Aha! Now I understand!

Hi friends! Thanks for joining me for today’s blog post. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks with some fabulously bright highlights.

The journey towards anti-racism can be challenging, especially when you’re trying to take others with you, but the tequila shots that blast me with energy are the people I meet along the way. It’s made me re-think about that dreaded activity, networking….

I’ve “networked” a fair amount during my career. I’ve never minded it. Stick me in a bar with a glass of wine and a canape and I’m pretty happy. I can chat to anyone and have a perfectly pleasant time.

But that’s not what networking is really about is it? It’s not about swapping business cards, promoting your business and nodding politely.

Real networking is about meeting people who you bounce off, landing in a place that’s a little bit higher than you would have reached on your own and helping them do the same.

And it’s not forced or orchestrated. It’s natural. It grows organically. It expands through a set of common values and a shared purpose.

I’ve met some of the most inspirational role models recently. I’ve touched on this in one of my previous posts, Sisterhood, and in recognition of my realising what networking is all about, I’d like to share three of my favourite voices with you. They inspire me and I think they will inspire you too.

1. MixEd launched today – so this is hot off the press! It’s a platform for mixed race educators to connect and discuss diversity and inclusion. I had the pleasure of talking to one of its founders, Louise Cooper, last week. She’s a senior leader in a school, of mixed race heritage, who has been researching the mixed race experience. She’s built up a bank of knowledge and is keen to make sure that mixed race voices are heard in the antiracism discourse. Whatever your ethnicity, follow this platform. We’re all on this journey together.

2. Thoughts With Sian is another brand new blog that launched earlier this week. It’s written by my friend Sian. She brings together much of what she is passionate about in one place: wellbeing, culture and faith. If you’ve got five minutes for a browse, you’ll definitely learn something that will enrich you. She also has the aesthetics of dreams……swoon.

3. And FlyGxrl. OMG. This is the absolute pinnacle of networking. Connecting with FlyGirl was one of my first insights into how wonderful it is to be part of a connected community. I’m thrilled to say that my path crosses with founder, Avarni’s, in many ways. Her ethos is one of kindness and support, with a particular focus on women of colour in her local community. She gives freely and she links others together. A classic example of the sum of the parts being greater than the whole, I honestly think that FlyGirl will help Nottingham to bloom more beautifully than ever as go forward.

So I hope that gives you some food for thought on this Sunday evening. It’s still lockdown here in the UK, but we can still connect with each other, and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for.

Have a nice evening everyone. I’d better dash back to my book now….I’ve got Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus on the go!

Bye for now x