The Personal is Political is Professional: Reflections for 2025

#NewYear hashtag#Reflection 2025 marks 10 years since my life pivoted irrevocably on both a personal and professional level. We rarely speak about the intersection of our personal and work lives, but it is a necessary conversation. In my case, after long and strategic conversations with my then husband, I resigned from my permanent position at a non-profit organisation in August 2015 to go freelance. I had secured three contracts and I was ready to build out, with his support, either a consultancy or a business. Just one month later, I discovered some news that caused us to separate, and suddenly found myself a single mother to an 18-month old and without secure employment.

The events that led to the separation were particularly traumatic and, as hard as I tried to put on a brave face and push through, I had to let two of the contracts go. I was due to start one of them 01 October and did, in fact, show up for training and orientation. And then, for the next two hours, I sat with the project lead consistently calling her by the wrong name, no matter how many times she corrected me. It was humiliating, but my brain literally could not compute. A few days later, I went in, told her what was happening in my personal life and withdrew from the project. I then withdrew from the second project and kept the least demanding one to tide me over into the New Year. I had no idea what I would do after that, but I knew I wasn't capable of doing anything constructive at that moment.

There is a positive ending here. In December 2015, I received a random email from an organisation where I had attended a data-journalism workshop months earlier, offering me a position as Communications Manager to start in January 2016. I both accepted the position and booked leave for my second day on the job to get divorced. The organisation was not only a miracle - but a lifesaver. They were supportive, empathetic, flexible and understanding. I worked there for about 18-months before moving to Cape Town TV and into broadcast, where The Womxn Show was eventually born. 

 My first time on TV, being interviewed by Morning Live about one of our social impact projects.

The irony is: I had traditionally always shied away from leadership or management positions. I would never have agreed to any of the positions I had been offered - particularly getting in front of a camera - had I not gotten divorced. When I do workshops on public speaking, I say that since the worst thing had already happened, my fear of making a mistake on live TV paled in comparison. 

There's no moral to this story really, only miracles. And, perhaps, solidarity. It was not easy balancing a new job, single mothering, divorce court and relationship trauma, but I managed to thrive thanks to a supportive workplace, leadership and team. Perhaps the moral is that the line between work and life (balance) is thinner than you think. Perhaps a more supportive workplace can be better for your people AND your bottom line. 

See https://leninarassool.wixsite.com/mysite for more samples of my work or to get in touch.