Tanya Spencer –
From Managing Crises to
Leading with Clarity

Raised in tough conditions, I learned early how to read the room and diffuse violent situations.

The child abuse I experienced at home led me to stammering, being terribly awkward, and basically becoming a magnet for bullies. Those formative years taught me brutal lessons about the importance of defending my boundaries.

As I grew older, it's a shocking number of times that I convinced people - or even gangs - not to attack me.

... influence became my survival tool.

When people hear that I worked in global security and crisis management for decades, they assume the personal threats happened in war zones like Afghanistan, Sudan, or Sri Lanka. But that's not the case - I followed strict protocols that kept me safe - I used to say - it would be bad for business if I had a security incident.

All but one of the attacks happened in so-called "safe" countries - when my shields were down. But I simply couldn't and wouldn't let more people step over me, so I became obsessed with understanding power and communication - in theory and in practice.

Over time, those insights evolved into my professional superpowers. Whether it was a predator, a bully, or a very alpha client, I equipped myself with an extensive set of tools to meet those demands.

Through the years, I incorporated those lessons into how I led in intense crisis situations, in the trainings I did for over 6,000 professionals, and in the countless teams I've mentored along the way.