Just over a year ago, two phenomenal collaborators and I made a bold decision: we would host our first leadership retreat specifically for women in healthcare.
It terrified me.
Yes, I’d run leadership programmes. Yes, I’d delivered leadership coaching. Yes, I’d been a leader within the NHS for 20 years. But holding a retreat for women in healthcare? That felt like stepping out of the shadows and into entirely new territory. To make it happen, I needed to stand firm in my belief and trust my instincts that this would genuinely benefit those attending.
The Label We’re Too Quick to Apply
How often do we find ourselves in situations we’ve never navigated before, feeling uncertain, questioning whether we’re the right person for the job? Doubting ourselves whether we can deliver? And how quickly do we reach for that phrase: “I have imposter syndrome.”
I hear it constantly, a label that’s become too easy, too automatic for what is, in fact, is a very normal human experience when we’re stepping into growth.
Here’s the thing: we hadn’t done this before. It was our inaugural retreat. But between myself and my two collaborators, we had 75 years of NHS experience. 75 years of wisdom to draw upon.
So we didn’t label ourselves as having “imposter syndrome”. Instead, we chose to see this as an exciting opportunity to develop something meaningful, to Nurture Evolution and Turn The Tide. We chose to embrace stepping forward into the nervous unknown.
The Dance That Changed Everything
Together, we held each other. We embraced each other’s ideas and thoughts, even when they felt risky. We relied on each other’s knowledge and experience. We saw each other and everything we could each bring.
You may have seen the well-known YouTube clip “First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy. Where a lone, brave gentleman who starts dancing alone at a festival until others join in. We had planned to play this clip during the retreat. But then, nervously, tentatively, I suggested to my collaborators: what if we didn’t just play it? What if we enacted it ourselves?
Part of me expected them to think I was crazy.
Instead, the response I got was: “Great idea!” “ Let’s use Bruno Mars as the soundtrack.”
So that’s exactly what we did. Together, we stepped out of nervousness and into empowerment. I became that lone dancer and sure enough shortly after a brave group of leaders joined me.
That moment of stepping into my discomfort gave us a powerful leadership teaching point, one we could debrief and unpick together. It became one of the highlights of the weekend.
Together we created a retreat for ten amazing, inspiring female leaders within the NHS. A space for them to find time to ground themselves and learn more about their own leadership. A space for them to connect to their leadership values, learn to lead themselves and build their network.
What I Learned About Leadership
Through this venture, I discovered something essential about myself as a leader:
When I trust myself and step through nervousness into daunting opportunities, magic can happen.
Through trusting myself and my phenomenal collaborators, we held each other in that period of uncertainty and created what truly was a Diamond Moment for everyone who participated.
The Invitation
So here’s my challenge to you, from a place of courageous curiosity: instead of jumping too quickly to saying you have “Imposter Syndrome”. Ask yourself, if I embrace my nerves and my doubts, what magic can I create? How will it empower me to grow?
Hold that discomfort with curiosity instead of judgment.
Trust yourself and those around you.
And see what magic you can create.
Ways to connect with Jenny:
Email: jenny@developtothrive.com
Website: www.developtothrive.com