Speaking about strength and leadership before the arctic

A few days before I left for the Arctic, I spoke to the WINS Group at Fujifilm Sonosite.

It was my first opportunity to say out loud where I was about to go.

And why.

The invitation came from my friend Vanessa, who works at Sonosite. She’d asked me last year if I’d be interested in speaking as part of their inspirational speakers programme.

I was genuinely honoured to be asked.

Not because I think of myself as inspirational, I don’t – but because I live my life in a way that feels honest to me. I do what I do because I love it. Because it makes me feel alive.

So when someone looks at that and asks me to share it with others, it feels like a privilege.

The session was with Sonosite’s global women’s group.

Women from different countries, cultures and careers.

I shared that I was heading to the Arctic, and I explained why now.

I wasn’t going to escape anything.

I wasn’t having a holiday.

I needed space.

Perspective.

Time away from chaos and expectation.

I wanted to strip things back and spend time somewhere where I would feel small. Somewhere that didn’t care who I was or what I’d built.

Saying that out loud felt exposing.

But it felt good.

The title of my talk was “What Strength Looks Like.”

Not the polished version.

The real one.

I talked about…

the hard truths about leadership

the cost of always being strong

the different types of barriers we face

and why strength isn’t fixed, it changes, adapts and evolves

I spoke honestly about learning by doing.

About getting things wrong.
About choosing to keep going without pretending it’s always easy.

I was told afterwards that I was so inspiring.
That has stayed with me.

It reminded me that speaking isn’t about standing on a stage or having the right slides.

It’s about connection.

And being willing to be seen and heard.

As I closed the session, I shared something I’d been thinking about quietly for a while.

The strength that built my business isn’t the strength I need next.

And recognising that is strength in itself.

A few days later, I headed north.