Most companies plan for market risk, financial risk, and operational risk. Almost none plan for what happens when the CEO gets sick. In this episode of Localization Fireside Chat, Robin Ayoub sits down with Deborah Krier, entrepreneur, cancer advocate, and founder of tryingnottodie.live, to unpack one of leadership’s biggest unspoken risks. After navigating multiple cancer diagnoses while running a business, Deb shares firsthand insight into what breaks when leaders fall ill, how organizations fail to plan for executive incapacity, and what real resilience looks like when the founder becomes the constraint. This is a grounded, executive-level conversation for CEOs, founders, and leadership teams who understand that leadership responsibility includes planning for absence. 🎥 Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tWOZh5a5ges
In this conversation, we explore:
What actually breaks inside a business when the CEO becomes unavailable
Why most founders avoid planning for illness or incapacity
The hidden cost of the “hero CEO” model
Business continuity and succession planning beyond slide decks
Transparency, communication, and trust during executive health crises
Why resilience must be designed into systems, not personalities
The uncomfortable questions every CEO should ask before a crisis hits
This episode challenges leaders to rethink resilience, responsibility, and what it truly means to build a durable organization.