R&R SHEROES

Madeleine Black has experienced more in her life than most ever will — or would ever want to. Most people who have gone down a similar road have ended up either dead, in mental wards, homeless, addicted to drugs, or in jail. Few have walked away from such carnage with her quiet dignity and led a life that is, by many standards, enviable. Madeleine was gang raped when she was 13 years old. She was consequently raped 3 more times before the age of 18. One might wonder how such things could happen and potentially make judgements about such people and what they must have done to bring on such events. In a matter of a few, short chapters, the reader will see how a slippery slope can be created from the horrible actions of just one night. The events of that first rape were so traumatic, it took Madeleine many years and a lot of hard work to uncover the memories of that attack. She, like so many others who have been raped or violently attacked, suffered from PTSD and numerous phobias and at times debilitating psychological challenges. As those memories bubbled up, she questioned their veracity, questioned her own mind. Could she believe such things? Would she make up such things? All the while, she was doing her best to exact what she called her “best revenge” plan on those who attacked her: leading a good, productive, happy life. But the road to living such a life was long and painful. So how does one emerge from such depths? And can others do it as well? Madeleine tells her story in vivid, candid detail. Her words are simple and straight. Her story is accessible and relatable, even to those who have not suffered such hardships. That’s because her message is about how a person chooses to recover from adversity. It’s not about what knocks a person down, it’s how they get back up. Forgiveness was the key for Madeleine. That may sound simple or trite, but true forgiveness is neither of those. True forgiveness takes genuine effort. It takes a real desire to understand those who may have done us harm. It takes caring enough about one’s self to take the necessary steps. It’s not about God or religion or faith or prayer. It’s about understanding the human predicament and coming to terms with that. It may take effort, but Madeleine shows us that it’s worth the effort. And really, if we’ve already suffered hardship, what do we have to lose? In this podcast, Madeleine shares her amazing story of courage and resilience and determination. We also share some of the ways in which rape victims and other victims of abuse can be helped. It is shocking to see how many violent criminals including rapists are walking free from court after lenient sentences. Britain has the lowest rape conviction rate in Europe. On top of that, there is no proper support system to help or counsel these victims. Counselling is often very expensive and cannot be afforded by most victims. We also discussed if how each coach and mentor out there took it upon themselves to take on board even one victim and help the latter in getting back to life, the world will be a much better place to live in. Madeleine's message to everyone is that it's never too late to find your voice and that you can learn to be okay. She says that it's not about what a person knocks down but it's how they get back up. It's not really what happened to us that's important. It I what we do with what happened to us that really matters. Madeleine can be followed on her various social media accounts LinkedIn: Madeleine Black Facebook: MadeleineBlackUnbroken Twitter: @madblack65 Instagram: @madblack65 Website: www.madeleineblack.co.uk

Mrs Bushra Nasir was a secondary headteacher with 20 years’ experience at Plashet School in the London Borough of Newham before retiring in December 2012. She was the first Muslim female headteacher of a secondary school in the UK. In 2003, she was awarded a CBE for her services to education and in 2005 won the ‘Asian Professional Woman of the Year’ award. She served on the General Teaching Council from 2000 to 2005 and was president of the Muslim Teachers’ Association for six years. In 2006, Mrs Nasir was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of East London for her services to education; in 2007 she received a Fellowship from Queen Mary College London. She is currently on the Education Advisory Panel for Mosaic and is a coach for the NCSL BME headteacher internship programme. She is a Council member of Queen Mary University and the Chair of the Education Committee of the Migration Project. Mrs Nasir is co-author of a book called Breaking Stereotypes, which aims to provide positive role models for ethnic minority young people. In 2009, she was named in the top 10 list of Muslim women in the ‘Muslim Power’ list produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and published in The Times. She was special advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2007 Mrs Nasir was awarded TES Headteacher of the Year in summer 2012. She has also been named as the top 10 most influential asian women in UK. In this interview she discusses her transition to a new country as an 8 year old child, her career, some inspiring life lessons and much more. She advocates: Staying True To Your Identity Honing Your Skills & Investing In Training & Development Working Hard Making The Best Out Of The Opportunities Given To You She can be contacted at bushranasir786@hotmail.com

What can I say about a woman who is so phenomenal? I have the honor of having Jenny as my role model and mentor ever since I moved to London. Jenny’s mission is to transform the world for everyone, one empowered woman at a time. She uses her years of experience in coaching and leadership to inspire and motivate people, working with them to deliver career and life changing results beyond expectation. Awarded APCTC Women’s Coach of the Year 2014, Jenny is a sought after executive coach, author of Rocking Your Role, the how to guide to success for female breadwinners, speaker, and founder of Reflexion Associates leadership consultancy and Rocking Ur Teens CIC She is recipient of numerous prestigious awards, a Tedex speaker and a TV expert. In this conversation, Jenny talks about the challenges faced by women bread earners and shares some great strategies to handle this role well. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview and learned some important insights and I am sure you will too. Take a listen! You can find more about her at http://www.jennygarrett.global

Our next guest is a power house! From working as a well reputed civil servant and receiving the prestigious MBE rank to writing an incredible book and founding The Power Of Staff Networks, Cheron is truly an IWEE Shero The Power of Staff Networks was founded by Cherron Inko-Tariah. Cherron is a former civil servant and has undertaken leadership roles in various policy and strategic positions across Whitehall, including working with Ministers and Permanent Secretaries. She is passionate about staff networks and the positive impact these can have on the individual and the organization. An accomplished Chair of a number of staff networks (one to award-winning status), Cherron has facilitated bespoke training to educate employees on the benefits of proactive development. During her career, she has achieved a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, and a Masters in Employment Studies and Human Resource Management. She qualified in HR with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and is also a qualified career coach with the Institute of Leadership and Management. In 2011, Cherron received an MBE for her services to HM Government and, also for her work in the faith community with young people. In this episode, Cheron talks about the importance and impact of Staff Networks also popularly known as ERG in US. She can be found on the following social media platforms www.thepowerofstaffnetworks.co.uk Twitter: @POSNetworks #power Facebook: www.facebook.com/powerofstaffnetworks Instagram: POSNgram

Michelle Green is the author and teacher behind The Business of Baking, which teaches business skills to people who want to turn their baking hobby into a profitable business. She is also an entrepreneur, writer, podcaster, mentor and a mum of triplets. She is passionate about educating and inspiring people to give their dreams a good shot at becoming reality. Interestingly these days the blog is attracting loads of non-bakers, because they all share one common goal, which is to see if they can make small business actually work for them. Her aim is to tell people how it really is while still encouraging them to go for it and give them the practical tools to make it happen. She shares her real-life stories, with all the ups and downs to demonstrate that everyone can do it and yet she doesn't sugar-coat the experience. The most common feedback she gets is, “Thank you for your refreshing honesty!” There are many talented people out there who are masters of the skills of their trade but they lack the business skills to make it all come together. In this episode Michelle shares some kick ass advice and first hand experiences with the listeners, who are probably going through similar things in their own businesses, to inspire them and help them succeed. Some of the topics she covered in this episode are •Working from home (without losing your mind or mastering Candy Crush instead of working) •Being a mum and a business owner (and surviving both!) •Taking the step from hobby to business •How to market your business when you’re on a shoestring budget or you’re an introvert •Dealing with difficult clients Her special message to the audience: "Don't give up on having a life because you want to have a business but don't give up on having a business because you want to have a life! I meet so many people who say that Michelle, I can't start a business because my children are too young or I am too old, too short, too tall, too stupid, too broke, too whatever but I say....Oh gosh, please just start it, if you have a fire within you than just do it, maybe it will be imperfect but better be imperfect and done than never done!"