What TED’s New Orleans Changed

In 2011, I worked at the Akshara Foundation Foundation and struggled to build the Karnataka Learning Learning Partnership platform. I am unsure how I came across the TED Conferences Support program and wrote to Renee Freedman to see if I might be a good candidate. Fortunately, I was, and the Collaboratium later that year changed my life. The three days in New Orleans and working with Adéwalé Ajàdí reframed my idea of leadership. It was an “OH SHIFT” moment that has stayed with me and influenced my work ever since. Over the past decade, I have found the most evocative moments of my life have been in the company of other leaders learning and sharing their struggles. More recently, I have realised how much I wanted to help build a world where people can lead themselves and each other in an environment of creativity, collaboration and self-empowerment. At some point during the pandemic, Sumitra Pasupathy pointed me to Bamboo Being I took the plunge. Today, as I sat down to coffee with Sumi, this journey has come full circle. I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: Certified Integral Coach from the Graduate School of Business – University of Cape Town! Doing this alongside thoughtful co-travellers like Deepa I. has been fun.

I am excited to pay it forward! Thank you, Sue Adams and Cathy Johnson. It’s been a minute!

Originally written for LinkedIn on 1 March 2023. View original →