Signature Talk: Fearless Leadership
Untaught Strength:
The Drive to Do the Impossible
“75 WHAT?!?! You were so amazing on that stage. Thank you so much for having the courage the share your story. I cried through most of it.”
In her August 2025 TEDxInglewood talk — now viewed more than 100,000 times — Dr. Dhanatya tells the story of being in active labor confined to a hospital bed for 75 days, and the choice, rooted in love, courage, and faith, that asked her to do what many people said was impossible.
From that experience she draws a larger idea: every one of us carries an untaught strength — a capacity for resolve that no class, title, or training ever hands us. Leadership begins the moment we learn to harness and reclaim it.
It's a talk that delivers a reset, a laugh, and a small cry — and sends audiences back to their teams and their lives ready to lead through the hard parts rather than around them.
The strength no one taught you
to use.
Disruption is constant. AI is reshaping work. The question Dr. Cathryn L. Dhanatya poses: How do we build fearless leaders who thrive through change? Her framework centers on reclaiming untaught strength and insisting the human remain at the core. When leaders lead technology—rather than being led by it—they unlock the creativity and resilience needed to build organizations that don't just survive disruption, but transform through it.
Big Ideas, Real Impact
Trusted by:
Featured In
A career built at the intersection of purpose and scale.
Dr. Cathryn Litvack Dhanatya is a mission-driven executive leader, strategist, and CEO with deep experience scaling organizations, leading complex global initiatives, and mobilizing capital for scientific, social, and technological impact.
She is Co-Founder and President/CEO of Growing Good Inc., a professional services firm that partners with nonprofits, research institutions, and mission-aligned companies navigating growth, transformation, and scale. Across multiple C-suite roles, board directorships, and senior advisory positions, she has overseen organizational strategy, governance, and leadership development across sectors from healthcare and education to green technology, microfinance, and global food systems.
Over the course of her career, she has helped raise, manage, and deploy nearly$1 billion in grant and philanthropic capital worldwide. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Science and Comparative Education from UCLA, has taught globalization and international development at tier-one research universities, and is a member of the World Class Speakers Collective.
Her August 2025 TEDx Talk, Untaught Strength: The Drive to Do the Impossible, has garnered more than 100,000 views — and distills a career of fearless leadership into the question organizations now face: as AI and disruption reshape every sector, how do we keep the human at the center?
Ways for Us to Work Together: In-Person or Online
Built for your stage and your goals.
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30–60 minute talks on fearless leadership, the future of leadership in an AI world, and thriving through disruption — tailored for conferences, leadership summits, and corporate events.
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Candid, story-driven conversations on resilience, courage, and leading through adversity — moderated sessions and panel appearances.
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Interactive sessions and coaching for executives and teams — building effective, human-centered leadership that holds steady as AI and disruption reshape the work.
Keynote Topics : Leading fearlessly— through disruption and AI.
The same untaught strength from the TEDx stage is what leadership now demands: the resolve to keep people at the center as technology, markets, and expectations shift underneath us.
01 Untaught Strength
The keynote built on the TEDx talk. How to recognize the resolve no one trains into you, reclaim it under pressure, and lead from it when the stakes are highest.
04 The Future of Philanthropy: Giving in a Time of Change
How giving is being remade by shifting donor expectations, new technology, and economic uncertainty — and what it takes for funders and nonprofits to create lasting impact when the old playbook no longer holds.
02 Disruption Proof Leadership: The Human in an AI World
As AI takes on more of the work, the leader's job becomes more human, not less. What judgment, trust, and care look like when machines handle the rest — and why the human edge is the one that compounds.
05 Fearless Leadership
Courage is a practice, not a personality trait. A framework for making hard calls, holding steady through uncertainty, and building teams that don't flinch from the impossible.
03 Organizations That Thrive Through Disruption
Resilience isn't surviving change — it's compounding through it. How to build teams and cultures that treat disruption as fuel, adapting faster while staying anchored to purpose.
06 Optimism as a Superpower
Why a disciplined, clear-eyed optimism is a leader's most underrated asset — and how it shapes resilience, decision-making, and the will to push forward when life pushes back.
Creating Impact and Results
“I can't miss the opportunity to recognize your always generous spirit and wisdom! Thank you for saying ‘Yes!!’ when I asked and for joining this conversation with such a clear point of view and insights to share with the amazing Benefemme ERG! I am so grateful!!
— Stephanie Lucchesi, VP of Global People and Strategy, Benefit Cosmetics “Cathryn is a dream to work with. She is the full package. But the biggest thing is that she never settles on giving you only what you ask for. She delivered a higher standard of excellence than what was requested from her that helped elevate our entire program.”
— Dr. Su Chen Chief Clinical Lead at MITRE “So appreciative of you honoring us with your fabulous moderation! Truly an inspiring group of leaders and such an impactful conversation. Looking forward to our next collaboration.”
— Britt Greaves, Community Manager, Chief Bring fearless leadership to your stage.
Share a few details about your event and Dr. Dhanatya's team will follow up with availability, topics, and fit.