business

2020 was the year no one expected.  It highlighted so many of the pleasures we take for granted, stretched us to find new delights in ordinary moments and be reminded of what is truly important to us – family, relationships, health, nature and movement.

It showed us the importance of community and connection, resilience and adaptability, and the robust leadership required amidst uncertainty.  This year highlighted just how interconnected we are as a global society and how our community ecosystem is only as strong as our most vulnerable counterparts. So yes, this year looked and felt very different than past years both personally and in the business.

Looking back

2020 was a year to look back for me – it’s been 25 years since I went to the first UN International Children’s Conference in England with 800 kids from 90 different countries. This experience for me was truly life changing and set my life on a very different trajectory than it was before.

We celebrated the anniversary of the UK conference which was the first in its aim to gather children from around the world to learn about and voice their concerns on the state of the environment as well as to showcase their environmental initiatives.  And then also the birth of Millennium Kids, now 25 years old, helping kids tackle the biggest issues on our planet.

A big shout out to my friend and mentor, Catrina Aniere.  She was the teacher who supported four of us kids to start the first Kids Helping Kids conference in 1996 and she has been there every step of the way in building Millennium Kids for the last 25 years supporting kids to have a voice, work together, be inventive and create the change they want to see in their community.  An incredible community leader, teacher and supporter of kids all over the world!

Lighting the fire

20 years ago, I graduated from high school and ran as a torchbearer for the Sydney Olympics.  It was an honour to be a torchbearer and play a small part in this global legacy. As the Olympics was postponed this year due to COVID-19, it reminded me to be grateful for the opportunities to bring humanity together as one and not take it for granted. Over the years, I’ve been so fortunate to attend many international conferences and events bringing people from all over the world together.  Through technology, we have the world at our fingertips, but do we go out and explore other countries, cultures and people enough?  I think there is the opportunity for more, to build our empathy and understanding, especially in the divisive global times we are living in.

Constraints spur creativity

Constraints are often seen as a negative, but constraints can make you more creative.  We all set common constraints in our lives without even realising it – work from 9 – 5, Monday – Friday for 46 weeks of the year, for example. This was the year of new constraints – no national or overseas travel, work completely from home, no face to face meetings to name a few. Within these constraints, new innovations were born, from health to the arts to business.  Everyone had to innovate.   People began to redesign their work and lives according to what was truly important to them!

My year kicked off with the Emerging Leaders in Governance program.  We had an incredible group come together.  We were very fortunate to start the program as normal with workshops, site visits and a weekend retreat.  Then halfway through the program, we changed to fully online delivery.  Evening workshops, panel discussions, even our graduation was online.   The participants were absolute troopers!  Not only were they dealing with the challenges of a global pandemic and how this affected them work-wise and personally, they maintained their commitment to the program.  When we couldn’t meet face to face, we met online, we had phone chats and kept in contact over messenger and email. We supported each other with information, connection and empathy.

One of the most exciting online events of me this year was to curate and facilitate the Engaging Young Leaders on Aged Care and Community Boards program’s Unconvention with an international line of guest experts based in India, Singapore, Sydney, Bendigo and Perth.  For two hours we talked about the importance of relationships in the boardroom. We could never have engaged these leaders to come to Perth but to be able to tap into their perspectives and expertise was a true delight.

You can read the program’s Annual Report here.

Just before Lockdown

In March, just before the closing down of many workplaces, schools and community, I was very fortunate to be recognised as one of 15 incredible women being inducted into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame.  I appreciated the nomination from the very thoughtful ladies from the Soroptimist club of South Perth, who have been amazing members and supporters of 100 Women for many years now.  The WA Women’s Hall of Fame has the simple vision of recognising, promoting and celebrating women in Western Australia.  The stories of the women who were recognised were nothing short of incredible. I felt honoured to be included and it was a special moment to have my daughter there with me at Government House, and to reflect on all the wonderful women I have in my life.

Global Conversations

100 Women, like most organisations, revised our plans for the year – we were asking ourselves, how long would we be in lockdown, what impact would COVID have on women both across Australia and globally, and what role could we play to champion women in this environment.  We revised our grants program for this year and took our events online.

I was honoured to facilitate three online events for 100 Women, our first one brought together financial experts to bring information to women about how to approach their finances during a crisis. Our second conversation was with one of Australia’s leading journalists and authors, Madonna King. Her latest books exploring the experience of being a teenage girl in Australia are eye-opening and much needed research and discussion.  Our third event was with the incredible Elizabeth Broderick who is Special Rapporteur at the UN Human Rights Council. To hear how COVID was affecting women around the world and her experiences working for change was nothing less than inspiring.

By October, we were so lucky in Perth to have the opportunity to come together in person for our Gala celebration in October and grant $100,000 to 5 organisations including Earbus, Shooting Stars, Cambodian Children’s Fund, One Girl and Bower Reuse & Repair Centre.  It was incredible to hear how these organisations were managing, reacting and innovating to the challenges of this year.  Thank you to our whole 100 Women team who are so committed to growing our work and impact including our new Chair, Virginia Miltrup!

On a personal note

So even though 2020 was not the year I had planned and very different from previous years in 2019 and 2018. This year, ironically, I got the chance to take a few more little holidays (locally in WA) with my kids who are growing up so quickly. I’ve intentionally spent time redesigning little areas of my home to facilitate the space and conversations I want to have with my husband and kids – a photo board to savor memories, a games basket in the lounge to facilitate family games night.  After reading The Power of Ritual I’ve been playing around with weekly, monthly and annual rituals to increase our connection as a family and what’s important to us.

When COVID shut down all the events, my daughter was fortunate to start guitar lessons to Ezereve, a hugely talented singer/songwriter (100 Women member and philanthropist in her own right) and even though her diary got busier and busier through the year when events returned, she kept teaching my daughter each week – bringing music into the house!  Thank you Ezereve for your time and talents!

We also lost a dear friend of ours. Helen Fairnie was a trailblazer. She was among the first female vets in Australia and the first female president of the Australian Veterinary Association among a huge list of other achievements – an Order of Australia (AM), authoring a book on female vets in Australia, a doctorate, a committed lifelong community volunteer to many causes including SAVE African Rhino Foundation and Rotary, plus was a loving wife and mother to two kids. She was a huge supporter of my ideas.  In 2012 joined the committee that established 100 Women and on the first grants committee too. In fact, she was one of the first people I talked to about the idea of 100 Women. She was a huge encourager of me and 100 Women from the very beginning.  I’ll never forget Helen’s laugh, big smile, care for all living creatures and her determined spirit.

So that was the year that was!  2021 looks like the phoenix rising with many new plans in the pipeline including the launch of a new online leadership program! (send me an email if you’re keen to hear more).  I encourage you to take time to reflect on your year and plan for the next 10!  Our lives are what we make of it!

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?

Firstly – THANK YOU! I am so grateful to you for reading my blog, sharing in my community and supporting my work. It really means the world to me. I feel incredibly humbled by your support and appreciate the difference you make to my life.

So let’s explore the year…

Board Ignition – Igniting Community Board Directors

Our flagship online course, Board Ignition, is growing and more excitingly it’s succeeding in getting people onto community boards.

Feedback has been sensational…

• “The Board Ignition online program provides a solid platform of learning and Board ready strategies. The video interviews with active board members, sharing their experiences is really valuable”
• “Well done Alicia. Great energy and engagement”
• “Such a good course. Bucket loads of great content. The interviews are great to listen to each week, amazing insights, so diverse and no two are the same. Great interview questions Alicia”
• “I’ve been seeing a lot of your lovely face recently as I sat and watched all the Board Ignition webinars again over the weekend, as part of my prep for a Trainee Board Director interview, which I have today! It was soooo helpful to sit and go through the webinars again, so thank you for all your efforts with them.”

And more importantly, graduates are getting onto boards!

In 2019, we are upgrading the course again with new case studies, worksheets and practical challenges. We do have a special offer on the course until the 31st December if you’re keen to do the course in February next year.

Engaging Young Leaders on Boards – 6th Year of Success

Wow – the people we have coming onto the Emerging Leaders in Governance program just get more impressive every year, it’s a joy to work with these outstanding values driven leaders. This program which culminated in May has already seen half of the participants get board or traineeship roles. Thank you to my friend and mentor, Dr Nicky Howe, Southcare and the 42 community organisations that make that program a reality and a success!

Wonderful recognition for Alyceum and 100 Women

The biggest surprise this year has been the awards and recognition that has so gratefully been shared with me this year. I want to really appreciate the people who look the time to nominate me for these awards. I’m incredibly humbled by it and have tried my upmost to share this recognition with the many people who support the projects that I get the pleasure of leading and also use the recognition to further spread the messages of community service and philanthropy.

2018 EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the Western Region

This really was an incredible experience. As an entrepreneur though and though, I found it awe-inspiring to be surrounded by such talented entrepreneurs, to connect and share this experience.  It was wonderful for the whole 100 Women team to be recognised too for the hard work and impact we’ve created over the last 5 years.

Finalist, Business Category, Western Australian of the Year Awards

A true celebration of the amazing talent in WA, the Western Australian of the Year Awards was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with my friends and 100 Women team mates with what has been achieved this year. I was humbled to be recognised alongside some truly inspiring business people in Perth.

Wonder Woman of the Year, Momentum Forum Events 2018

Thank you to Barbara and Momentum Forum Events for naming me your Wonder Woman of the Year! What a title! It was wonderful to learn from your events prowess and philanthropic background.

100 Women – 5th Year and $500,0000 in grants given!

This year we celebrated our 5th year at 100 Women. Wow – what a brilliant group of humans! I want to appreciate every single person who has donated to 100 Women over the years, you can all celebrate in this success. I want to appreciate the people behind the scenes that make this organisation happen and a special mention to our outgoing Treasurer, Grace Mugabe for 5 years of book keeping and board reporting. This is an amazing commitment and while you won’t be far from the organisation, your dedication needs to be acknowledged and recognised!

Media

Thank you to everyone who has covered us in the media this year.

– Podcasts – Words from Oz and Good Will Hunters
– Sustainable, Collaborative Giving by Business News
– Opinion piece in the West Australian – WA must embrace its diversity

Thank you to my support team

There are some wonderful people who support my business – thank you to Sarah, Emily and Galia from Sarah Noked. My incredible VA, Josefine, who contributes like she’s been involved in my business for years – you’re a gem!!

I had two wonderful interns join my business for two months from Curtin University – Lizzie and Maddie. Their writing abilities astounded me, they have such bright futures ahead.

Thank you also to Bruno Kongawoin for his incredible headshots – see my headshot in the newspaper article above!  I highly recommend his work.

Personally for me

Personally for me there have been highs and lows. Sadly my husband lost his dad this year, way too soon at 72. Ray inspired me with his dedication to his family, community and friends, his wonderful creativity and his character and determination. His beautiful funeral which his son (my husband), daughters and wife created was a celebration of life and everything that’s good in the world. Remembering our mortality forces us to focus on what’s important in life and making every day count.

My beautiful kids turned 2 and 5. They give me extreme pride in the people they are becoming, their care and kindness as well as their commitment and dedication they show. As anyone with kids will attest to, it’s an immense job and always creates a full life!

Thank you to my friends and family who keep me sane amongst the fullness of life, thank you for your care. Thanks to my gorgeous sister, Suzy for taking this beautiful family photo. Your work constantly inspires me.

And what is in store for 2019?

Board Ignition starts in February. Get into it! I’m excited to bring an upgraded Board Ignition – with new videos, worksheets and practical challenges. There is no better place if you want to make your aspiration of being a board director a reality!

I will also be launching a new course in May. I can’t wait to share more about this in the new year.

Now over to you: What have been the highs and lows of your year? Share it on Alyceum’s private Facebook group, Alyceum Leaders.