From recovery room to boardroom  How the IoD helped me rebuild my voice as a leader

At the age of 24, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I went from nurse to patient overnight; from the girl with big Life plans to the woman fighting just to exist. It’s a chapter of my life that rewrote everything I thought I knew about time, strength, and purpose.

What followed wasn’t a linear recovery. It was a slow, messy, and ultimately extraordinary rebuild, from illness to identity, from diagnosis to direction. I went on to launch and grow my own business – with no business qualifications or experience, which I sold 16 years later in a trade sale. But as the business grew and required skills beyond my initial entrepreneurial vision and energy, I struggled with a deeper question: Was I capable of leading the next chapter?

That’s where the IoD came in…..

Rediscovering Legitimacy

When I first joined the IoD, I didn’t know what to expect. I had rebuilt a business, yes – but the scars of that early chapter never quite left me. I still had days when self-doubt lingered: Would I be taken seriously? Was I credible enough to be at the table?

What I found at the IoD was a space that met me with quiet authority and unwavering professionalism. It wasn’t just about training and governance, though both were excellent and provided significant opportunities to develop my professional growth. It was about feeling legitimate again. I wasn’t seen through the lens of my past. I was met as a director, a peer, and a contributor to the future of business.

Courage Beyond the Corporate

Leadership, for both men and women navigating change, reinvention or recovery, can feel isolating. The IoD became more than a network; it was a community where I didn’t have to explain myself. Where gravitas was earned as a leader, but humanity wasn’t lost amongst colleagues.

What I gained went far beyond professional development. I gained language. I gained confidence. I gained validation. I gained the kind of credibility that allows you to walk into a boardroom, not with bravado, but with clarity.

A Book Born of Experience

This year, I finally published the book that had lived inside me for over two decades: From Claudia to Cruella. It charts the raw, often unspoken journey from nurse to CEO, from self-doubt to self-worth. The IoD is part of that story.

Because reclaiming your voice as a woman, especially after trauma, isn’t about speaking louder. It’s about knowing you belong in the conversation.

For Other Members Walking Their Own Path

If you’re navigating reinvention, holding pain behind your professionalism, or wondering if you’re still “good enough” to lead – know this:

Gravitas isn’t about never falling. It’s about how you rebuild when you do.

The IoD helped me rebuild with intention. And I’m deeply grateful for the space it gave me to grow; not just as a director, but as a woman finding her place again.

Want to read more? From Claudia to Cruella is now available via: Amazon.co.uk: Barbara Baker: 9781836285540: Books

It’s a story of grit, growth, and the audacity to thrive.