Some leadership lessons don’t come from playbooks. They come from lived moments that are both humbling and human.
Living with an autoimmune disease means some days your mind feels like it’s wading through fog, or as I’ve come to call it, “brain frog,” when words hop into the wrong places or away entirely.
In a recent team meeting, one of my team members shared a story from our last 1:1. I had encouraged her to connect with someone named “Jan Rock.” She laughed as she told us she couldn’t find anyone by that name in the organization.
We checked the agenda.
It was actually “Jill Pebble.”
Rock. Pebble. Close enough for a brain frog moment.
We had a real laugh. And then we moved on.
But that moment stuck with me, not because of the mix-up, but because of the environment around it.
There was no embarrassment. No judgment. Just openness, humor, and support.
That doesn’t happen by accident.
It comes from intentionally building a team culture where:
- Authenticity is valued over perfection
- Challenges are acknowledged, not hidden
- People feel safe to be human
Living with a chronic illness can sometimes whisper the lie that you’re “less than” or falling short. Moments like these could easily reinforce that narrative.
But they don’t have to.
We get to reframe.
For me, that reframe is this:
I am authentic in my experiences.
I understand the realities of navigating life and work with chronic illness.
And I can create space for others to show up fully, exactly as they are.
Sometimes leadership looks like strength.
Sometimes it looks like saying “Jill Pebble” and hearing “Jan Rock.”
Both matter.
Knarr Coaching 
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