Real change - it starts with knowing who you are, and what you actually stand for.
That's the view shared by my inspiring guest, Michelle Brillouet, a London-based educator, coach, musician and creative, and founder and director of Clarity Hive, in the second instalment of our conversation.
If you haven't already, do listen to part one first - Coming home to yourself - where Michelle reflects on identity, migration and home, landing on the idea of home as something closer to a feeling than a place.
How can knowledge of yourself be used as a framework for effecting positive change in this world? That's what we grapple with as we delve into one of Michelle's areas of expertise: diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Michelle offers a reframing of DEI, expanding it to bring in a sense of belonging and power. She brings in concepts like sovereignty and governance, not in terms of geopolitics or even AI, but as an individual, personal practice. DEI, she argues, cannot be achieved through piecemeal work, but through integration from the very start - and it begins with us: by knowing ourselves, and what she calls \"governing ourselves.\"
Along the way, Michelle draws on a rich range of writers and thinkers who've shaped her approach, from Yoruba spirituality to Paulo Freire and bell hooks.
It all starts with knowing yourself.
Thank you, Michelle, for your generosity, gentle challenge, and wisdom.
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