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The Call of Antarctica: Leadership Lessons from the Coldest Continent with Leilani Raashida Henry

In this inspiring episode, Chris Cooper interviews Leilani Raashida Henry, leadership consultant, executive coach, and author of The Call of Antarctica: Exploring and Protecting Earth’s Coldest Continent.

The book shares the powerful, little-known story of her father, George W. Gibbs Jr., the first person of African descent to set foot on Antarctica, and the lessons his historic journey offers for our lives and leadership today.

Drawing on her pioneering work with whole-brain leadership, intuitive tools, and cross-functional team development, they discussed how Antarctica’s extreme environment and her father’s resilience illuminate what it takes to lead in uncertain times.

Together, they explored how leaders can build resilient “inner ecosystems” that foster thriving cultures, environmental stewardship, and positive societal impact.

Here are some key takeaways from the interview:

The Power of Inclusive Leadership:
Leilani highlighted how leadership shapes culture, referencing Admiral Byrd’s approach during the Antarctic expedition. By modelling inclusivity—bringing people together regardless of background and recognising talent over bias—he set a tone where everyone felt valued and could contribute, no matter their rank or heritage.

Building Inner Resilience and Ecosystem:
Antarctica—and leadership journeys in general—require us to evolve our “inner ecosystem.” Leilani draws on both personal experience and her father’s diaries to stress the importance of self-awareness, emotional regulation, and adapting mind and body habits for true, lasting change.

Resilience through Adventure and Adversity:
Her father, George W. Gibbs Jr., not only braved the physical hardships of Antarctica but also overcame social challenges of segregation and discrimination. His story represents the courage to turn adversity into growth, making conscious choices even in the face of limited external options.

Connection Between Environment and Well-Being:
The interview underscores how closely our internal and external environments are tied. Antarctic’s fragility is a dramatic reminder of the need for environmental stewardship, while also reflecting how, as individuals and leaders, looking after our psychological and emotional health mirrors caring for the planet.

Importance of Collective Harmony for Impact:
The most enduring lesson Leilani extracts from her father’s journey and her own consulting work is the significance of collective harmony—especially in challenging times. Whether on an expedition ship or in a corporate environment, resolving conflicts, fostering understanding, and coming together is paramount for both organisational and planetary well-being.

Whatever situation you find yourself in, whatever collective, whatever team, whatever community or organisation, we’re all in this together… we’re all here. It’s our home.

Whether you are navigating personal change, leading teams in challenging environments, or passionate about protecting our planet, this conversation will equip you with practical insights and renewed energy to elevate your leadership and impact.

You can listen to this Business Elevation Show interview with Chris Cooper & Leilani Raashida Henry here. Alternatively on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tunein, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio (latter US only).

More about Leilani Raashida Henry:

Leilani Raashida Henry is a seasoned facilitator, executive coach, leadership consultant and keynote speaker whose experience ranges from one-on-one leadership clients to large-scale dialogues and workshops in industries such as healthcare, finance, non-profit, academia, and small business.

Her whole-brain strategies enable rapid individual and collective transformation. Like a network chiropractor, Leilani gently confronts obstacles that prevent optimal choice and change, and her experiential processes bring lightning speed results to touch challenges.

Leilani has over 25 years experience in the field of human resource and organisational development as a leading-edge architect influencing today’s redesign of corporate learning experiences and environments. Throughout her in-house corporate career at Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Jones Intercable, and IDEA Champions, she implemented hundreds of workplace changes and redesign efforts that resulted in millions of dollars in savings for her organisations.

Leilani has a Master’s Degree in Education, Learning, and Human Resource Development Technology from St. Thomas University and a Cum Laude Graduate in Psychology from Spelman College. She created the 360 degree Leadership Vitality CheckUp and Brain Jewells® for 21st century leaders who need to easily connect intuition and logic; energy and information. In 2021, she published The Call of Antarctica: Exploring and Protecting Earth’s Coldest Continent, a book about her father, George W. Gibbs, the first person of African descent to go to Antarctica.

Leilani specialises in small group coaching for cross-functional leadership teams to practice the skills of conflict resolution, authentic presence, mental fitness, and the vitality of leadership. Her lifetime of performing arts experience is integrated into her unique approach to leadership and learning.