Angela Philip – Helping women find their power and RISE

Meet Angela Philip

Toulouse, France
www.queenofpossible.com

Tell us a little about yourself – where are you from and who and what is important in your life?

What’s important in my life? My family in every sense of the word, which includes my friends – and making sure to achieve 50% representation of women in leadership in the world before I turn 60 and I’m 50 in September What else is important? Living an exhilarating and ordinary extraordinary life. Creating time for play and playing as I work. Laughter, deep laughter, loving life and people. Oh – and I’m a Kiwi who lived in Aussie who came to France to save the world at UNESCO. I’d say more now that we don’t save the world, we create it.

We all have previous chapters in our stories – Tell me about your working life/business experiences before now?

Have done everything from picking boysenberries (ok – I was 11) to working in hospitality.Was a professional conference producer for a number of years before I started working as a consultant for UNESCO – which was my dream job, in women’s and girls’ basic education.

Have also been a contemporary artist, a marketing manager for a Space consultancy and homeschooled my kids.

Please provide a snapshot of your business

Hmmm – I create leadership adventures for women who want to deepen the impact they want to have on the world, improve their creativity in the face of challenges and difficulty, and refine their leadership in the process. Basically I specialise in helping women redefine and create the impossible. What I most love about how my business works is the exchange with women and girls in developing countries as we help each other to rise. And the adventure. Because I love adventure too.

Assuming you are now in “Your Next Chapter”, what led you here? Tell me about your purpose, your why, the difference you want to make, who you are called to serve?

For as long as I can remember I’ve sat somewhere between a privileged and underprivileged (at least financially – not necessarily in happiness) world. Working with women, I join those two worlds together to empower them both. Already, women are underrepresented in leadership in all areas, the world over and we treat ourselves as a niche, yet we are 50% of the population.I believe that as long as we have whole cultures where women are not in their rightful, and necessary place as equal, humanity, and the world as a whole, can not thrive -yet we have the potential to do so. So my life is dedicated to helping women find and own their power by joining women trailblazers and leaders in the developed world with women and girls in the developing world (I’m still looking for another term for this), improving collaboration, the sharing of ideas, understanding and helping women RISE as a whole.

What did you find most challenging about getting started/moving in a new direction?

Working on my own.Which is ridiculous as I so believe in collaboration. This is why I called on you first Ange and I’m so thankful I did. I would wholeheartedly say to everyone, get a coach, and find a tribe that will support you through the challenges that there will invariably be doubt. And Not knowing where to start. Again – sit in not knowing. Get a tribe. Get a coach.

What have you found most fulfilling?

Collaborating with other women.Rising to challenges I absolutely thought were out of my reach and impossible. Doing the impossible feeds my soul every day.

Have you experienced self-doubt? What causes it to flare and how do you work through it when it hits?

Ahhhh – only every single day.I have nightmares regularly about being in a cardboard box on the street and my children needing to support me – every time I step up and take big bounds forward. My IC hounds me permanently and I even noticed I was waking up with a frown. Getting wrinkles overnight!!! Arggghhh

To help – honestly – having a coach.

On a daily level – reading something exceptionally positive every morning. EVERY MORNING NO EXCEPTIONS. Relentlessly coming back to self-care and watching the words I use to speak myself into the world and in my head.
Sport, yoga, meditation and rigorously keeping my young ideas from people who have never tried anything new themselves. I only keep my business ideas for people who have the courage to try their own.

How do you feel you have grown since you started?

I’ve become a full-blown, full-grown adult. My confidence has blossomed (even though I have fear and doubt regularly – that’s just part of the human condition and process). I own who I am and my mission drives me. I care a damn sight less about what people think of me. It’s liberating. I’m free.

What has been most effective for you when it comes to sharing your message and attracting clients?

Picking up the phone and calling!! You told me that Ang. I used to be scared rigid but I did it. Saying what I really think and not saying what I think people want to hear. I never push the button on a post unless it scares me now.

Have you developed any particular habits/strategies that facilitate getting things done in your business?

Yep – your calendar blocking process is invaluable.When I’m not fully booked, I pretend that I am, and organise myself as if I was. Otherwise I get lazy.

Why do you feel women in the 40’s and beyond make fabulous entrepreneurs?

Because we are determined, organised, powerful and full of creativity and fabulous ideas. In my case too, my kids are getting older and that has freed me up to concentrate on my business. Having said that – they never stopped me before, but I had a good number of late nights and very early mornings there for a while after they were in bed as taking time together as a family has always been important to me.

What would you say to other women who are standing on the edge of their own Next Chapter, not sure if they can take the leap?

Leap and the net will appear. You are never sure. Stop waiting to be. It’s a fallacy.
Start informing yourself, ask questions, get a coach, put yourself out there, start. JUST START.

What’s next for you? Share your vision!

My vision is a world of 50% women leaders who are strong in integrity, creativity and collaboration – the world over!!! Not leaving any cultures out.I’m only running my first RISE adventure this year in Uganda with the Grow Hope Foundation. I’ll be running more of these worldwide, in other countries. This isn’t about imposing a ‘white sovereign’ way of working, but rather understanding human power and potential that comes from within. So it’s about co-creating new futures for all of us that value, and respect women ‘as each of us would individually and culturally collectively define our ‘impossible success’. I’m curious to know more about the world we can create with an exchange of ideas and more women collaborating with others to make the most of our potential.

When I’m facing something new and challenging I…
Go for a run. Get space from it. Breathe, get curious, then lean the hell into the edge.

I know my greatest strengths are…
Optimism, Creativity, Listening, Curiosity, Dogminded determination.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
Don’t wait.

One of my favourite books is…
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez and I Dare you by William Danforth Also, Never split the difference by Chris Voss.

My favourite Podcast is…
Yours!

My favourite business tool or resource is…
Too many to say

My favourite quote is…
To change one’s life, start immediately, do it flamboyantly, no exceptions.

Not many people know that I…
Think they are awesome.
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Angela Raspass

Angela Raspass is Business Strategist and Self-leadership Coach for female business owners.

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