About Well-Being Leadership Conference – 2025

Friday, May 23, 2025. Just outside the center of Lviv. The modern building of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology at UCU, parallel sessions, morning coffee, and silence before the start. And then – a space filled with meaning. That is how the 3rd International Scientific and Practical “Well-Being Leadership Conference” will be remembered. An event born out of collaboration between the Center for Leadership of UCU and our closest partners – the UCU Business School, the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership at Ivey Business School, and the Institute of Mental Health at UCU. It brought together over a hundred leaders, researchers, military officers, mental coaches, and educators from Ukraine, Canada, the USA, South Africa, and France. Its theme was moral injury. And its central question – the role of the leader when the soul is in pain.

What Is Moral Injury, and What Do Leaders Have to Do with It?

It’s not just stress. And not even PTSD. Moral injury is a profound inner wound that occurs when a person experiences or witnesses a serious injustice, betrayal, or is forced to act against their core values. Today, such experience affects not only military personnel, but also team leaders, doctors, educators, and volunteers. And leaders are the first ones expected to offer support. Though often, they are the ones nearing collapse. So how can one help others without losing themselves? That’s exactly what this conference was about.

Moral injury is still a new concept in the Ukrainian discourse. But for contemporary Ukraine, it is a painful reality.

“We’ve studied resilience well. Now it’s time to talk about deeper things”,

with these words, Andrew Rozhdestvensky, Executive Director of the Center for Leadership of UCU, opened the conference.

And that idea was far from solitary.

“We are living with moral injury – and we will be living with it for decades. But we can shorten this period of pain, uncertainty, and isolation. And leaders are key in this process”,

emphasized in his address the event’s honorary guest, First Vice-Rector of UCU Yaroslav Prytula.

So, did the event fulfill the Mission entrusted to it? And did its participants – on stage, in the hall, or behind the screen – find answers to their questions? Let’s explore together.

What was the conference like?

• 14 speakers from five countries.
• 2 parallel tracks (and the challenge of choosing).
• Live stream, simultaneous interpretation.
• Panel discussions full not only of answers but also of honest questions.
• Presentations that still resonate in participants’ notebooks and hearts.
• And an atmosphere where you wanted to be, to listen, to share, to be silent – and then ask again.

But was the event limited to these facts? Not at all. The most important part became the meaning that filled every session.

The conference program covered six thematic areas:

• Psychological reality: from self-preservation practices to the role of psychology in team leadership.
• Moral Leadership: how to stay true to yourself and not betray your team during times of threat.
• Organizational dimension: a culture of care, safe environments, and working with trauma in business and education.
• Spiritual and existential dimension: faith, community, meaning, and integrity as resources for recovery.
• Coaching and the practice of dialogue: tools to see pain – and not look away.
• War, justice, and moral responsibility: betrayal, broken bonds, and the need for justice as a path toward healing.

The theme of moral injury set the tone for the entire program, opening up a space for conversation that had previously been only fragmentary in Ukraine. Throughout the day, participants tackled difficult but necessary questions: What happens to a person betrayed by the system, who has lost trust, or faced a choice that goes against their values? Is it possible to live on after such experiences – and more importantly, how?

The conference brought moral injury out of the shadows. It showed that this is not a “niche” issue of a few professions, but a wide and systemic reality of Ukraine’s present. It is carried by soldiers and medics, educators and volunteers, executives making difficult decisions daily. And it demands not only personal resilience but also collective reflection – at the levels of teams, organizations, and society.

Particularly important was the organizational dimension: How do we create a culture where people are not afraid to admit that they are struggling? How can a leader avoid becoming a source of secondary trauma? How do we protect not only efficiency but also dignity in our teams? These were not abstract discussions – they were grounded in real cases, practices, and experiences of Ukrainian and global Leadership.At the same time, deeper themes were voiced – spiritual and existential ones. When a person’s sense of justice is violated, when the world feels hostile or meaningless – what keeps them going? Faith, trust, community, and dialogue – things that cannot be measured by KPIs, but make all the difference in the healing process.

“A human being is a moral engine. And our “fuel” is emotional connection. When it’s broken – we hurt”,

summed up the central message of the conference Dr. William P. Nash, psychiatrist and co-author of one of the leading models of moral injury used in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Speakers emphasized that Leadership is not about armor, not about being invincible or always strong. It’s the ability to be present – with others, and in our own vulnerability. To create space for safe conversations. To help find meaning – especially when it feels most absent.

What’s Next?

The conference left behind not only knowledge but also a feeling: we are no longer alone with these questions. There is a language we can use to speak about them. There is a community ready to listen. There are methods that help us walk through the darkest experiences. And most importantly – come out of them not broken, but deeper, wiser, more human.

This day left many questions open, but it gave strength to seek answers together. Because healing doesn’t start with a manual – it starts with a space where you are seen and heard. And that is exactly what this year’s “Well-Being Leadership Conference” became.

Follow, read, share – and take care of yourself and those you lead. Because healing Leadership begins with an honest look at pain – and the courage to stay close.