From Influence to Impact – How Women Change Systems

see me and hear me okay and just be great hear from you as well. All right, so just a quick hello in the chat. Thank you, yay, thank you very much. Thank you for joining today. If you have been part of these webinars this year, then welcome back, or part of my work for many years. Welcome again. If this is your first even with me today than really, you know, big, huge welcome to you, and I really hope that you get a lot out of it, alright? I would invite you to, first of all, say that this is a little bit of time for yourself Okay, and a very busy life and work and world right now, I'm sure. So, if you can, and you're able, like, turn everything else off. If you've got emails running or other things, then I Go on, I know you… I know you can do it. Turn everything else off. So you can be really fully focused on the content of today, and maybe have something that you can be making some notes on And note that this is going to be recorded or is being recorded. So, you know, be mindful about what you put in the chat. If you don't want to put anything particularly personal or leather, then make sure of that because it's going to be recorded and then it will be sent out to you afterwards, so you'll be able to review it again For the people that don't make it live today or go to them. It will also go on the Aspire website, because we're really trying to get these messages out and also give you the option if you want to, to forward it on to another woman or ally that you think would benefit from these messages today, all right? First of all, I would like to acknowledge that you're here, because I'm not, you know, a lot's going on right now, and to take an hour out of your day for a topic that's about women changing systems is perhaps not at the top of everybody's to-do list. So the fact that you signed up and you made it is really significant for me. And I'm really grateful to you, okay? And I think that you should know that you're in really good company of other people that have also done the same thing So if you can see the names, and if you can see people's names on the participant list, or perhaps you can see people's names coming up on the webinar chat I want you to understand for a moment that everybody here likely has very similar values to you and wants to create similar types of changes in the world and is a good person and wants good things to happen. Am I right? Or am I not? What do you think? I think I'm right. But also, I would imagine that, like me, many of you might have days where you say, oh, is it… is this working? Is it all worth it? Things seem to be going back backwards, I'm tired, I feel old. And so, yeah, I was just wondering, and I hadn't planned this, but I just thought about it a few minutes ago If you would, in the chat, just put, like, a tiny little message of hope or inspiration for the other people on the webinar today and perhaps all the future people that are going to watch this hopefully in the future. What would you say? Just post on the chat now like everything's going to be all right like you've got this. Have faith Don't let the bastards get you down! Whatever it is, yeah, so, please post on the chat now, because I just think it would be lovely. I would personally love to see that, because it's not been the easiest day for me so far. And I think that other people would really love to see for that, too. Look, yes, see? Got it. Fiona, what does this mean, Berbia, victory, victory. Okay. I love that. Yes, I don't know, there's nothing like a little bit of a positivity flood for the day, is it? And I don't think we really give that to each other enough, or ready to receive that enough. And when we're doing this kind of work, I believe that it's… it's really, really important So yeah, maybe we'll copy and paste. Maybe we'll all copy and paste those and put those onto our screen saver or something like that. So when we're having a morning or we're having a day, we can look at those things And I'm looking also at the participant list, and I want to acknowledge people like Colette Phillip and Kathleen Bryant and Leslie Hammond, and many, many others I can see down this list that I know are out in the world. Susan Whiterod doing work, which is quite extraordinary. And whether that's about women in the prison system or people in the prison system, or HR resourcing in organizations and trying to make organizational cultures better, or really doing the hard work of race equity We're with you, okay? We're with you and we know that this is a time when I feel like things are like we're being tested. It's a bit of a I don't know, I was thinking this morning, it's a bit like COVID, but not COVID, in a sort of way where it's a big test of our, faith, perhaps, in resilience, in who we are and what we do. And so, I wanted to give you a little bit of background to this webinar before I ask you, I think I want to ask you what it is that you most want answered at this webinar, so think about that for a second. But I have spent many, many years, 25 within my organization, and probably more before that, where I have been doing my very best to inspire and empower women. All right, inspire and empower women to have

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confidence, the tools, the networks to be able to succeed in their lives and their careers, in their organizations, and often, but perhaps not often enough, in their communities and wider world, alright, or in their wider organizational culture, perhaps All right. I believe it's been really good work and I have many success stories, and I'm very proud of myself and proud of all of you that have done that work. In this part of my lifetime, now 55, heading towards the big 6-0, I'm taking a different track. I would say it's more of an evolution than an abandonment. Where I'm now really understanding through my recent work that it isn't really the individual woman that can make the changes that we need. They're often those changes are within the realm of what I would call survival, or navigating, and that word's used a lot for women, how to navigate We don't often use the word survive, but that's basically what it is. I'm more interested now in how do we thrive and how do we thrive in a collective way, and how do we start to change the systems, institutions, organizations that we are in? I believe that this is the new realm, let's say, of the women's movement the… where the work that has been done on our own individual autonomy, body rights, legal rights should still continue, because there's much work to be done there still. But we… I want to take a look at it through the lens of the system. One of the biggest things I have been realizing, and you may know this already, but if you… if this is new to you Or you don't know… we know this already, you can start spreading the word, which is this If things aren't going well, all right, if you've tried the time management techniques and you've… you've tried your best for the work-life balance, and you know, you try and do your best when communicating with difficult people. Anybody been doing those things? Perhaps you've come to some of my workshops and tried some of those techniques? Have you got to a point, or do you get to a point where you've tried those things, but they're not really making any kind of sustainable change? Anyone with me? Tell me yes or tell me no in the chat. And I'm wondering what this is about, all right? And what this is about is, it's not about us to necessarily change. Yes, time management techniques are great, all right? We all need to learn how to do them But they don't change the wider systems in which we work and operate. When I say the wider systems, I'm talking about an organizational culture, the norms, the unwritten rules, the way things work

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I'm talking about the culture of a community, the culture even of a country that really governs a societal way that we perceive how women should and shouldn't be, what we should and shouldn't do, and how we are received into the world. All right, so I believe that this is the absolute kind of new realm of our movement, all right? And I want to talk today about what systems are And where they are relevant for you and what are some tools to help you understand those systems and then start to change them. And this can never ever be done alone. All right. This is, I think, another thing that I have noticed massively over the years is that So many fantastic, extraordinary women are what I call lone wolves. You know, we're out there doing all this amazing stuff, looking after our families, holding it all together, trying to get enough sleep working the day job, working the night job doing a ton of unpaid care, and then, you know, getting up the next day to do it all again. All right, so we have to now, I believe, come together much more collectively. And whereas perhaps Well, let me ask you this. I don't know that we've always been very good us women. We're not all women because there's some amazing male allies here too We're not very good at asking for help, so if I asked you now, do you like to give help to other people? What would you say? Put yes or no in the chat. Are you someone that likes to help others? So I'm seeing like a massive flow of yeses coming up in the, of course, love helping others. Yes, of course, yes. you know, what are you talking about? Now, let me ask you this and be honest. Do you like and are you very good at asking help from others? Look at the flow of no's. No, sometimes, nope, nope, nope, definitely not. No, no, no, no, no. Isn't this just Fascinating. I mean, this is… I love this word. Fascinating. This is fascinating because what does this tell us? It tells us that all this help is out there for you, that all these people are willing to give you help If only you would ask. Isn't that interesting? Isn't that so interesting? So we must learn how to ask for help and give help in a way that is really conducive. And look, if any of you are thinking to yourself, oh, I couldn't possibly do that, or it's a sign of weakness, these are very old ideas, very old, and a little bit, I think, you know, keeping us in a bit of a a whole, really, because… let me ask you about the Old Boys Club What is the old boys club? Does it still exist? Are you aware Of course it's a thing where many men in senior positions What are they doing? You know, they get on well, and they network with each other, and what are they doing those networking breakfasts? A lot of breakfasts that happen. What do they do? They're not… they're not, you know, bitching and whining about stuff. They're saying, how can I help you, and how can you help me? This is what I want, this is what I want How can you help me? We just don't do it. All right, so got to learn how to do that. Tip number one. All right. Could you imagine So let me ask you this. If you got together, do you know two or three amazing other women or male allies? Do you know? Can you think of it in your head? Tell me yes or no They're amazing. Maybe you know them virtually, maybe you haven't spoken to them for ages, maybe they're friends of yours, maybe you don't keep in touch that much But imagine if you said to them, look, I've got this idea. How about we get together virtually once a month? For those of you that are achievers once a week, but once a month, we get together once a month for half an hour on teams, and we don't ever push it or delay it, we just make it a thing And in that half an hour, all we do, we don't talk about anything else except, how can I help you, and how can you help me? Half an hour a month. That was it You could do it. I mean, if you can do it in person, that would be great. If you can't, it's virtual. Could be a breakfast. I like to involve food always. Or drinks as many times as I can. So it could be coffee, love my coffee, I love tea, I love my teas, could be I love, oh my God, I love breakfast. I'm big breakfast person. In fact, I just like food in general. Combined with food, because food brings people together, I find, even virtually. What we did in COVID, we did lots of food things, didn't we? So, yes, what about that? Great idea, says Kathleen. But are you going to do it? Kathleen, you and I are in the same city We never speak! We never speak. We're not far from each other. You can come to my house. A lovely little sitting room. I never use, I never use it. You come, we sit, we talk about, let's change the world. What are we doing? You hug me, I hug you, which is lovely. I love hugging you. And it's all good. All right, Aspire Brunch Club, Brian Ballantyne says Ryan Ballantyne, who If you want a male ally role model, there he is. been coming to aspire events for years and years and years, was working in a miserable job for a miserable company, didn't feel like he was fulfilling his purpose and making a difference to anyone, let alone women and girls said to me once, I want to be a teacher, I said, you already are, what's he doing now? He's a teacher Yeah, post your story on the chat, Brian. Everyone's going to love it. All right, so Where am I? Gone all off. Now, please post the chat What is the question you would most like answered in this webinar? So you came along for a reason, maybe it's just sort of to be inspired because you're having a down day, but maybe you've got a bit of a question too, particularly around systems. What are the questions that you would like to have answered in this webinar. If you could post them now, and no question is a bad question, alright? I'm not saying I'm going to know the answer to it all, but other people as well might be able to help answer your question. Because we have some of the same recurring questions going round and round in our head, don't we And so I want to see what your questions are so we can answer them. All right, so post those questions Rhiannon is saying, how do I start changing the systems around me because it all feels too big. That's an excellent question, and I think that that is actually a really good place to start. All right. Let me see here, how do we sustain ourselves? Yes How do we sustain ourselves when it seems unchangeable How do we sustain energy in the face of increasing misogyny? Great question. Yes. All right, so they are definitely some things that we are going to discuss. If you feel like Your question's not getting answered or it's going off somewhere you don't want, then can I ask you please to post on the chat If I don't get it in the webinar, I'll get it afterwards. What I'll do this afternoon, because it's still early morning for me, I'm in Los Angeles is I go through the chat And I'll try and see whether there are any questions that were unanswered. Or, you know, you can always drop me an email, all right? Okay, yeah, lots of great questions. All right, the first thing then I think is important is to define a little bit about what we mean by systems, and for you to kind of get a handle on what that means, particularly for you, okay? So I'm just gonna… I've got a couple of notes here, I'm going to put them up here for myself. All right So when I talk about systems change What some of the first words that come into your mind, post on the chat. I know this is very interactive, but I like to get things interactive because it makes you think a little bit Integrity bias, yeah, you know, when a lot of people think about systems, they think about the bigger sort of interaction of rules and and relationships and resources and power and assumptions And it can seem very big, right? And it can also seem like it's in the realm of

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You know, the government or the most senior people of an organization And absolutely, it should be in those things as well. So, but I think that I want to start by saying That we are all systems changes. Okay. Just like I say, we're all leaders. I'll say we're all systems changers. So the system can absolutely be changed or influenced or impacted top down it can be influenced and impacted bottom-up And it can be, which is the one I'm most interested in, it can be influencing impacted inside out. All right, inside out. And… and I think this sort of inside-out approach, which is not hierarchical, I think it suits the sort of female brain, perhaps, a little bit more, is something to really be interested in. So, can you be a systems changer if you are, you know, you've just graduated from university and you've just started working in an organization Yes, I believe you can. Can you be a systems changer? Well, let me ask you, I'm going to put these questions up and you tell me yes or no. Can you be a systems changer if you are a senior executive? Can you be a systems changer if you are a junior manager? Can you be a systems changer if you are a parent Can you be a systems changer if you choose not to be a parent? Can you be a systems changer if you've retired and you're 92? Can you be a systems changer if you're 19 and thinking, is this all about the world I'm going into? Yes, okay, good. I think this is a very important philosophy to start spreading. Because we're not empowered because we believe that it's someone else's fault or someone else's problem or someone else's authority And when we say, okay, what is it that I can possibly do, then that's when things start to change. All right. So you can have a system That is, let's take the system of a business. I know many of you work in business. In fact, let's just find out. On the chat, please post if you're able to post and you're comfortable posting the name of where you work, then please do if we'll recognize it. But let us know, perhaps, if you work in a large organization, a large corporation, or if you work in, you know, maybe a small, medium-sized business Perhaps you are stay-at-home parent, perhaps you work in a school, hospital, perhaps as a charity. Let's kind of see who's here today Because I also want you to see this, because I also think sometimes we think this kind of work is in the realm of the academic institutions or the government institutions, and one of my beliefs is that it's not only for all of us individually

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But it's for all organizations, all right? In fact, one of the biggest, I think, areas that is underutilized when it comes to social change is corporations And the power that corporations actually have, if only they would turn their resources to it to making a difference in this way, all right? So let me give you an example of a system And I want you to think about What could be done about this scenario? It's going to look like a scenario, but it's a way to illustrate to you How we as individuals could create systems change. So I want you to imagine this scenario that a young woman with young children who, works as a director in quite a male-dominated environment And she's done very well, so she's got quite senior, although she's, you know, fairly young for it, might be by the social norms, and she's juggling a big job with a lot of, let's say, more traditional characters in the meetings and stuff that she has to work with And in the industry that she's in. And she has young children as well. Yeah, so you got that in your mind, this example Now Every week in her organization, there's a management meeting at three o'clock on a Tuesday Now, 3 o'clock on a Tuesday is the day that she has arranged with her husband. They both pick up the child from school. So they've got like a dual parenting there. But on Tuesdays and then a couple of other days she picks So Tuesday is the day that they've agreed for her to pick up their kid from school, all right? At three o'clock. But it's also the time that this important management meeting happens, yes? All right. So, in this scenario. What do you believe she could do? What are some of the options that she could do with regards to this meeting being at the same time that she likes to pick up her child? So just maybe post in the chat what the options are All right, so as most of you are saying that it's You've got the meeting changed. Okay, good. Yeah, good. So Let's say this Send someone instead. Yes, okay, lots of options.

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I want you to think about which of the options benefit the individual And which of the options Would change the system. Let's think about that for a moment. So one option, and it happens a lot, is that That person, and, you know, it could be a mom or a dad, you know, it doesn't have to be a woman, but they would still go to the meeting, all right? So they would sort of work around it and say to… maybe they would say to their partner, we'll have to change the Tuesday, because I've got this really important meeting So they would just go along anyway, alright? Because they don't want to be perceived as difficult, or, you know, there's no other, parents, with young kids on that meeting, so they just go anyway. Yeah Does that change the system? And what do you think it does potentially to the women's or the man's or the person's mindset Probably, yeah. Okay. The next option, and you see this as well, is she works around the system. So she says something like I can't, I can't attend, I can't make it maybe a couple of times she said that she's not very well because she really wants to pick up her kid And… but she really doesn't want to disappoint the managers in the meeting either, or be perceived as, like, she doesn't want to be there. So she's sort of You know that word fanangles. She finangles the system, yeah? She works around the system. So sometimes she gets to go to the meeting, and sometimes She doesn't go to the meeting, and nobody really, you know, knows. Yeah, so it's sort of underground. Does that change the system? And what does that do for the individual woman It's a lot of juggling, isn't it? A lot of juggling, a lot of remembering. The next option that I've seen is she says I'm really sorry, but I need to collect my child from school so I won't be able to attend What does that do? What do you think about that? I'm really sorry. I need to collect my child from school so I won't be able to attend. What do you think? Does that change the system? No. Well, I mean, I think it's an important step because she's starting to be a bit more honest But the system hasn't changed Also, she's apologizing for something that I don't believe needs apologizing for Yes All right, so the next option, which is where we're getting to She says, I wonder whether we could change the timing of the meeting because the time slot might not only be difficult for me, but for other parents And carers too that, you know, might attend this meeting in the future, or if, you know, if others have Things that they need to do at 3pm With that, change the system So she says, I wonder whether we could review the timing of the meeting, the time slot might be difficult for me, but it also might be difficult for other parents and carers too. Yeah, Sandra's saying it might, it might. I think we're onto something now, aren't we? I think you're following me. We're onto something here where We've got a chance here that actually the system might change. It might not. There's a risk here. They might be like, what are you talking about, woman? But, I mean, it's unlikely that this meeting was arranged with, you know, a conscious bias against parents Sometimes, but mostly it's unconscious. So having this, you know, respectful conversation, you know, it could start to change the system. So what we've done here is we've moved it from an individual problem to a collective pattern And she's beginning to think systemically You know, it can't be good for the business if she's worrying a lot about these meetings and she's probably not at her best in these meetings because she wants to be somewhere else. So there's a performance aspect to this. There's a motivation aspect to this. There's an engagement aspect aspect to this, which might be complete common sense to you, but might not be common sense to those at the meeting. Yes? All right. The next One So we're looking here to improve the system. So if the team Does discuss alternatives and agrees to move the meeting to a time that works for more people Then the system's changed for future parents and for carers and for colleagues that will benefit too. Now, there's another step here Where, what if then leadership or HR, if there's leadership or HR hear about this And questions begin to emerge like how inclusive are our meeting practices? What assumptions do we make about availability of people Our parents and carers disadvantaged in any way? How can flexibility become really part of our culture, rather than something we just talk about, yeah? And that's where one woman's individual experience When we think about a ripple effect, I'm not saying it's always going to work. So I know for the cynics in the room and people that have tried stuff like this before, but I want to demonstrate to you how something that you think is only yours

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You think it's only yours. Because in that moment, all you're thinking is, I want to pick up my child or whatever it is. You're not thinking about 3 million… I made that number up, but the 3 million other women All men who parents around the world or whoever are thinking exactly the same thing as you. Alright, so this is where we really start to change things en masse. Could you imagine that if every single one of us today in this webinar and those that will listen to it afterwards saw themselves as systems changers and started to think… I think the first step here is to start to really think in a more systemic way All right, and how far away is this really from thinking of this in a business case way? How does this benefit the business? How does this benefit others? How do we change the system? This is something that we've been doing for a very long time. Alright, so that was my example here I do believe, though. that when we're talking about systems The first system to consider is what? What's the… what… what would you say is the most important system available to you right now? Please post in the chat, what's the most important system? Someone saying family, myself, my own thought system Yes, okay. So The most The The system to first consider Is your own inner system The family is one of the first outer systems directly around you. Think of it like a ripple in a in a pond, all right so the first system to influence and impact and to pay attention to is the system within you. So when I'm talking about the inner system, I'm talking about the interconnected parts that influence and impact who you are and what you do. I wanted to… this is bigger than a self-care conversation, although that is a sort of fundamental part of this, all right? So this is definitely your physical health and energy And your mental and emotional well-being, but it's also a strong connection to your values

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and purpose And in these times It really is values and purpose which will carry you through all right. They will carry you through because you will connect to what is most important to you, and it will make you braver And it will make you even more resilient, alright? So that is a really key part of the inner system. When was the last time you sat down and made a list of your values And you, oh, yeah, freedom is a really big value of mine Huh, what am I doing to live that value? And you start bringing these values in, because I don't want it to be all so hard and dark, alright? I want it to be light and interesting, and maybe even fun for you Your spiritual well-being. Now, whatever you believe or don't believe Your connection to something bigger than you, and to know You're not alone, we're at least all got each other And I do believe that there's wonderful forces out there somewhere guiding me along, and I have to remember to have faith sometimes. I would not describe myself as a religious person, per se, but I would describe myself as increasingly connected Because when I do, I realize that I'm here in service, and I want to help, and I'm doing my best When I stay with that, everything seems a lot calmer, right? A lot easier, and a lot more peaceful, even with the terrible things that are happening in the world right now. This will help with your confidence, your resilience, and your self-belief, alright? So I invite you for a moment to take a moment and have your own sort of private audit for a second. Now, for those of you that have wandered off into your emails, or someone's asking you to do something, come back, come back, come back, alright? And I want you to maybe just Close your eyes for a second. Go on, you can do it. You close your eyes and you just do a little audit and ask yourself, what is my inner system asking for right now. You know, your brain, your body, and your mind, and all of that, you know, that's carrying you right now Why is it asking for And maybe you'll hear a little whisper, a little word, or you'll see something or you'll feel something. And if you feel comfortable enough, perhaps you could post on the chat what that is mindset, rest, rest, dear one rest That doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing anything, but I'm going to rest as I'm doing it, right? Something I'm exploring right now, how to rest and work at the same time. Yes, so that voice is very, very powerful and intelligent and informative. Some would call it intuition. Some would call it gut feeling. And how many times a day do you listen to her or him all day?

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And so I invite you to do that perhaps in the mornings when you wake up and before you start your work, and you can just close your eyes for a second and just do that little body tuning thing, and say, oh, what is it that I need to know today, or what's important today And then see what answers come up, and then you can sort of guide and design your day around that. This is a very important aspect of systems because if you see yourself as this inside out system and what you're projecting is really, really important If we are projecting exhaustion If we are projecting anger and frustration, then I believe more of that comes back and division gets even harder and harder and harder. And in these times when there is, as somebody said earlier, increased misogyny There is increased war, there is terrible climate issues. There are issues of poverty that we have never seen before. We are in organizations where people are just walking around doing their job But not loving it, not enjoying themselves, not engaged, and can't wait to finish and have them start their life, all right so how we project ourselves, especially in the most challenging environments, is very, very important. And if you are depleted, it's really hard to do that. All right. So focus on yourself. It's going to give you so much grace for when you are in those very difficult environments with people that don't get you, you don't get them. They're doing things that you don't understand, and are, quite frankly, dangerous It will give you the energy to be able to, I don't know, like fight those battles and do things like you have not done before. And it This is also a very, very important few years coming up. All right. It's An important few years for all of you, but it's also a very important few years for the world. In 2030, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, I believe are going to complete. That was the goal end date, you know, whether that's going to change, I don't know. But currently the UN Sustainable Development Goals There's not one of them that is on track to complete by 2030. And if you think, well, what's this got to do with me because, you know, I work in an office or I work in a shop or whatever it is. These goals really do govern

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how we live and work, what we get paid, who lives, who dies, you know, they're not just for people in other parts of the world far, far away from you. All right. And particularly UN Sustainable Development Goal five, which is to create gender equality and empower all women and girls And as I'm sure you know, in terms of the system of the entire planet. There are places across the globe, and perhaps if you feel comfortable enough, name some places. Please tell me, can you name a place right now in the globe a country or a city or somewhere where gender equality is doing great Post on the chat. Waiting Yes, unless we all move to Denmark, or perhaps Finland Now tell me the places on the globe where It's really struggling women and girls are really struggling, or perhaps it's even going backwards Can you list some of those places Yeah. Even America All right, so this is something that we have to pay attention to with our fellow humans around the world, please don't stay too focused on your own local area. I think it's important to make a difference in your own family, your own team, your own business, your own community, and that's how bigger change happens. But we have to be aware about what is going on in different parts of the world and provide solidarity If you were to send a message right now To women and girls in Afghanistan to women and girls in Iran. to young women across America who right now are crying their eyes out because they want to get an abortion and they can't What's your message? Are they really not you? What if it was your daughter, your sister, your mother? For all the women right now that are worried about the next bomb flying over their head Wondering if they can feed their child today. If you think you work in a male-dominated company Think about the woman that works for a company in India that is completely misogynist, but she does it anyway because she needs to have a job because her husband's not well.

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We've got to change… we've got to be more globally aware And not just in a, I feel sorry for you way, this is not about this, and not in a charity way either, in a service way. How can I serve? What can I do? How can I help? We are with you. This is the system of the planet. So there is, I jump, don't I, from this individual system that we have that we live in to the system of How many of us are there right now in the world? Does anyone know? I think it's like 8 billion or something. Maybe from a universal standpoint, that's not very many. But for us, that's a lot of people, all right? That's a lot of people that we can… and don't ever, ever, ever please be sitting on this webinar today thinking that Oh, I'm too small, I couldn't possibly do something, what could I possibly do? Because It is all of us that When you start to look, and you start to open your eyes a bit You start to think about, okay, what could I possibly do that would change something? I knew this one young woman once who came to one of our events and she told her a story She worked for a well-known coffee and food chain And she was a barrister, a barista. Barista, yeah, barista. And she all day, made coffee and sandwiches and the rest of it. And she noticed that every night There was a huge amount of waste, you know, things that were gone past their sell-by dates and everything, and she noticed that… and it was her job to help throw a load of this out And she saw this day after day after day, and she really wondered why… why doesn't anybody else notice this? How am I seeing this and nobody else is seeing? It doesn't seem right to me. Doesn't seem right that all this food is going to waste. At the same time, on her Walk home and she would walk from the place where she was working to the tube station where she gives it away. It was London, the tube station where she would get her train home. She would also see many homeless people, yeah? And so she was starting to put these things together and saying, this doesn't seem right, must be something we can do about it. So she went to her manager And said, look, we've got all of this extra food, and there's all, you know, there's a lot of homeless people on the way home, so, can't we just give them the food? What do you think the manager said? Post in the chat

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Oh, Brian. Well, the manager said one of those kind of naff phrases, which maybe have you heard this one? I'd really like to, and I understand what you're saying, and I would if I could, but we can't Yes? Yeah, okay. So that's what happened. So what do you do then? What should she do then? Just okay. I tried. I tried So then what she did Now, I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just tell a story is she started to pack her a bag every night with sandwiches And You know, on the slide. And on our way home, she would give the sandwiches to homeless people, all right? And she got really quite friendly with a couple of them, and she would, you know, she did this for some time. All right What do you think about that? Is she changing the system We have a rebel. Brian loves it. Bit risky. She could have got busted. So she said, no, this isn't right And she did something about it. But then She got discovered She got discovered and what happened when she got discovered? Did the manager say, oh, that was really nice that you did that. And it's amazing that you were doing that anyway. So thank you for being you and helping us to be socially conscious when, you know, we would really like to be there, we can She got fired, yes. She got fired. Yes, she did. Now what? Now what did she do? She got fired. Now she was down. She was really down because she needed that money. This is not someone on a lot of money, right? She needed the money. She's sleeping on her sister's floor because she can't afford the rent. What did she do? Yes, so I think somebody said it. She started her own business, social business. What's a social business? A social business that is a business of service. It makes money, but it also makes a difference. We should all be doing it, by the way She started her own social business. Where she would arrange in a healthy food hygiene rules, etc, etc. way to give food to the homeless. She basically started her own food bank. What do you think about that And where do you think she got her initial funding from, by the way?

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Initial funding The company that fired her, yes, bang on. She wrote a wonderful letter to the senior management of that well-known chain and they gave us some seed money Probably because they didn't want her to take them to court. God, it's such a cynic. But anyway, that's what she did. And that's what she continues to do. Do you think she's happy? happy as a pig in . All right, she loves what she does All right, okay. So this is another example of how we get to change the system And it's not always easy, and there's normally a path. What did you learn from that story? Anything post in the chat if you learned something. Because for me I think this is feminism This is… this is feminists in the new… in the new world, right, in the new era, and it doesn't mean it's just for women either This is for everyone Yes Because most people want these things They want everyone to be fed. They want to be happy, they want joy, but they just feel so they feel and are so restricted by their thinking patterns, their operational patterns. They think it's going to be career limiting. They think they're going to get fired and then, oh my God, the world's going to end. All right. So I'm going to see if I got time here for another example. I'm hoping you're liking these examples because they kind of bring this to life A little bit here, all right? And this might ring true with a few of you as well. I want you to imagine a woman. Now, this woman He's quite senior in our company And she's been there a really long time. Some might call her, she might call herself institutionalized because she's been there so long, it's hard to really imagine being anywhere else But she just doesn't like it anymore. She feels like it's just too political for her and she's just running from pillar to post and she can't really get anything done and she's tired all the time and she's just sort of had enough. She's going through the motions Anyone resonate? Don't have to post them in chat if they want to. All right, so let's think about this from a personal But also a systemic perspective. Not just for the organization, but I want you to think about this from a systemic perspective of Her and a systemic perspective in terms of, let's say the women's movement All right, okay. So a woman is deciding you've got her background. She's deciding whether to stay

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or leave her current company that she's worked in for many, many years, so she's got a lot of reputation there, she's got a lot of credit, she's been there a long time, she's doing well, she's not like a poor performer or anything. She's doing well, she's… Just don't like it, okay? And it's constantly going through transformation and change again and again. She's just like transformationally changed out. Yeah. So what should she do? What are her options? Let's think about this post in the chat From an organizational and from a systemic perspective on herself and on the women's movement. What do you think? What should she do? Start a new business off the side of her desk. Okay. What else? What else she going to do? Be boldly creative in reaching out Utilize their knowledge and change the systems inside the business Go to an Aspire event, haha, create a women's network. Yeah, okay, so we're starting to see lots of more systemic Options. All right. The option that's not going to change the system is She deals with it, tries to be grateful for what she's got, doesn't say anything. works to rule, kind of, and has a life outside of work. And let me tell you, that's a massive amount of people right now. A massive amount of people. I'm not judging it. Sometimes survival is the only option, but I'm saying that that is never going to change much, except make you feel more miserable potentially resentful The next one is, which I've been doing a lot of, learn some skills. All right, so that maybe someone sends her on a confidence building course or someone sends her on a time management course or something like that Or she's given some coaching or mentoring, maybe. Is that going to change the system? No, not really. She could try talking to a manager, see if she can get a better workload, see if things could change Again, not really changing the system, but these are things which are a bit more common Perhaps she could move to a different, if she's in a larger organization, perhaps there's a different role, a different department, a different area that she might be able to Move to Perhaps you could start or join, as someone already suggested this, a women's network, something that's a bit more purposeful. There's a lot of people who have their day job and then they have the Women's network work or their employee resource group work, and it's an extra thing, but it feels like a very sort of more purposeful thing that they can be doing, all right She could advocate for someone saying, Wendy's saying she could speak to HR, so she could advocate maybe for some kind of new policies, new culture changes, things that could influence it as well. All right, so these are all more internal options, but they're all options that could potentially change the system. What I'm saying is there's no right or wrong answers here

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This is about you doing something, all right? Then there are other options here which I think where the sort of, let's say, the potential or perceived risk factor or fear factor goes up, which is to start something of your own, start your own business start your own charity, start your own social enterprise, start your own non-exec director career, start a portfolio career, or something else. What I would say with that is that there are many, many people that want to try and change the system that they are currently in. And then there are many of you who are already or who would like to create new systems And I think that starting something of your own is an opportunity to create a new system. So I want to open that up as an option for you for today. All right, that don't be frightened of it. Don't be scared I have worked with so many women over the years who've said, I couldn't possibly do that because I don't know the right people, I wouldn't know how to market myself, and then it doesn't take much at all for them to get started, and they're doing great. And what I love to see now is what's called Women's business collectives, or women's business teaming. Have you heard of this? where women in business are coming together to bid for big projects, but they're independents, or they're working together in smaller, independent collectives without having the formal structure of employment. So, there are lots of new, wonderful ways emerging to work. I've seen more and more co-CEOs recently, and interesting, the only co-CEOs I've seen are women. Do you know any men that are co-CEOs? I'd love to meet them, because I've never met any, but the co-CEO model, I think, is one that could be incredibly powerful in the future. All right, so There is lots of options to either be miserable and stay in the system. It is what it is. I'm trying my best. Or change the system from within. Take your time, pace yourself, find other like-minded people because these systems, these old traditional systems need changing. And they need us to take the lead on that, not do all the work, but to take the lead And of course, the evolution and future needs us to create new ways of working and new models

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So if you are not getting what you want right now, and you believe that it's impossible where you are, maybe it's time to create something new. So that's our conversation today on how women change systems. What is the system that you want to create or evolve or change. Is it your own system? Is it that immediately around you? Is it within where you work or is it something much wider in the wider context of the world? Wherever you are with it, we're with you. All right, we're with you, we've got each other. You stay, keep coming to these webinars, they give you a little boost of inspiration every time you're feeling a bit down in the dumps, alright? It certainly does it for me, and I hope that it does it for you too, because I get a lot out of these webinars as well, all right? Even if it's just a bit of a shot in the arm, like, okay, Sam. Rick, let's keep going. All right, so thank you so much for being part of today's webinar. I know that I'm going to see some of you, I'm going to be traveling to London next week, so I'm going to see some of you on October the 18th in London for our workshop there leadership, purpose, and the difference you will make. There are still places, including scholarship places, you should never, ever feel like you can't come because of money. And if you can make it, if you didn't think you could make it, now you can, send me an email, I'd love for you to be there Because the more of us that are there, the more change we can create. So I might be a bit squished up, but we'll… we'll figure it out, all right? So, it was my pleasure. I hope that you got a lot out of today And just be strong, alright? Be strong, have faith, think about what you can do, baby steps, baby steps every day, and for those of you that are in Los Angeles or around, let's get together in my living room soon, okay? And those in London, I'll see you very soon. And those in other parts of the world next year, I maybe do lots of travel, so let me come and see you. All right. Thank you. Lots of love. Go and do the rest of your day. And it's been a joy. Let's go!

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