Leading with Authenticity – Carrie Johnson on Confidence, Career and Defining Success on Her Own Terms

For Carrie Johnson, leadership has been less about following a defined path and more about understanding what matters, both professionally and personally, at different stages of her career.

Starting her career over 30 years ago as an actuary, Carrie quickly realised that her strengths lay beyond the technical aspects of the role. While her mathematical background provided a strong foundation, Carrie found herself drawn to the more strategic side of the business with a focus on propositions and customers.

Looking back on her career, Carrie highlights a number of challenges that shaped her leadership. One of the earliest was working in heavily male-dominated environments, particularly within the actuarial profession. While this was common at the time, it brought its own dynamics and, at times, a sense of being different.

Like many leaders, Carrie’s career decisions have been shaped by life outside work. With three young daughters and increasing professional responsibility, Carrie found herself navigating competing demands often making difficult choices about which opportunities to pursue.

These decisions often required her to consider not only the professional opportunity, but also the impact on her family life. In some cases, this meant turning down roles or not being put forward for opportunities where flexibility was limited.

Carrie recalls on one particular instance where she was not progressed for an opportunity due to her inability to be in the office full time, given her responsibilities at home. Working within a predominantly male environment, she recognised that others were not always facing or fully understanding the same pressures. As a result, opportunities were sometimes taken forward by others in different circumstances.

This had a personal impact, leaving Carrie feeling torn between both aspects of her life.

“I was very ambitious for both and found it quite hard not to feel like I was just doing a poor job of both.”

Looking back on these experiences, Carrie also acknowledges her lack of self-confidence played a role throughout her career, particularly in moments where she might have approached situations differently.

“I’ve always had… a bit of challenge around my self-confidence,” she says. “It probably isn’t that visible to other people, but it could take a toll on me at times.”

A Shift in Perspective

A defining moment in Carrie’s leadership journey came through a leadership development experience that challenged how she viewed both herself and her career.

As part of the programme, participants were asked to speak about something they felt passionate about. While many chose topics that reflected professional achievements or ambitions, Carrie chose something far more personal, which was time spent with her daughters.

It was a decision Carrie initially questioned. However, her authenticity stood out, as what she shared resonated more strongly than the more traditionally impressive responses, with many commenting on how authentic it had been.

Carrie reflected on how this experience prompted a deeper reflection on how she was approaching her career.

“I realised that I was working to other people’s values… instead of what was important to me.”

That experience marked a turning point, as it reinforced the value of authenticity and helped shift Carrie’s perspective, not just on leadership, but on what was important to her and how she wanted to shape her career going forward.

The Impact of EWIL

Carrie joined the Executive Women in Leadership (EWIL) programme at a point where she was looking to refocus on her own development. One of the most powerful aspects of the programme Carrie discussed was the shared experience within the group.

“The amount of common ground was huge.”

Carrie reflected on how the programme brought together women from different industries and backgrounds and created an environment where challenges could be discussed openly and honestly.

What stood out most to Carrie was the sense of support within the group.

“It felt like you were really rooting for the other people in the room, it wasn’t competitive at all.”

Building Confidence to Step Forward

The programme also had a lasting impact on Carrie’s confidence and how she approached opportunities — an area she had found challenging earlier in her career.

“I think one of the biggest things I got from it was an improvement in confidence.”

Hearing from senior leaders who spoke candidly about their experiences helped to shift her perspective on leadership. In particular, seeing that even highly experienced leaders faced similar challenges helped normalise her own self-doubt and build a stronger sense of self-belief.

This shift in mindset gave Carrie greater confidence to step into roles that felt like a stretch, approaching new challenges with a clearer sense of capability and perspective.

The Lasting Value of Perspective

Looking back, Carrie reflects on the value of the EWIL programme not just in the learning itself, but in the perspective it provided. A significant part of that came from the network and the group of women she experienced the programme with.

“The group of women that were on the course were incredible, every one of them was quite remarkable in some way.”

For Carrie, it was this combination of shared experience, openness and diversity of thought that left a lasting impression.

“It was a room full of normal women, but in some ways every one of them was unique.”

Looking Ahead

As she reflects on her career, Carrie continues to value opportunities to learn from others and to consider what comes next.

“When you hear stories about what other people have done, I now think, oh, maybe I could do that.”

Her journey highlights the importance of authenticity, perspective and continuous development in leadership and the value of taking time to understand what matters most to you.

Executive Women in Leadership Alumni Spotlight Series

This article forms part of our Executive Women in Leadership Alumni Spotlight Series, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the EWLP programme in September 2026, and has been developed collaboratively with the support of Judy Wagner, Director of FWB Ltd and Prof Susan Murphy of The University of Edinburgh Business School, (who co-founded the EWLP), the EWIL Advisory Board, programme contributors, and interview participants.

The EWLP has since evolved into the Executive Leadership Programme (ELP), delivered in partnership with the University of Edinburgh Business School and open to leaders of all genders across the private, public and third sectors.

For more information about joining the 2026 cohort, please contact elp@fwbltd.com.