How Resilience Shapes Leadership: Lessons from a ‘Fake’ Ballet Class
By Tati Lindenberg, Chief Brand Officer for Dirt Is Good and Head of Unilever Fabric Cleaning.
It’s 6 pm in a small town in Brazil. There’s a knock at the door. Aunties, grandmothers, and teenagers arrive at my home for ballet class - with absolutely no intention of dancing.
Quiet wisdom and youthful curiosity knit together a circle of women uniting through the con of contemporary dance. What was really happening was much more profound: we were sharing our thoughts
That was 30 years ago - a time when women didn’t really have a space to talk about their goals and ambitions. So my mum spearheaded weekly gatherings for the girls and women in our community under the guise of teaching ballet. We shared stories, listened to one another’s struggles, and lifted each other up in spite of the societal constraints trying to keep us down.
Resilience Is a Team Sport
Not long after, I flew two thousand kilometers away from home to university in São Paulo—one of the first major risks I took. I didn’t know it at the time, but that experience would be the first in a series of lessons on resilience, each one stacking on top of the last. But even two thousand kilometers away in a city with so much to give, the voices from those gatherings were what shaped a lot of my decisions. Even now, as I navigate the high-pressure world of leadership, that spirit is what guides me.
Fast-forward to today, and I see the same lessons play out in the workplace. I was watching the TV series Disclaimer recently - did anyone else notice the subtle aggressions Cate Blanchett’s character faced from male colleagues? It reminded me of the very real challenges women encounter at work:
The times I’d voice ideas, only for a male colleague to echo them - and be shown the green light.
The pressure to prove yourself over and over again, even when your track record speaks for itself.
The mental load of navigating corporate spaces that weren’t designed with women in mind.
But because these were the stories told in our ‘ballet class,’ I knew not to let those moments hold me down. I knew people at home were lifting me up.
Lesson #1: Surround yourself with ‘ballet class’ people - the ones who remind you of your worth, challenge your thinking, and push you forward when the world tries to hold you back.
Taking Risks Without a Safety Net
There’s power in the unknown, too. It’s easy to think success is built on calculated moves and steady progress, but the ability to take risks without knowing the outcome is just as critical.
At Dirt Is Good, we saw this firsthand with our Let’s Wash Away the Taboo campaign. Our research revealed that 72% of people feel embarrassed by period stains. We knew this was a conversation that needed to happen. But when we launched the campaign, media outlets tried to shut it down, calling it inappropriate.
We’d hit the very wall we were trying to break. But instead of backing down, we doubled down.
We took the campaign to a gallery exhibition, attracting over 15,000 visitors.
4,200 people came forward to share their own stories about period stains.
We published Anyone Menstruating, a book featuring personal letters and photographs.
We ran digital billboards across London featuring period-stained underwear - sparking real conversation.
And we reached over 38 million people.
Because we were resilient.
This year, we’re doing it again - this time, tackling the fact that 6 in 10 girls fear playing sports due to period leaks. We’re partnering with Arsenal Women’s Football Club to challenge the stigma and create real change.
Because resilience doesn’t exist in a vacuum - it thrives on support systems, strong partnerships, and people who refuse to accept ‘no’ as the final answer.
Lesson #2: The risks you don’t take shape your life just as much as the ones you do. The unknown is uncomfortable, but it’s where the breakthroughs happen.
Leading with Resilience
When I became a leader, I knew I wanted to create spaces like the one my mother created—where women could come together, share experiences, and build each other up.
Because we don’t always see our own strength until the people around us help us recognise it.
Resilience is a dance, and we’re all stronger when we perform it together.
So if you’re navigating challenges in your career, feeling like you’re constantly being tested, or wondering if you’re strong enough to take that next step - know this:
Your setbacks don’t define you. Your ability to rise does.
You are capable of more than you realise.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
Thanks, Mama, for choreographing the blueprint of my resilience. We may not have perfected the pirouette, but those gatherings taught me how to move through life’s challenges with grace, strength, and an unyielding spirit.
And for that, I’ll always be grateful.
