033: The Three Lies I Believed Through Cancer | Katie Armentrout

Leading through cancer, or any crisis, starts with leading yourself first, and that is the hardest leadership job there is. Katie Armentrout was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in May 2025, and as of this Breast Cancer Awareness Month she is sharing the year that followed, and the lies she told herself about how a leader is supposed to handle it. If you have ever tried to push through a crisis by pretending nothing changed, this episode will hit close to home.Katie Armentrout, founder of Peoplefluence and host of Think Outside the Boss, opens a three part series called Leading Through Cancer with her own story, a lumpectomy, twenty rounds of radiation, and the three lies she believed along the way, that she could push through it like everything else, that a leader cannot show weakness, and that hiding her suffering protected the people she loved. She leans on Dr. Kristin Neff's research on self-compassion, shares the ninety nine percent five year survival rate tied to early detection, and explains why the same vulnerability she teaches through Working Genius and EOS was the hardest thing to practice on herself. Get your mammogram scheduled, then go lead yourself through whatever crisis is next.In this episode, you’ll discover:Why Katie Armentrout believes leading yourself through crisis is the hardest leadership job there is, and how her own breast cancer diagnosis proved it.What Dr. Kristin Neff's research on self-compassion taught her about healing faster by being kinder to herself instead of pushing harder.Why the belief that leaders cannot show weakness is the opposite of what she teaches through Working Genius, Five Dysfunctions, and EOS, where vulnerability builds trust.Why hiding her diagnosis from her round table coaching clients backfired, and what happened when she finally told them the truth about crashing mid treatment.How early detection changed her outcome, including the statistic that catching breast cancer at a localized stage means a 99 percent five year survival rate.Why telling her three kids, then ages 13, 11, and 8, before her surgery became one of the clearest examples of leading her family through crisis.What her friend group, the Mapledale moms, taught her about receiving help, after thirty people showed up unannounced to mulch her yard. We talk about:00:00 Why leading yourself is the hardest leadership job01:28 Her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment timeline06:30 Why she compares cancer to a plane crash she survived08:41 The three lies she believed about handling crisis10:26 Why one in eight women get breast cancer13:33 What early detection means for five year survival rates16:56 What Dr. Kristin Neff's work on self-compassion taught her21:47 Why she told her coaching clients nothing would change29:00 What made her stop hiding her diagnosis36:30 How the Mapledale moms showed up to mulch her yard39:00 How she told her three kids she had cancer46:23 What she wants every leader to ask themselves nextReady to lead yourself through whatever crisis comes next? Get your mammogram scheduled today, and follow along next week for part two of Leading Through Cancer with Dr. Eddie Cheeks and his wife Monique. Connect with Katie at https://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter-landing-pageipsahnqm.Resources:Self-Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff https://link.amazon/B07tiUOv7 Connect with meInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentroutYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentroutLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout Newsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletterWebsite: http://www.peoplefluence.com #LeadingThroughCancer #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #SelfCompassion #VulnerableLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #EntrepreneurLife #WorkingGenius #EOSModel #MentalHealthAtWork #WomenInLeadership #CancerSurvivor #EarlyDetectionSavesLives #LeadershipPodcast #SmallBusinessOwner #ExecutiveLeadership #CorporateCulture #CommunityOverCompetition #ThinkOutsideTheBoss #Peoplefluence