At this year’s ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo, cleaning professionals came together to explore innovations in products and processes while investing in the one tool that shapes every success: the human mind.
One session at the Women in Cleaning & Facility Solutions Breakfast, presented by ISSA Hygieia Network, left a lasting impression. The Hygieia network is a community dedicated to advancing the careers of women in the cleaning and facility solutions industry.
Led by Sonia McDonald, a multifaceted speaker whose experience spans motherhood, business leadership, coaching and authorship, approached resilience as a practical, actionable skill, one that transforms how we work, lead and live.
Flipping the hourglass
McDonald opened with a simple yet powerful metaphor: an hourglass. Every grain of sand represents a moment, a fragment of life we cannot reclaim, yet each moment shapes who we are. Watching the sand fall, she explained, teaches a fundamental truth about resilience: it is not measured by speed or control, but by focus. Life may push, tumble and unsettle, but how we choose to direct our attention shapes our experience.
Drawing from personal experience, she shared a period she calls a “life quake”. Living overseas with limited resources and a young child, she faced adversity alone, with little money and no immediate plan. It was a moment when the instinct to crumble was almost irresistible. But she made a conscious choice: to stand, act and rebuild, one decision at a time. “Everything is a choice,” she said. “You can collapse under pressure, or you can flip the hourglass and start again.” That decision became her first lesson in resilience, forged in the messy, gritty reality of life.
Courage, connection and choice
Three guiding principles – courage, connection and choice – materialised for McDonald off the back of that challenging experience. According to her, courage is not the absence of fear but the act of moving forward despite it, rewiring the brain and instilling purpose. Connection is survival; even brief interactions, like a smile, a greeting, a thank-you, reinforce belonging and nurture resilience. Choice manifests in boundaries and energy allocation. Knowing what to focus on and what to let go of allows leaders to act with intention rather than reaction.
She also explored how neuroscience underpins these principles. Every time the brain responds to adversity or stress, it strengthens neural pathways, enhancing emotional regulation and focus. “The reticular activating system, the brain’s filter for attention, determines what we notice,” she asserted. “ By directing focus toward strengths and opportunities, we reshape perception, turning stress into fuel for growth. Attention goes, energy flows.”
Putting resilience into action
Following the keynote, McDonald joined a panel of industry leaders, including Linda Lybert, Lorraine Rogic and Kathryn Groening, for a lively discussion on ‘Overwhelm and de-stressing’. The conversation resonated deeply with attendees, reflecting the pressures of the cleaning and facility solutions industry.
“It’s about having that thick skin and getting on with it,” Rogic said. “We’ve all got resilience; it’s just tapping into it and giving yourself permission to use it.” Groening added, “You learn to bend and shift and have empathy.” Rogic emphasised that setbacks only matter if lessons are ignored, framing failure as a catalyst for growth.
McDonald described resilience as a muscle strengthened through courageous action, empathetic connection and self-awareness. Leadership, she said, involves stepping off the phone and out of the office to engage with people, understanding their strengths and offering guidance with clarity and kindness. “One of my favourite quotes is by Brene Brown: to be clear is to be kind, to be unclear is to be unkind,” she said, highlighting how courage and compassion intersect in effective leadership.
Practical strategies for leadership and growth
Groening shared personal insights from her family business and corporate career, noting that resilience emerges through teamwork, agility and empathy. She encouraged leaders to walk the floor, talk to people and understand the operational realities of their teams. “Everything was in my email, yes, but connecting with people saved time and built trust,” she said. She also suggested maintaining a “brilliance folder”, a collection of personal achievements and lessons learnt, to revisit during moments of doubt to reinforce confidence and resilience.
The panel agreed that coping with overwhelm requires awareness of personal boundaries and priorities. One panellist noted that overwhelm is subjective; by defining what truly matters, delegating effectively and taking strategic pauses, leaders can maintain composure even under pressure. “Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes outside to breathe and reset your mind,” said another, reinforcing the idea that resilience is cultivated through conscious, daily practice.
Creating opportunities and fostering growth
The discussion moved to practical strategies for creating growth and opportunity. Panellists shared experiences of stepping into roles that challenged them, taking calculated risks and supporting others to reach their potential. Lybert recounted being the first female candidate in northern Wisconsin to run for state assembly and later launching multiple businesses, demonstrating that courage and initiative often precede growth. Rogic highlighted that leadership opportunities exist in every role and success comes from recognising and acting on them without letting fear or internal doubts get in the way.
McDonald and the panel emphasised collaboration, emotional intelligence and empathy as essential qualities for leaders over the next five years. While technology and AI evolve rapidly, soft skills like kindness, communication and understanding remain crucial. Panellists urged leaders to coach and mentor emerging talent, preparing future leaders who are self-aware, resilient and capable of connecting with others while maintaining operational excellence.
The enduring lesson
At the heart of both the keynote and panel discussion was a clear message: resilience, courage and connection are inseparable from effective leadership. Leadership is measured not by title or authority but by choices made under pressure. Every decision to rise after a setback, to act with kindness, or to cultivate opportunity contributes to a lasting impact on teams, organisations and communities.
For cleaning professionals confronting daily operational pressures, these lessons resonated profoundly, inspiring them to turn challenge into opportunity.
