Saluting our Black sisters
October is Black History Month and this year the theme is Saluting our Black sisters.’ We asked the team to tell us about the Black women who have enabled or influenced the work we do at Curve. There are so many wonderful women to choose from - here are some of the responses.
Nominated by John Monks, Co-Founder:
Yolanda Jansen is a facilitator and coach who helps leaders develop organisational cultures that are both creative and restorative. She’s been a friend of mine since we both attended the THNK School of Creative Leadership in Amsterdam in 2013. In 2021, we co-created a Restorative Circle on Racism - hoping to play a part in positive change at a time when the world was in the grip of Covid and deeply engaged with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Restorative practices pre-empt harm by improving relationships to foster a sense of community. They’re based on a set of simple techniques that address tension while avoiding endless cycles of anger, retribution, and recurrence. Our intention for the Circle was to help members by offering a safe environment to reflect on personal experiences and to choose a more restorative response to addressing racism in all its forms.
Yolanda has an unrelenting drive to create a better, fairer world, which she goes about with a huge heart and constant laughter. Her work and her approach have always inspired me to push for greater and faster change in the work I do at Curve.
“We can help change to happen when we’re courageous and resilient” – Yolanda Jansen
Nominated by Martine Kurth, Head of Delivery and Sustainability:
My inspiration is Elizabeth Mrema, Tanzanian biodiversity leader and Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Elizabeth inspires my work at Curve through her tireless work on reaching a global agreement on the protection of nature. She has a wonderful ability to recognise and acknowledge differences, but still bring people together to unite on an issue that affects us all. She was pivotal in reaching a landmark agreement at COP15 for the global target of protecting 30% of land and sea protected by 2030, bringing nature into view in the same way climate is.
"As one global community, let’s set the scene for action that will allow us to build back better, and take the actions needed for a sustainable future" - Elizabeth Mrema
Nominated by Rachel Davies, Head of Coaching:
My inspiration is Maya Angelou, the author, poet, activist, dancer, singer and scholar.
Dr. Maya Angelou’s book, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ paints a rich picture of the American South at a time of segregation and poverty, sharing what it was like to be a Black girl growing up then.
I was incredibly moved by her stories, written so vividly that I can still conjure up the images in my mind years later. I think I’m most moved by her vulnerability, and her willingness to share the hard experiences that shaped who she was. Through her story-telling, I understand much more about her background and how much she needed to overcome, and I am in awe of how much she achieved in her life.
When watching her perform ‘Still I Rise’ the message is clear - the human spirit is strong. I find her message deeply inspiring, that ‘Up from a past that’s rooted in pain’ we can emerge, powerful, proud and fabulous.
“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill,
of things unknown, but longed for still,
and his tune is heard on the distant hill,
for the caged bird sings of freedom.”
Nominated by Lizzie Shupak, Co-Founder:
I’ve chosen Emma Case, Founder of Women Beyond the Box, a platform that amplifies the stories of Neurodivergent women in leadership positions, to make it easier for the next generation of women to find their way through their diagnoses and their professional careers.
If it weren’t for Emma’s willingness to be vulnerable on stage at a Creative Equals event, I’d still be undiagnosed, floundering my way around, blaming myself for my inability to show up in the world in the same way as other people. Having first been inspired by Emma, as an audience member, to then being coached by her, before, during and after my ADHD diagnosis, to then be recognised in her 2022 list of Neurodivergent Female Leaders and finally to Curve being a sponsor of the 2023 list, Emma’s personal interventions and professional achievements have brought an extraordinary amount to me personally and to Curve collectively.
The willingness to say “this is who I am”, in order to make it easier for others to follow suit, is generous and powerful. Her work is a constant reminder to stay away from Victim mode, and instead to step into creating things that are fundamentally better.
"After I found out that I had ADHD, I searched online for communities to join, at that time I desperately wanted reassurance and proof that Neurodivergent women could and do thrive in their careers, businesses and life in general. I’d hoped to find women like me, women who were using their innate differences to their advantage, women who were doing well because of their difference - not in spite of it." – Emma Case