Loneliness isn’t just personal—it’s professional. And it’s costing leaders their creativity, confidence, and ability to make bold moves.

Gallup and Cigna tell us more than half of U.S. adults feel lonely on a regular basis. Among executives, the number is even higher. Add remote work, relentless performance pressure, and the reality that the higher you rise, the fewer people you can truly confide in—and it’s no wonder so many leaders feel isolated.

Here’s what I see all the time:
* As leaders rise—their peer group shrinks.
* Vulnerability—starts to feel like risk.
* For women and underrepresented leaders—the sense of “onlyness” can be even sharper.

We need to drop the outdated idea that it is, and should be “lonely at the top.” The best leaders are not alone. They’re connected, supported, and surrounded by people who help them see ahead and carry the load.

Connection isn’t a soft skill—it’s the strategy that keeps leaders from breaking.

When you have authentic, trusted relationships, you get better feedback, faster learning, and the courage to act when it matters. Without it, you risk becoming brittle.

In the world as it is—and as it is becoming—leaders desperately need spaces where they can drop the armor, think out loud, admit uncertainty, and be in community with peers who get it.

The photo here is from a two-day retreat where 13 incredible leaders came together -for me— to sharpen my thinking about Athena, and to re-enforce me as a leader at its helm.

A big reason Athena exists is to ensure leaders endure—that we can lean into assumed friendship and business synergy that help us hold each other up, move each other forward, and expand what’s possible together.

Athena isn’t a “network” in the traditional sense. It’s an infrastructure for connection. Every conversation, every virtual or in-person gathering, is designed to spark real connection. Every program is about ensuring we all evolve, expand and rise.

Every day, I’m grateful for the 1,000+ Athena members who prop me up—and even more grateful for the chance to do the same in return.