Sonali Chandratilake, a seasoned crisis management expert and Emergency Management & Business Continuity Manager at the University of Canterbury, shares insights from 15+ years on the front lines of NZ's major crises (Canterbury Earthquakes, Christchurch Mosque Attack, COVID-19). Her unique perspective combines professional roles with personal advocacy (Cleft New Zealand). Discover her pragmatic approach to crisis leadership, emphasizing community connection and emotional intelligence.

In this episode, we talk about:

0:00 | Introduction and Guest Background

2:12 | Sonali's Unexpected Path to Emergency Management

9:00 | The SVA Experience as a Foundation

15:13 | Replicating Community Resilience in Organizations

20:08 | Inspiring Employees: Acknowledgment and Validation

26:59 | Transition to a Professional Career Path

32:17 | Balancing Professional Work with Volunteer Passions

36:41 | Challenging the "She'll Be Right" Attitude

41:51 | Real-World Community Preparedness Example

45:56 | Finding Champions and Leaders Setting the Scene

50:43 | The Evolving Role of Technology

59:51 | Social Media: Misinformation, Intelligence, and Trust

1:02:50 | Actionable Steps for Building Personal Resilience

1:03:49 | Book Recommendation

Key Takeaways:

Emergency management is deeply human. Community connection, built before crisis, forms the bedrock of resilience. While technology helps, analog backups are essential, and social media intelligence needs careful navigation. True leadership fosters self-sufficient teams. Emotional intelligence is key to effective crisis navigation and personal resilience.

Reference Links

Sonali on LinkedIn

Cleft New Zealand (donate here)

Student Volunteer Army, New Zealand

University of Canterbury, New Zealand

New Zealand ShakeOut

Book recommendation: The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav

www.unbreakableventures.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unbreakableventures.com