A certain type of woman inspires me. Women like Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Agnes Binagwaho.

Each time I see them, I can’t help but wonder where they get their gumption. And then, silly me, I remember: They were born that way! You know, self-assured, never doubting their capabilities, always knowing the right thing to say, the exact way to tackle a problem. Each one is a people person and unafraid.

Give them any job and they’ll nail it.

I know others like them in my everyday life–women not quite as famous, perhaps, but whom I admire for those same qualities. These are women born with the “it” factor, something that until two years ago, I firmly believed you either have or you don’t.

But then I went out on a run one cold winter morning, pondering as I often do the terrible state of health affairs in Nigeria, where I was raised, when a voice as clear as the morning sky whispered to me to start a Nigerian health magazine.

I immediately scoffed at myself: Ha! That’s a good one. Me, start a health magazine? Who would ever listen to me? I thought surely others must have already thought of the idea and had found good reasons not to do it.

Besides, I thought, I’m more of a behind-the-scenes kind of gal. This sort of thing requires a leader. I’m not there yet.

I thought, maybe, if I worked a bit longer, gained more experience, possibly got another degree—you know, for credibility—maybe then I’d be ready. Plus, I knew I wasn’t really the leader type. I’d be better off throwing my support behind a real leader, like one of those women I admire who just know how to make things happen.

Never mind that I yearned to be a part of interesting ventures like the one I’d just envisioned. Or that deep down, I had never seen a job position or challenge that I didn’t think I could handle well. Yet, I’d always felt that I needed permission to go after my dreams, the kind of permission only granted by degrees, experience, promotions, peer recognition and other outside validation.

But this time, I never asked for that permission. As it turned out, I already had a leader within me who was equal to the task—a leader just waiting to be unleashed.

On April 3rd, Radiant Health Magazine will celebrate its one-year anniversary! How did this happen? Let me share with you how I unleashed the leader within, and how you can, too.

Just Say Yes.

By the time I finished my run that fateful morning, I had made up my mind to start a Nigerian health magazine. The idea still seemed as crazy and my fear hadn’t diminished. If anything, it rose to a new dimension. But I said yes, without knowing how anything else was going to fall into place. Saying yes freed me up to move beyond my fears and get into action.

Find Your Christine or Nozomi.

I discovered a neat little secret: Coaches! Many successful people work with them. I stumbled upon Christine Kane while Googling vision boards after a chat with a cubicle-mate at work who had one on her desk. Christine was the first person to tell me that my dreams were valid; that my fears, while very real to me, were unfounded; that I already had everything I needed; and that I was a leader. As simple as those statements might seem, I needed to hear them. They changed my mindset and propelled me into action.

I joined Christine’s coaching program and met other phenomenal women like Nozomi Morgan, whose blog you’re reading now. Looking back, I wish I’d had a brilliant coach like Nozomi in those years when my career was languishing in the cubicle. Today, we are good friends and mastermind buddies. I cannot emphasize enough how critical investing in the right coach and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals can be to your success.

Run With It – Literally.

In a life with no shortage of decisions to make, running is my saving grace. Running clears my mind and keeps me focused. It makes my decision-making easier and my reasoning sharper. I’ve had my share of failure, fear, and doubt along the way, but I’ve learned to press on in spite of them. Running has helped with this. When I failed, I ran. When fear overwhelmed me, I ran. When doubt raised its ugly head, I ran.

If running is not your thing, or you are unable to for whatever reason, then find some other physical activity that revs you up and indulge in it liberally. There is a certain level of clarity and confidence that physical activity brings to you (not to mention the health benefits).

I don’t know what the future holds for Radiant Health Magazine, but what I have learned along the way, I cannot put a price on. Perhaps leaders are born, but I believe they are also made: by deciding to say yes; by finding one’s own Christine or Nozomi; and by running with it in spite of our failures.

I now know there is a leader in all of us; she’s just waiting to be unleashed.

 

Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola is a public health pharmacist, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Radiant Health Magazine, Nigeria’s first women’s health magazine, with a mission to inspire Nigerian women around the world to live full, balanced, healthy lives.