At the Leading Women Defined Summit in California, former Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage to a warm round of applause and opened with a personal story from her early career in public service. She recalled the first time she stood in front of a skeptical crowd, her voice shaking with nerves.

Harris admitted that fear nearly held her back that day—but instead of backing down, she leaned into it. “Courage,” she told the crowd, “isn’t the absence of fear—it’s choosing to speak up anyway.”

Speaking to a packed room of women—leaders in business, education, activism, and the arts—Harris reminded them that even the strongest voices once wavered. Every leader, she said, has faced that quiet moment of doubt before stepping into her power.

She shared stories of everyday resilience: a teacher who turned a struggling classroom into a thriving space for creativity, a small business owner who rebuilt after disaster, and a community organizer who refused to back down in the face of injustice.

In each story, Harris emphasized that courage often shows up in small, pivotal decisions—asking the hard question, offering support to someone left out, or standing up when it’s easier to stay silent. “Courage is contagious,” she said, her words landing with quiet force as women in the room nodded in recognition, remembering their own moments of bravery.