Reinventors - by The Crisis Compass

"When you don't know who you are, you are afraid of opinions. I am not afraid of opinion because I know who I am. And that opinion is either going to empower, enlighten, or guide me in relation to my vision."

From starting out as a child actor to becoming a lawyer, working in sales in the City, falling seriously ill, returning to theatre in the West End, and finding his true calling as a visual artist, London-based international multidisciplinary artist Adebayo Bolaji shares the journey that led him to painting and his philosophy of 'Following the Line' a continual line of someone becoming. By pausing, listening, connecting the dots, and making peace with the past.

We talk about being grateful for who you are, the illusion of overnight success, and discuss vision as the source that keeps you true to yourself and propels you forward giving strength and resilience in difficult times.

"At first noone is paying attention because who cares about 2,3,4 bricks you're laying down. You don't even see it, you might walk across it.  But when you've built the wall people wonder how that got there. And you remind them you've been there for ages. That you live with this thing every day."

"You are your own captain. You are the pilot of your life plane. It's you who decides if a situation is a threat or a chance to you."

In this episode, sports psychologist, mental flexibility expert and CEO of Groundwork, Thomas Kayer discusses his journey of needing to build mental resilience early on in life and shares recommendations for maintaining personal and business resilience during critical times. He reminds of the importance of not falling prey to a victim mentality, and that the only thing we can really control is how we live our day.

"I am hopelessly and endlessly obsessed by the way humans express themselves."

We spoke with Kelley Mullarkey, co-founder and Creative Director of culture magazine and creative agency, Majestic Disorder, and sister company MD Travels, which leads small group artisan experiences. She shares the 10 year journey of building and connecting a global community of really curious, open-minded creatives in search of the why and how we move through this world and what this ever-evolving experience looks like. Creating a space to showcase first and second generation immigrants, artists making waves in smaller cities, rural settings, indigenous communities and creating experiential journeys on the road less travelled. She shares about using barriers as opportunities, harnessing the power of reinvention to remain resilient, and keeping it real when the going gets tough.

Whether sharing homemade cookies with the man who built the world’s tallest building, trying to figure out how to build a new product from scratch, or take existing ones to the next level, Fawn Hudgens, VP, Global Content at Money 20/20 spends a lot of time picking the brains of some of the most clever individuals on the planet. 

We got to pick hers on reinvention in banking, finance, and fintech over the past year, the journey in the high-pressured events industry, and overcoming drastic life changes along the way.

'Are you this person's secretary? No, I am his boss.'

Sarah Fahy, former VP Global Tax Office at Sony, Europe discusses her journey of rising in a male-dominated field like tax, overcoming imposter syndrome, listening and answering to instinct. She shares lessons learned as a leader spearheading complex transactions and global projects, including the crucial importance of surrounding yourself with people who are different and diverse for better decision-making in and out of critical times.

What is normal anyway?  

In this pilot, we discuss how you can stay ahead by looking at what you can influence, the importance of internal communications, keeping balance, demystifying change when navigating critical situations, and treating crisis as a chance for continuous development.