85 of Resurgo’s supporters and staff gathered on Friday 6 March to mark International Women’s Day 2020.

 

The event, sponsored by MAPP and with the support of NBC Universal and Unilever, explored the topic of ‘fulfilment’.

 

Jo Rice, CEO of Resurgo, was joined by an impressive panel of women, including past Spear-trainee Yetunde Ekuntuyi, Resurgo Ventures alumni Anneka Wallington, and Resurgo Trustee and COO of This Works, Seema Paterson.

 

Each panellist gave personal insight into what fulfilment means for them, drawing out similar themes of gratitude and being present.

 

Yetunde spoke of fulfilment in each day, saying, “a year ago, I thought fulfilment was success, money, people knowing my name. Now, I think fulfilment is loving what I do, getting through and enjoying each day.”

 

Anneka, who joined the event on the day her social enterprise ‘Recognised’ was launching in Peter Jones, similarly spoke of fulfilment as being content in a particular moment or season, saying, “when we’re not fulfilled, we’re restless.”

 

Seema spoke of the role of gratitude, saying, “I’m able to stay fulfilled by being grateful for life, job, colleagues. In a terrible week, I force myself to be grateful for even the small things.”

 

Jo Rice made note that seeking fulfilment is not a gender-specific desire, applauding the men in the room, and spoke of how seeing others fulfilled can be fulfilling to ourselves.

 

Iona Ledwidge, Executive Director of Spear, shared her own journey and story, explaining how many of the barriers she has faced have been internal. She delved into how lack of self-belief can hold women back, suggesting that, “Sometimes we need to make a shift in ourselves to see a shift in society. We need a significantly bigger vision for what we can achieve as women.”

 

Iona led guests through a practical coaching exercise, encouraging the room to ask each other probing questions about barriers to fulfilment. Similar themes of feeling inadequate, overthinking, and comparing to others, were vocalised in the room.

 

A time of networking provided guests with opportunity to continue these conversations, whilst enjoying cakes provided by Luminary Bakery, and the impressive views over the London skyline from NBC Universal’s event space.

 

To find out more about Resurgo’s work, see here: www.resurgo.org.uk

To get in touch with our Corporate Partnerships team about how you can be involved in Resurgo’s work, see here: www.resurgo.org.uk/spear-programme/corporate-sponsorship/