Disruptor...
Last night I was invited to talk at Conway Hall, London.
It’s near one of my favourite areas of London, a place where I spent many years as a designer and listening to my dad talk about the brilliant pubs he would frequent after his days working at a newspaper. It’s steeped in history, and I love being able to see these connections to our past.
Towards Holborn sits Conway Hall, home of the Ethical Society and a champion of free thought. It was a place I felt immediately comfortable in, with its library packed with books pushing boundaries and ideas. I was fortunate to get a little tour of the building, including the music manuscripts of Eliza Flower, who wanted to write secular hymns and songs during a time when religion was all many people knew.
I was invited to talk about my work, and it was an hour of discussion, sharing ideas and knowledge. It was an intimate group who braved the heavy rain and Tube strikes, but one that was interested in talking about the impact of our education system and diagnosis.
What I love about in-person events is that they allow us the freedom of discussion that online spaces often do not. We can discuss even the trickier subjects that perhaps would be shut down on social media. After all, where would we be without pushing our ideas and exploring different sides and opinions?
What did come up was the pressure and irrelevance many of us, and many young people, feel towards our education system, and the long-term impact it can have.
I was even called a disruptor last night, which I felt quite proud of after years of being good and pleasing others!
Tonight this discussion will continue in my webinar, What If They Really Are Trying?, where we’ll be discussing the latest themes from my book Could Try Harder and the impact of our unmet and unseen needs.
I hope we can continue to disrupt and push a few more boundaries.
So, see you there!
Keep it up!👍