When we speak of leadership and meaningful ways to lead in the games industry — indeed, when we have spoken about these topics at previous GamesBeat Women in Gaming Breakfasts — we often discuss how leaders can relate to others. How to lead, how to mentor, how to be the person your colleagues need. These are sound and necessary discussions to have.
But when I spoke with the panelists at the BOSS Mode: Women in Gaming, Entertainment and Tech Breakfast at GamesBeat Summit 2026, they had a different form of advice: Leadership begins with the self, and nurturing yourself will make you a better leader overall. I had the pleasure of moderating the panel, and we spoke at length about leadership and how to bring the best returns to the company of which you’re part.
Amanda Kruse, VP of business development at Blumhouse, said in response to a question about balance and achieving goals, “I think it’s constant thing of self-evaluation. Not to be corny about it, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, if you are not in a good place, you’re not going to communicate well. You’re not going to create a space that’s great for everybody else, and it’s easy to run out of gas in the pursuit of those things… You have to sit with yourself and ask, ‘What do I need?'”
The rest of the panelists echoed that belief that being a competent leader who delivered returns began with the self. Leanne Loombe, head of games at Annapurna, added, “We have to show that it’s also okay to step back and take a break and look after yourself.” She noted that this can be something as simple as booking a break for yourself for lunch or a manicure into the calendar and treating it with the same seriousness as a work meeting. “It’s habitual, it’s something that I commit to myself. That’s the kind of mechanism I’ve used throughout my career.”
Self-care can improve your business
Sophie Lisaius, VP of people and culture at Xsolla, noted that another form of self-care is improvement and learning. “As leadership, you should always be learning. Sometimes, when you get into a position of leadership, you think you’ve made it, but that’s not true. You’ve got to keep learning. Going through training classes or attending wonderful conferences, it can put you back into a place of, ‘I have the energy to do this thing again or whatever it might be.'”
While we were speaking, we noted that self-care and being the most present and empathetic leader possible was especially important when one’s company — and the industry as a whole — is facing challenges such as we are now. Creating a sense of trust, but between leader and subordinate and leader and company, helps make these times more manageable on a personal level.
Zoe Bell, executive producer of games at the New York Times, added that one of the best ways to build respect and trust in a difficult market was transparency. “I think you want to be as transparent as you can with the risks that you’re taking on, because different people have different risk tolerance levels. Your team will feel like they were treated fairly if they knew what your goals were and what your risks were… you have to communicate them that doesn’t panic people, but is still really fair.”
We closed the show talking about what advice panelists would give to leaders in the industry, and they all noted the importance of perseverance and observing the bigger picture, but also focusing on oneself. Kruse added, “I think it’s remembering that you are a business of one. Ultimately you are the CEO of yourself… it’s the bigger zoom-out of, ‘How does this serve the rest of my life? How does this serve what I want to achieve?'”