The Tour
Looking back on an incredible tour, and the environment that made it possible.
Greetings, Culture Creators!
I’m just back from my national Canadian tour and I am filled with gratitude. I’d like to welcome all the new folks who have signed up to my substack newsletter! Welcome! This substack is about how the cultures and contexts that surround us shape us—and what science says about how we can be catalysts of positive change in these cultures.
Let me tell you a bit about this tour I’ve just returned from and what I learned about the power of pods. When I was asked last year whether I’d be interested in joining Denise Hamilton, Zahra Al-Harazi, Roberta Bondar, and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau for The Art of Women’s Leadership tour with the theme: Empowering Women Today for an Equitable Tomorrow, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! It was one of those immediate yeses—where the answer just bubbles up inside you and you just blurt it out: YES!…and then later, when you have a chance to think…you gulp: what have I gotten myself into?
In preparation, I did my research to learn more about my tour mates. And yet, nothing could prepare me for meeting these impressive folks in person and watching them do their thing on stage in our first city stop. Each is changing the world in their own, unique way.
Bill Williams, our fearless MC, is changing the world by bringing his energy, grace, and unbridled enthusiasm for living an Electric Life—caring for each of us and making sure we (and the audience) always had what we needed.
Denise Hamilton is changing the world by reaching across differences, showing us what true allyship looks like, and helping us become Indivisible.
Zahra Al-Harazi is changing the world by sharing her story of personal transformation and helping us see What It Takes to lead with purpose and strength.
Roberta Bondar changed the world when she became the first Canadian woman to go to space and continues to change the world with her passion for photography and following the paths of migratory birds—showing how new perspectives can inspire us to think differently about our place in the universe.
And Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is changing the world by bringing us Closer Together—sharing her story and helping us find solid ground when the world feels uncertain and chaotic. She’s here to help us breathe.
And me. As an academic with my science-y slides, whew! I felt out of place. This is not your average academic conference!
Sure, I had stories to share about my work with leaders and educators—and personal experiences that help bring the ideas of mindset culture to life. I had the science and studies my team and I conducted to show why inclusive growth mindset cultures matter and how we can create them.
But after seeing these women take to the stage, transform, and share their most vulnerable experiences and stories—I just wasn’t sure I fit in.
I said as much after Ottawa—our first stop on the tour—to Chris, the Founder and Managing Director of The Art of, and he understood just what I meant. He reassured me: I was exactly what he’d hoped for and what the audience needed.
Together, he said, we told a story that was larger than any of us individually.
Once he said it, a light went on and I started to see it. We were all talking about growth, transformation, visioning something that doesn’t yet widely exist but that we know, if we all commit, will change the world for the better.
And, I suspect that I’m not alone on this one. How many times have each of us felt out of place because maybe we’re not exactly like the people who are around us?
But that’s exactly the point—we all have our own role to play and our own self to be. And when we combine forces, we make a sum that’s greater than our parts.
As our connections developed, I started to feel more deeply connected with the women in the audience. Thousands and thousands of them in each city—filling convention center ballrooms. Standing in lines to get their books signed and to share their stories.
They were interested in our new vision.
They were passionate about growing their leadership skills.
They were ready for our message.
And they were committed to making change for themselves, their workplaces, their families, and their communities.
It was incredible to meet so many women in all walks of life and career. Eager to tell me about the Cultures of Genius that had held them back or put them in a box and how they were going to reclaim genius to build Cultures of Growth where the true genius lies.
After the first few stops, I was confident I had something important to share. I was a solid piece of the puzzle. And together, our team was powerful. I felt like we were building our own Culture of Growth pod—each of us growing and stretching a bit to deliver for the women who came to learn with us.
But it wasn’t really until the dust settled that I was able to take a moment to reflect and get clarity on the growth and distance I’ve traveled in the last decade to become someone who could get up on a stage in front of thousands of women. And that happened on a dinner date after the Toronto conference with my long time ride-or-die pod person: Christine Logel.
Christine is my work wife—someone I have built teams and organizations with over the last 10 years when we were introduced by a mutual friend and collaborator.
We have shared so many ups and downs in our work together, we shared a research lab, mentored students and postdocs together, and we’ve conducted countless studies and co-authored plenty of papers and grants.
We’ve also shared lots of ups and downs in our personal lives, walking each other through some of the best times and some of the worst. Through sickness and health, in good times and in bad, we’ve had each other’s back.
We’ve always supported each other’s growth—no matter what form it has taken over the years.
Sometimes that means stepping up: talking through wild new ideas, building entirely new organizations, taking risks and trying things neither of us has ever done before.
And sometimes that means stepping back: prioritizing our health, caring for those we love most, digging into the work we’ve already done to understand it more deeply instead of being distracted by shiny new ideas.
We’ve always had each other’s back. And Christine showed up in Toronto to have mine.
But it was her whom I wanted to celebrate!
A week before Toronto, Christine found out that she’d been promoted to Full Professor—the highest promotion in research academia. After so many ups and downs—common in any career—she’d more than earned it and our colleagues across the field agreed.
So celebrate, we did.
After I spoke in the morning, I made us a reservation at Canoe in Toronto—one of the best restaurants in town. High, on the 54th floor, it overlooks the city and Lake Ontario and, as the sun sets, the view fills you with awe.
We had the tasting menu. And it was incredible. The beauty and detail of each dish filled us with delight and awe!
As each came out, more gorgeous than the last, we toasted to the years behind us and how far we’ve come—as well as the future, whatever it may be. We told stories about the ups and downs—laughing about things only the two of us would know or appreciate.
It was a night to celebrate growth. As individuals. As friends. As collaborators.
I was reminded, as I am over and over again, of what a wise mentor of mine, Hazel Markus, always says:
“You can’t be a self by yourself.”
It takes a village. A pod.
In the context of Growth Mindset Cultures, the concept of a "pod" is a powerful one. A pod is a trusted group of individuals who support, challenge, and inspire each other to grow. These are the people who encourage risk-taking, celebrate each other’s successes, and provide a safety net during failures. A Culture of Growth pod is characterized by mutual trust, respect, and a shared commitment to personal and collective development. This collaborative and supportive microculture enables each member to stretch beyond their comfort zones and achieve their full potential, embodying the essence of a growth mindset culture.
A pod can be large—with many members, or it can be two people. And, if we’re lucky, we can be part of many Culture of Growth pods.
My tourmates and I created a new pod as we traveled from city to city. And Christine and I have built our own Culture of Growth pod for more than a decade. She’s made that culture between us possible. She’s supported and maintained it with me over the years.
So, having the chance to hang out on tour made it even. more. special.
The opportunity to revel and reflect with my pod person on all the growth we’ve both experienced. And to start to envision where we might go next—after the tour, when we return home, how will we keep the momentum going? We talked about it all. What a gift!
I hope that as you’re reading this, you’re inspired to reach out to your pod people—the ones who’ve witnessed and facilitated your growth.
And if you’re drawing a blank, that’s ok. It’s never too late to start a Culture of Growth pod. Whether that’s you and a friend, a colleague, or someone who you just met but you sense that they’re ready to connect and support each other. Or maybe it’s a pod you start with your team, your mentees, your family.
Also, it doesn’t take a fancy multi-course tasting menu to set the mood. Cultivating and building your pod relationships can happen over popsicles on a hot summer day, or on the phone, or in a long ongoing series of texts—or yes, even in a zoom room.
My wish for you is that you find your people who have an unshakeable belief in your ability to change, grow, and develop—and who inspire and support you to do so, even when that growth doesn’t always look linear or like what you might imagine (more on that in a future post).
Share this note with them. Let them know they are part of your pod. That you’ve got their back. And that you’re here to celebrate and support their growth now and always.
In my view, this is how we build the world we want to live in.
Until soon, my friends,
Mary