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In this chapter, I share my courage story. I have waited 14 years to share my story, and in honor of all the women who also shared their courage stories in this book, I knew I needed to open my heart to vulnerability and, also, share mine. Sharing a courage story is a courageous act in and of itself. Women often resist owning their courage, knowing they essentially do what they need to do to take care of their work, families, friends, and communities. But, sometimes, women need courage to survive a traumatic event. This is the case in my story, which I hope is beneficial to anyone facing domestic or emotional abuse. My story is of a long walk through a painful labyrinth, and how I survived while working, raising a family, and a maintaining a home.

This application brief shares Phase One of an action research project for the Association of Leadership Educators. This project demonstrates how a member-based association can successfully engage its members in terms of identifying needs, defining strategic priorities, and detecting resource development opportunities. This body of work has various implications for leadership and leadership education and provides a model that other associations can replicate to engage in resource development.

A brief history of the association’s first 25 years since its inception is provided in this brief and the work of the Resource Development Committee is presented. The findings from two focus group sessions conducted during the 2014 annual conference are highlighted and the paper closes with a discussion of how the Resource Development Committee can, through specific initiatives, support the association’s wellbeing and strategic direction. By sharing the rationale behind the Association of Leadership Educators board of directors’ decision to invest in a resource development strategy, other association leaders can access and implement a similar action plan to generate additional revenue which, in turn, can be used to enhance association membership services.