Tania Hughes

I attribute my success to resilience, a willingness to keep learning, and the people who believed in me before I fully believed in myself.

My journey has not followed a traditional path. My lived experiences with homelessness, recovery, and rebuilding my life taught me lessons that no classroom ever could: how to persevere through uncertainty, how to find hope when circumstances seem impossible, and how to lead with empathy. Those experiences became my greatest strength rather than something to overcome.

I also believe success comes from staying grounded in purpose. Every opportunity I've been given carries a responsibility to create opportunities for someone else. Whether I'm facilitating community conversations, helping redesign systems, or speaking on a national stage, I never forget why I started this work—to ensure that people with lived expertise are recognized as leaders whose voices deserve to shape the decisions that affect their lives.

I'm incredibly grateful for the mentors, colleagues, and community leaders who challenged me, encouraged me, and opened doors along the way. Their investment in me reminds me to do the same for others. I believe leadership is not about climbing higher than everyone else; it's about reaching back, sharing what you've learned, and making it easier for the next person to succeed.

Ultimately, I attribute my success to choosing growth over comfort, purpose over recognition, and collaboration over individual achievement. Every milestone I've reached has been possible because of a community of people working together toward a shared vision of creating systems that are more equitable, more compassionate, and more human.

The best career advice I've ever received is simple: "Do it scared."

There have been countless moments in my career when I didn't feel ready—accepting leadership roles, returning to school, speaking on national stages, or sharing my lived experience in rooms where difficult decisions were being made. Fear has shown up every step of the way.

What I've learned is that confidence doesn't always come before the opportunity. More often, it grows because you chose to step forward anyway.

"Do it scared" reminds me that courage isn't the absence of fear—it's the decision not to let fear make the decision for you. Every meaningful opportunity in my life has required me to move forward before I felt completely prepared, and each one has expanded what I believed was possible.

Today, whenever I mentor others, I pass that same advice along. If you're waiting until you feel completely ready, you may miss the opportunity that was meant for you. Growth happens when we're willing to take the first step, even with shaky hands.

Never set down your authenticity to fit someone else's idea of what a leader should look like.

For a long time, I believed I had to be polished, have all the answers, and never let anyone see me struggle. But I've learned that authenticity is one of the greatest strengths a leader can have.

To me, authenticity means showing up as the person I am today—not a perfect version of myself. Some days that means my hair is a mess, I'm running behind, or I'm navigating a difficult moment. It also means people get to see me practicing healthy coping skills, asking for help when I need it, learning from mistakes, and continuing to grow.

Someone out there needs to see that. They need to know that leadership doesn't require perfection. They need to see that healing isn't linear, growth is ongoing, and success doesn't mean you've stopped being human.

Your experiences, your perspective, and even your imperfections may be exactly what gives someone else the courage to believe they belong too. Don't hide the parts of yourself that make you real. Those are often the very things that make you an effective leader.

The world doesn't need another perfect leader—it needs more authentic ones.

One of the greatest challenges of being a lived experience leader is carrying the emotional weight of the work long after the workday ends.

People sometimes compare it to survivor's guilt, and in many ways that resonates with me. I know what it's like to experience homelessness because I lived it. Every day, I work alongside people who are facing many of the same challenges I once did. At the end of the day, I get to go home, while many of them return to a tent, a shelter, or another place not meant for human habitation. That reality never becomes easy.

There are moments when I question whether I'm doing enough because I know how hard people are fighting just to survive. Holding both hope and heartbreak at the same time is one of the most difficult parts of this work.

At the same time, I see an incredible opportunity. More organizations and communities are recognizing that people with lived experience bring essential expertise to this work. When we move beyond asking people to simply share their stories and instead invite them to lead, we build stronger programs, better policies, and more compassionate systems.

That opportunity gives me hope. It reminds me that while I can't solve every challenge on my own, I can help create a future where the voices of those most affected are shaping the solutions. That's the kind of change that has the power to transform both lives and systems.

The values that guide both my work and my personal life are authenticity, compassion, integrity, and hope.

Authenticity is the foundation of everything I do. I believe people deserve the real version of me—not someone who pretends to have it all together. Whether I'm leading a meeting, speaking at a conference, or having a conversation with someone who's struggling, I want people to know they don't have to be perfect to be worthy of respect or capable of leadership.

Compassion is equally important. Every person has a story that has shaped who they are, and I try to lead with curiosity instead of judgment. My lived experiences have taught me that a single moment of kindness or someone believing in you can change the course of your life.

Integrity means doing the right thing, even when it's difficult. It means speaking up for people whose voices have been overlooked, following through on my commitments, and making sure my actions align with the values I advocate for.

Finally, I hold onto hope. Not the kind of hope that ignores reality, but the kind that believes people can heal, grow, and transform. I've lived that transformation myself, and I've had the privilege of witnessing it in countless others. That hope reminds me every day why this work matters.

At the end of the day, I want my life to reflect one simple belief: that every person has inherent value, and everyone deserves the opportunity to be seen, heard, and empowered to reach their full potential.