Good Leaders: How do your friends help your life and leadership?

If you love high-energy speakers, then you’ll love the passion and enthusiasm that radiates from Liwanag Ojala. “I’m so energized by my work that I can’t have more than one cup of coffee these days,” she laughed. Liwanag is the speaker at the Good Leadership Breakfast next Friday, September 15. She is the CEO of CaringBridge, the world’s largest online healing community which hosts more than 300,000 visitors like you and me everyday.

Blending faith and friends

After interviewing Liwanag, I’ve had the Beatles’ song “With a Little Help from my Friends” ringing in my ears. “We harness the power of friendships everyday, by activating healing communities for people who are down in the dumps,” she explained. “There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t see the power of people working together to create hopeful, healing energy.”

Liwanag is immensely qualified to do this work, with two decades of corporate experience in marketing, technology, and digital operations. “This job is perfect for me at this moment in my life. As our individual expectations of the online experience have gotten more advanced, we are so much more open to the idea of activating our communities to do something for good! I love to be at that intersection.”

 Marrying technology and compassion

CaringBridge has a special place in my heart – not because anyone near me has needed the healing energy through CaringBridge lately. Rather – it’s because the founder of CaringBridge, Sona Mehring, put us on the map when she agreed to be the speaker at the Good Leadership Breakfast years ago. Next Friday, we will have twice the guests attending the breakfast to hear her successor.

Highlighting the goodness of CaringBridge is a natural subject for us, because CaringBridge blends all of the Seven Fs: faith, family, finances, fitness, friends, fun, and future. And it’s a world-class technology business, with a meaningful mission: To amplify the love, hope, and compassion in the world, making each health journey easier.

Grateful, and feeling goodness

“As I grow in my career, I’ve redefined the currency of what “rich” means to me,” Liwanag reflected. “When we are truly helping people, there is a goodness about it – a richness that’s far beyond money.”

Away from the office her life is filled with family and fun. “I love the part of my life that is a Mom and a Wife. Family is very important to me. My parents were immigrants who gave their whole lives so all four of their children could go to college and grad school. I honor the memory of my mom by pouring my heart and soul into the success of our two children.”

Good leaders harness the power of friends and family in their leadership. And they help people stay connected when they need each other the most.

Tickets for the Good Leadership Breakfast are available here.