Sarah Shellaby
Intergenerational Conversations: Sarah Shellaby
Activism has its challenges, but luckily for us there are plenty of people who are doing the work. That’s why we’re hosting a series of intergenerational conversations with changemakers who are doing the work, all of whom also volunteer their time to mentor our Resilience Project Co-Hosts. This week we have Sarah Shellaby. Sarah is a coach and global leadership development professional with over 14 years of experience. Through her work at UNITECH International Society and the World Economic Forum’s Global Leadership Institute, Sarah has led, developed and nurtured leadership development programs, helping others to realise their full potential.
Activism can take many forms. How do you see the work that you do making a change in the climate and wellbeing sector?
As a leadership development consultant and coach, I am supporting teams and individuals in developing the core interpersonal and intrapersonal skills required to reach some of their sustainability and wellbeing targets. Unfortunately the climate change battle is a marathon not a sprint and to endure a marathon one needs to develop strong emotional resilience and grit.
Sustaining activism and change-making work can be difficult in many ways. What uncertainty have you faced that threatened continuing your work in climate and wellbeing, and how did you maneuver that uncertainty?
I have learned the importance of keeping an open communication stream with myself. This allows me to observe when my batteries start to feel depleted, my confidence level drops or my frustration level rises and take the relevant steps to ground myself again. I also believe in the importance of celebrating the small milestones that are stepping stones to the overarching goal.
What does no one talk about around change-making?
The loneliness and non-linearity of change making is not sufficiently discussed. Leading change can be a lonely ride on a bumpy roller coaster. It requires patience, persistence, terrific communication skills and most importantly a safe and caring community with a shared purpose.