Melissa Manthos on leading through cancer: ‘A kind of exhaustion that makes you question everything’

In a deeply personal reflection, Melissa Manthos, General Manager at digital and brand agency Switch, has opened up about leading through one of the most difficult times in her life – a diagnosis of stage one ovarian cancer – and what it taught her about leadership, culture, and authenticity.

Five months ago, Ms Manthos received the life-altering news. “With it came everything that word carries: Surgery, six rounds of chemotherapy, and a kind of exhaustion, both physical and emotional, that makes you question everything,” she shared in a blog post.

While the journey was intensely personal, Melissa chose to focus her message on a professional truth: culture, when built with intention, can carry you through both business and personal storms.

‘Kindness belongs in organisations’

As a leader facing serious illness, she found herself grappling with questions many leaders may never have to ask, but perhaps should. “If I talk about it, do I risk burdening the people around me? If I don’t talk about it, do I set an example that battles should be fought silently?” she wrote.

The experience led her to a decision rooted in authenticity. “I did make the decision to be transparent about what I’m going through. Not because it was easy. And definitely not because I wanted to be the centre of anyone’s attention.”

A key reason for her openness was to raise awareness about Low-Grade Serous, a rare form of ovarian cancer that accounts for just two to five per cent of cases. But just as importantly, she said, “I wholeheartedly believe that kindness belongs in organisations. It’s the foundation of any culture worth building.”

A test of culture

Throughout the months of treatment, Ms Manthos said she was met with something every employee deserves to feel: Unwavering support.

“Even on the darkest of days, I had something that every person in any organisation deserves to have: The peace of mind that I would be supported, fully, even when I couldn’t show up.”

What left a lasting impression, she added, was the way her team responded: “I was never met with pity or sadness. There were no awkward silences to fill. No uncomfortable conversations to tiptoe through. Just strength. Flexibility. Care.”

This wasn’t by accident. It was the result of years of intentionally building a culture based on empathy, clarity, and values that actually live beyond the pages of a brand book.

Culture that holds

Her experience underscores a core belief that she says has always guided Switch: “Culture isn’t cosmetic. It’s structural. It’s the thing that holds – even when everything else shakes.”

It’s an insight that has taken on even greater significance in the face of illness, when the temptation might be to retreat, to shield others from discomfort, or to uphold the “curated version of leadership” that business often expects.

But for Ms Manthos, leadership meant bringing her whole self – not just the parts that looked polished.

“One of the most important things I want to teach my son is that you should never hide parts of yourself to make other people feel more comfortable. And I cannot teach him that if I am not willing to live it myself.”

‘Culture is the invisible infrastructure’

For Ms Manthos, the past few months have redefined how she sees leadership. She argues that a culture that only exists during the good times is no culture at all.

“Culture is the invisible infrastructure that holds everything together – or lets everything fall apart.”

She added, “A strong foundation doesn’t mean you won’t face storms. It just means you won’t be swept away by them.”

As she looks ahead to the next phase of treatment, she continues to lead with courage, empathy, and a clear-eyed view of what truly matters in business: People. Not just their outputs, but their humanity.

She closed her post with a call to action that every leadership team might do well to reflect on:

“Have you built a culture in your organisation that could carry you through both a business and a personal storm?
Are your values known, lived, and visible – or are they just words on a wall?
What version of yourself are you hiding at work – and what would it take to let a little more of it be seen?”

Her story is a reminder that the real measure of culture isn’t in team-building events or mission statements – it’s in how people are treated when things get hard.