Association leadership isn’t for the faint of heart. Every day, you navigate crises, balance competing priorities, and carry the weight of an entire industry’s future. Membership numbers fluctuate. Engagement ebbs. Burnout creeps in. The pressure is constant. But pressure alone doesn’t define the outcome—how you rise through it™ does. The ones who thrive aren’t just surviving turbulence; they’re building something stronger, more human, and more visionary on the other side of it.

I know what it means to be under fire. As a former investment banker and attorney, I made choices that led me to federal prison. I’ve faced public failure, deep uncertainty, and the kind of reckoning you can’t outrun. But I rose through it—and that journey shaped the Rise Through It™ framework: Reframe, Identify, Surrender, and Evolve. It’s not theory. It’s a new blueprint for leadership in a world that demands something different from all of us.

If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about the future of your association, it’s time to rise through it.

Reframe: Shift How You See the Challenge

Most leaders focus on fixing symptoms: declining engagement, stagnant programs, tightening budgets. But transformation doesn’t start with scrambling for quick fixes—it starts with reframing the entire way you see your situation.

What if the challenges your association faces aren’t a death sentence but an invitation? An invitation to reinvent, rethink, and rebuild something that matters more? Take an honest look at the narratives driving your decisions. Are you solving yesterday’s problems? Are you clinging to old success stories?

Leadership begins when you stop asking, “How do we protect what we have?” and start asking, “What does the future need from us now?”

Identify: Get Clear on What—and Who—Matters

Not everything should be carried forward. And not everyone is equipped to lead where you need to go. Identify the mindsets, the programs, and even the partnerships that still fuel your mission—and name the ones that quietly drain it.

Where are you still investing energy in initiatives that no longer move the needle? Who in your leadership circle helps you stay grounded, focused, and brave—and who pulls you back into comfort and fear?

Clarity is power. Get brutally clear on what’s real, what’s relevant, and who you want beside you as you rise.

Surrender: Release the Illusion of Control

Here’s the hard truth: You can’t white-knuckle your way to transformation. Surrender isn’t giving up. It’s letting go of the ego, fear, control, and judgment that choke real growth. It’s releasing the need to have all the answers. It’s dropping the pretense that stability is a badge of success.

Where are you still holding on because you’re afraid of what it will mean to let go: an outdated membership model, a bloated legacy event, a fear that daring to pivot will alienate loyal members?

Real leadership requires surrendering the old playbook and stepping into the unknown with open hands.

Evolve: Take Bold, Decisive Action

Once you reframe, identify, and surrender—then you build. The associations that will thrive are led by those who dare to evolve instead of entrench. They are reimagining their member experience, embracing innovation, and making moves that once felt too risky to even say out loud.

What’s the bold move you’ve been waiting to make? What new path would you carve if you weren’t waiting for certainty?

The future belongs to those willing to act without all the guarantees. It always has. You can keep chasing stability that no longer exists, or you can rise through the chaos and create something stronger, smarter, and more aligned with the future you’re here to build. The choice is yours. Will you rise through it?