When I first met Donna Lichaw, it was on a community call for coaches trained in the Shift Positive model. Within minutes, I knew I needed to get to know her better. Donna’s presence, grounded, sharp, and refreshingly honest, made me curious not only about the work she does, but about the person behind it.
So, when I invited her to join me on What’s Possible, I knew it would be a conversation full of insight and laughter, and it absolutely was.
Donna is an executive coach, author, and former tech and product leader whose career has spanned the worlds of documentary filmmaking, product design, and organizational transformation. She helps brilliant, unconventional thinkers create meaningful, aligned, and fully alive lives, both personally and professionally. And her book, The Leader’s Journey: Transforming Your Leadership to Achieve the Extraordinary, is a roadmap for doing just that.
In our conversation, we explored the intersection of storytelling, leadership, and personal growth, and how the stories we tell ourselves can either hold us back or propel us forward.
The Power of Story in Leadership
Donna’s background in filmmaking and tech gives her a unique lens on leadership. Early in her career, she discovered that every product, every organization, and every leader has a story, a narrative that shapes how decisions are made, how people connect, and how they see themselves.
In film, stories guide the viewer through transformation. In leadership, they do the same, but most leaders don’t even realize what story they’re living inside.
As Donna put it, “Leaders often struggle with internal stories that hold them back. The good news is, those stories can be rewritten.”
We all carry mental scripts about who we are: I’m too impulsive. I’m not visionary enough. I’m a perfectionist. I’m not good with people. These narratives can quietly limit our potential. But when we pause to question them, when we look at the arc of our own leadership story, we gain the power to change it.
The Hero, the Shadow, and the Story
Donna and I talked about how many leaders unconsciously cast themselves as the hero of their story, driving progress, solving problems, saving the day. That archetype can be motivating, but it also comes with a trap: heroes often forget that they’re part of a larger system. They can over-function, over-control, and lose sight of collaboration.
Part of Donna’s work is helping leaders notice the shadow side of their strengths, the parts that can become destructive if left unchecked. She calls this “kryptonite.”
One of my favorite moments in our conversation was when Donna told the story of a senior executive she called “The Queen of Chaos.” This leader was known for her impulsive decisions and constant pivots. Her team saw her as unpredictable, and she saw herself as broken, until she worked with Donna.
Together, they realized that her so-called chaos was actually creativity. Her ability to see patterns, connect ideas, and shift quickly was a gift, she just needed to learn when to use it intentionally and when to slow down.
That’s the essence of Donna’s message: our quirks, our rough edges, our “kryptonite”, they’re not flaws to fix. They’re strengths to harness.
The Stories That Shape Us
Donna shared her own story of growing up with a love for tin robots and bad movies, details that sound whimsical but reveal something deeper: a lifelong curiosity about how things work and how people find joy in imperfection.
She also talked about her grandmother, who once questioned why she was pursuing higher education, only to later become one of her biggest supporters. It’s a reminder that our personal stories evolve, and that the people who doubt us often become part of our proof that growth is possible.
As we talked, I was struck by how universal this is. Whether we lead teams, families, or ourselves, we’re all influenced by the stories we inherit and the ones we construct. And sometimes, the bravest thing a leader can do is stop and ask: Is this story still serving me?
Leading Through Awareness
For Donna, leadership transformation begins with awareness, of self, of others, and of the system around us.
She calls it systemic awareness: understanding that we’re all part of interconnected systems, our teams, our organizations, our communities, and that meaningful change requires awareness of how we impact and are impacted by those systems.
That awareness often starts internally. Donna encourages leaders to explore their own “inner movie”, the patterns of thought and behavior that keep replaying, and to approach them with curiosity rather than judgment.
It’s a concept I find deeply resonant. So much of leadership isn’t about acquiring new tools; it’s about learning to see more clearly.
From “Quitter” to Storyteller
At one point in the conversation, Donna mentioned that she used to see herself as a “quitter.” Whenever things got difficult, she’d pivot, changing jobs, industries, or directions. But as she began reflecting on her journey, she realized that those shifts weren’t failures, they were part of her story of adaptability and curiosity.
That reframing transformed her narrative. What she once saw as a weakness became one of her greatest strengths.
For leaders, this is a powerful reminder that meaningful growth starts when we reclaim the parts of ourselves we’ve disowned.
The Dolly Parton Rule
Towards the end of our conversation, Donna quoted Dolly Parton:
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
We both laughed, but the truth in that line landed deeply. It’s one thing to know your story, it’s another to live it intentionally.
That’s the heart of leadership development: not just understanding your purpose, but choosing it, over and over again, in how you lead, communicate, and create.
What This Means for Leaders
So what can leaders take from Donna’s approach? Here are some actionable steps to begin rewriting your own leadership story:
- Identify Your Current Narrative – Take time to reflect: What story are you telling yourself about who you are as a leader? Where did that story come from, and does it still serve you?
- Look for Your Kryptonite – Pay attention to the traits you judge most harshly in yourself. Ask: When does this behavior serve me? When does it get in my way? Often, our “flaws” are strengths in disguise.
- Study Your Heroes – Who do you admire most, and why? The qualities you notice in others are usually reflections of your own potential.
- Seek Systemic Awareness – Leadership doesn’t happen in isolation. Ask how your actions affect your team, organization, and community. True transformation honors the interconnected system.
- Rewrite and Rehearse the Story – Once you’ve identified your old script, write a new one. What does your next chapter look like? What habits or mindsets support that story? Then practice living it, on purpose.
My Reflection
What I love about Donna’s work is that it meets leaders where they are, human, imperfect, full of contradictions, and helps them transform not by becoming someone new, but by embracing who they already are.
In a time when leadership can feel increasingly complex, her message is grounding: leadership isn’t a role, it’s a story you tell through your actions. And every day, you get to write a new page.
If you’re curious about your own leadership story, or ready to uncover the superpowers hiding in your kryptonite, I can’t recommend The Leader’s Journey enough.
And, of course, I hope you’ll listen to our conversation. It’s honest, hopeful, and full of ideas for leading with more purpose, joy, and humanity.
