Julian Blair Baldwin on Worthy Connections

What do we really leave behind for the next generation? Possessions and photographs can tell people what happened, but they don't necessarily explain what those experiences meant.

In this episode of Worthy Connections, Laura Lasher talks with author, speaker and leadership expert Julian Blair Baldwin about the experiences that inspired his first book, written as a series of letters to his daughter. After losing his mother just months before his daughter was born, Julian found himself simultaneously becoming the keeper of one generation's history and the father responsible for helping shape another. That experience led him to think deeply about the patterns, lessons, and values we inherit—and which ones we should consciously choose to pass forward.

The conversation also explores Julian's leadership work and a deceptively difficult question: How do leaders remain consistent with their values when they are under pressure? Drawing on more than two decades of executive experience, Julian explains why leadership isn't simply a collection of competencies or frameworks. In his view, leadership begins further upstream—with identity, experience, struggle, and the values that govern our decisions.

Transcript Highlights

Laura Lasher: Today is a treat. We have an author with a book coming out and a history of helping leaders grow their teams, which is right up our alley. Julian, tell us a little about yourself and why you wrote this book.

Julian Blair Baldwin: Thank you for having me, Laura. This book is obviously near and dear to my heart, and it's the first book I've written. It's to Zuri, my daughter, and it's about what I think we all owe the next generation.

It's a series of letters to my daughter about what I've inherited—the lessons I've learned throughout my life, through struggle, hardship, and the good times as well—and what I hope to pass on to her. Not just possessions or property, but my interpretation of life and the lessons I've learned.

Laura: You've shared some of your family's history and why you felt you needed to pass this along. You have a story about your mother and other relatives. Can you share a little about that?

Julian: Absolutely. In 2024, my relationship with time changed. I lost my mother just five months before my daughter was born. So I became the steward and interpreter of a past while also becoming the father of a future.

When I lost my mother, I inherited a house full of artifacts and keepsakes, but I didn't have her voice to interpret everything. You can learn a lot about a life through artifacts. You can learn what happened, but you don't always get the meaning. You don't necessarily understand what was most important or what some of the regrets were.

I had to interpret not only what happened, but what it meant. I didn't want my daughter to simply inherit artifacts and keepsakes. I wanted her to inherit my understanding of life and what I've learned—not so she has to adopt my philosophy, but so she doesn't inherit silence. I want her to have a starting point she can interrogate as she builds the life she wants for herself. WC-trans-JulianBlairBaldwin-0926

Laura: I think every family should take note of this. There are so many people who, like your mother, may find that time moves too quickly and they don't get some of those things passed along. There are boxes, photo albums, pictures, and other relatives telling stories, but sometimes you need to hear those stories directly.

Julian: That's right. We all inherit patterns. Some of those patterns are useful, and some are old survival strategies that no longer serve us.

One thing we owe ourselves and the next generation is to become conscious of what we've inherited so we can be conscious about what governs our lives. Some of those patterns involve our perceptions of authority, belonging, conflict, and status. Again, some are useful, but others are old survival strategies.

In my case, I went to a military boarding school when I was 11 years old. That's where I learned discipline through military precision and leadership roles. But I was also 11 years old and sent 150 miles away from my parents. I was scared and afraid, and I became emotionally detached to get through that difficult period.

That emotional detachment helped me get through boarding school, but it didn't serve me as a young adult trying to build broader relationships. I had to unlearn some things and become conscious about the standards I wanted to govern my life.

Today I'm very much in touch with my feelings and very self-aware, but I had to learn that and unlearn some of those old patterns. I think parents and leaders alike can benefit from becoming conscious about the standards that govern their lives. WC-trans-JulianBlairBaldwin-0926

Laura: Your public information talks about your two decades of executive leadership, and now you have programs and speaking engagements around this work. Tell us about that.

Julian: I've worked for more than two decades, with most of my corporate experience in healthcare. I started my career as a pharmacist. Over time, I saw that I could have more impact through business transformation.

I've worked in different organizations, from PBMs and health plans to care delivery and digital health. I've held operations, clinical, sales, and business development roles.

Because I've held so many different roles, led different teams, and worked under different leaders, one question kept coming up: In times of hardship, change, and pressure, how do we stay consistent with our values and principles?

That's where I see things break.

Leadership is often taught through frameworks and competencies, but I believe leadership is downstream from identity. It's downstream from deeper things: what we've learned, what we've lost, and how we've struggled.

The work I'm engaged in today is helping leaders learn how to remain consistent under pressure and create greater trust within their organizations. WC-trans-JulianBlairBaldwin-0926

Laura: We've had trainings over the years, and they can really help take organizations higher. But then the training ends. What happens next? Is that where you can help leaders identify those gaps?

Julian: Absolutely. It's not just about taking a test or attending a training. It's about creating awareness of where we have a tendency to break down and understanding the pressures and triggers that drive our behavior.

When people are under immense pressure, emotions can change behavior. One thing we can do is reconnect with our values before the pressure arises.

We can also do something as simple as naming the emotion we're experiencing. That helps with emotional regulation and can calm some of our fears and feelings. It allows us to reconnect with the thinking part of our brain so we can make decisions that align with our values and intended behavior.

There are practical tools and tactics we can use to help us stay connected with ourselves during times of immense pressure. WC-trans-JulianBlairBaldwin-0926

Laura: Those pressures are always out there. They come in waves. How can people connect with you? And are you speaking not only about leadership but also about your new book?

Julian: Yes. I have several speaking engagements, and people can get in contact with me through my website.

Everything I've talked about today is also reflected in the book. The book is divided into five acts: inheritance, struggle, awakening, mastery, and legacy.

It's an arc of life that many of us go through.

We all inherit things from our families and communities. Struggle reveals what that inheritance has made of us. Awakening is when we examine that inheritance. Mastery is when we have the opportunity to consciously choose what governs our lives. And legacy is what we want to pass on to the next generation.

As a father leaving wisdom to his daughter, that's the arc I chose for the book. It's essentially the arc of my life, and I think it's an arc many of us experience as we move from adolescence through adulthood. WC-trans-JulianBlairBaldwin-0926

Laura: Julian, thank you so much. I know you're extremely busy, and I appreciate you responding when I reached out. A lifetime friend connected me to another person who connected me to you, and you responded right away. We'll have to change that third connection to a first connection after this call.

Thank you for joining us today. We look forward to watching you grow.

Julian: Sounds good to me. Thank you.