician training. He is a certified coach, currently coaching resident physicians and clinical leaders. In the fall, he will be joining Stanford Health Care, where he will practice Hematology/Oncology with University Medical Partners while continuing his academic interests in leadership development for physicians.


A Quote From This Episode

• "The practice of leadership like medicine (both fields in their own right) is continuous. To be a good practitioner of medicine you need to be in tune with the practice and practice medicine. So the same thing applies to leadership you need to be in tune with the field of leadership and practice leadership."

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Coursera Course - Andrew Ng on Artificial Intelligence
• Article - The Moral Bucket List by Brooks
• Book - Better Humans, Better Performance by Rae, Stoller, & Kolp
• Books - Hidden Potential and Give and Take by Grant
• Book - The Art of the Impossible by Kotler
• Commencement Address - Don Berwick, Yale Medical School, & Ken Burns, Brandeis University

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Register for ILA's 26th Global Conference in Chicago, IL - November 7-10, 2024.

About Scott J. Allen

• Website & Weekly Newsletter: The Leader's Edge

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.