Immi: For my children
After becoming a mum, Immi felt she lost her identity, and the last few years have been tough for her. "I lost my grandparents, who I was very close to, they had pretty much become my parents after my mum died, and also, I got made redundant around the same time, which affected my confidence and self-esteem. So Leading Through Storms (LTS) came at exactly the right time for me. It gave me a safe, nurturing space, to just be and learn." The LTS programme supported her to appreciate who she wants to be, as a leader, although, as she says "I’m not necessarily there yet, but it has given me a solid platform, and helped me realise that my approach is credible, valuable, and of value. LTS is genuinely one of the most powerful leadership courses I have done. I found in LTS a different sense of being a leader. In sports it’s very male dominant, and hierarchical - female leaders presented themselves as something far away from who I naturally am, so there was no role model – I had to forge my own path."
Immi chooses to use her influence to make a difference with behaviours and perspectives, close to home, with her family and children, in her community, and how she spends money. She says the scale of what needs to be done "felt too big for one person", but that she could influence one person at a time. This influence has had a real impact on her children "who asked for a litter picker for a Christmas present." Immi goes further, "I have become more aware of how I spend my money, for example, I now go to the greengrocers and not the supermarket. I have a half-filled food bin because I’m not buying as much, and I’m not consuming as much. I’m more aware of my surroundings, for instance there are some particular roadworks near me, and I see the devastation on trees and the environment, which made me cry. All because there are too many people and too much traffic." And it makes her think “Who do we think we are?".
Immi found her way to LTS through Jake, one of the founders, "who has been helping me for six or seven years." She says that her family motivates her to keep doing this work, "my children are grounding me, and my brother and sister-in-law, they are so inspirational, and inadvertently my dad, because I know my dad’s time is running out." Immi recalls her own mother, who did much campaigning in this work, she feels she is carrying her baton. Indeed her grandparents' voices, and their belief in her, still echo in her head. The community of LTS are part of what helps her too, "In LTS I met an incredible group of people, inspiring people, different people, with drive and passion who have helped to shape me, this community of LTS, with their specialist knowledge and other ways of seeing the world, was so supportive".
Being freelance, and the main breadwinner in the family, and having two young children means that time is an issue for Immi. "I’m fixated on getting stuff done because I am the breadwinner, and that weighs heavy." Immi describes her personal struggles with Imposter Syndrome, "I worry constantly that I don’t know enough, and my lack of understanding, which means I don’t proffer too much of myself". At the same time she wants to set an example to her daughter and son, "I want to empower women, including my daughter, and I want my son to value women, and the role of women, and understand the role of misogyny. LTS helps me to do that, it drives me forward".
Immi describes overcoming these barriers as like juggling, and despite not always being able to see the way ahead clearly, she knows she will always find a way. "I get through by sorting out the big things. For example, my son hated school, and I had to focus on that and find solutions. I would like to do things more spontaneously, but I like to have a framework to plan ahead and focus on long-term things."
What’s next for Immi? "I want to take what I have learnt and apply the LTS approach to work and my leadership, and building community. I want to find a way to bring LTS into organisations, and move away from other leadership models - bringing this way to the corporate world. It’s my way to combat the broken system. I want to model another way; that things can be different."