The LavaCon Content Strategy Conference | 5–8 October 2025 | Atlanta, GA
Kit Brown-Hoekstra

Kit’s super power is understanding culture, which is most obvious when consulting with her localization and technical communication clients. She has built an award-winning career from training and consulting with life sciences companies to create strategic content in the most effective ways for international audiences.

Gifted with an abundance mindset, Kit has spent decades sharing her knowledge by speaking and publishing regularly on content-related topics. After exploring conscious leadership and appreciative inquiry and applying these concepts, she is propelling her clients and the content community to new levels of content strategy, creation, delivery, and leadership.

With 25+ years in the field, Kit has also contributed to the content industry as an STC Fellow and former society president, by co-authoring a book on managing virtual teams, and as editor of The Language of Localization. You can find out more about her and connect through her blog (www.pangaeapapers.com).

Using the Whole Box of Crayons: Conscious Leadership in Uncertain Times

Co-presented with: Andrea Ames

“Leadership is not about a role or a title, but rather leadership is an act of influence [and a way of being]. Each of us is a leader because each of us has influence.”–Dr. Daniel Friedland
To be effective leaders in a rapidly changing world, we need a bigger box of crayons and new ways of connecting with our teams. True leadership begins with our inner work, which enables us to remain centered, flexible, and resilient, even in the midst of a crisis so that we can creatively serve our teams.
During this double session, we will explore how neuroscience and mindfulness can move us from states of reactivity to creativity and allow us to tap into our greatest strengths so that we can lead holistically. We will learn about the power of the pause, how to incorporate micro-moments of mindfulness into our daily lives, why the questions we ask matter and how to create better ones. We will build connections with each other, and gain a basic understanding of the power of appreciative inquiry.

In this session, attendees will learn:

  • How neurology influences your capacity to be an effective leader
  • At least three techniques for building your self-leadership capability and capacity
  • How to begin creating and asking more effective questions
  • How appreciative inquiry can expand your capacity for leadership, improve your change management, and create a better corporate culture