I didn’t plan to speak. But suddenly, twelve senior leaders were looking at me.
I felt it instantly – bravachurn.
(Bravery + churn)
That mix of courage and nerves swirling inside you right before you say the hard thing.
I’d spent weeks assessing culture at a firm: listening, grabbing lunch with managers, and looking for patterns.
What I found wasn’t pretty. Morale was low, trust was unraveling, and people were ready to leave.
I had a draft deck – half-finished, back in my office.
Then in a leadership meeting, the partner who sponsored the work turned to me and said:
“Kelly’s been looking into our culture. She has something to share.”
No warning. No slides. Just me, a dozen senior leaders, and a choice:
Do I sugarcoat? Or do I speak the truth?
I leaned in.
I shared what I’d heard:
That trust was eroding. That employees felt set up to fail.
Afterward, a partner known for his temper pulled me aside.
He said, “So… you just told us our baby is ugly. What do we do now?”
That meeting opened the door to real change.
Because sharing hard truths isn’t about having perfect words or polished decks.
It’s about being honest and saying the hard thing anyway.
I still feel bravachurn sometimes.
But now I’ve learned to push through it—because now I see it as a signal that the real conversation is just about to begin.