Speaking Out In Our Times

Now more than ever, we are being called to stand up and speak out for what we believe. In times of uncertainty and rapid change, in the liminal, fertile and creative space that we are in as a society, between the pre-COVID world and the next world waiting to emerge, we have the chance to speak our truth and have it matter. What is it that we care about now and how do we find the courage to speak? Join us.

Speaking Out facilitators Kanada Gorla and Deborah Ward host this special online debate with special guests including Bayo Akomolafe and Anu Omideyi.

Kanada E Gorla

Kanada develops conscious leadership to connect with what is truly important, supporting individuals & organisations to become forces of nature for nature. She brings an embodied presence to create space-between, with an openness to the emergent in both groups & individuals, revealing blockages & dynamics that get in the way. Kanada has contributed to Embercombe from the beginning, from the early days of dreaming in the Council to her current work of Catalyst, Speaking Out and On Purpose. She has 25+ years experience in leadership/culture, developing purpose-led leaders and changemakers, facilitating transformative change, building individual & collective resilience, and cultivating connection with self, others & nature.  Her approach is intuitive and pragmatic, holistic and results-oriented.

Clients range from young people to senior executives, from social enterprises to NGOs & multinationals and her current projects include leading a whole systems transformation with Riverford Organic Farmers (2017-2021), acting as an executive coach on Common Purpose’s MAVA Leaders for Nature Academy with senior leaders in the global conservation movement, and the co-founding Kin, a CIO whose purpose is to build capacity in community-making in place based towns and cities. To learn more or to contact Kanada go to <shine.squarespace.com

Deborah Antoinette Ward

Deborah’s passion is how playfulness leads to creative acts whether on stage or in life.

For her this work starts with body-connection, nurturing imagination and being willing to be bold. After graduating from London International School of Performance Art, LISPA, she has worked as an actress, storyteller, performance poet, assistant director, director and independent producer. Presenting work at Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Theatre Des Carmes – France, Keochang International Festival of Theatre – Korea, The Cube & The Wardrobe – Bristol, CPT & The Space – London, and many others.

Deborah is a new associate of the Centre for Systemic Constellations and she brings this profound therapeutic approach as a foundational layer to all her work.

She regularly facilitates workshops in Bristol, in Storytelling, Clown, and Mask. She has recently launched the project The Dark Feminine bringing together stories of ancient archetypes of women who express less celebrated & hidden aspects of femininity, with the space for womxn to share their own stories. Deborah also works as an independent creative consultant for solo artists and small companies.

Bayo Akomolafe

Bayo Akomolafe (PhD) is the father of Alethea Aanya and Kyah Abayomi and life-partner to Ije. He is a teacher, lecturer, speaker and an author of books such These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home and We Will Tell our Own Stories! He is the Chief Curator and Director of The Emergence Network.
bayoakomolafe.net / course.bayoakomolafe.net
Emergencenetwork.org

Anu Omideyi

Anu is the award-winning choir director and manager of the award-winning The Reapers Choir, a gospel choir that was a finalist in BBC1’s Gospel Choir of the Year 2014 and has performed in venues including 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister, Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, and the London African Music Festival 2015 and several local venues too numerous to mention.  The vocal ability of this unique singing collective has been recognised nationally and internationally, with the gospel outfit winning “Best Music Video by a UK Choir or Group” at the JUMP Music Video Awards 2017 for their track “The Only One (Okan Soso)”, London UK; and both “Choir of the Year” and “Choir Director of the Year” (Anu Omideyi), in the Zeta Gospel Music Awards, Tennessee, USA, in October 2015. The choir has also been nominated for “Best Group/Choir” in the Praisetek Awards 2019, “Best Gospel Act” in the Urban Music Awards 2017, Premier Gospel Award  “Choir of The Year 2017″, Choir of the Year 2016” and the British Gospel Music Alliance Industry (GMIA) award for “Best Music Video by a UK Choir/Group” (JUMP Music Video Awards) in 2014. The choir has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall alongside many other events including the Christian Resource Exhibition at the ExCel Centre.  Please click thereaperschoir.co.uk to go to the choir’s website for more details.