My brother and I frequently visited Auntie Julie, one of those aunts who’s not a relative but the best friend of your mum so she’s auntie and is as much family as family. Turns out she is still one of the most important people in my life. What was exciting, there were so many exciting things about visiting Julie, but one of the very exciting things was that she had a video player [this was the 80s remember] and that meant Duncan and I could watch Star Wars. I think we got to the point where we actually wore out the VHS tape of Star Wars because we watched it so many times. We stopped counting when we got to over 100 views. Duncan and I were in competition over the times we watched it,  I was a couple of years older so surely I must be in the lead.

Star Wars toys are happy memories, Duncan says he remembers us fighting I don’t remember the fighting so much I remember the toys. I remember that the Millennium Falcon did fly through that basement toy room, where I lined up for the figures and they all had actual conversations, the AT-AT walker took pride of place on a table. I remember meeting Darth Vader, about the time Return of the Jedi was released and being too scared to have my photo taken. Duncan my braver, bolder little brother, was not as scared and had his photo taken with him. We’ve got this great picture that just the thought of it brings a smile to my face.

Star Wars was just part of who we were and what made up some of my favourite possessions. A poster ‘Everything I needed to know I learnt from Star Wars’ has followed me from flats, across the world, into office spaces, and back to home. Getting an upgrade in frames along the way. I love the Star Wars philosophy that this poster sums up and captures many of the lessons I’ve learnt along the way. Faith in your friends is a strength, not a weakness, wars do not make one great and most importantly always let the Wookie win. 

Maybe it’s my age, I’m 52 and Star Wars was the first movie I saw at the cinema. Regardless of what Star Wars movie I’m watching when I see that Star Wars logo and the music start and the…. a long time ago in a galaxy far far away…. shivers go down my spine even if I sleep through the whole movie which has been known to happen.

The latest in the series [numbers 7,8, and 9] had me in full love mode and all the spin-off movies, Solo, Rouge One (particularly like this one). A team of charge nurses encouraged, no insisted that I had to get the streaming service so I could watch Madalorin,  Since then we’ve added Obi-Wan and Andor. I’m always comfortable stepping into the Star Wars world.

The character of Maz, who first appears in The Force Awakens, appeals because she was quirky, obviously wise, had a thing for Chewbacca and seems to be able to see into people she knew her place she seems grounded despite the chaos and uncertainty around her, I liked that.

When she tries to give Rae a lightsaber that belonged to Luke Skywalker, she says “I am no Jedi but I know the force”

Maz has a vast knowledge of the Force on how it works, she can sense emotions in others, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, impending danger and the presence of the dark side. She’s not a main character, she plays her part and makes a difference in her part of the world.

I’ve worked in healthcare for 30 years with at least 25 of those as a people leader. I have had some incredible moments and made a ridiculous number of mistakes. The theme I’ve evolved is that l pick myself up and try again. The work is always going to be there, always a fire to fight and a different challenge or crisis will make it harder today, and we have to keep trying. So, no, I don’t necessarily have the specific answer for each specific scenario. What I know is about the mindset, attitude and tools that will keep you in the game.  I do know the work we need to do to put in place for ourselves and our teams in order to give the care and experience that we want our patients to have. 

Sharing those ideas, tips and tools started in 2016 when I saw people starting in leadership roles, looking overwhelmed, confused and unsure of where to start. Healthcare is an asteroid field and you need help to navigate through the daily stuff. I wanted to express I didn’t have the answers, that I cared, and I wanted to help, so the ‘I am no Jedi’ email was born. 

Subscribe to the No Jedi email

I considered changing the name as the number of people subscribing increased. While I may not understand it Star Wars isn’t for everyone. There are even people who the thought of it is a detractor. Now the weekly email is a core part of how I support and help leaders in healthcare, part of the business I’m building. It’s where the ideas started. Is now then the time to change the name. People who have been with me from the beginning refer to the email as the No Jedi email, it doesn’t feel right to change it.

There is history, wisdom and deep feeling associated with the name. Our words matter, they tell our stories and this is part of my story, part of why and how I do what I do.