Gina Gardiner & Friends and Dr Lizzie Bernthal

Dr. Lizzy Bernthal Dr. Lizzy Bernthal brings a unique combination of skills and experience, shaped in the world’s most demanding environments. She served 25 years in the British Army as a Nursing Officer, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and leading healthcare teams around the world, including Afghanistan. Alongside her military career, she served as a nurse and midwife. She later completed a PhD in resilience and moved into academia. That was where her speaking, teaching, coaching and research journey began, driven by a desire to share practical tools and techniques that leaders could use straight away to build their resilience and confidence. Those experiences taught her a great deal about pressure, responsibility and leadership behaviour. Yet the greatest challenges she encountered often came not from the environment, it came from navigating leaders and situations that were notoriously tricky, and the conversations that followed. One moment stands out clearly. She was sitting in the monthly board meeting that she used to dread, where behaviour did not align with the values being spoken about. The day before her boss had undermined her one more time. It was subtle yet damaging. Her sense of justice had been triggered. The atmosphere in the meeting was tense, even though some were smiling as a cover up. Their armour of all my colleagues in the room was firmly in. She had had enough. She chose to speak up, not to confront or criticise, to name what she was seeing and the impact it was having. ‘Enough is enough, undermining behaviour has to stop!’ The room went quiet. It was uncomfortable, which created a sense of empowerment she didn’t realise was within me. That moment set my mission. Ending workplace toxicity by helping leaders feel psychologically safe to lead with courage and integrity as themselves. Website: https://rypotential.co.uk