Care as Leadership: Rethinking Power, Voice, and Impact

By Sarah N. Ahmad

(2025 LYP Program Participant & Scholarship Winner)

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Being selected for the LYP Women’s Career and Leadership Development Program was more than an achievement—it was a moment of affirmation.

Like many women navigating complex professional and personal landscapes, my journey has been anything but linear. It has required persistence, reinvention, and a constant negotiation between ambition and responsibility. The LYP program arrived at a time when I was not just asking what’s next, but what more is possible?

For me, this felt especially meaningful within the Canadian context—where conversations

around equity, inclusion, and leadership are evolving, but where many women, particularly

BIPOC women, are still navigating invisible barriers every day. My work sits at the intersection of urban development, social justice, and community systems. In these spaces, leadership is often framed through metrics, outputs, and efficiency. But this program created the space for something we rarely prioritize: reflection.

Over the past few months, I have been able to slow down and think more intentionally about the kind of leader I am becoming. Not just what I do, but how I show up. Not just what I produce, but what I make possible for others. This has been central to developing my voice as a care-based practitioner.

Care, in this sense, is not softness or compromise—it is rigor. It is about paying attention to

whose needs are being centred, whose voices are being amplified, and whose realities are

being overlooked. It is about designing systems, policies, and spaces that acknowledge lived

experience, interdependence, and dignity.

Through the LYP program, I found a community of women across Canada who are asking

similar questions—women who are deeply committed to leading with intention, accountability, and care. That collective energy has been both grounding and galvanizing.

What I carry forward from this experience is not just new skills, but a clearer sense of

responsibility: to lead in ways that are more thoughtful, more inclusive, and more attuned to the complexities of the communities we serve.

To the team behind LYP—thank you for creating a space that values not only leadership, but the kind of leadership our world urgently needs.

And to women considering applying: your voice matters, even if it is still taking shape. Especially then.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah N. Ahmad is an urban strategist, cultural placemaker, and policy consultant advancing care-centered approaches to city-building. Working across urban development, social justice, and community systems, she integrates policy, design, and cultural practice to shape more equitable and inclusive cities. Her work focuses on rethinking power in urban systems and amplifying underrepresented voices through thoughtful, community-driven engagement.