..You Walk Until It Catches Up
Last year, I walked into the Business LeadHERship Summit feeling nervous.
I didn’t know anyone.
Well… maybe one person – the woman running it.
I remember scanning the room, wondering where I fit, hoping I’d find someone to talk to, and quietly fighting the internal urge to NOT figure out how long would be an acceptable amount of time to stay before I wouldn’t be judged for leaving early – early morning break? Lunch time? Sidenote: I made it all day but I did keep an eye on my watch in the afternoon…
But this year felt very different.
I was on the planning committee.
I helped set up.
I led a table.
I found myself in conversations with women I’ve followed, learned from, and admired from a distance.
And somewhere in the middle of the day, I had this thought:
What a difference a year makes.
It would be easy to look at that and assume the shift came from feeling more confident.
But that’s not what happened.
The confidence didn’t come first.
The showing up did.
Over the past year, I kept saying yes to rooms like this.
I kept going back.
Not because I suddenly felt ready… but because something about these spaces felt aligned with who I was becoming.
And slowly, without really noticing it at first, things started to change.
Not in a loud, dramatic way.
More in a quiet, steady way.
This year, I showed up differently.
Not because I had everything figured out…
but because I showed up with intention.
I wanted the women at my table to feel comfortable.
I wanted them to feel seen, heard, and included.
I wanted them to feel like they belonged there.
And as I was sitting there, facilitating conversation, I realized…
This feels natural to me.
This is who I am.
Not someone trying to prove anything.
Not someone trying to be impressive.
Just someone creating space for connection.
That shift didn’t come from thinking my way into confidence.
It came from being in the room… again and again… until something in me started to settle.
There was a line I wrote in my notes that day:
“Presence is built in motion.”
And another one I can’t stop thinking about:
You don’t wait for confidence. You walk until it catches up.
That feels true.
Because if I’m being honest… there were still moments that felt uncomfortable.
There were photos taken that I haven’t been able to look at yet.
Old thoughts about my body came rushing back. Thank you perimenopause.
The kind that can spiral if I let them.
But here’s what surprised me:
It didn’t stop me from showing up.
A year ago, I really wished for confidence to come before I walked into a room like that.
Now I’m finally leaning into it all differently.
Confidence isn’t something you wait for. It can’t be. You’ll wait a long time and miss some golden opportunities.
Confidence is something that quietly builds… while you’re in motion.
While you’re speaking up.
While you’re introducing yourself.
While you’re staying in the room just a little longer than feels comfortable.
Clarity works the same way.
It doesn’t come from sitting on the sidelines, trying to figure everything out in advance.
It comes from doing.
From engaging.
From showing up before you feel fully ready.
That’s what finally shifted for me.
Not a sudden burst of confidence…
but a willingness to keep going anyway.
So if you’ve been waiting to feel ready before you take the next step…
Maybe this is your reminder.
You don’t have to feel confident to begin.
You just have to start walking.
It will catch up.
