Finding Strength in Pressure: Lessons from Leaders Who’ve Been There

At ESOMAR Connect | California, hosted by Joanne Robbibaro, ESOMAR Representative and Senior Vice President at Materia, and Sandy Casey, ESOMAR Council Member and SVP of Global Supply at InnovateMR, we gathered to explore what it truly means to thrive under pressure. The evening was made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors—Material+, InnovateMR, and Dynata—and it was one of those events that left everyone with a renewed perspective on leadership, resilience, and balance. 

Before diving into the discussion, guests were treated to a wine tasting with Wente Vineyards, the oldest continuously family-owned winery in the United States. With a history spanning five generations in California’s Livermore Valley, Wente has long been a pioneer in wine production and innovation. Their legacy includes the development of the famed “Wente Clone,” which today serves as the foundation for over 75% of California Chardonnay. It felt like the perfect way to set the tone for a conversation about endurance, adaptability, and legacy.

The panel itself brought together voices from very different industries, yet their stories intertwined in surprising ways. Lisa Wilding-Brown, CEO of InnovateMR, shared the personal and professional challenges of the CEO role as COVID-19 disrupted the global economy. In addition to steering her team through the uncertainty of the pandemic, she also navigated the monumental task of selling the company within months of assuming her new role. Her reflections underscored the reality that pressure doesn’t wait for the right timing—it often arrives when leaders are still finding their footing.

From there, Liz Lin, President of the LA Fire Department Foundation, spoke about her experience leading through the devastating Los Angeles fires of January 2025. She recounted what it was like to watch donation links go viral and see unprecedented amounts of money pour in, all while facing the urgent responsibility of ensuring that funds were allocated quickly and effectively. At the same time, she had to make sure firefighters had the resources they needed on the ground—food, equipment, safety measures. Liz painted a vivid picture of being at the center of overlapping crises, balancing the immediate needs of her team and the community with the long-term responsibility of stewarding resources wisely.

Brendan Finley, VP of Direct-to-Consumer and Hospitality at Wente Vineyards, spoke about what it was like when the winery’s hospitality operations came to a standstill during COVID. Weddings were canceled, large gatherings postponed to unknown dates, and entire business models disrupted overnight. He described the stress of calling brides and event hosts to deliver disappointing news, all while trying to support his team and manage his own uncertainty. His perspective was a reminder that resilience isn’t always about grand gestures—it’s often about how you show up for people in small, difficult moments.

Lydia Irving, General Manager North America at Walr, offered her take on balancing high-level executive roles with family life. Having lived and worked in both New York and Germany, she has experienced vastly different leadership cultures, and she reflected on how those experiences shaped her own style. Now, as both a senior executive and a mom, she spoke candidly about the reality of holding multiple roles at once and the importance of setting boundaries. Her story emphasized that thriving under pressure is as much about clarity and balance as it is about resilience.

As the evening unfolded, the conversation revealed that, while each leader’s circumstances were unique, the core themes were remarkably consistent. Resilience comes from adaptability. Balance isn’t about achieving perfection—it shifts depending on the moment. And perhaps most importantly, pressure has the power to transform leaders into stronger, more empathetic versions of themselves.

Walking away from ESOMAR Connect | California, I was reminded that resilience is rarely a solo act. Just as Wente Vineyards has thrived across generations by leaning on family and tradition, leaders thrive when they lean on their teams, their communities, and the support networks around them. This event wasn’t just about learning strategies for managing stress—it was about seeing resilience in action, and recognizing that the very challenges we often dread are the ones that help us grow.