Still on a high from attending my first WomenEd Northern Ireland unconference I began to consciously look for opportunities that would develop my confidence and make me 10% braver personally and professionally.

A charity that supports the SEN children I work with in my job and volunteer with on a Sunday, recently advertised the chance to fundraise for them and so I signed up. My family and colleagues really thought I had lost my mind when I proudly announced that not only was I signed up to do a ski dive for my charity but I would also be wearing a Santa suit as it was a Santa ski dive! On one level I can see how they came to this conclusion but on another level why was this so surprising?

Why wouldn't a 50 year old woman want to do a ski dive for charity Santa suit or not? What had stopped me even considering such a challenge before?

I believe the answer was simply I didn't ever envisage myself being brave enough for such a challenge.

Sometimes we don't allow ourselves the opportunity to take challenges, simply by never even imagining they are an option for us. Just by putting myself forward for this challenge I began to see myself and the world I occupy as a female leader differently.

With my #WomenEd tribe in my mind cheering me on, I thought to myself this is just the beginning! The next day I applied for a leadership promotion and to my delight I was successful.

I also decided to submit my first ever presentation application for a forthcoming conference, basing it on my data generation on staff and student well-being for school improvement and then ran/ walked/ jogged a return to Parkrun which I hadn't done in years.

So really my initial decision to ski dive serves to some extent as a metaphor for me diving into a new future, 10% braver, seeking out new challenges both personally and professionally.

Next on my list is an abseil for charity down a Belfast hotel and to start writing those short stories I have always wanted to write.

Thank you WomenEd, you have reminded me that my journey...

"…is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." (Attribution uncertain, possibly Plutarch)