WISH North West: Trusting the Next Step

Recently, WISH North West hosted our first summer netwalk. Throughout the morning, I was struck by something beautifully simple. Although we were all following the same route, no two conversations were the same. Some people walked in comfortable silence, others shared stories, laughed, reflected or made new connections. We all started together, yet each of us experienced the event in our own way.

The theme of this edition is 'Rewilding'. In nature, rewilding is about creating the conditions for life to flourish. Rather than trying to control every outcome, it allows nature the space to adapt, recover and grow in ways that are often richer than anything we could have designed ourselves. There is something powerful about applying that same thinking to our own lives and careers.

Many of us are naturally drawn towards certainty. We like plans, goals and milestones. We map out career paths, prepare for the next opportunity and try to anticipate every challenge ahead. Those things matter, they of course give us direction, but life has a habit of reminding us that the most significant moments are rarely the ones we planned. The promotion we didn’t expect. The conversation that changed our thinking. The opportunity we almost said no to. The setback that quietly redirected us towards something even better.

When we’re in those moments, they can feel uncomfortable. We often want clarity before taking the next step, however, growth doesn’t usually arrive with a detailed roadmap. It may ask us to move forward before we can see exactly where the path leads. That isn’t about giving up control or lowering ambitions - it’s about recognising that uncertainty isn’t always something to fear. In fact, it can also be where possibility lives.

Often, these are the examples we are drawn to tell when we’re asked about our own journeys; the risks we took, the steps outside of the ordinary path. We will all come to recall moments that made very little sense at the time, but became defining chapters in our story. We couldn’t have predicted them, yet we wouldn’t choose to lose them.

Perhaps that’s what embracing the path unknown really means. Not walking without purpose, but walking with curiosity. Not needing every answer before we begin. Not believing that every detour is a failure.

Something that sits at the core of WISH - as we walk our own paths, however unplanned they may be, is how we have opportunity to make the journey easier for someone else. A kind word. A thoughtful introduction. Sharing our experience honestly. Encouraging someone to put themselves forward.

Celebrating another woman’s success as enthusiastically as our own - these are the flowers we plant along the way. Much how we should approach nature, leave the people you encounter better than how you found them. We may never know whose confidence may be strengthened or whose direction may be changed, because of these moments, but this does not make them any less important.

Through WISH we come together to learn, to connect and to support one another—not because any of us have all the answers, but because we recognise that the journey is richer when we don’t walk it alone.

As summer unfolds, perhaps rewilding isn’t about finding a new destination at all. Perhaps it’s about trusting ourselves enough to keep taking the next step, remaining open to where it may lead, and leaving the path a little brighter for those who follow. After all, some of the most beautiful things in nature were never forced to grow - they were simply given the space to flourish.

If you’d like to find out more about WISH North West or to join our next event, please visit our regional page.