Ayo Sokale

Sustainability

We have heard it all before, we are facing a climate change challenge. An existential crisis. What does it mean for modern day professionals? How do we all go about contextualising this and as a result taking suitable actions. 

Ayo talks about the sustainability triad – The environment, Social and the Economy & the UNSDG’s goal role in outlining the breadth of the challenge. The importance of Biodiversity, Single use plastic reduction. The role of the individual, businesses, and government.  As well, as environmental and climate injustice – the undue spread of consequence on certain communities with case-studies from the UK and US. 

She also has a discussion on our journey as people on the journey to sustainability and humanity upcoming pitfalls such using shame and force and forgetting historical context in their bid to achieve the sustainability goals. 

Her sustainability talks can also include the following lens: 

• Sustainability and the economy (Do our current economic practice make the cut?) 
• Sustainability and human psychology – growth and expansion (Natural desire to expand and grow – in natural conflict with the need to consume less etc) 
• Sustainability and class (The undue impact of natural consequence & policy on lower class – UK centric) 
• Sustainability and the future (Children, Malthusian Theory)
• Sustainability and mental health (Rise in Nihilism and fear for the future)
• Sustainability and technology (Case studies from the Built environment) 
• Sustainability and Innovation – what is innovation (research, implement technology, learning from failure, collaboration and sharing knowledge)
• Climate change –The case for change – Adaption and Mitigation

Women In tech/Construction and STEM

Today, in the modern world, the focus has shifted to the fight for equal representation of women in tech, construction, and broader STEM fields. Ayo discusses the importance of this representation, emphasizing the need for women to be present in spaces where the built environment and technology that impact our lives are designed and implemented.

She also presents a different perspective by examining careers predominantly held by women and questioning how these careers are perceived and valued. Ayo explores the significant ways these industries positively influence the world and uses this exploration to challenge biases and the manifestations of these biases in these fields.

Ayo addresses myths and folklore about feminine and masculine energies, illustrating how these concepts have been redefined over time. She highlights how limiting these definitions impacts our behaviors and expectations, contributing to bias.

She also draws parallels with the natural diversity in the world, referencing Gary Ferguson’s “8 Master Lessons of Nature.” She illustrates how the diversity found in wildflowers plays a crucial role in ecosystems and can be extrapolated to impact our wider lives.

Diversity

What does Diversity truly mean? What does Diversity Utopia look like? Commonly we think of diversity as diverse peoples in a space. But is that truly diverse?

The evolutionary case for in group vs Out group mentality.

How does diversity and assimilation come together?
How does diversity work in our current hierarchical structure, which values some people as less than? – Is diversity in all levels of society possible?
This is a discursive style talk, there are no answers. Just the posing of questions to support the audience in achieving ultimately a DIVERSE understanding.

Value the Difference
The world needs diversity of thought.
As a black autistic woman in STEM, Ayo was often advised to be XYZ. Because XYZ was valued more and viewed more favourable. That is not diversity, that is external difference and internal assimilation. That is not inclusion, that is a form of exclusion.

The world needs to create spaces for everyone to show up authentically knowing they will receive respect at work and their value will be seen even if their approach and style is different. So, how do you go about that? What are the current barriers? Etc These are questions Ayo explores in her talk.

Neurodiversity Talks

What is neurodiversity? It is estimated that 30-40% of the world is neurodiverse.

So, why is the conversation just getting started? Furthermore, are we having the right conversations?
Ayo chats through famous neurodiverse people to bring the message home that there are so many people that are unknown to us, that are neurodiverse. She talks about her neurodiversity and journey to sharing.

Ayo talk about what the various kinds of neurodiversity mean for the individual – strengths and potential support needs.

She advises how we can all provide space, places and be the people that allow neurodiverse individual to be themselves and to thrive?
She raises the alarm and speak on the importance of caution in our neurodiversity narrative talking about the value of neurodiversity but also Inherent worth as a counter to purely economic narrative of the value neurodiverse people bring to business. Ayo talks about this through the lens of Alan Turing’s difficult life and incredible contributions.

She shares tips and tricks for both Neurodiverse people and non-neurodiverse so all people can do their part in this journey to inclusion.

Social Commentary Talks

So, you are different and a little disruptive?

Some many of us feel different and a little disruptive in the spaces, places we find ourselves. In this informative talk, Ayo uses personal and researched case-studies to explore the idea of being different, the genetic and evolutionary reason we pay attention to our difference and how this can cause dis-ease. She makes a case for and against ditching our evolutionary desire to be a part of a tribe outlining the research and illuminating the embedded cultural stories. Ultimately, taking you on the journey to determine your values, understanding your needs and make a decision that works for you.

How to think?

• Beep – Beep – Urgent Response Required
• Beep – Beep – Political constraint identified.
• Beep – Beep – Conflicting stakeholders needs Identified.

Does this sound like your daily radar? Picking up the valid constraints in the world around you yet wanting to achieve tangible, long-lasting useful change.

In this short and catchy talk, Ayo discusses this situation – a situation that commonly faces leaders, politicians, social change maker, thought leaders and anyone working to impact the world.

She takes reflection from her political career, leadership roles and the research and map out a talk on how you truly change the world. First, she starts with YOU – understand the reality you perceive, Then the science of problem definition and the need to truly understand the positive change you want to elicit. She will discuss identity and problem solving and the common issue of attachment to the identity of solving the problem, to the extent that you don’t want change.

Ayo will talk using the GROW model to help you identify the goal, the reality, the options, and the will to change. And finally using the Kotter 8 steps to change Model to help you make the change.

She will embed her stories to bring the topic to life and share her 5-lessons learnt in making positive change in the world – Anti De-humanisation, The value of thinking in Grey, the value of positive assumptions, Understanding systems and RADICAL self-accountability.

Coaching Talks

Mapping your career

Ayo takes a holistic approach to development and career, and she shares that in this highly personal talk. She shares her lesson on leveraging growth across the various facets of our lives and cross pollinating to accelerate growth. She found this brought more sugar to her life and she shares how you can have more sugar in your life.

Ayo talks about the How you can hack your potential and take the scary actions required. But maybe more importantly she talks about the Why – finding the why, the pyschological benefits of the why and creating your personal life framework based on this.

The power of telling a better story
How do you describe yourself?
You tell a story, right?
Stories are fundamental – they are how we see the world; we perceive ourselves and the way forward. Telling a compelling story leads to a compelling life. A hero’s life even?

Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s journey model explains how each hero got on a journey leaving their current life behind to answer the call to adventure. Ayo talks through a simplified hero journey and help the audience to see their life as an adventure, increasing their resilience and excitement about life.

Carl Jung says ‘I am not what happens to me, I am what I choose to become’
Ultimately, self-awareness of who you are, the emotions you feel and then utilising storytelling that helps you weave a new meaning to your experiences is what helps you, become your very own hero.

Social Mobility

Ayo thinks social mobility is often the missing piece in the EDI conversation. She thinks this is so critical in the UK, where class and class issues are woven into every thread of the tapestry of British Culture. But we don’t often want to acknowledge and address it. But we are witnessing the tides changing and it couldn’t have come soon enough. Why?

Social mobility is about the movement of individuals or groups through the various social strata in society. We need a society that support aspirational people and allows them the opportunity to realise their potential. It good for business, the economy and society.

To achieve this, it is important that the work is done to understand the structural issues affecting social mobility and undertaking actions, revising policies to support people from lower social economic backgrounds. This means for policy makers supporting education attainment. This means for corporations, illuminating the pathways to careers in their organisation and making the process and criteria explicit and not exclusionary or dependent on having certain social capital historically aligned with higher social economic groups.