A Year of Giving Back: Lessons from Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone

As 2025 begins, I find myself reflecting on a deliberate shift I made in 2024—a year of consciously refocusing my professional and personal priorities. In a career built on helping life sciences organizations shape their brand and commercialization strategies, I decided to take on fewer assignments last year, allowing myself the space to give something back. This decision led me to become a trustee for several charities, including the African Development Organisation Ripple Effect, and to lend my support to other local and regional charities as trustee, director or adviser. These experiences have taken me far beyond the familiar confines of life sciences and into entirely new territories. I’ve engaged with challenges I had little knowledge of and communities whose stories and struggles are as humbling as they are inspiring.

Lessons in Humility from the Third Sector

Diving into the third sector has been eye-opening. It’s humbling to witness the work being done in places where resources are scarce but hope is abundant. Ripple Effect’s programs in sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, reveal the immense challenges in achieving access to basic needs, let alone healthcare. Yet, they also showcase the power of human resilience and ingenuity. As someone who works in an industry where precision, control, and results are paramount, stepping into spaces where success often hinges on intangible qualities—trust, empathy, and persistence—has been a profound experience. It has given me a new perspective on the privilege of working in healthcare, where resources, innovation, and global reach can drive meaningful change.

Annealing for Perspective

For consultants, being out of your comfort zone can be both exhilarating and uncomfortable. In the third sector, the lack of familiar frameworks or metrics forces you to adapt, think differently, and, most importantly, listen. These experiences have been hardening—much like the annealing process in steelmaking. They’ve shaped not only my approach to problem-solving but also my outlook on the value of humility in a sector that often lacks it. This newfound perspective is invaluable in life sciences, where the stakes are high, and the pressure to innovate and deliver can feel relentless. Taking a step back to learn from communities and organizations outside the industry has reminded me that growth and resilience often stem from moments of discomfort and unfamiliarity.

Looking Forward to 2025

As I look ahead to 2025, I feel both grateful and inspired. Grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to learn from charities and the communities they serve, and inspired to bring this broadened perspective back to my consulting work. Whether in a conference room or a program village in Africa, the lessons remain the same: humility, adaptability, and hope are powerful forces for change. Wishing everyone a year of growth, reflection, and meaningful contributions—both within and beyond your comfort zones.

Happy New Year!