TesseTalks (Tesse Akpeki)

Stephen Sidebottom brings a refreshing take on transformations.

“ People are actually extraordinarily adaptable. The idea that people don't like change is, I think fundamentally false. What I think is true is that organizations don't like change. The construct people are asked to operate is rigid and fixed, and the mechanism for adapting and changing those constructs, whether they're social constructs or organizational constructs, are much slower than the mechanisms by which people themselves change.”

“ I'm not a big hints and tips person. My approach is often through studying how people work in an organizational context and what needs to be true to succeed.” Stephen’s experience of managing enabling functions including people, finance, legal, operations, risk and technology comes in handy. TesseTalks curiously explore various angles of Stephen’s thinking.

People are less familiar with, feedforward which inspires quality performance. That’s because there really isn't any point pointing out to people what they're really bad at, because they probably already know. The brilliant thing about feedforward is that people at the receiving end of feedforward see aspects of their performance that they are less good at - start becoming better! This is because people feel good and are not trying to undo what they are not good at. In pursuit of excellence Two themes emerge - excellence and empathy. Feedforward is a totally different way of talking about performance.

Jason J Briggs tells #TesseTalks the value of knowledge and the importance of robust debate, having alternative ways of listening to views you don’t agree with and keeping an open mind that can strengthen decision making.

“Vulnerability and authenticity make for a successful and authentic organization.  Board members excel when they are transparent about the process they followed in how they arrived at the course of action.  The  organisation I served on as a board member raised £1.2m for a capital project. We succeeded because we believed we could and so did the people we served. 

“Life cannot exist without death. New life springs up, depending on the time of year. If we all talked about death as much as we talked about birth, the world would be a very different place" says Jane Duncan Rogers, a TEDx speaker , an author and end of life expert. "Life happens and we have a choice to go with it and make the best of it or not".

Fellow podcaster Presence Plumb whose podcast , “It starts with Action”, draws on The acronym for ACTION - Awareness, Confidence, Tenacity, Intention, Openness and Now (Presence) .

Being Perfectly Imperfect, Presence admits that fear of failure and fear of success has held her back. Her proudest moments have been showing vulnerability and being open . “This just whom I am”.

She thinks about quick wins and works really hard as she proves herself. People who are experienced and seasoned have a bit of a leeway because people know what they can bring to the table but they have to continue to be valuable to the company and always evaluate what it is that they are bringing to the table.

Max Ekesi’s favourite phrase is, "I never made the mistake of taking life too seriously". Max’s diverse multicultural and multiethnic background and experiences are proving to be core assets to his highly adaptable nature. “ I grew up in Nigeria, but my first language was Italian with a Roman accent. My adaptive mindset is my super power. I am fluid, respectful, able to connect with various cultures and have an ability to help people to feel at home. Integration helps the collaboration.” says Max. He has been a people's manager, an agile coach, a Scrum Master, a programme portfolio manager. Now he is a senior manager over a team of Agile coaches in the engineering IT space of PayPal.

The Super-Helper Syndrome: A Survival Guide for Compassionate People authored by Jess Baker & Rod Vincent, serves up a rich meal to underpin what healthy helping looks like.

“Do all things with great love. Avoid helping as a from of rescue, there needs to be reciprocity in helping. People who are helped need to have opportunities where they feel like they can be helpful to others as well.” shares Erin Randall.

A healthy helper is one that is able to help in the way that they desire and see fit. Help has a mental and physical aspect. As a helper, your self worth does not depend upon helping people. Healthy helpers have boundaries that they hold for themselves that aren't porous and that other people are not able to run over.

They are able to sustain themselves as well as the work that they're trying to do. A crucial question is asking, “what kind of help is needed here”? An essential element is the recognition of space. Saviourism is dangerous. The person being helped needs to be treated with respect and dignity while being encouraged to be independent and enabled to move forward in a manner that is best for them.

A year ago my beloved brother Tony suffered serious injuries in Dover following a suspected hit and run . He had gone to the Care Home to collect Covid Samples for testing and was walking to his car when the incident occurred.

Tony has joked and smiled with the staff and wished them a Merry Christmas. It was the Care Staff who found him. He leaves behind four children, the youngest who was eight years old at the time. Always a man of duty, loyalty and kindness, Tony served his country to the very end.

He set up informal walking clubs, he was active in Slimmers world, he supported poor people, served as a special constable and simply loved people. His legacy of love and service will never be forgotten.

Sara Ramsey defines co-leadership as” leaders coming together to make joint decision making and taking shared responsibilities”.

Co-leaders may be co-founders, co-CEOs or leaders who jointly support self-managing and self-organizing organizations. “ I get to work with all sorts of inspiring people, you know, wanting to do positive things in the world. They want to try and do things differently as well”, says Sara.

“I asked an audience what they are passionate about just before the pandemic. Then as well as now, they admitted running the hamster wheel so fast that they have lost complete touch as to who they are, what matters to them, and what they want for themselves in the world. When we can create workplaces where people can feel like I'm doing work that enlivens me. I'm learning, I'm growing, I'm reaching. I can feel myself growing toward my potential, that the playground of life where people really come alive and realize their potential while their organisation does business that betters the world” says Alise Cortez. 

The first part of the book “The Great Revitalization” touches on the world you find yourself in as a leader. The second part lists 21 best practices to create a workplace that is anchored by the activation of meaning and purpose. Sources of fuel include passion, inspiration and the attitudinal stance that we take whenever life throws it at whatever it's going through at us and which shapes our mindset.

Capsule environments are environments that are isolated and confined – a challenge to leadership. The external conditions of capsule environments are harsh and dangerous.

Our guest Binna Kandola talks about this. The typical features of a capsule environment are social isolation with the same group of people with sensory restrictions. Star Trek, Voyager, Dr Who, the Big Brother House and Space Travel demonstrate the features of capsule environments. This becomes relevant to leadership who need to consider the impact this way of working has had on us.

Due to lack of sensory stimulation people can start to narrow down the people they're communicating with; restricting the amount of information that they are sharing and begin to develop stronger relationships with a smaller group of people. With remote working and people returning back to offices, leaders need to start looking at inclusion and making sure that diversity and inclusion is at the top of our priorities.

Leaders need to start consciously looking at the way groups of teams can be working together, encouraging their teams, their individual team members to network with other teams in the organisation. Connection is key.

“I was highly paid, but I was miserable and my health was suffering. And as I have gotten older, happiness and health and wellness are so much more important to me. I was just miserable” says Lisa Hammett. “Life had no colour. I like to equate it as being devoid of colour. It's just gray. If you don't have your health, you don't have a whole lot. Happiness helps you to just get up in the morning, and live your life to the best of your ability. When you get near or at burnout, you lose the capacity to dream. “

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Life changing is achieved by a map to happiness. Jane Gunn points to a compass of North, East South and East and West with a link to personal and professional values.

N in North, what we're trying to do is to say, what's going on Now? What is the immediate challenge? Essential, even if you're starting up a collaboration.

E in East stands for "Explore". Where am I with this? What am I thinking? What am I feeling? What are my own hopes and dreams? You know, we need to really understand ourselves better, and then understand each other better.

S in South, stands for "Solutions". Decide on what criteria do we make that decision? What criteria could we apply to this? Also, what values do we have? What personal values do we have? What group values do we have? How do we apply those to this thinking process? We think deeply, we question everything, we question ourselves as to see what the right way through challenging times is.

W in West stands for "Walking Forward". It's a commitment, it's an ability to leave any bad feelings from the past behind, so to draw a line in the sand. It also stands for wisdom. It's reaching that higher level of wisdom and possibly learning from yourself and from the past. What have I learned? What do I take forward with me?

Ray Martin, author of “ Life Without A Tie, Finding Your Path Amidst the Noise, Chaos, and Pressure to Conform “ says - “I won the Daily Telegraph Business Leader of the Year award, so I had public recognition.

So I had all the trimmings and trappings of success. But I have to say that honestly, for quite a few of those years, I wasn't feeling like I was really, truly happy. And I felt like it somehow I'd managed to end up in someone else's life. I was living a life that others expected of me and not life I truly wanted to be living.” “ I was trapped in it because it was very rewarding and very materially comfortable.

And I was kind of like not really wanting to walk out of it either, even though I wasn't happy. So when I was forced to, because my business partner, the woman I was married to, said, "I'm leaving you and I'm leaving the company". It was very sudden my father actually passed away at the same time”

Tesse Akpeki and co host Paula Okonneh talk with Laura Gates about Leading with Purpose, Collective Genius in teams, finding our zone of genius, and leading through chaos and crisis.

Dreams can become a reality. The dream you hold is what bears fruit. Tenacity and patience can make a difference to stay with our intention. Shortlisted three times for the Championship Award , for Tesse Akpeki, it is third time lucky. She has been crowned Champion for Governance 2023 by the Chartered Governance Institute for United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

“I would like to thank everyone who nominated me over the three opportunities to become a champion. I am so glad I can serve people and bring a measure of joy as well as competence to what matters to them” says Tesse Akpeki FCG

Awesome You, Stepping out of the shadows is Sarah Giles’ nudge for us to stop standing on the sidelines and step out of the shadows, confidently, owning who we truly are and taking our place in the world. This starts with understanding ourselves a bit better enabling us to better support others. Pace matters. We may need to stop, take the moment to pause and be still.

How about the fear we face? Fear starts to disappear when we are so focused on our purpose, and our journey. We naturally start to feel more comfortable and confident to take our first steps towards something different.

Baby steps stop us feeling overwhelmed as we set realistic goals and take action. The challenge is that as we become more self aware, things change. “Embracing being me is key to growth and autonomy. We are work in progress - always learning and growing.” Sarah quotes Robert Toth "genius is there in all of us, just waiting for us to tap into it."

Our guest Mick Rogers a consultant at Client Centred Consulting spoke passionately about the lens that make a difference. As Mick explains,

“ Client Centred Consulting leans away from being prescriptive. Instead of asking the question, how can we help and be useful when we're not the expert in the problem or in the subject? Client centeredness is a way of maintaining, respecting and working with the rights of other people. This lens recognises that for us to survive and thrive we need other people.”

Tesse Akpeki and co host Paula Okonneh talk about what inspired them to create a podcast that encourages leaders, board members and management to take action in today's world.

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According to Sade Marriott host  of the Banana Island Podcast, standing out is about standing in! Sade's personal take on life and wellbeing is thus

" I'm happy about being comfortable in my own skin now and being a bit more self-aware and a bit more conscious of other people's emotions and less careless of other people's emotions. Yeah not tangible material stuff, I mean those are transient. But I want to be able to look in the mirror and not be embarrassed at what I've become. I don't want to be that person who's self-congratulatory and look at me and yeah, I think that's about it.

I'm actually more sympathetic because you can only really appreciate it. I understand compassion. I've volunteered in a prison where we take food, I can make people happy. "

How can elements make a difference? Erin Randall explains how. “Magnesium" is work each person is going to be doing towards crafting better things. Each voice is a voice of a system. What does this system need now? Ad Meliora means to better things. The catalytic question is “what do I want to create? “.

The Quest

1.What is the purpose of a system? Is it to protect or is it to create? “If we want empathy in systems, if we want that connection in people, we need to be able to stand in those and shift and to be able to listen to what the system is asking us to find.” Says Erin. 

2.What is the inner work required to do the outer work? How they want to be seen? What do you want others to notice in you? How confident are you to do the work the world requires from you? The litmus test is what are you seeing that I don't? What do you want me to hear? The answer to these questions gives us more range and more aptitude

Our Tony is dead! His inspiration, energy and leadership lives on. Tony, my beloved brother was a visionary, easily the face of love, gentleness and care. . He believed that if there was a vision, a will, connection, empathy and commitment everything is possible. He gave people a sense of power with kindness, encouragement, lifting them up, being authentic and making people who felt invisible feel valued, visible and heard.

Tesse Akpeki pays tribute to Maggie Johnson- a gentle, kind, compassionate leader who passed recently after a brave battle with cancer.

Erin Randall elaborates on The Funky Monkey. Listening to Erin, the key considerations are: “Whose responsibility is it? How can I hold you accountable? What can you hold me accountable for’’? These questions can bring about alignment in our organisations in our teams and in our personal lives. Why do boundaries matter? Boundaries are essential to build and sustain healthy relationships, to make good neighbours and to act as anchor points for conversations and clarity. Erin is passionate about happy people doing happy works and brings a humble, playful and intelligent outlook to explore how the environments we create and the systems we design become places of impact and realisation of potential. Of particular importance is the difference between responsible and accountable. These differentiations bring clarity to how we want to work together, who is responsible for what and how we sit with discomfort in the system while finding a way through.

Help can be very humbling. It is hard to admit I need help right here. When I see someone or something that needs help, my first response is to go help. But is that the best thing in the moment, “What kind of help is needed here”? asks Erin Randall as she notes the seismic shifts that emerged for her as she read The Super-Helper Syndrome.

Systems are greater than goals. If your goal is to be a healthy helper, what are the systems that you need to build in order to make that possible? She muses. Helpfully this compassionate guide addresses the question, how can we encourage or constructively challenge or ask others to remain healthy? How can we find ways out of unhealthy patterns of helping?

Mountains and valleys, ordinary to extraordinary is a theme that thrills anthropologist Erik Seversen. Erikspotlights the essence of feeling fulfilled and purposeful. Describing himself as ordinary he admits doing extraordinary things, especially after being told he would not be able to do something. He learned to confront his fears and embrace the possibilities and gifts in less than ideal situations. “Challenges are what makes life good. Challenges do make us who we are. Fear is a team effort. Faith wins over fear every time, whether we are in the valley or the mountain top”.

“Mountains and valleys are both stepping stones to shape our lives. Movement in our lives and achieving paradigm shifts is very much related to our mindset. Whenever something bad happens, I always ask myself, what's the positive? What do I see that's the positive, where is the gift? “

Excavating Memory, Archaeology and Hope is an invitation by Elizabeth Mosier to listen to the objects speak. The true treasure is not the object at all. Instead, it is the stories the object tells about the people who owned or used it, what the thing tells you about the person and what is of importance to them. Once Elizabeth embraced that concept. It changed everything about the way she viewed objects.

“My mum was all about love and loving” says Nadine Robson. We learn from an early age that what helps is being open and comfortable with energising conversations.

Energising is about not getting stuck in that place of feeling in despair or feeling overwhelmed, having a glimmer of hope. Nadine learnt the importance of mental health and getting alongside people, understanding those experiences and deepening the empathy for ourselves and others.

Supporting people with their mental health encourages people to know that whatever it is they are going through. They build the confidence that they can get through whatever challenges they face. Suffering and hard times are not pleasant when they happen, but there can be relief in knowing that these things too will pass, and they get the support they need to go through those challenging times.

MOE Foundation was founded by Darren and Nadine founded as a legacy to their mum who just loved everybody. Moe stands for Me, Others, Everyone. “It’s all about people feeling as if they've got a community, a place where they belong. And more than that, a place where they're loved. So really providing a platform for the community and what do you need?

Sade Marriott and Max Ekesi share their views in this recording that shines a light on a post covid world. There has been a raised awareness, especially in the last three years - of the importance of mental health. There is a lot of PTSD.

People have gone through one of the most shocking experience with the pandemic They have rearranged their lives, becoming detached from a lot of things that they were taking for granted.

There has been a change in focus as people are waking up to what truly matters. Grief and pain have reigned as people lost loved ones. For organisations, wellness has risen to the top of the agenda.

PayPal for instance hosts a wellness day every two month. Employees get to focus on themselves, their friends, their family, and the environment.

“Brown Girl in the Ring came from a place of desperation” says Olukemi Ogunyemi. “Though my recollections are pretty harsh, the memoirs reflect my reality. All of us were in some kind of pain. People feel judged sometimes when you ask them to change something without any understanding of why they could consider doing so. If we understand things, we are more inclined to make changes” says Olukemi”.

“All of the experiences have been a learning, a deepening understanding to myself. The painful moments are deeply painful. The pain does pass and as it passes, you can understand why it's happened. This is not about accepting it. Sometimes it's just about understanding so that you can move to the next part. Struggles are where our biggest growth comes from. Then if we choose to do so, we can share our experiences and help others. “

“I take my work on governance seriously but not myself” says Carol Weisman, president of Board Builders. Given that Carol has served on 40 Boards and has been president of 9, she knows a thing or two about strategies, techniques and tools that enable boards to be effective, efficient and better able to meet their mission. In this podcast Carol heralds the importance of Onboarding practices to raise awareness of individual and collective board roles.

Says David Taylor-Klaus , “Vulnerability is a human gem. It's a core part of who we are and it doesn't have to be hard. It just has to be conscious. And when you bring it up to conscious awareness, when you invite it, when you lean into it, it's not hard, it's a practice. Being attentive to your frame and your energy as you're creating something, whether that's your presentation to your board or something other activity”. 

" Leaders who don't bring themselves and their full selves to their leadership are experienced as not genuine, and a disingenuous leader is one that people won't follow".

“Failure is part of the path towards vulnerability”.

Tesse and Paula talk with serial entrepreneur David Taylor-Klaus about Creative Leadership and the Thinking that Transforms. We can see creative thinking that transforms in this statement - “I celebrate even the harshest critiques and I hold and support people with amazing strength as they walk through their darkest night. My strength and my power come from fully embracing my humanity – my messiness – in all of its glory”.

Andy Martin builds on his thoughts on Achieving Results in Unpredictable Times. Andy encourages us to show up as our best self every day to set up a winnable and compellable game. A habit of renewal is crucial combined with a positive mindset and intent. The three buckets or the real issues leaders confront, the evidence that is presented and the impact of actions and companion behaviours for success.

In this episode of “TesseTalks Meets TesseLeads”, Tesse and Paula want to say “A big thanks to our social media community that gathered family gathered around TesseTalks and Tesse Leads showing their support . I was touched by the thousands... and there were thousands of people who showed their care and empathy through their messages, their prayers. Tony’s death is a very sad moment for the Akpeki family and friends. The love shown proves that diversity and inclusion are alive. People care for the suffering of others giving generously of their time and saying a compassionate farewell to beloved brother Tony.” says host Tesse Akpeki.

"TesseTalks" was launched when pioneer Maggie Johnson died from cancer. Maggie was interested in sharing messages of leadership and support. The LinkedIn community has been incredibly supportive in getting behind "TesseTalks.

"TesseLeads" was born with Grief Recovery specialist Lisa Richards bringing the reality of pain and loss as platforms for growth , recovery and places of healing.

A big thanks to our guests and audience in creating something special in a nurturing place.

TesseTalks review "Boundary Boss", written by Terri Cole - The Essential Guide to Talk True, Be Seen, and (Finally) Live Free, with special guest Erin Randall who is all about happy people doing great work. Boundaries really matter. In Boundary Boss, Cole models how people can connect with the appropriateness and benefits of putting boundaries in place and begin to apply this understanding to their individual situations. She gives you exercises and scripts to follow so that you can model it first. You can try it out, in your own sand pitted home before you go take this out for spin in the real world. She gives people the steps to practice, to gain confidence and the reader is able to take that forward. With practice, I can in my own words, learn it and put in place appropriate boundaries that serve me. The mantra is try, fail, forgive, repeat. Cole invites the reader to release the old reaction and choose a response that is in your highest good – the 3 Rs (Recognise, Release – Respond)

Achieving results in unpredictable times means having an effective leader like Andy Martin, enterprise client partner for Franklin Covey Europe. Andy sees potential in someone so clearly that the person sees the potential in themselves.

Self-care is not weakness. It is being human says our guest Nancy White, an entrepreneur of 35 years. It is being accountable to ourselves first and foremost. Not yo-yo diets, but more of the sustainable, healthy lifestyle with choices will keep you well as you age, mature and weather each season. Everybody needs to be lifted and acknowledged for the good things they're doing. The power of negativity should not ever go unnoticed or taken for granted. This matters because it takes seven positives for every one negative that we either speak to ourselves or somebody speaks to us. We are impacted by what see on the news, or we hear.

Debra Allcock Tyler talks about her new book " It's a Battle On the Board: The No Fibbing Guide for Trustees ". Tesse and Paula ask Debra about understanding the trustee role, working with fellow trustees, working with the CEO, dealing with information and finance, the psychology of decision-making, managing risk and handling crisis.

“Working with a coach is lovely. In that space a coach can really push and prod and poke, just like the journalist would, but in a much more supportive way. You can't think your way into a career change, because at some point you get stuck. So much is shifting. This isn't a kind of one and you're done. It's not like you decide and you're stuck forever”, says Rachel Schofield.

Rachel Schofield worked for the BBC for 20 years as a journalist and news presenter before training as career and . She has turned her journalist’s passion for asking awkward questions onto the world of work, helping individuals think creatively, embrace the discomfort of change, and figure out what fulfilling and impactful careers look like in our rapidly changing world.

Agile Transformations Max Ekesi is an Agile Transformational Leader at Paypal. Max is a problem solver and leads agile transformations. He is pragmatic, energetic, energising, bags of fun and a magnificent Chair. He leads transformations by working with agile mindsets.

Changing mindsets is the hardest thing to do. Agile coaches are guides through the change.

“If you want to be Netflix rather than Block buster. If you want to be Apple or Samsung rather than Nokia, it matters. You have to adapt to survive. We have to be nimble, agile, adaptive, because our customers need to continually get value and we have to adapt to their needs“ says Max.

Future Focus is all about remembering that life is not always negative even though it may seem like that. It is worth remembering that when we are in a hard place.

The dark tunnel is like being in a valley, it's tough, it's dark, it's painful. But it will not always be like that. It is not a permanent state.

The value of aging is a topic Bonnie Marcus touches on frequently. Paula. and I talk with her about “Not done yet - the value of aging".

Bonnie reminds us that we need to be mindful of our own bias and our beliefs that may sabotage the life that we want to have. “Age-ism happens, it’s not just about getting older. A lot of young people face age-ism”.

Entrepreneurs need to understand how they may be holding themselves back thinking they don’t bring as much value as somebody younger and that needs to stop. “ We need to truly own the value we bring and not apologise for it.

How are you putting yourself out there?” Bonnie poses a few questions. “Are am I advocating for yourself? How do I sabotage myself?

Failure's not just unavoidable, it's necessary, important and an unavoidable part of life. This is a common theme of the book, "Get On The Bull” - a giant leadership analogy based on bull riders. They fall a lot. They get thrown off bulls in dramatic and painful fashion. When you’re going to do stuff, you’re going to get it wrong and you're going to mess it up. If you aren't failing, you probably aren't trying enough new things. The statistic for the absolute best bull riders in the world, is on average, 30% success rate when it comes to staying on the bull for eight seconds.

Leadership through a Creative lens can be defined as when you're in a leadership role and you feel that the whole team is pushing in the same direction. It's a very rewarding feeling. Rob McCrea reminds us that understanding that in a leadership role, you have to serve the people who work with you. You have to make sure that they have everything that they need in order to be able to do their jobs properly. But also for them to feel fulfilled, to feel part of something that's important to feel connected. As a leader, that responsibility sits with you, how you structure the organisation that you're leading will actually either allow that to happen or not allow it to happen. If it doesn't allow it to happen, your organization or your company won't be as successful and you'll have a high turnover of staff.

Fran Borg-Wheeler describes Heart Centred Leadership as being about connection, compassion, care and harnessing the power of kindness in leadership.

“My vision was for young people to be able to have safe place to live and for them to get the support to be able to flourish in life and create better futures. I was starting to experience some mini strokes.  My health was a little bit questionable, but it was very important to me that I didn’t leave my role until I'd completed the mission of raising £1 million.   It took me four years. The project is up and running now and I know it's making a difference to young people's lives. This is an example of an ambitious goal that I managed to achieve by focusing on a heart centred approach”.

So, heart-centred leadership can involve forging connections, showing compassion to others, caring deeply, and leveraging the strength of kindness in leadership.

Debra Allcock Tyler reflects on the power of feedback “What is the point of saying something to somebody that they are not going to do anything about? Instinctively as a human being we assume feedback is going to be bad. As managers and as leaders, we have an enormous amount of power of other people. The biggest power we've got is over their emotional state. “Feedback is about the person who gives it and the person who receives it, and both have got to be in the right space. We can wield feedback so inappropriately. We forget how much power we have over those we lead. We can make our staff utterly miserable without thinking about the context of feedback or the support required for it to land well.

“We are keeping things real by leaning into the context out guests are operating in. We are curious about their situations while encouraging them to find solutions and approaches tailored to them. We are holding this open safe space for them as a mirror where they are arriving at their own solutions.”

“We are going online as much as possible because even though we are podcasting, podcasting in itself has changed. Podcasting has gone from just being the audio file that you can take anywhere with you to being a video and audio or sometimes just video. We are seeing the opportunities that are growing for us to do podcasting with a more modern twist. We can bring on a live audience to speak with us, interact with us and to interact with our guests.”

Design thinking helps you to understand people’s needs to look holistically at interactions and constantly iterate the way forward. Focusing your efforts on the most impactful design moments  creates new and sticky experiences.   Imagine meeting and exceeding your customers' needs and expectations.  Imagine what  you can achieve by understanding  the interactions people have,  surfacing problem areas,  exploring opportunities through designing a more  accurate, updated and relevant customer journey map.        

You can make happy people even happier.  Their joy can lead them to become  advocates.   Design thinking can  remove  frustrating barriers.  By visualising and isolating negative moments,  brainstorming  and ideating ways to improve the experience, there can be increased positivity experience.

Esua Goldsmith has always been a writer. Her memoir "The Space between Black and White" Illustrates the painful, lonely existence of a mixed race child growing up in Britain as an “only “. That child was Esua.

Life can seem like a whole series of random events that don't make any sense, but it's only when you write them down that you can see that they form a pattern. It was almost to tell her story to herself that Esua wrote her memoirs. As a child she was lonely and felt a need to to explain her “onlyness” In a book full of voices she sowed in the threads at different stages of her life.

As an advocate, Esua campaigned for a special category in the census of 2001 for a mixed race category. 20 years of data shows how mixed race is different from other racial experiences. For example , in the UK, there are more mixed race kids in care of social services which may be an indication that people do not know where to place children with mixed heritage.

At the same time, bi-racial people are reconnecting with their roots, discovering their communities and finding out who they are and what it means to experience a sense of belonging. Esua explains that this journey of discovery “ means absolutely everything to me. I looked in the little picture books that you get when you're a kid and all the early readers and so on, there was just nobody who looked like me. I felt very much like an only. So not only are you dealing with racism, but you're dealing with onliness which is different from loneliness. It's a sort of feeling that you have no kin and no place in the world. And that's a very hard thing for a very small child to learn”.