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08.18.25
The Architecture of Resilience: Why Personal Adversity is Reshaping Workplace Leadership
By Amanda Susag, Director of Events, FMWF Chamber
Tracy Jordre, August Women Connect speaker.
Discover how personal adversity is reshaping workplace leadership and learn new ways to build supportive, high-performing teams.
You’ve heard the phrase “leave it at the door.” But what if the thing you’re carrying is too heavy to put down? It’s going to follow you in, whether you want it to or not.
That’s the reality Tracy Jordre will bring into focus at this month’s Women Connect. She will discuss the weight of invisible struggles, the cost of showing up without support and the power of reimagining leadership through the lens of lived experience.
This isn’t a story of balance. It’s a story of completely breaking and rebuilding. And it just might reshape how you think about leadership, culture and care.
When Life Cracks You Open, and Work Keeps Going
While leading major design projects and managing high-level strategy, Tracy was quietly parenting through her child’s significant mental health challenges. She was showing up to meetings, managing deadlines and making critical decisions, all while holding unimaginable emotional weight.
It’s a reality many working parents, caregivers and professionals know too well (and rarely talk about).
What She Learned Changed Everything
This deeply personal journey forced Tracy to ask some hard questions:
- What kind of workplaces are we really designing?
- Who gets left behind in cultures that reward performance over presence?
- What does it actually mean to support well-being at work?
Out of those questions came a profound shift. Not just in how she worked, but in what she designed for others.
A New Blueprint for Leadership and Culture
At our August Women Connect session, The Architecture of Resilience, Tracy will share the tools and truths she uncovered while navigating one of the hardest seasons of her life. This includes:
- The emotional and physical toll of carrying invisible challenges at work
- How adversity reshaped her approach to leadership and design
- Practical ways we can build environments that support mental, emotional and physical well-being
- Why care is not a trade-off to productivity, but a catalyst for it
She brings deep wisdom, earned resilience and an architect’s eye for systems. She’ll challenge you to rethink what we build, how we lead and who our spaces truly serve.
Why This Matters to FMWF
Workplace culture shapes everything from recruitment and retention to performance and well-being. As the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo region works to grow its workforce and strengthen its business community, how we care for people at work has never been more important.
Your employees are already carrying more than you know. This event gives us tools to respond with compassion, clarity and strength, so we can build workplaces where people don’t just survive, but thrive.
Ready to lead with empathy and intention? Join us in building environments where people feel supported, valued and empowered to bring their whole selves to work.
Your Invitation to Rethink the Foundation
The Architecture of Resilience: Turning Personal Adversity into Purposeful Impact
Featuring: Tracy Jordre, AIA, LEED AP
Date: Tuesday, Aug. 26
Time: 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Location: Armory Event Center
Come ready to reflect, reframe and rebuild. For yourself, your teams and the future of work in our region.
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