Community-Centric Leadership

This event was curated by and for the Bay Area Leadership Board, a group of local leaders committed to the idea that national security and critical infrastructure resiliency is strengthened through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, diversity, and leadership development.

Their collective insights and recommendations influence every aspect of this program including speakers, topics, and technology partner participation.   

What Members Say: 

Session Topic:

In an era where breaches are inevitable, the most dangerous vulnerability in your enterprise might not be in your code—it might be in your C-suite. Sheila Hamilton, five-time Emmy Award–winning journalist and author of All the Things We Never Knew: Chasing the Chaos of Mental Illness, has interviewed hundreds of CISOs and CIOs across the globe. Her findings reveal a stark and pressing truth: the leaders tasked with defending our digital infrastructure are themselves under siege—from within.

The Data:

  • Over 70% of CISOs report difficulty with basic health maintenance—sleep, nutrition, exercise—compromising both personal resilience and professional performance.
  • Nearly half say the job has negatively impacted their mental health.
  • The average tenure of a CISO? Two to four years—a churn rate more volatile than the threats they face.

In cybersecurity, CISO’s obsess over early detection, yet they routinely miss the warning signs in themselves and their peers. In her powerful keynote, Sheila shares the harrowing story of her late husband’s decline into mental illness—a cascade of missed signals, misunderstandings, and unspoken suffering. It’s a narrative that mirrors what many CISOs endure silently in their high-stakes roles.

This isn’t just about wellness—it’s about operational sustainability.

Through compelling research and real-world strategies, Sheila:

  • Equips CISOs with evidence-based tools to manage chronic stress
  • Offers mental models to recalibrate perspective under pressure
  • Shows how to harden your human firewall against burnout, isolation, and emotional fatigue

Sheila also leads a vital conversation around destigmatizing mental health at the executive level—because resilience isn't just a personal trait. It’s a leadership strategy.
 

Featured Speaker:

Sheila Hamilton
Sheila Hamilton
Mental Health Author, Journalist, and Thought Leader

Venue Information:

Il Fornaio Palo Alto

520 Cowper St.

Palo Alto, CA 94301

 

Technology Partners:

Table Host

Questions?

Please reach out to [email protected] or to your community cultivator, Greg Winterrowd at [email protected].