Archives for December 2019

Our Annual Review for Alyceum in 2019

December 9, 2019 by Alicia Curtis

Want to join my Reflection Revolution in 2020? You, me, the Alyceum Community, once a month for 90 minutes for reflection, inspiration and connection. Join us here for a free taster on the 18 December using the coupon bemyguest. Or better yet, commit to growing your reflection muscle by registering for all the 2020 Alyceum Live gatherings here.

2019 is my 17th year in business. My inspiration was (and still is) reading Anita Roddick’s revolutionary book, Business as Unusual. I remember reading it in the gardens of the University of Western Australia when I should have been studying.

I was so taken by her words.

We can no longer afford false divisions between work and community, between ethics and economics. But how can we change from a system which values endless increasing profit and materialism to one in which the core values are community, caring for the environment, creating, growing things and personal development? We empower people. There aren’t many motivating forces more potent than giving your staff an opportunity to exercise and express their idealism.

After being so involved in the community as a volunteer in my teen years, I saw the potential of using business as a vehicle of social change. As a 19 year old in 2002, this was in a time before all the business accelerators, incubators and entrepreneurial hubs of today. I remember heading to the small business centre to talk about my business idea inspiring people to develop their leadership skills through giving back to society. They told me it wasn’t a strong business idea!

Well, that was like a red flag to a bull!

That was when I started talking regularly to school and community groups about leadership and giving back.

First Among Equals Finalist (Top 4) in the 2019 Business News 40under40 Awards

From these very humble beginnings to reaching the top 4 in the 2019 Business News 40under40’s this year in Western Australia, I was able to reflect on the 25 year+ journey that has got me to this point.

Running your own small business for social change and impact is hardly the easy road. You are solely responsible for generating the income that comes through the doors – both in winning the work, supplying the work and ensuring it’s a the high standard. You have to believe in your ideas so strongly, because everyone will pick them apart. There will be wins and losses along the way, you can’t lose enthusiasm.

It was great to talk about this beginnings at the Business News Food for Thought event this year too. I’ve always juggled my business with my community endeavours. It was one of the main reasons I started my business. I’ve wanted to work on business projects that have a community benefit, that strengthens the social fabrics of our society – and gee, do we need this at the moment!? So let’s explore some of the business projects for this year.

Our Online Offering Grows

The Board Ignition course continues to grow in its cohort and impact.

The feedback from participants makes the hard work all worth it…

“I just wanted to say a big thank you for the advice and support provided via Board Ignition. Amongst other things, it really helped me to identify what I was looking for from a board and to how seek out such opportunities and…… I am now a proud board member of an international NFP board! I know it’s a great fit as I am so excited about their vision and mission and can’t wait to see what will we achieve together over coming months. Thanks again.” – Penny Dowd

“Thank you Alicia for taking the time to create such a thorough, well thought-out, engaging, and relevant course for young people to access. It is practical, and welcoming. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this process, and am grateful to be connected with the broader board ignition cohort.” – Ria Ferris

“Being able to watch Board Director interviews, hear about their journeys and taking the time to consider the reflection questions to enhance my understanding of what I have learnt from each interview. Really enjoyed contributing to the Facebook group.” – Gemma Malatesta

This year, I also:
• softly launched my second online course, Purpose Masterclass,
• created the Aspiring Community Board Directors Toolkit and
• updated my 15 ways to find a community board position resource into a beautiful flipbook.

Read below too about the new monthly mentoring sessions – Alyceum Live – I’m offering in 2020.

New Formats and Familiar Themes

This year was a lot of experimentation too. I trialed a few new formats. I always love to hear your feedback.

Alyceum Leaders Facebook group – this group grows from strength to strength. We have nearly 1000 purpose driven leaders and change makers on this year. This is a free group – so if you haven’t joined, what are you waiting for? Weekly journal prompts, leadership learnings, read and reflects and more! Join us here!

Ask Me Anything sessions – These were a lot of fun, often people want to pick my brains and unfortunately there are too many to have coffee with individually. But I do love helping people out where I can, so I put together this coffee series where people could register in a small group and fire away questions and conversations!

Alyceum Salons – This year I held a few Alyceum Salons over lunch to gather small groups to chat about what was on their mind – their goals and their challenges. Brilliant groups of people and energising conversations.

Alyceum Live – Just last month, we also started a monthly online gathering focused on reflection, inspiration and connection. The first one in November was a huge success, with a fabulous group of people and great engagement. December’s theme is legacy and it’s really challenging me to step up again as a guide, curator and facilitator of spaces to support people’s personal leadership transformations. I really can’t wait to host these each month.

Fabulous events, workshops and clients

Emotional intelligence, self awareness and reflection have all rated highly as topics required by clients this year. It’s been wonderful to work with a range of clients such as Southcare, St Vincent de Paul Society WA Inc, Public Sector Commission, Water Corporation, Linkwest and LIWA.

The 7th Engaging Young Leaders on Aged Care and Community Boards program brought together the most beautiful group of aspiring board directors and change makers. It’s a privilege to work with the extraordinary, Dr Nicky Howe and lead this program in the Not For Profit sector. Each year, we learn the nuances of social change, leadership and the power of community.

It was great to talk to James Lush and Mike Drysdale on the super new Dear Storyteller Podcast this year. What an incredible podcast series.

Exploring the world

I traveled to Singapore twice this year. Once with my family to celebrate my sister in law’s 50th birthday and the second time for the Singapore Institute of Director’s Annual Conference.

It was a brilliant time in Singapore, firstly to explore the culture, food and infrastructure and secondly talking about boards, leadership, diversity and social impact! It was great to chat with new and old friends, who all made me feel so welcome.

I can’t wait until I can come back again! I love the different perspective that travel gives you on life, business and leadership. What travel or conferences have made a difference in your perspective?

Growth, Gratitude and Great People

I was again invited to the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Perth where I was kindly awarded the EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) award for the western region in 2018, profiling the success we’ve achieved with 100 Women.

This year, I got to sit back and reflect on just how far we have come in the last year with 100 Women. I got to meet the most incredible people through these awards, including these two amazing leaders Sarah Bagshaw and Wayne Peel (EY EOY WA winner), who now proudly join me on the 100 Women Trustee Board (how lucky are we?!). The 100 Women Gala (our 6th Gala) was incredible too. When everyone gives a little, we can achieve a lot. Congratulations to our 2019 grant recipients doing phenomenal work helping women in Perth, regional WA, Uganda & Nepal!

Projects supported in 2019 included…

• Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services – educating young girls from diverse cultural backgrounds in Perth with respectful relationships, physical/mental/sexual health & wellbeing information.

• Yiyili Community Indigenous Corporation – supporting 50 women and girls across three generations by creating opportunities locally to earn an income whilst maintaining and strengthening Gooniyandi culture for future generations.

• Love Mercy Foundation – empowering communities in Northern Uganda to overcome poverty caused by years of civil war by empowering them with financial support.

• Pollinate Energy – scaling a women’s empowerment model linking some of the poorest women in Nepal to clean energy markets & empower them with business skills. HUGE thanks to our members, volunteers, sponsors, supporter, board and everyone who came last night!

Kickstart your giving power with 100 Women today and join us here.

The Juggle is Real

We always hear about the juggle and it’s never been more ever present in my life than this year. Personally – my family is well, daughter learnt to roller skate, read and revelled in her friendships. My son had a huge year of learning too. He struggled with leaving me and my husband whether it was at daycare or at the end of the day at bedtime but towards the end of 2019, he is really coming into his own (even if he does wake us at 5am every morning!). His passion for dinosaur adventures is evident in all of our lives and his zest for life is incredible. My sister had a baby on the other side of the world which was so hard not to be there to support and snuggle, but watching her grow from afar is a joy (especially when your talented sister makes gorgeous family videos).

My Grandma has not been so well this year (this is a photo of her with my daughter a few years ago now) and so being there to support her and my mum has been important to me. It’s in these tough moments, which all of us go through, you tend to ask those existential questions – what’s the purpose of my life?, how will I measure the success of my life when I’m laying on my deathbed?, what happens after life? and what’s important to me?.

It’s in these times that you heavily rely on the strength of your relationships with friends and family. To keep talking, connecting, relating and reflecting. It’s a privilege to support my Grandma in her final stages of her life, to remember how special she has been to me and to remind me of what’s important in life. Thank you Grandma.

So on the whole…

I have to be so grateful for the people and opportunities around me. The life I get to live and experiences still ahead to devour! 2020 is looking pretty exciting!

What’s your take on 2019?

10 key questions to fuel your reflection in 2019

December 2, 2019 by Alicia Curtis

It’s so easy to get caught up in the consumerism of Christmas with the social pressures of presents, parties and more but I have a challenge for you to change and reframe what the last month of the year is about! Instead of December passing you by in a blur, let’s make it a time of review and reflection, meaning-making and connection! Isn’t that what the festive season is really supposed to be about?

* Want to join my Reflection Revolution in 2020? You, me, the Alyceum Community, once a month for 90 minutes for reflection, inspiration and connection. Join us here for a free taster on the 18 December using the coupon bemyguest. Or better yet, commit to growing your reflection muscle by registering for all the 2020 Alyceum Live gatherings here.*

Connection and Reflection

Rather than making December a month of overindulgence of food and drink, why not gather an intimate group of your family, friends and colleagues together to make time for personal reflection and then share your reflections with each other. You could couple this with an early morning walk along the beach, an evening yoga session or a fun game of tennis! I’ve made it simple for you and created a list of questions you can send to your friends below. Or better yet, make up your own list of questions to explore!

Reflection can be a powerful learning tool to ignite your self awareness, relationships and leadership. Better yet, it’s absolutely free to do and your reflections get better with practice.

A Magic Carpet Ride

Think of it as a magic carpet ride through the events, activities and experiences that occurred in 2019. Fly through your year from January to now, think about the moments of pure joy as well as the challenges that have made you stronger. I find it can be worthwhile to flick through your diary and note the events, milestones, projects or family moments that made an impact this year.

Step back and reflect – what did these moments mean for you? What have you learnt? By standing back and looking at it from a distance, you can elicit the learning and the meaning. There has been multiple research studies that have shown the benefits of regular reflection. It helps our performance and also makes us happier. Think of it as the debrief after the game, consider each move made, think about how strategies panned out, reflect on winning moves and ones to improve on next time.

As Margaret Wheatley said “We are, always, poets, exploring possibilities of meaning in a world which is also all the time exploring possibilities.”

Let me prompt you…

I get it… reflection can be hard if it’s a muscle you haven’t used in awhile. So let me take some of the pain away but giving you some prompts to help with your thinking. Here are 10 questions to get you thinking about the year that’s been!

1. What has made you proud this year?

Tap into the experiences and achievements that made you feel happy, satisfied and alive!

Sometimes our reflections can be dogged by what went wrong and how do you improve. Instead, I want you to focus on the activities that made you the proudest this year!

What activities can you credit to your hard work, initiative or creativity? Sink into these feelings – perhaps it was something you achieved or something someone close to you achieved. Perhaps it was something you overcame this year or a lesson you learned. It could be anything – relationships, goals, hard work or your attitude

2. What inspired you this year?

inspiration: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

Re-energising is so important. Pinpoint what it was for you.

What were your sources of inspiration this year? People, environments, conferences or videos (like TED videos), movies, events, books – anything! See if you can pin point it – what or who inspired you to be your best?

What were the catalysts to enhance your knowledge, confidence, skills or work? Was it a new podcast, a key event or an important mentor? Share this list with others to combine your inspiration avenues!

3. What are your three key learnings from this year?

What’s been your major learning curves this year?

Instead of sailing into the new year without fully gaining the benefit of all your experiences this year, consider the three main things that you’ve learnt. What did you set out to learn and improve on during the year? Where can you see you improved from last year?

Where have you grown the most as a person, leader, family member or friend? Were these intended learning curves or a by product of circumstance? Either way, we can take each experience to the next level by reflecting on what we learnt.

4. What habits have served you well?

Aristotle said we are what we repeatedly do. It’s quite enlightening to realise that what you do day in, day out makes you the person you are! Maybe it’s a little scary too!

It’s so simple, but it can also mean the discipline of constructing your day to be the person you want to be. What habits did you intentionally practice this year and which ones have slipped in – good or bad? Which habits have you added this year? Which ones did you drop? How did it make a difference to your year?

5. What were your key relationships this year and how have they affected you?

Family and friends, business colleagues and community – relationships can play a key part of your happiness and also your success.

Which relationships made you feel strong and empowered? How did you intentionally foster the relationships in your life? Are you hanging around the right people? Are they lifting you up to be your best? How has your presence positively impacted on the people around you too?

6. How did you utilise your strengths this year?

Your strengths are your superpowers. How do you use them in service to the world? Do you know what your key strengths are? If not, perhaps it’s time to get clear about the strengths that you are or can contribute to the world.

How did you put your strengths to work this year? Are you using your strengths on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? How does it make you feel when you can work in your zone of genius, as Gay Hendricks would call it.

7. How did you focus on what’s fundamentally important to you this year?

It is so easy to get caught up in what everyone else wants you to do. Your email can end of being a huge list of other people’s to do actions! Your family, friends, work or even society in general can dictate what gets done.

Think about when you get into work everyday, do you reflect on your key priorities and set in for some deep, deliberative work or do you check your email and focus on what others want of you? Did you get to focus on what was important to you this year or did you get pulled in different directions?

What is fundamentally important to you and how do you ensure it stays the priority for you?

8. What are you grateful for this year?

Time to evoke a little gratitude. Make a list and check it twice!

Gratitude has immeasurable benefits to your physical health, mental health, improves your relationships, increases your resilience, helps you sleep better, improves your self esteem, not to mention, it makes you happier!

From the huge big things to the tiniest little things. What are you grateful for? If it involved people around you, this might be a nice way to reconnect with people during December and tell them what made you grateful too!

9. What have been the obstacles, hard times or challenges you’ve experienced and how have you grown from the experiences?

Yes there are going to be ups and downs in the year. Times where it didn’t always go to plan. Experiences you didn’t expect. What were your biggest challenges this year?

Revisit these tough times and bring some reframing to it – how has it made you a better person, how did you grow and what did you learn? If it’s still tough to revisit, perhaps it’s time for gather a new meaning about the experience.

10. How would I summarise the year that I’ve had?

Use your creative juices to summarise the year in a creative way.

It’s quite in vogue these days to come up with a word at the start of the year, but I want you to do this retrospectively. How would you summarise it?

What would be the theme, mantra or symbol that characterises the year that you had? How would you draw a picture to reflect on the past year? Time to get out of your head and instead into your heart and body. What colours would you use? What shapes or images represent this year?

Take some time this December…

Grab your favourite drink, put on some encouraging music and sit in your favourite chair or go outside into nature and answer these questions for yourself!? Then come together with friends and share your reflections from the year.

Look out the blog in the coming weeks for 10 Questions to Plan for the New Year.

Have you registered for the Alyceum Live online gathering below?

As our Christmas gift to you, you can register for FREE using the coupon code bemyguest by clicking on the image below.