Former Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage at the Leading Women Defined Summit in California to a warm, anticipating applause. She began by sharing a tale from her early days in public service, about how her voice trembled the first time she spoke in front of a skeptical audience. She acknowledged that fear had attempted to silence her at that precise moment, but she decided to embrace it, realizing that courage isn’t the lack of uncertainty but rather the determination to speak up in spite of it. She reminded the women entrepreneurs, activists, educators, and artists that all leaders had experienced the same silence of uncertainty before discovering their own strength as she shared this.
She depicted inspiring tales of tenacity, such as a community organizer who resisted injustice, a small business owner who rebuilt her store following a natural disaster, and a teacher who transformed a failing classroom into a thriving center of creativity. Harris emphasized the silent moments that need courage in each story—the choice to raise a difficult question, to reach out to someone on the sidelines, or to speak up when it feels safer to keep quiet. She said, “Courage is contagious,” and the audience seemed to breathe in her words as everyone nodded as though remembering their own brave moment.
After that, Harris shifted his focus to the idea of community, explaining that no one ever climbs alone. She exhorted the women who came before her to create deliberate support systems, to mentor and be mentored, to share in every success and endure every loss. She told the leaders in the room to ask themselves, “Who will remind me of my why when I lose sight of it?” She also described how, throughout her own campaign, she relied on a group of friends who helped her remember her purpose on the most trying days.
Harris acknowledged the fear that many people experience when he turned to the problems of the modern world, which include rapid technical advancements, political turmoil, and a pervasive sense of isolation. However, she provided a compelling reinterpretation: discomfort can serve as a bridge rather than a barrier, fostering purposeful activity and deeper connections with others. She encouraged the audience to embrace uncertainty over certainty, to ask, “How can I help you shine?” rather than, “Here’s what I want,” and to view leadership as a sequence of deliberate, little actions that add up to significant change.
Harris concluded by envisioning a future characterized by genuine purpose and goodwill among all people. She talked on how one act of compassion may have a ripple effect, changing people’s lives and spurring other deeds of kindness. The summit hall erupted in a standing ovation as her parting remarks lingered, not only for a masterfully delivered speech but also for a collective resolve to lead from the heart. The potential of a movement—a sisterhood bonded by bravery, tenacity, and the unshakable conviction that women can change the world together—was evident in that prolonged applause.
