My paternal grandmother — “grandma” to me, “Grandma Paula” to my cousins, and “GG” to her 11 great-grandchildren — was born on August 3, 1925, in the heart of Leo season.
Last year, I posted a small video tribute to her on Facebook for her 99th birthday. In my post, I expressed my wish that she would maintain her good health to hit the century mark, and that we would celebrate our milestone birthdays — my 50th and her 100th — together this year.
Alas, it was not to be. In late September, she suffered a stroke from which she could not recover. She died on October 9, 2024 at the age of 99.
The Forces That Shaped My Grandma’s Life
Born in Kracow, Poland, my grandma’s formative years were defined by the trauma of the Holocaust. She had just turned 14 when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Her brother and father were taken immediately; her mother was taken a few years later. By 17 she was an orphan.
Thanks to help from a cousin, she was one of the last to secure a job in Oskar Schindler’s factory; thanks to her own courage, she secured a spot on the famous “Schindler’s List.”
In an interesting twist of fate, my grandma died on the 50th anniversary of Schindler’s death.
Hear my grandma tell her story in her own words by watching this video.
Like a phoenix, my grandma emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust to build a better life. She was the matriarch of a family that expanded from twin sons to five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Embodying the Leo Archetype
One of the best ways to understand astrology is to study the charts of people who have lived out their lives. My grandma had a stellium in Leo: in addition to the Sun, she also has the North Node, Mars and Neptune in Leo.
On many levels, she was the embodiment of the Leo archetype: radiant, magnetic, independent, courageous, forceful, and — yes — stubborn.
True to her Leo nature, she had an indomitable spirit. Her tenacity, resilience, and grit were wrapped in a aesthetically beautiful package: with her reddish mane and smooth skin, she maintained a youthful appearance to her last breath.
There were moments when I thought she would outlive all of us.
Her Mars in Leo is evident in the bold and courageous actions she took to secure her spot with Schindler and survive the Holocaust, and in her fierce independence.
After my grandpa died in 2017, my grandma showed her steadfast resilience. Fiercely independent, she continued to live in her apartment alone and only reluctantly tolerated the presence of an overnight aide.
She had a steel-trap of a memory: she never missed a birthday or anniversary, she remembered and asked about my childhood friends. She read books and engaged in current events, and she had a sharp mind to her final breath.
Read more about my grandma in my eulogy that I delivered at her funeral.
A Reframe of What Leadership Looks Like
Leo is the sign of leadership.
In our culture, this is generally equated with being the most visible. We assume that the person out in front is the one in charge: the chief executive, the team captain, the head of a political party, the team leader.
One of the most important lessons from my grandma’s life is that leadership doesn’t always match this common depiction.
In public, my grandma tended to defer to my grandpa to deliver remarks. But is was always clear who was in charge.
My grandma’s leadership was more subtle. Befitting her stellium of planets and points in Leo — the sign of the performer — she led through her actions.
She didn’t need to shout to lead. She simply moved through the world with quiet strength and bold grace, letting her choices speak for her values. The lessons I’ve learned from her come from observing how she lived, not from what she said.
My grandma was not attention-seeking, and at barely 5-feet tall, she didn’t physically stand out in a crowd. Yet she commanded attention through her energy and presence. Her radiance and magnetism drew people toward her; despite he diminutive physical stature, she never got lost in the crowd.
As a fixed fire sign, Leo holds on to identity. Astrologer Jo O’Neill shares that one mantra for Leo could be “Everything will be ok as long as I know who I am.”
This is accurate for my grandma.
As I shared at her funeral,
She knew who she was. And she had a quiet confidence about her. She didn’t need to prove herself to anyone.
Leadership doesn’t have to be loud, flashy, or even put you front and center. Sometimes the boldest way to lead is through subtlety and quiet confidence.
Knowing who you are and embodying yourself is the ultimate leadership.
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