How Real Leaders Move Without a Perfect Plan

Summary: Nicole Dubois is a nonprofit executive leader and CHRO with 19+ years building people systems and developing leaders. She’s also the author of Unparalyzed, a memoir she first published under the pseudonym “Danielle M. Bryan” before choosing to stand fully in her story.I sat down with Nicole to unpack a career shaped by courageous pivots: the “principal’s office” meeting that launched her into HR leadership, a mid-life health diagnosis that reframed everything, and the decision to drop the mask and claim her work under her real name. This one’s a masterclass in moving forward without perfect certainty—and why you can’t lead while hiding.Chapters: 00:00 – The mask: why she published under a pseudonym (and what changed)07:00 – Mixed feelings, sponsorship, and choosing the leap09:00 – The mantra: be afraid—but move anyway14:00 – Divorce, MS, and writing Unparalyzed19:00 – “You can only be one person”: unmasking at work and beyond28:00 – Telling the team, dropping the pseudonym, leading more openly32:00 – Where to find the book + closing reflectionsHost Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmpGuest Nicole Dubois: linkedin.com/in/nicole-dubois-24568510Executive Producer Shannon Cornelison: linkedin.com/in/shannon-cornelison-9aa8b8248Creative Advisor Dr. Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimkMusic Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka