Reflecting

June was a month of travel. It has been great to get out and about. I feel alive when I am travelling, having an adventure and exploring new places. In early June I went to Porto for a few days with two of my uni girls, Kym and Sarah. I then went to St Ives with Mum and Dad - a trip that has been deferred a few times in the pandemic. We finally made it to The Eden Project and we loved it. Such an experience. I also got to visit Lake Windermere for the Bolton Learning Partnership’s summer conference.

Speaking

I was delighted to be asked to be one of the keynote speakers for the Bolton Learning Partnership’s residential for Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers, alongside Professor Paul Miller and Sir Tim Brighouse. The theme of the event was exploring what it means to create a diverse and inclusive curriculum. I looked at it through the lens of belonging and the factors that make us feel safe, seen and valued. To belong we need an intentional culture where we feel psychological safe, where we can show up as our authentic selves. 

Listening

James and I have finished our interviews for series 1 of the NASBTT DEI Podcast - you can find all 6 episodes here:

Susan Pallister interviewed me for the Independent Teacher Podcast - you can have a listen here:

Learning

Check out my new DEI toolkit on the theme of Authenticity:

Reading

Check out my blogs on:

• Authenticity (I wrote this for the #DailyWritingChallenge a few years ago).
• This is How We Look When We Lead (I wrote this for the Nourished Collective during lockdown).

Celebrating

Lots of you will know that I spend lots of time running sessions, speaking at events and coaching women who are existing and aspiring leaders. This is how I became a Co-Founder of #WomenEd seven years ago. 

Last Monday it was announced that I have made the shortlist for the Positive Role Model Award for Gender at the National Diversity Awards 2022. Thank you to everyone who voted for me - your support is much appreciated. The award ceremony takes place in Liverpool in September.

Collaborating

I am excited to be collaborating with Isa Buencamino again! She has developed a brilliant coaching community called Women of the World (WOW) and we are joining forces to bridge her group coaching with my REAL programme. We met through RLE and Julie Rees works on both programmes, so the three of us had dinner to plot the next chapter of opportunities to all work together on exciting new projects. 

Hosting

At the end of June, Angie Browne and I hosted our DEI Leaders conference to bring together the educators we work with on the DEI Leaders Programme. We hosted two brilliant keynotes from Dr Emily Meadows and Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE, followed by 12 engaging workshops delivered by different members of the #DiverseEd network. I felt inspired and empowered by the day, which was sponsored by our partner Edurio. We have three new cohorts of our programme starting in the Autumn term.

Coaching

I have loved working with so many of you this year, coaching you on different programmes or working with you individually to support you on your journey. Get in touch if you want to book in some more coaching sessions for next term/ year.   

I am being asked more and more to coach, mentor and be a critical friend for the DEI leader in a school and/ or the DEI Working Party - get in touch if this might help your context and your school shape your DEI strategy moving forwards.

Diarising

Join me in July for the following events this month…

12th July RWBA Empowering Young People Showcase 

19th July Soulful Leadership Taster session

20th & 21st July Social Media and Personal Branding sessions for FWN

26th July Diversity Roundtable

Training

Check out our Autumn leadership programme dates…

DEI Leaders Programme

Soulful Leadership Programme

Planning

Coming soon!

I will be sharing new dates for #IamRemarkable, Regaining Your Mojo, Leading in Uncertainty and REAL.

I will also be sharing details for my new programmes including Leading the Diverse Curriculum, Courageous Conversations, The Inclusive Workplace and Soulful Leadership. 

Be the first to find out by following my Eventbrite account

Disconnecting

I will be taking some time off in August to get away and to decompress. I hope you all have a lovely summer break and I will look forward to connecting with you all on the other side.