Leading with Courage in Defining Moments: A Conversation with Cheryl Pullins & Melissa J. Nixon
Leadership is not tested when things are easy. It is revealed in defining moments.
During a recent HOPE Chat Live conversation, Cheryl Pullins, Editor-in-Chief of HOPE Magazine, sat down with Leadership Strategist and Courage Catalyst, Melissa J. Nixon, Founder of The Courage Company®, to explore what it truly means to lead with intention when the pressure is real.
The conversation centered on a powerful truth: Courage is not personality. It is a practice.
For women navigating transitions, whether in business, career, or personal reinvention, defining moments often arrive quietly. A shift in direction. A leadership opportunity. A decision that stretches identity.
Melissa shared that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to move forward aligned with your values despite it.
Key themes from the conversation included:
Defining Moments Reveal Alignment
Often, the discomfort we feel is not about capability — it’s about clarity. Defining moments force us to examine whether our actions align with who we are becoming.
Shrinking is a Learned Response
Many women, particularly high-achieving women, have learned to minimize themselves in rooms where they belong. Courage requires unlearning that reflex.
Leadership Requires Self-Trust
Before others trust your voice, you must trust it. Courage begins internally — with decisions made in private before they are seen publicly.
Growth Demands Intention
Courage is not reactive. It is intentional. It asks: What kind of leader am I becoming in this season?
For us, defining moments often look like reinvention. Career pivots. New ventures. Board appointments. Letting go of titles that no longer fit. The conversation between Cheryl and Melissa served as a reminder that leadership in this season is not about volume, it’s about conviction. When courage becomes a discipline rather than an emotion, leadership shifts from performance to purpose.
Because defining moments don’t just test leaders. They refine them.
As HOPE continues expanding into audio through HOPE Chat Live: The Podcast, these conversations are becoming part of a larger commitment: creating space for women to lead boldly, brilliantly, and beautifully in every season.