During the first week of September 2025, in Portland, OR the Leaders and Executives Across Professions LEAP community gathered for a meeting that will stay with me for a long time.
We welcomed Celeste Mergens, founder of Days for Girls and award-winning author, whose work embodies what happens when a single idea is pursued with persistence, dignity, and global vision.
Celeste reminded us that something as “ordinary” as a girl’s access to menstrual products can be the difference between a future of agency and education, or one of barriers and silence.
The scale of Celeste's impact is magnificent: reaching millions across 145+ countries. What moved us even more than the impressive stats was the way she carries the message: with clarity, humility, a genuine tear, vulnerability and fierce devotion to human dignity.
Meeting her one-on-one underscored a key truths I believe in about conscious leadership:
You don't have to be the loudest voice in the room to unquestionably lead by example, and consequently create pathways for others to walk on with greater freedom and confidence.
Celeste's message also resonates deeply with why we at Courageous Being support ZanaAfrica Foundation (ZAF), a nonprofit organization that equips girls with the tools they need to safely navigate puberty and unlock their potential.
Working in Kenya, ZanaAfrica expands access to reproductive health and rights education and sanitary pads among adolescent girls, helping them to have more control over their bodies, decisions, and futures. They share our belief that all girls have innate power, and with the right support, can step boldly into the promise of their futures.
Like Celeste, ZAF is shaping systems so that girls and women can step into their inherent worth without unnecessary shame or constraint.