Beyond the summit: A conversation with Bonita Norris
At this year's MSI EMEA Regional Conference in Edinburgh, we are delighted to welcome Bonita Norris to the stage, a record-breaking mountaineer, author and speaker. Bonita is one of the youngest British women to have summited Everest, and her story is as relevant to the boardroom as it is to base camp.
The MSI community is built on trust, reciprocity and genuine connection, and those same values sit at the heart of Bonita's keynote.
Her keynote will draw on what she calls the mountaineer's mindset, exploring how the lessons of high-altitude climbing translate into resilience, leadership and purpose in everyday professional life. We sat down with Bonita ahead of the conference to find out more.
What did summiting Everest teach you about what you are truly capable of?
It taught me hundreds of life lessons, namely that the biggest mountain was actually the one in my mind. Learning mindset techniques to overcome imposter syndrome, overwhelm, fear and exhaustion was the greatest gift Everest gave me. I call these techniques the mountaineer's mindset.
How do you keep a resilient mindset in everyday life and work?
Climbing the world's highest peaks taught me that driving endlessly forward ends in burnout and certain death. Resilience is about sustaining ourselves in the long term despite hardships, and having enough in the tank to deal with the unexpected.
What I take from the mountains into everyday resilience is that good quality rest is so important to keep me positive and able to perform at my best. When I don't have time for the things that restore me, I can usually pinpoint that I need to set clearer boundaries with myself, others and my work.
What is the most important piece of advice for women looking to step into leadership?
When you are intimidated by someone, see the grown up child behind the fragile ego. When I realised that impressive people are just grown up kids trying to figure the world out, they became less impressive and more human. Within all of this, the greatest trait a leader can have is humility. Be open to learning as much as you can about yourself every single day.
What does being part of a supportive group mean to you?
Being part of a supportive group means being that support to others as much as I can. The moments seared into my memory from the mountains are mostly those in between moments when a teammate did something to make my life easier before I even asked. I always try to be gracious and accept acts of support, because building teams and networks is about supporting others, but also allowing yourself to be supported.
We cannot think of a more fitting voice for a conference themed Beyond Borders. Beyond Today, and we look forward to Bonita’s keynote.
Join us at the EMEA Conference in Edinburgh to hear Bonita's inspiring keynote.