I have chosen to be in this program because I believe that getting together globally and sharing our thoughts and experiences are the core things we can and must do to make a change! I think that being rare is being out of society’s traditional standards or applying them in your own way.

This year in September, I was delighted to be offered a place in the Rare Leadership Accelerator, which aims to reverse the general trend of lacking in diversity of gender, race, sexuality, ability, class, and perspective, alongside the 36 diverse voices out of 450 applicants. Rare Leadership Accelerator puts underrepresented talent at the heart of the story, ensuring they thrive today, and lead tomorrow. The modules are run by award-winning culture change business Utopia – with course tutors Nadya, Emma, Daniele, Tolu and Nora; and also, we had tutorials from some of the world’s top creatives, leaders and activists. We covered resilience, authenticity and purpose, practicalities of success and creativity in the time of COVID. 

I must admit this was a very intense, enlightening and inspiring program which helped me realise bias, obstacles and the ways on how to overcome them. The latter is important because with every tutor, tutorial, workshop, pre and post activities, we learned how to create road maps in various situations. We also had huge motivation both from all these and other Rare friends. We understood the importance of following our passion, sticking with it and also sharing our experiences with diverse voices to measure up!

I would like to thank again to the wonderful team for such a great program with diverse voices and topics! So now, I would like to share with you my experience below.

We had 6 Modules in 3 weeks. 

In the first week, we met Nadya Powell, Co-founder of Utopia and Rare Board Member; Nishma Robb, Marketing Director, Google UK; Tara McKenty & Stefanie DiGianvincenzo, Co-Founders, Rare.

BELONGING HOUR

Then, we had a belonging hour with Tolu in which we shared a song that sums up a time when we felt ourselves most belonged, listened to the songs together and said a few words on why we chose the song. My song was Alice Merton – No Roots. Although it seems like it has conflict with the belonging hour, I chose it because I belong to the change and we are all experiencing uncertain times that pushes us towards the change!

In the second week, we tried to find the answers why and for what we want to use our talents and also how to boost them for the future. 

What did I learn from Laura Jordan Bambach, Chief Creative Officer, Grey London; Tea Uglow, Creative Director, Google?

• Creatives see the world differently. There are many dimensions. 
• Differences are our superpowers. If you don’t fit, you can quit, do what you do, use what you have and people will want it. If you are not accepted, create your own access and opportunities.
• We are exposed to systemic thoughts and systemic racism. Identify the system, make new normals.
• Language obscures as much as it explains. 
• Mentors and friends are important: Learn to share and take good advice.
• Passion and hardwork, yes these are important, but remember to take breaks!
• BONUS: Book recommendation: Ways of Seeing by John Berger

RESILIENCE

What did I learn from Poorna Bell, Journalist and Author; Blair Imani, Author, Historian and Activist; Cheryl Maas, Olympic Snowboarder?

• Resilience is how you bounce back.
• Resilience is “I am here. I matter.”
• Resilience is strength in yourself only for you and that you are enough.
• Physical health is important but also mental health is as much as important! Learn how to manage your stress.  It is about resilience. Love and look after yourself.
• Don’t push much and don’t do much more! 
• Ask for help! But also, first see how much you can get without needing to ask for help.
• Building resilience is an ongoing process, be easy on yourself! It is like a bank account, an investment.
• There is no quota on experience.
• You have to rely on your own resilience to get through obstacles.
• Find your unstoppable.
• It is a challenge but learning points are actually important pauses. Realize what life means for you at these pauses.
• Failing in front of people is scary; yet, failing is okay as it is learning to do better. Realize what you do wrongly and work on it. Make steps!
• Life can be short, so it is worth trying and picking yourself up!
• Stay strong!
• Stress Bucket: Stress is important in our lives but we should be aware of high levels of stress. Think of a bucket with water in it. Stress tolerance determines the size of the bucket and take water as the stress that fills that bucket. So as not to overflow water, we use several coping strategies. Think of the size of your bucket, how and with what kind of stresses you fill it with. Try to enhance what you realize and manage your stress.
• BONUS: Top 5 Tips
  • Recognize and draw on your strengths
  • Ability to process failure
  • Regulate your emotions
  • Draw on your support networks (ask for help)
  • Take charge and look forward (understand what you can change and you cannot)

What did I learn from Pip Jamieson; Sapna Chadna; Bejay Mulenga; Charlie Craggs; Sandra Bold and Daniele Fiandaca?

• Mentors are the core! Ask for mentoring. Talk about your fears with them. 
• Support is important and team is everything!
• When you are doing something, surround yourself with people who support you and let go of the others!
• What makes you scared or challenges you, will make you grow.
• Networking is the power of human relationship.
• Internships mean connections.
• Content is important! How much you share and how meaningful it is that impact results.
• If you can be the king or queen of content, you can become a super-connector and provide value to others.
• Do things you are passionate about and ask for what you need. Pasion is contagious and it leads to yeses.
• Differences and diversity don’t need to reduce the power of connections as long as you have an OPEN mindset.
• Consider your online footprint and your online network. Online can be just as effective.
• Plant seeds in relationships- don’t just eat fruits.
• You need to invest and nurture. It’s always two ways.
• People want to create and learn! 
• Micro Communities are important.
• Always keep young at the heart!
• Industry projects are important, try to take part.
• If you don’t place value, you and nobody can understand your worth.
• BONUS: Top Tips on Finance
  • Cash is king!
  • Existing clients are your best new client driver, book regular meetings.
  • Never discount.
  • Find a way to earn money when you are sleeping, for example a book.
  • Money is not the drive for happiness . Belonging health (financial-physical-mental) purpose is important, decrease the financial pressure, earn more, COST LESS, monetize your worth .
  • A quote by Benjamin Franklin: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

In the 3rd and last week, we reflected on our stops and starts. You can find some of them below.

• Stop being afraid of getting started.
• Stop getting in your own way – don’t overthink!
• Stop saying yes to everything, have boundaries!
• Stop self-doubt!
• Start having more self confidence.
• Start focusing on being our authentic self.
• Start limiting distractions and engaging in quality content.
• Start taking small steps, small goals to the bigger picture, convince yourself you can do this.

What did I learn from Robett Hollis, one of LinkedIn’s top 3 most influential New Zealanders?

• Think of what you are actually up to.
• Reser, reimagine, go and take. Change the game!
• You can’t fake them at their game, so you may as well play yours.
• Don’t change yourself, your uniqueness makes you great. Don’t hide it in the shadows.
• Ask yourself: What do you stand for? Find the answer because “If you don’t know what you stand for, you will fall for anything”.

AND IKIGAI!

What did I learn from Nora Bank, David Slocum, Kazuha Okuda, Kakuho Aoe and Light Watkins?

• Finding purpose is internal. You don’t realize that you found it until you get to a point where you are at a crossroads and you have the options for the money, fame etc. and you realize you are not doing it actually for this. measured by choices and decisions.
• Be present while making decisions.
• Take care of yourself. The solution comes from you, inside you!
• Be centered but balanced.
• Happiness is present moment awareness.
• Think: Where is the place you are supposed to be?
• “You can only connect the dots looking back”
• Have CURIOSITY- Ask yourself “What have I learnt from this?”
• Ikigai is “a reason for being”.
• It is “What you need to do + what the world needs more of.”
• It is “What am I good at? What do I love?”

And here is my ikigai: To feel all what I am doing or thinking at that precise moment, to feel all of it without distractions and reflect it for inspiration.

And in the end we had Speed Mentoring! This was quite exciting and helpful!

Thank you Nadya for her ideas and suggestions on how to be a changemaker, inclusion and belonging and general career advice; Daniele for getting what you’re worth, creativity, being an entrepreneur; Stef for Google Rare, Creativity, navigating the ad industry, being a changemaker; Laura for Creativity, navigating the ad industry, being a changemaker, gender equality; and, Bejay for being an entrepreneur, taking risks, being a change-maker, mentoring young talent!

Thank you again for Tara McKenty & Stefanie DiGianvincenzo, Co-Founders, Rare!