The Power of Community Beyond Your Day Job
WRITTEN BY: Bowo Oluniyi, Medical Lead (UK, Ireland & Nordics), Grünenthal 🖤
Four years ago, I was working in an airport pharmacy, trying to find a way into the pharmaceutical industry.
Today, I’m a Medical Lead across the UK, Ireland and Nordics, working on Grünenthal’s established brands portfolio.
That progression didn’t happen in isolation.
I’m very aware that I’m often just the visible outcome of dozens of quiet investments made by other people... mentors, sponsors and advocates, some in rooms I’ve been part of, and others in rooms I’ve never entered. My journey is as much theirs as it is mine.
Outside of work, I love writing poetry and travelling the world. Both give me space to reflect... something I’ve come to realise is not separate from professional growth, but central to it.
Why community matters more than we admit
What I hope to share in this post is the power of community... particularly learning from people outside your day‑to‑day spheres of influence.
I met Yam in 2024 at the Black Pharma Summit in London. We happened to sit next to each other. About a year later, he told me about a community he was building... The Black Sherpa and The 29k Club.
I joined because I believed it would help me continuously learn and evolve my current ways of thinking.
Six months on, it’s been insightful to say the least.
Learning in the open
During my time in the community, I’ve:
Sat in the hot seat twice to talk through dilemmas I was navigating (I hesitate to call them challenges... that feels too heavy)
Observed and questioned others working through similar moments
Attended masterclasses on topics such as Purpose Under Pressure and Leading Through Uncertainty
What stood out most wasn’t the content alone, but the quality of reflection and honesty in the room.
The biggest learning for me has been this: when you show up as your authentic self, people can truly get to know you... and therefore support you more effectively.
There’s also something grounding about being able to look at your own reflection and recognise that you’re acting in alignment with your values. It makes feedback easier to hear, decisions easier to stand behind, and growth feel more sustainable.
Thinking time is still work
One of the most practical pieces of advice I received in the community was deceptively simple:
Thinking time... and breathing time... is still work.
That reframing has stayed with me.
It’s allowed me to slow down just enough to gain clarity, and to better understand what people are actually asking of me, rather than reacting to the noise around the request.
In fast‑moving roles, that space can feel indulgent. I’ve learned it’s essential.
Where work and life really meet
I’ve grown as a person during my time in the community.
Until recently, I believed that life and work were largely separate. I now see how intertwined they really are. Who we are at work seeps into our personal lives... and vice versa... whether we acknowledge it or not.
Having a space where those conversations are welcomed, rather than compartmentalised, has been quietly transformative.
Learning beyond the familiar
Being part of The 29k Club has reinforced something I now hold strongly:
Learning is most powerful when it comes from both within and beyond your day‑to‑day environment.
Each of us carries a slightly different lived experience. Within those experiences are countless lessons... if we’re willing to listen, question and reflect.
Community, at its best, makes that exchange possible.
And for me, that’s been the real value of the 29k Club.
From imposter thoughts to earned confidence
Stepping into my current role was a genuine step up... technically and in terms of leadership.
Early on, I carried a quiet sense of imposter syndrome. Not because I lacked capability, but because there were aspects of the role I hadn’t encountered before, or hadn’t approached from the angle being asked of me. I interpreted that gap as a deficit.
What shifted over time... particularly through mentoring circles and masterclasses... was the realisation that these feelings are not only common, but shared even by senior leaders. Hearing others articulate the same internal doubts reframed my own experience. It reminded me that growth takes time, and that confidence doesn’t come from having everything figured out, but from trusting the skills you’ve already built and deliberately layering new ones on top.
A moment that changed how I work
The first hot seat I joined, back in July or August, stands out.
Graham made a simple observation that landed more deeply than expected: thinking time and breathing time still count as work. They may look different from task execution, but they directly enable it.
The 29k Club isn’t about having the answers. It’s about creating the space to think better
It was obvious once said... yet I’d completely overlooked it while trying to find my feet in a new environment. That single reframe gave me permission to slow down without guilt, and to recognise reflection as part of performance, not a distraction from it.
The risk of being seen
One of the biggest risks I took in the community was letting people see behind the curtain.
I shared the more human side of my experience... the uncertainty, the questions, the moments of self-doubt that don’t always surface in professional settings. Doing that helped me build genuine rapport within the group, and I noticed something unexpected: others became more open too.
By choosing honesty over polish, the shared spaces felt safer. Not because everyone agreed, but because more people felt able to show up fully.
How this shows up at work
Practically, the community has influenced how I show up.
It’s reinforced my ability to better trust my gut... and myself... especially when navigating ambiguity. I’m more comfortable acknowledging when I don’t have the answer, and more focused on what I do next once that’s clear.
I’ve also become more at ease being myself in a new environment. I always was, in principle, but I used to worry about how that might be perceived. No one ever gave me reason to think this... it was entirely internal. The community helped me recognise that concern for what it was, and loosen its grip.
Unlearning what leadership requires
One belief I’ve had to actively unlearn is the idea that people expect me to have everything figured out.
They don’t.
What they do expect is integrity, transparency and honesty... even when I’m wrong. Leadership isn’t about certainty; it’s about how you behave when certainty isn’t available.
Letting go of that false expectation has made my leadership feel lighter, more human, and ultimately more credible.
Making space to think... properly
Applying the idea that thinking and breathing time are legitimate work has changed both my effectiveness and wellbeing.
I now block out time to assess competing priorities and rank them by urgency and importance. That process alone creates clarity. It’s also helped me recognise that some questions matter, but not immediately... and that not everything needs resolving in the moment.
The result has been less unnecessary pressure, better decisions, and a noticeable improvement in how I feel day to day.
Learning beyond familiar lanes
One of the biggest surprises about learning alongside people outside my usual professional circles is how often we underestimate the value of our own lived experience.
It often takes someone else to point out the obvious... the skills, patterns or insights we’ve normalised… for us to see their real worth. Those moments of reflection have been some of the most valuable.
Owning growth differently
I’ve always taken ownership of my development, but not always in the most effective ways.
The community has expanded my toolkit... helping me think more clearly about which conversations to have, with whom, when, and how. That shift has strengthened my sense of agency, not by adding pressure, but by giving me better options.
Who this community is really for
This space is valuable for anyone navigating the complexity of life and work.
It doesn’t remove the difficulty... but it does make it easier to see that those challenges are shared. The 29k Club has provided an external psychological safe space for me. Work can be supportive too, but the dynamics are different. Having both matters.
Is it worth it?
If someone six months behind me asked whether this is worth their time and energy, my answer would be simple: you get out what you put in.
For me, it’s been absolutely worth it. I’ve learned alongside early-career professionals, experienced leaders, and people pivoting into something new... across functions and perspectives within life sciences and beyond.
That mix has been the real gift.
Not theory. Lived experience, shared honestly.
Three takeaways I’m taking forward
As I reflect on my time in the 29k Club so far, there are three lessons I keep coming back to:
1. Authenticity builds stronger support systems.
When you show up as your real self, people can support you better. More than that, you create safer, more honest spaces for others to do the same.
2. Reflection is not optional, it’s part of the work.
Thinking time, breathing room and self‑examination aren’t luxuries. They directly improve clarity, performance and decision‑making. Once I stopped treating reflection as a distraction, my effectiveness… and wellbeing… noticeably improved.
3. Growth accelerates when you learn outside your usual circles.
Engaging with people who think differently challenges your assumptions, stretches your perspective and helps you evolve faster than you ever would on your own. That diversity of thought has been one of the most valuable aspects of this community.
These are habits I’m still building… and ones I expect will stay with me long after this chapter.
I’m Yam – Founder of The Black Sherpa
Founder | Strategist | Speaker | Host of The Black Sherpa Podcast
I founded The Black Sherpa to create a world where talent rises on merit and no one’s potential is held back by bias or barriers.
Through bold strategy, storytelling, and our flagship community, The 29k Club - I help professionals grow with confidence and support leaders to build cultures that truly live their values.
Let’s connect and build a future where inclusion powers performance, and leadership reflects the world we serve.