From Lone Nut to Leader: The Courage to Start a Movement

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲: 𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙣𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡

Eight years ago, I joined a year long grassroots women’s leadership programme with the brilliant Dr Joanna Martin who created One of many. We did a counter-intuitive exercise - we watched a video of a lone nut dancing on a hill.

Picture it: A shirtless guy flailing around solo. Then—someone joins him. Then another. And another. Before long, the whole crowd is up, dancing like nobody’s watching. Even the naysayers!

We’re constantly told to be leaders—but what if that’s missing the point?

The lesson? The first follower is what turns a lone nut into a leader.
So leaders - don't overthink too much!

Movements don’t happen because of a single visionary. They happen when someone has the guts to be the first to stand up and say, “I’m in.”

So, maybe you’ve got a rebellious idea. Maybe you feel it’s risky, like it might challenge the status quo too much. Maybe you’re holding back because financial security concerns or a belief that social acceptance seems to depend on playing it safe.

But change starts slowly… and then all at once. Or, as Hemingway put it:
“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵?”
“𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺.”
(Which is exactly how change happens too!)

In an increasingly polarised world, grassroots movements matter more than ever. If we want to shift the tide, we need leaders and bold first followers.

So, what idea are you sitting on? Drop it in the comments—I’m curious. And hey, if this post resonates with you, please follow my page Kholo.co and a comment also helps more people see it.

Happy weekend! Let’s spark the counterculture. 💃 🕺
Thank you Collin Wynter for dancing like nobody is watching and inspiring us all!