On 24th June 2025, the Great Hall at Swansea University Bay Campus hosted a powerful and moving event: the final summit of Climb Cohort Four – the self-titled “Platinum Cohort”. The day marked the culmination of a 10-month leadership journey delivered by the Dragon’s Heart Institute (DHI), and brought together health and care leaders from across Wales and beyond to celebrate a remarkable group of changemakers.
Climb is no ordinary leadership programme. Rooted in the principles of authenticity, vulnerability and systems change, Climb is designed to grow the kind of leadership the NHS, and public service more broadly, urgently needs. Over the course of the year, delegates explore their values, build relational skills, practice courageous conversations, and reflect deeply on their purpose as leaders. It is a programme that doesn’t add noise, it helps strip things back to what really matters.
The Climb programme is part of the Dragon’s Heart Institute’s mission to develop courageous, compassionate and change-ready leaders at every level of the system. Through a mix of immersive teaching, peer coaching, expert facilitation and storytelling, delegates are supported to grow their confidence, deepen their insight and step into their potential.
Delivered by the DHI team – Ruth Jordan, Kelly McGuffie and Bryn Kentish – the programme is now gaining national and international attention, with applications for the upcoming Cohort Five far exceeding available spaces.
One delegate described Climb as “10 months of space, reflection, challenge and meaning. It’s helped me reconnect with what matters most, in leadership and in life. It’s encouraged me to lead with my heart – not by doing more, but by trusting myself more.”
Another shared: “Climb has helped me get clearer on the kind of leader I want to be, not by adding more content or complexity, but by asking deeper questions, encouraging deep reflection and providing clarity.”
At the heart of the Climb experience are the connections formed between participants. Delegates learn with and from each other, building deep trust and shared purpose across professional, organisational and geographical boundaries.
“We may have started as strangers,” one participant reflected, “but together we navigated discomfort, challenged assumptions, and built bonds rooted in shared vision and vulnerability. We became something more: a network of friends, allies and future change-makers for the NHS and beyond.”
The final summit is where the journey comes to life. Each delegate took to one of three coloured stages – red, green, or blue – to deliver their personal “Ed-Talk”: a short, powerful story of growth, challenge, leadership and hope. The talks were heartfelt, honest and deeply inspiring – moving many in the room to tears, and all to reflection.
Among the guests was Marie Brousseau-Navarro, Deputy Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, who shared this reflection:
“What an inspiring day today as we heard from the Climb Leadership Academy Cohort 4. I was moved and impressed by their Ed talks which resonate with our Cymry Can health mission and the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Together we can transform. We are becoming a strong resilient tapestry together. They are leading us towards sustainable patient centered, co-delivered services with the community and leadership based on courage, empathy and true care. Congratulations to the Dragon’s Heart Institute.”
Further feedback from delegates included:
“I am in awe of my whole cohort,” wrote another participant. “It has been a privilege to stand alongside you. You give me so much hope knowing there are humans like you caring for everyone ‘out there’. I genuinely cannot wait to see you all again.”
“I am changed in the best possible way, but somehow still the same. I am beyond proud to claim my place as a Climb Alumnus.”
As the applause rang out in Swansea and the “Platinum Cohort” stepped into their next chapter, it was clear that this was not an ending, but a beginning. Climb’s ripple effect is only just beginning to be felt.
If this is what the future of leadership looks like, we are in very good hands.
