I am a Music teacher. I am used to standing in front of a classroom, leading a rehearsal, directing a concert or encouraging a young person to believe in themselves. But believing in yourself as a professional, finding your voice in a room full of adults, and confidently articulating what you have to offer? That’s something I’ve had to work on.
When I joined Creative Island’s CAN YOU HEAR US? Cultural Leadership Programme, I knew I wanted to develop as a leader. I wanted to become more confident in expressing my ideas, advocating for my department and the projects I lead, and making sure that the work we’re doing at Carisbrooke College could more actively contribute to the wider cultural life of the Island.
But I don’t think I fully appreciated how much of that journey would be about how I saw myself.
One of the real turning points was my Go See – the ‘Art of Powerful Speaking’ training day with the BAWE (British Association of Women Entrepreneurs) in London with speaking coach and consultant Audrie Woodhouse: I was sat alongside women who, on paper, had incredibly impressive achievements and careers. Directors, CEOs, even the Queen’s hairdresser! And yet, as we began talking, something really struck me.
Here we were, women from completely different professional worlds, with completely different experiences, and yet we were all there for the same reason: we all wanted to feel more confident in how we communicated, how we presented ourselves and how we used our voices. I found that genuinely reassuring.
I think it’s easy to look at other people and assume they have a level of confidence that you somehow haven’t quite managed to find. You see their achievements, their experience, their professional standing, and you imagine they must feel completely assured in themselves.
But sitting in that room made me realise that confidence isn’t necessarily something you either have or you don’t. Even women who have achieved extraordinary things are still learning, still questioning themselves and still looking for ways to grow.
And perhaps, more importantly, it made me question why I had been underestimating myself.
I began to realise that I wasn’t starting from a position of not being good enough. I already had experience, ideas, achievements and a genuine passion for what I do. I already knew how to lead, how to inspire people and how to make things happen.
Perhaps I just hadn’t always recognised those things in myself – or found the confidence to articulate them.
That was a really important shift for me.
One of the other truly special things about this programme has been the people I’ve had the privilege of making this journey alongside.
We’ve come from such a diverse range of cultural, creative, community and professional backgrounds, and yet there’s something that connects us all: a shared desire to make a positive difference to the place we call home.
I’ve been genuinely inspired by the people in this group – by what they do, the things they’re passionate about, the challenges they’re tackling and, perhaps most importantly, the hope they bring to the future of the Isle of Wight.
Listening to their stories has reminded me just how much talent, creativity, ambition and potential we have on this Island. Sometimes, I think we can become so accustomed to where we live and the challenges we face that we forget to recognise just how much is already happening, and how much more could be possible if we work together.
Being alongside these people has helped me see the Island through a slightly different lens. It’s strengthened my belief that the Isle of Wight can be a place where people feel they have a future, where young people are encouraged to dream big, where creativity is valued, and where opportunity and aspiration aren’t limited by geography or circumstance.
That’s the kind of Island I want to contribute to creating: an Island defined not by its limitations, but by its possibilities – a place of hope, opportunity and aspiration.
And being part of this group has made that vision feel more tangible. These aren’t simply people talking about wanting things to change; they’re people doing something about it, in their own sectors, communities and organisations. Seeing that commitment in action has been incredibly motivating.
The programme has continued to build on these experiences through mentoring, leadership sessions and conversations with people from across the Island’s cultural, creative and community sectors. It’s helped me feel less like a teacher working away in her own corner and more like someone who has a place in a much wider cultural conversation.
It’s helped me feel more grounded in who I am professionally, and in what being a cultural leader can mean for me.
For me, that doesn’t mean suddenly becoming someone different, or trying to be the loudest person in the room. It means understanding what I bring, being clearer about what I believe in, and having the confidence to say it.
I’m already seeing that change in my work. I’m better able to articulate the value of the Music Department, advocate for the opportunities I want our students to have, and explain why the projects I lead on matter – not just for our school, but for young people and the wider Island community.
I’m also more confident about building relationships beyond education, making connections with people I might never have met otherwise, and recognising the possibilities that emerge when we bring different sectors together. And that’s what excites me about the future…
I have so many ideas about what music and creativity can offer young people on the Isle of Wight. I want them to have opportunities to perform, create, collaborate, discover their talents and imagine futures they might not previously have considered. I want schools to be seen as part of the Island’s cultural landscape, and I want to play a part in making those connections happen.
But I’ve realised that if I want to advocate for those things, I need to be willing to advocate for myself, too. I need to be able to talk about my work, share my ideas and make sure that my voice is heard.
And I think that’s what CAN YOU HEAR US? has given me.
Not a completely new voice, perhaps – but a greater awareness of the one I already had.
I feel more confident, grounded and comfortable taking my place in the room. I’m beginning to recognise that I have something valuable to contribute, and that I don’t need to feel I have to wait until I’m completely ready or free from self-doubt before I speak.
I’ve found my voice. And now, I want people to hear it.
Because this isn’t just about professional development. It’s about what becomes possible when we have the confidence to take our ideas further, build new partnerships and create opportunities that might otherwise never happen.
And it’s about being part of something bigger than ourselves: a community of people who believe in this Island and who are working, in their own different ways, to make it a place where people can thrive.
I spend so much of my working life encouraging young people to find their voices through music – to take a risk, step forward, perform, express themselves and believe that what they have to offer matters.
Perhaps this programme has reminded me that I need to give myself that same encouragement.
And perhaps it’s also reminded me that when we find our voices, connect with others and have the courage to share what we believe in, we can begin to create something bigger than any one of us could achieve alone.
