What does it mean to PTTOW!⚡️The Leadership Conference That Breaks All the Rules
300 Leaders, Zero Armor: Inside the Conference Redefining Power
I'm sitting on my flight home, still feeling the emotional hangover from two days that completely recalibrated my understanding of what leadership could look like. My phone is full of new contacts, my notebook is covered in half-legible insights, and honestly, I'm struggling to find words that capture what just happened at PTTOW!
But here's what everyone misses: In a world where business leaders often report feeling disconnected from their authentic selves, and where corporate trust is at an all-time low, the solution isn't another leadership summit with PPTs and networking cocktails. It's something far more radical—it's 300+ of the most influential people in business, entertainment, and culture dropping their armor and getting real with each other.
The Conference That Breaks All the Rules to Build A Better Tomorrow
PTTOW! (Plan To Take On The World) isn't your typical corporate gathering. For 16 years, it's been operating as something between a think tank, creative convening, partnership magic, a therapy session, and an artistic residency.
Picture this: Dr. Bernice A. King talking about the radical act of being selfish enough to prioritize your growth, so that others have permission to be their best selves. "Recognize what you feel called to and focus on that because we can't do it all."
André 3000 explaining why following your authentic interests—even if it's an unexpected flute obsession—matters more than meeting external expectations. His key advice to leaders: "Pay attention to what you pay attention to, because that is your gift. You know, that's yours. Nobody else can do that better than you—pay attention to what you want and follow it."
Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges sharing how declaring at age nine that he'd be the best rapper alive wasn't arrogance but clarity of purpose. "I constantly have to evolve...I'll be working until the day that I expire on this earth, just because I love the thrill and just the hunger of constantly figuring out what's next."
Stacy Abrams is offering an extremely powerful framing: be a strategy, not a solution. Meet people where they are, listen and learn different perspectives, and focus on creating pathways for others to see possibilities rather than imposing solutions.
When Halle Berry dives deep into her next chapter focusing on the $25 billion menopause market as her most significant turning point with my fav Nadja Bellan-White, she's not just announcing a business venture. She's modeling what it looks like to build from authenticity rather than opportunity. "We have to change culture, which means we, even as women, we have to change the way we feel about ourselves at this time of life so we can demand the care that we deserve."
And when Alphonso James gave such a moving speech about serving 32 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit, but where he found his calling to help others with trauma, there was not a dry eye in the room. Now he runs Unfragile Farms, healing the trauma of other young people- who weren’t seen or believed.
This year's gathering felt particularly urgent. We're living through what we've identified as "The Dawn of the Daring Twenties"—an era where people are breaking away from institutional frameworks and taking matters into their own hands. And at PTTOW!, I watched 300+ leaders doing exactly that: rejecting the performative aspects of their roles and reconnecting with what actually drives them.
The Vulnerability Revolution in Business
What struck me most was watching C-suite executives, renowned artists, and cultural icons systematically dismantling the professional personas we're all taught to maintain.
In the town hall sessions I moderated, people dropped in, connected, and touched each other's hearts. They shared the stories behind the stories—the ones that only a community of like-minded, open-hearted leaders could create space for. They converged and came together around stories of incredible misfortune, injustice, tragedy, and difficulties—the dark side we hide in the shadows, but that when we break it open make us who we are.
Three Paradigm Shifts That Changed Everything
Across my three sessions, three major reframes emerged that I continue to think about. As one participant noted, "A lot of our ability to deal with challenging situations is based on how we frame things."
Reframe #1: You Are Never Broken, You Are Only Disconnected
The session on trauma and leadership wasn't about overcoming adversity—it was about recognizing that feeling broken is actually feeling disconnected from who you authentically are. The healing isn't about fixing yourself; you’ve always been whole, it's about reconnection.
Here's the quote I used to kick off the room:
"Every human has a true authentic self. Trauma is the disconnection from it. And healing is the reconnection to it." —Gabor Maté
We've all experienced trauma in our lives, whether it's big T or little t. We need to remove the shame from trauma, especially the internal trauma we carry. Often, we push it down and don't allow trauma to be part of our story, preventing us from accessing what's on the other side: post-traumatic growth. For leaders carrying the weight of organizational responsibility, this distinction is revolutionary.
—> Additionally, we need to stop thinking about society as broken, we need to frame it as an issue of reconnection.
Reframe #2: Volatility as Jump Ball Opportunity
The constant whiplash of 2025 has been so enormous and distracting that it's left many leaders in what I can only describe as "paralysis meets adrenaline fatigue." The real conversations about strategy aren't happening in boardrooms anymore—they're happening behind closed doors, in groups like this, where leaders can get honest about how they're really navigating uncertainty.
Yes, tariffs are coming. Yes, the administration and business landscape is volatile. Yes, everything is uncertain. And for the most part, you can't control the daily drama knocking on your doorstep. But as one session leader put it, "Where your energy goes, focus flows."
Instead of paralysis, what if we approached uncertainty like a basketball jump ball, where anything could happen? Where preparation + agility = outcome.
It's not enough anymore to lead with just IQ and EQ—we need to cultivate AQ: the Agility Quotient. From pivoting supply chain strategies to finding new growth models amid shifting policies, there's no "right answer" for executives. The group concluded that we need to prioritize this reframing so that our employees aren't scared, as scared people do stupid things. Two big takeaways - “control the controllable” and reframe towards the “jump ball”.
Reframe #3: You Are Not Your Title.
In today's volatile market, careers are full of transitions—some chosen, some forced. The question isn't whether disruption will come; it's whether you'll know who you are when it does.
Executives shared a common tragedy: being "seduced by a title" or getting "lost" in jobs that became their entire lives. When they ultimately left, relationships changed overnight and people who used to call suddenly stopped calling. While that sounds depressing, the beauty is that it created space to slow down and reorient toward the meaning and value their superpowers could deliver to the world.
Another executive offered smart advice for living a 'rich' life: thinking like a diversified portfolio—investing in boards, advisory roles, passion projects, relationships—rather than putting everything into one professional basket.
The conversations revealed something crucial: the people who truly see and value you—not your position—are your real foundation. These are the relationships that hold you up when everything else crumbles.
What does it mean to PTTOW!⚡️
It means letting go of the armor, the scripts, and the professional personas that keep us safe but small. It means dropping into the moment, meeting people where they are, and allowing yourself to be seen—really seen—by others who are brave enough to do the same.
In a business world defined by transactions, spreadsheets, and ROI, PTTOW! creates space for transformation. It reminds us that we're not broken, that uncertainty creates opportunity, and that our titles don't define our worth.
Most importantly, it shows us what's possible when corporate America's most influential leaders prioritize connection over competition, vulnerability over victory, and authenticity over achievement.
And honestly? After two days of watching humans be gloriously, messily, brilliantly human together, I'm more optimistic about business leadership than I've been in years.
Massive gratitude to Tesa Aragones, Ryan Detert, and Sofia Hernandez for introducing me to this incredible community three years ago. And the amazing masters behind this community: Roman Tsunder, Ryan Boughan, Samantha Rabstein, Nicole Rosofsky,Leann Capraro, and all the rest (e.g., Kailyn, Tommie, Sophie etc). The ripple effects of that invitation continue to shape how I show up in the world.