I’m thrilled to welcome my fifth guest to The Quiet Mic, the formidable Advita Patel: Manchester-based founder of Comms Rebel, author of two books, and the first person of colour to serve as President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Advita and I were both guests, separately, on The Comms Collective podcast, and we have instant shorthand: from the same region and generation, working in the same industry, and as women of colour, sharing similar challenges and experiences.
At its heart, this is a frank, forward-looking conversation about finding your voice, and claiming it for yourself and others. Advita has invested in herself and done the deep work, and she shares the lessons she has learned generously.
Her direct, no-nonsense energy is inspiring and infectious. Even when we’re discussing difficult things, she shares pearls of wisdom and actionable insights.
In this first of two parts, Advita talks about growing up believing she had to conform to succeed, and the confidence crash in 2018 that made her rethink everything. She shares the years of “unconditioning” that followed, and the friend who held up the mirror when she needed it. Transformation followed: the Comms Rebel was founded on Advita's desire to be a 'positive disruptor.'
We talk about difference, like class and race, and the quiet cost of “shrinking yourself” in rooms where you’re one of few. We reflect openly on the conditioning many minoritised people grew up with: keep your head down, don’t rock the boat.
Advita also brings her expert diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) lens to the conversation. We discuss her championing of 'cultural addition' over 'culture fit' within teams and organisations, bringing in diversity in all its forms, including cognitive styles.
We also talk about why people stay silent, and what it takes to build a community that tells you you’re not alone.
Part two is coming soon: we dissect some of the difficult backlash against DEI, and Advita shares practical guidance for anyone who wants to constructively support this space. She reflects on what a trip to India showed her about cultural traits and cultural adjustment, linking it back to her own upbringing in and around Manchester.
Thank you, Advita, for your candour, grounded advice, and positive energy.
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