Leadership Strategist & Keynote Speaker | Shifting Leaders from Self-Doubt to Self-Trust through the Power of Steadiness over Strain | Co-Founder of Whisper & Thread
There is a pervasive myth in the corporate world that leadership is synonymous with carrying the world on one’s shoulders without flinching. For years, we have been told that resilience is the art of “powering through,” a relentless endurance test where the last person standing wins. Luisa Hogan, a seasoned CEO, strategist, and founder, is on a mission to dismantle that exhausted narrative.
Her philosophy is simple yet revolutionary: “Resilience is not about enduring more. It is about staying steady enough to choose your next step with clarity while everything is changing.” In an era defined by disruption, Hogan has become the voice of a new kind of leadership—one that prioritizes regulation over reaction and steadiness over strain.
From Supermarket Aisles to Global Strategy
Luisa’s journey began in South Africa, where a formative first job at age 16 taught her the raw mechanics of professional discipline. Earning just $6 an hour to promote toothpaste in supermarket aisles, she learned how to talk to strangers and, more importantly, how to maintain effort even when the work felt unglamorous. It was a lesson in human connection and the weight of “effort-based” work that would later ground her high-level strategic thinking.
At 23, Luisa moved to Australia and stepped into her first formal leadership role. While her later MBA from Curtin University provided the theoretical framework, her true education came from watching a leader who led with kindness and accessibility. “She made leadership feel accessible rather than intimidating,” Luisa recalls. This early experience planted the seed for what would become her signature style: a blend of high-level competence and deep, human-centric empathy.
Finding Strength in the Shadows of Failure
Luisa’s career trajectory is marked by high-stakes roles, including tenures as a COO, CDO, and CEO. However, the most pivotal moment of her professional life wasn’t a conventional victory—it was the closure of an organization she had been hired to save.
Stepping into a failing company as CEO, Luisa poured months of effort and belief into a turnaround strategy. Despite glimmers of change, the board eventually made the fateful decision to end the organization’s operations. For many, this would be a breaking point. For Luisa, it was a revelation.
“Those months changed how I see leadership forever,” she reflects. “I realized resilience isn’t about powering through; it’s about learning to pause, regulate, and choose deliberate action when everything feels uncertain.” This experience became the catalyst for Vermelho, her consulting practice. Through Vermelho, Luisa has guided executives across Australia and overseas through culture transformation programs that rebuild confidence and trust. Her approach isn’t just based on intuition; it is a sophisticated blend of change psychology, neuroscience, and practical leadership strategy.
Weaving Confidence into the Everyday
In 2024, Luisa expanded her mission of “internal steadiness” into a completely different realm: intimate apparel. As the co-founder of Whisper & Thread, she helped create a brand that embeds positive affirmations inside garments. The logic is consistent with her leadership coaching—the most important conversation we ever have is the one we have with ourselves.
“We talk to ourselves more than anyone else,” Luisa notes. “In business, we obsess over external messaging—brand voice, customer communication, marketing. But your inner voice is the one shaping your confidence, decisions, and momentum long before your audience sees a thing.”
Her work is recognized widely; she was recently a finalist in the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards and a bronze winner at the AusMumpreneur Awards. Leaders who work with her describe her influence as transformative. Dawn McAleenan, CEO of Crosslinks, notes that when the organization needed a culture review, the staff specifically requested Luisa: “Her knowledge, positivity, and ability to engage people have been invaluable. She’s solution-focused and genuinely wants to help the organization thrive.”
Leading with Staying Power
Today, Luisa’s message is reaching global audiences through her keynote, Steady Is the New Strong. She is challenging the next generation of women in business to reject the “do it all” mentality that leads to burnout. Her advice is a call to arms for a more sustainable way of working: “Imperfection is not failure. It is a signal that you are human. Practice steadiness instead of strength.”
Whether she is coaching a junior leader to find their voice or helping a board navigate a merger, Luisa Hogan remains a stabilizing force. She is proving that the most effective leaders aren’t the ones who never feel the pressure—they are the ones who have mastered the art of staying steady beneath it.
Editorial Note
Luisa Hogan’s journey reminds us that leadership is not a performance of invulnerability, but a practice of self-regulation. Her story invites us to look inward and ask: Are we merely enduring our roles, or are we leading with the clarity that only steadiness can provide? For those ready to shift from “firefighting” to focused action, the path begins with a single, regulated breath.
