This week, a year after I started, I got my Certificate of Engagement from IAP2 Australasia. The course has been a whirlwind trip through the IAP2 approach to public participation and engagement, which has definitely made me think more carefully about how to engage with people in a meaningful way, as I move through theContinue reading “Certificated!”
Category Archives: Life
Handling email overload
Email is a blessing and a curse. Here are my tips for keeping it manageable.
Feeding our liver lover
Our lurcher Roxy is very food-motivated, but we have found that quite a few shop-bought treats disagree with her tummy. She seems to tolerate liver treats best of all, (while recognising that they need to be used in moderation). I’ve started buying chicken livers from my local market and making treats for her at home.Continue reading “Feeding our liver lover”
Taming the curls
When I was about 32 my hair underwent a big change. I had a drastic hair cut (think Annie Lennox circa Sweet Dreams) and when it grew back it was curly. It wasn’t any sort of problem until I moved to South-East Australia – from 80% average humidity to 55%: not what my curls likeContinue reading “Taming the curls”
Lessons of an unusual year
So that was 2020. It wasn’t the year any of us thought we would have. It has changed us in fundamental ways, at a micro and macro level. Rather than writing resolutions for the year to come, I have decided to write a list of main lessons of 2020, in a hope that they willContinue reading “Lessons of an unusual year”
The women that made me
I started this International Women’s Day thinking about the women who have made me who I am today. Each one of them has taught me an important lesson (or several!) about the person, and woman, I want to be in this world of ours. This is my tribute to them. Ilse Mochan (née Cruttwell)I wouldContinue reading “The women that made me”
Do things that scare you
Isn’t that the saying? I certainly did that this weekend, if by scare you mean putting yourself in a position where you are asking others to rely on you to deliver in an area where you have limited expertise. Let me explain. This weekend I took part in #SheHacks2017, the world’s biggest all-female hackathon. YouContinue reading “Do things that scare you”
Another change
About three and half years ago, I left my full-time job at the European Commission to move to Australia and go to university. Since then I have gained a Masters degree, run workshops, managed an online project, moderated panels at conferences, set up systems to help a graphic design studio work more effectively and learnedContinue reading “Another change”
Thinking about a PhD
I’m enjoying life in Australia and my work at Uniting is really keeping me busy and stretching me. But I know that my visa runs out in 2020 and I really need to start thinking about what comes next. One of the ideas that has been sat on the backburner for a bit is applyingContinue reading “Thinking about a PhD”
The value of pausing and listening
This post was originally published on 22 May 2017. I liked this piece in HBR on holding good meetings. Having sat through a fair few interminable meetings in my time, quite a lot of it resonated. One particular element made me think about a wider issue. The author writes: Pausing conveys that you’re not interested inContinue reading “The value of pausing and listening”