Throughout her career as a physician scientist and most recent tenure as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021-23), Rochelle P. Walensky developed a set of leadership mantras that focus on adversity, resilience, people, trust, and communication. In this talk, she weaves together practical examples from her time as a practicing clinician, her methodological background in decision science as well as her domestic and global policy research in HIV/AIDS and ultimately her tenure as director of the CDC. From this rich experience, she highlights several ongoing public-health challenges and their implications for pandemic preparedness.