Unhide and Thrive: Inclusion and Belonging in the Workplace

Guest speaker Ruth Rathblott reveals how authenticity boosts performance and why unhiding your true self leads to success.

Ruth Rathblott is a disability diversity expert, bestselling author, and former CEO who spent twenty-five years hiding her disability before transforming her experience into a global movement for authentic inclusion. In her powerful session, Unhide and Thrive, Ruth explores the high cost of "covering" in the workplace—the exhausting act of concealing one's true self to fit in—and demonstrates how hiding unique differences drains productivity and stifles connection. By sharing her personal journey from concealment to empowerment, she provides a practical roadmap to build psychologically safe environments where everyone can bring their full selves to work. This talk is a call to action for organizations to move beyond surface-level diversity and embrace a culture of belonging where transparency becomes the ultimate catalyst for peak performance and innovation.