The Big 6 – My Leadership Journey
The Big 6 – Christina’s story
Based on Jenny Rossiter’s inspiring personal insights into her neurodiversity and leadership challenges, in October 2022, she launched the Big 6, an online leadership coaching programme for neurodiverse women, aiming to unlock their potential and the power of their difference.
With an emerging focus on neurodiversity at work and the need to maximise talent, many business leaders are left scratching their heads, “How can we maximise this un-tapped potential?“
In 2009, Professor Julie Logan reported that 35% of entrepreneurs were dyslexic versus 1% of corporate managers. Further research has shown that people with ADHD are also more likely to start businesses, but unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to women. Whichever way we cut it, the gender & neurodiverse leadership gap is real — inequality affects people. Not only for the women directly, but for their families, the economy and humanity.
As a Neurodiverse female leader and business owner of 13 years, Jenny left the corporate world because her difference wasn’t welcome, and her difficulties were ignored. She, like many women, has horror stories of their treatment at work, along with others that make us proud and alive.
We know it is possible to maximise talent and bring out the leadership potential of us all.
As an executive leadership coach, I’ve since worked with the most incredible leaders who demand difference and diversity of thought. Innovation, risk-taking and complex problem-solving—essential leadership behaviours. Leadership is not separate from who we are. It is how we live our lives and show up in the world.
Regardless of our circumstances, leaders see new pathways,
Regardless of our roles, we need differences to grow.
The shameful waste of talent
So with this need for the difference in leadership, how does this place the neurodiverse (ND) woman in the talent queue? I wish I had better news, but sadly, I don’t. From our findings, we found that ND women in the workplace are often undiagnosed, unsupported and undervalued. Along with disparities in pay, healthcare and representation, it’s also a shameful waste of talent.
Women not only have to face challenges such as gender bias and systemic patriarchy, but we are almost completely unseen – until now. For many women with neurodiverse conditions, there is an incredible backstory and an unseen leadership journey.
In honour of launching The Big 6 in October 2022—and ADHD awareness month in the UK, we will be sharing the incredible stories from the founding Big 6 members and most inspiring Neurodiverse female leaders.
Starting with Christina Sealy, who was one of the 1st women to join the Big 6.
The Big 6 – Changing lives, 6 women at a time
Christina, tell us a bit about your life and leadership story.
I am a 42-year-old woman of European and Caribbean heritage, with a deep-held history and identity of being someone that has carried the load. The expectation of being a superwoman is not isolated to my culture and upbringing—a lot of cultures expect women to juggle everything. For all of us, this is unobtainable, but for neurodiverse women, it can be disabling and make the difference between living a life of disability and a life of success and freedom. I am one of the lucky ones. I’ve let go of outdated, unrealistic gender expectations and freed myself from a caregiving life that does not enable me.
I knew my journey to equality would be a long one—and a few experiences have made me who I am today: being a project leader in the Grenfell fire disaster, winning a diversity bursary to become a production trainee at the BBC and getting a research degree from Birkbeck, the University of London at the age of 36, to name just three.
Along with my professional journey, I’ve had a pretty tough personal journey too. I was born and raised in the multicultural underclasses of West London, the oldest child to a single mum who was raised in care. At about the age of six, I realised that I had to step up into roles that were unoccupied by other adults and my community. This was my very first lesson in leadership and life.
What leadership lessons did you learn from your journey to equality?
I lived in Shepherds Bush and Kensington, where there is a massive gap between rich and poor. We lived in social housing in wealthy areas, which meant that my character was built from an extreme juxtaposition. On my road, I’m living with celebrities and A-listers on one side, and a mother-and-baby unit and crack houses on the other. Servants in the basement at number 2 and crack dealers in the basement at number 3…
Living in a community of overcrowding and the black economy, caught between Rastafarians and Trustafarians—I was made from extremes.
I’ve learnt to navigate my way in life and survive the system’s inequality. Learning through such differences and difficulties has made me who I am today. My courage, patience and perseverance have been my saving grace, and my business partner describes me as “an odd combination of really sweet and don’t mess with me”.
Why did you want to join the Big 6?
I wanted to join the Big 6 to manage my weaknesses and rise in my strengths. I wanted to go through a transition in my leadership journey, and now I’ve found a place with people who are willing to work that out with me. We don’t know exactly what that looks like yet – because until now, it didn’t exist – but what we do know is that as neurodiverse leaders and warriors, we will work it out.
What leadership lessons have you learnt from The Big 6 so far?
- For a start, Jen fully sees me. I feel seen and accepted for who I am. I don’t feel ashamed, and I’m not hiding any practical struggles – in fact, I feel better about them than ever because I know we all have them.
- I’m already gaining CLARITY for my vision for the future and identifying pathways to get me there.
- I am ADVOCATING for myself and feeling confident in my human rights – which I’d never really thought about until now.
- Now I am UNAPOLOGETIC—and I know I have a right to control my life just as much as anyone else.
- I’ve met some wonderful women, and I love hearing their stories and discovering how others are using a similar brain to me in different cultures and workplaces–It stops me from getting stuck in my own head.
- I am now shifting, forming a NEW IDENTITY which includes my neurodiversity and learning how I can use my brain better – I’m no longer trying to heal my wounds.
- I’m now on a mission to maximise my brain and perform at a higher level. This is about me and my leadership journey, and this is my NEW COMPASS. I’ve come back to the work that started when I was six.
We have only been in the Big 6 for one month, but already my self-advocacy is at the next level, and I’m getting some serious results.
What leadership advice would you give other women in the workplace?
- Don’t be isolated, stop thinking you must do it all yourself – this is a lie from the past.
- You don’t have to be a superwoman.
- It’s OK to let go of your gender strain, and no one has to understand you.
- Stop trying to explain who you are – come into a place where people get you and accept you as you are.
- You don’t have to be someone you’re not. As women, we come from cultures where our value is defined by how tidy we are, how organised we are and how resilient we are.
- Too much resilience is toxic. Sometimes, we need to come to a space where we can collapse and be held.
There are no expectations, and no explanation needed in The Big 6.
You don’t have to do it alone. If you want to contact me, please do.
linkedin.com/in/christinasealy/
“Jenny really shines in breaking down individual silos and human emotional barriers in order to bring teams together and boost self-awareness, team effectiveness, impact and collaboration.”
Sarah Otten, Vice President, Head of Global Market Access and Commercial Strategy
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