Leading with Vulnerability

Newton Cheng, Director of Health & Performance, Google

As Director of Health & Performance at Google, Newton Cheng has spent years helping high performers thrive. But his most important lessons on resilience and leadership didn’t come from corporate playbooks—they came from personal struggle. In this deeply human talk, Newton shares his own story of navigating burnout, parenting through family challenges, and choosing to lead with vulnerability, courage, and transparency. He challenges us to rethink what true leadership looks like in the future—where openness, empathy, and honesty are not weaknesses, but strengths that can transform organizations and lives.