By Naazi Morad
💔WHEN THE WOUNDED LEAD
💪Psychology often paints leadership in the image of the composed: those who seem unshakeable, confident, disciplined. Science measures effectiveness by metrics decisiveness, charisma, control. But what if we’ve missed something deeper? What if the ones best fit to lead are not those who have never stumbled, but those who’ve felt their bones crack beneath the weight of life and chose to rise anyway?
A Therapist’s Reflection on the Strength of the Broken💔
This is where my belief lives: the broken make the best leaders. Not despite their pain, but because of it.
These are the men and women who have been through the fire and emerged with their hearts cracked open. They lead not from theory, but from lived experience. From empathy. From scars that have become maps. They know how it feels to be unseen, unheard, unheld and that knowing makes them fierce protectors of others.
But society doesn’t easily follow the broken. We’re conditioned to see weakness as a liability. We confuse vulnerability with incompetence. Yet, it is that very openness, that softness carved by life’s blows, that allows the wounded to bend without breaking, to serve without ego, to love without conditions.
👌I’ve walked that path. I’ve led from that space.
💪 I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about being untouched by pain; it’s about what you do with it. Whether you silence your story or use it to light a way for others. Whether you wall it off or offer it as a bridge.
And perhaps, the greatest mark of a wounded leader is not their ability to carry others, but their willingness to walk beside them. Not above, not ahead, but beside. Sharing their story not for applause, but for connection. For understanding. For healing.
I write this for every man, every woman, every therapist, every client who has ever felt “too broken” to lead or be trusted: You are not too broken. 💔 You are beautifully equipped. You feel deeply. You understand complexity. And in your quiet truth lies unshakable power.
The world doesn’t just need polished heroes. It needs wounded ones who choose to rise differently leading not from perfection, but from presence.
If this reflection stirred something in you… a memory, an ache, or even a quiet knowing—you’re not alone. Whether you’re navigating your own healing, rediscovering your voice, or exploring what it means to lead from the heart, you’re welcome here.
💛At Wellness Within Therapy, I offer both online and in-person sessions, spaces that honor your story and hold space for your becoming. You’re invited to book a session that feels right
“Even the broken can lead, because wisdom often walks with wounds.”
