Ep. 35: Cancer, risk, and resilience, with Lawton Cummings

Who gets funded depends on who’s deciding.

In this powerful episode of The Leadership Dance, Lawton Cummings, General Partner at Capital Factory, shares why women in venture capital matter—and how her experience navigating cancer has influenced her approach to life. Lawton gets vulnerable about navigating breast cancer twice while continuing to work and raise a family, and what survivorship taught her about rest, energy, and letting go of perfection.

She also shares her nonlinear career journey: from practicing law to serving as a legal analyst for Fox News (while simultaneously serving on an ACLU board of directors) to now investing in tech startups. The conversation explores representation in decision-making and how curiosity and resilience shape leadership over time.

💡 Key Takeaways:

Resilience isn’t always pushing through. Sometimes leadership means resting, recalibrating, and being honest about your limits.

Careers don’t have to be linear to be successful. Following curiosity and depth can open doors that rigid paths never will.

Representation shapes outcomes. Diverse perspectives drive better outcomes and stronger innovation. 

Connect with Lawton:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawtoncummings/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawtoncummings/?hl=en 

Website: https://capitalfactory.com/ 

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Music from InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ "Catwalk Queen"