How Our Stories Shape our Lives and Careers: Black History Month Talent Workshop

About the session

This exciting workshop is brought to you by South East Talent in partnership with the NHS England South East Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicities network. It looks at the impacts of systemic racism with an intersectional lens – and asks the question ‘how does my inner story shape my life?’. This event comes as part of this year’s theme on Black History Month, “Less words, more action” but sits in the context of much ongoing work on intersectional, inclusive career development across the South East.

We are joined by Marie-Claire Amuah and Byron Lee. Marie-Claire is the award-winning author of the new bittersweet novel One for Sorrow, Two for Joy. Byron is an inclusion expert and mindfulness practitioner with extensive experience creating safe spaces to explore the impacts of inequality in a compassionate way. We will be joined by a number of senior NHS leaders from our BAME Talent Acceleration Group for aspiring and current directors.

This evening session is hosted by Fiona Rodden, Head of Talent and Sinthujaah Suntharamoorthy, Chair of the BAME Network both from NHS England South East. Marie-Claire will share with us a reading from her book which will lead on to a stimulating panel discussion on how racism, ableism and the support from those closest to us impact our lives and careers. For the discussion, we will be joined by Shahana Ramsden, Chief People Officer at NHS Solent, Tunde Adewopo, Divisional Director at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and senior leaders from our South East BAME Talent Acceleration Group.

Byron Lee will then lead us through a compassionate and reflective workshop which explores how our inner stories shape our lives, now and in the future.

If you are able to read or listen to the book before the event, you will have a richer experience. You can find them in your local bookshop or follow the links below.

This session will touch on themes relating to domestic violence and suicide, mental health and discrimination. If you would like to speak to someone before or after the session if you are affected by some of the issues raised,  please contact [email protected]          

The book:

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy by Marie-Claire Amuah.

It’s hard to plan your future when the ghosts of the past won’t leave you alone…

Stella tries very hard to be good. She tries not to be sassy, to answer back, to be noticed. Because when Stella’s father is angry, it’s like lightning and thunder and hailstones. All she can do is touch wood… or search for magpies. Two for joy.

But as Stella begins to build a new life, her past still haunts her. It will take all her grace, courage and love to heal her wounds and break free.

Set against a backdrop of London and Ghana, Marie-Claire Amuah has produced an unforgettable exploration of intergenerational trauma. Brimming with compassion, One for Sorrow, Two for Joy offers both a sensitive portrayal of the ripple effects of domestic violence and a defiant story of friendship, resilience and hope. Read more about the book and Marie-Claire Amuah here. [insert link to hosted pdf 2-page book summary attached].

You can find the book in your local bookstore, here and at Waterstones both in print and as an audiobook, and as an e-book on Amazon and on Audible.

Who is this session for?

People of colour and those who are from ethnicities underrepresented in senior roles, who are current and aspiring leaders working in health and care in the South East from any employer. Those working to address systemic racism, who are not people of colour are also welcomed.

Book your Place:

Reserve a place via our RSVP booking system below. Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated this data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The session will be virtually

To ensure the session is made accessible for you please contact [email protected]

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About the speakers 

Marie-Claire Amuah is a British Ghanaian barrister specialising in white-collar crime. She is also a trustee of Black Cultural Archives, a national heritage charity dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain. She received the John C Laurence award from the Society of Authors to support her writing. She was born, raised and currently lives in South London.

Byron Lee has spent the past 25 years supporting individuals, teams, community and organisational development, as well as systems and culture change. His passion is supporting individuals, teams and organisations to weave together different sources of knowledge, wisdom and practice to support collaborative learning; navigate and engage with complexity, and build high-performing practices and cultures that meet the needs of service users. His current work involves supporting the development of compassionate and inclusive leadership within health and social care; system-wide culture change programmes; and building wellbeing and resilience into the system.