Julie Turpin on Taking Leaps First, Then Building Your Wings

The theme of the 2025 Brown & Brown Women in Sales Summit was Take the Leap. During my keynote, I shared an idea that has shaped my most significant decisions and has truly become the story of my life:

Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.

I’ve taken leaps over the years that didn’t make sense on paper — moves that felt too big, too risky or too soon. I didn’t always know where a leap would lead. I just knew I couldn’t stay where I was.

When I was 13, I walked away from a legacy my father loved — music — saying no to a path I was good at but that didn’t make me feel alive. Or when, professionally, I took a role that looked like a step back in title but felt deeply aligned with something inside me. Even becoming Chief People Officer at Brown & Brown wasn’t part of some grand plan. It was a gut decision made days before a global pandemic. Every one of those moments required an internal override, choosing intuition over logic and possibility over fear.

If you’re standing at the edge of something new, don’t wait for perfect clarity. You don’t need to have all the answers. What you need is to listen, trust, imagine and believe. Each one builds the momentum for your next leap.

LISTEN — to the quiet voice within

We all have an inner voice — but it’s easy to dismiss it under the weight of expectations. I learned early that being good at something doesn’t mean it’s meant for you. As a kid, I played accordion in our family band. My dad loved it. I didn’t. Still, I pushed through — until one day, I didn’t. I said I was done. My brothers followed.

That experience taught me to listen inward, even when it’s uncomfortable, and to walk away from what looks right but doesn’t feel right. Listening is the first step toward owning your direction — even if others don’t understand it.

 

TRUST — your instincts, especially when the path is unclear

Once you start listening, the next step is trusting what you hear. Years ago, I took a job that looked like a step backward. It didn’t come with the same title or external validation. People questioned it — including my partner at the time. But something in me said this is where you’re meant to be.

In choosing the job, I chose personal alignment over approval. That decision didn’t just shift my career — it reshaped how I measure value. Trust means backing yourself even when there’s no guarantee. It’s the first real test of conviction.

 

IMAGINE — your own version of success

Once you trust yourself, you must lift your eyes. Focus forward. I learned this on a firewalk — a literal one. As I stood at the edge of the burning coals, fear flooded my body. But the instructor’s words cut through: Don’t look down. Focus on where you’re going.

So, I pictured the other side. I imagined how it would feel to get there. And I walked — not because the fear disappeared, but because the vision pulled me forward.

Imagination isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a tool for momentum. It keeps you moving when fear wants you to freeze in place.

 

BELIEVE — you will rise to meet the moment

The final step is belief. And it’s often the hardest.

When I stepped into the Chief People Officer role, I didn’t have a background in HR. Two days later, I found myself responsible for helping more than 10,000 teammates navigate a global pandemic. There was no playbook. No certainty. Just the quiet hope that I’d grow into what was needed.

In those moments, I thought back to the firewalk. The fear. The heat. The unknown. And the one instruction I was given: Don’t look down. Focus on where you’re going.

So I did. I showed up. I listened. I kept my attention on the people who needed leadership and in time, I became the leader they needed.

You won’t always feel ready. But you are more capable than you think. You’ve lived through every hard thing you’ve faced. That’s why you’re standing where you are today. You just need to believe it one more time — and take the leap.

 

PurposeFULL Leadership
by Julie Turpin, Chief People Officer

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