Welcome to the world of inclusion and diversity consulting
My parting post on my corporate career referenced the wonderful Amy Macdonald's Never Too Late, and as I commence my independent consulting career, I still take inspiration from her words.
"Now i know exactly where I stand, open in my heart, the future in my hands."
Redundancy came as a bit of a curveball for me in March, but it's actually the best thing that has happened to me. I had already been having a few conversations in my head ( and some out loud) about wanting to have flexibility to make other choices. I think 2 years of working from home during the pandemic allowed me to really think about what was important to me and whether I could fulfil my ambitions and optimise my work life balance.
Finding Purpose
One of the highlights of 2021 was the design and delivery of conscious inclusion education with my team. We spent a year delivering over 90 webinars to around 30,000 colleagues, each session more enlightening that the other. I realised that being in the room with people, encouraging them to lay down their hearts, debating barriers they were encountering and offering diverse viewpoints on how to solve them, as where my heart was fullest. I also realised that i was living in an echo chamber and despite hearing the diverse view points of many, there was a whole world out there to explore. Not all organisations have the luxury of a dedicated inclusion and diversity team, indeed, many organisations are either cutting this position or looking for ways to do things differently. My business aims to fill that gap, offering bespoke consultancy and encouraging business leaders to but inclusion at the heart of what they do.
Never too late
May 1st is the official launch of my business, it is a exhilarating experience, and i know it is the best thing for me. To quote Amy Macdonald again,
"I heard a voice calling in my head. Why wait until tomorrow, the future starts today."
Perhaps you are an in house EDI practitioner being asked to solve everything today and need some additional support. Perhaps you are a business owner who doesn't know where to start on your inclusion and diversity journey. Whatever the situation, I can help you.
And if you're looking for a tune to listen to with your morning coffee, this is a great one!
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