We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laing Rikkers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Laing, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

One of the most important lessons in my professional journey stemmed from a personal loss. As a managing director at a private equity firm and co-founder and executive chairwoman of a medical device company, I was accustomed to navigating high-stakes decisions and leading through complex challenges. However, nothing prepared me for the sudden loss of my younger sister just months before the 2020 pandemic.

The convergence of personal grief and global uncertainty was a massive challenge. I needed to find a new way to show up professionally, while staying true to the emotional rollercoaster that I was on.

As a result of the turmoil, I learned the invaluable importance of vulnerability and authenticity in leadership. By acknowledging my grief and sharing my experience with colleagues, I sought more connection and trust within our team. My openness not only humanized me as a leader but also supported an environment where others felt safe to express their own challenges. We were able to help one another and get through the pandemic despite all of the adversity.

The experience reinforced the idea that leadership encompasses the courage to be vulnerable and the strength to seek support, especially when performance is a priority.

Laing, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Laing Rikkers and I work with senior executives, investors, and founders navigating challenges and transitions. My background includes twenty years serving as a Managing Director at a private equity firm, co-founding and leading a publicly traded company, and ten years in Human Resources focused on leadership development. I’ve spent three decades working with high-performing teams globally and in most cases, leaders are addressing problems on a daily basis.

Following the sudden loss of my younger sister in early 2020, my focus shifted. I began to see how many executives were not only problem-solving, but also quietly carrying grief, burnout, or a sense of disconnection—while still being expected to lead. That insight reshaped my work.

Around that time, I wrote “Morning Leaves: Reflections on Loss, Grief, and Connection”, a book that combines personal narrative, poetry, and botanical art to explore how loss can become a gateway to deeper presence and self-awareness. The second edition of the book, releasing in May 2026, expands on these themes and focuses on renewal and ways that we can thrive, even finding joy, despite loss and hardship.

Today, I help leaders address challenge, loss, and transition so they have greater clarity and resilience—so they can lead with purpose and presence.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately because of the fires in Los Angeles last winter. Back in 2007, my house burned down in a San Diego wildfire. At the time, we had two children under five, and within hours, we went from a sense of stability to complete displacement. We had no home, no clothes, no certainty—just one another and the essentials we’d managed to grab on our way out.

Despite everything, I was back at work the following Monday. Not because I was avoiding the grief or what needed to get done, but because I had to hold both realities: the immediate physical and emotional upheaval, and my professional responsibilities. That experience fundamentally changed my understanding of what it means to “show up.” It taught me that resilience isn’t about staying strong—it’s about staying connected to what matters, even when the ground shifts beneath you.

That moment shaped the work I do today. I support leaders who are navigating visible and invisible fires of their own—helping them find steadiness, clarity, and capacity in the midst of disruption and change.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My reputation has been built on a foundation of hard work, consistency, and integrity. I’ve always believed in showing up fully—being forthright, open, and honest, even when conversations are difficult. Clients and colleagues know they can count on me to follow through, to speak the truth with care, and to stay deeply committed to the work we’re doing together. Over time, that steadiness and trustworthiness have become defining aspects of who I am and what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laingrikkers.com
• Instagram: @morning_leaves_and_poetry
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/laing-rikkers
• Other: https://substack.com/@laingrikkers

Image Credits

Cece Canton (headshot)