Speaker Focus – Anj Handa

When we launched the business back in 2019 one of the speakers, we had the privilege of starting to work with was Anj Handa. Anj is the inspirational founder of Inspiring Women Changemakers and keynote speaker on self-care, harnessing diverse talent and gender equality.

As part of our new Speaker Focus series, Anj took the time out to answer some of our questions and to share her thoughts on the year ahead.

QUESTIONS

Thanks for your time Anj. In terms of your speaking and consultancy work, what are some of the current key issues and topics you are finding your clients are looking for at the moment?

Although the various lockdowns ended a few years ago, I have found that it has only been in the last 12-18 months that organisations have become comfortable with remote/hybrid ways of working and have been shaping their strategies and models in line with this.

There appears to have been a knock-on effect in terms of staff engagement and wellbeing, and stakeholder engagement more broadly. This has been coupled with polarisation of views within social and political settings around the world.

Many of the projects I’ve been involved in have been about ensuring that different stakeholder voices are heard and are incorporated into clients’ organisational plans. In the non-profit sector, this has been even more pertinent.

In your experience, is Diversity and Inclusion still a priority for clients or has there been a shift away in the past year or so?

First, there’s a fundamental misunderstanding about what diversity, equity and inclusion is. Too often, it’s thought of as an ideology, with terms that change over time. I’ve worked in this field for 20 years and the organisations that understand it’s about taking actions and allocating sufficient budget to harness talent, built trust, deepen existing relationships and potentially reach new markets are the ones that flourish.

In simple terms, it’s about fairness, respect, equity, dignity and autonomy – five human rights that should be applied to everybody – and I mean every body!

Several funders I’ve worked with have been ‘shifting power’ in their grant making. This is the practice of centring the voices of those who have historically been excluded from decision-making processes. It also places a value their lived experience expertise. I have seen how this builds trust, speeds up decision-making and enhances reputation.

Do you feel organisations can be doing more to improve cultural psychological safety and safeguarding within their organisations?

Some organisations take performative action without ensuring the cultural or psychological safety of the people that work with them. For example, remember the number of black squares in place of logos that appeared all over social media in 2020? What did those organisations do to support staff and other stakeholder wellbeing during the race hate riots in summer 2024?

Last summer, I supported so many racially diverse people who were expected to travel to for meetings even though they were too scared to step outside, meetings that could’ve been held online or postponed. Many hadn’t even received a check in call from their employers. It led to further ‘quiet quitting’ and in some cases, not so quiet resignations.

There is also a tendency by organisations to over-focus on race and gender at the expense of other characteristics. In the UK, nine characteristics are protected under equality law, such as disability, age and maternity. Some of these characteristics overlap, presenting additional barriers and challenges.

Too many organisations fail to upskill managers and their boards in these matters. Lack of support or failure to spot/deal with issues early on can have a significant impact on an organisation’s reputation and bottom line. Often, these issues are preventable! There is always a need for inclusive, accessible approaches which receive continued attention and investment.

Tell us a little bit more about your Radical Self Care for Changemakers speech?

In this keynote, I talk about the importance of putting your own oxygen mask on first and why self-care is essential if you are to show up as your most effective and engaged self.

In it, I cover the impact of change on physical and mental wellbeing and introduce the concept of a double change curve, using the pandemic as an illustration. I also describe how individuals can build their resilience toolkit, sharing tools and techniques they can take away.

I have a programme for changemakers by the same name which organisations can commission for their teams. It’s an evidence-based programme based on the Myers and Sweeney ‘Inherent Self’ model for wellbeing.

Who inspires you, and other than yourself, was there any other speaker that you have seen that you would recommend?

My close friend and speaker, Elizabeth Wright PLY is my biggest inspiration. Liz lived at my home in Leeds for six years before moving back to Syndey when pandemic restrictions lifted.

Liz is limb different and is a three-time Paralympic medal winner. She’s an exceptional storyteller. As a speaker and MC, she’s given talks for the likes of Twitter (before it became X), hosts national disability conferences in Australia and is now an ABC News Reporter. To me, Liz is inspirational not because of what she has achieves as a disabled woman but because of her open heart, creativity and wisdom. These attributes radiate from her and keep her audience members hooked.

She’s also a massive over-achiever but has humility with it – a rare combination. We have learned so much about race and disability allyship from each other. Lucky me to have a friend like her!

Lastly, I know you are a keen gardener, any personal tips you can offer a novice gardener?

Don’t be deterred if a seed doesn’t take, or a plant looks sad. It may surprise you and recover. Or maybe not. Chalk it up to experience and keep experimenting. Oh, and support can help plants that are flopping over over or blowing about. The same can be applied to business!

For more details information on Anj’s speaking work please visit her webpage and below is an interview with Anj for AllVoices.