Gerry Anyanwu spent 30 years watching talented women quietly check out of organisations that weren’t built for them. Now she’s doing something about it.
As founder of Fully Human and host of Fearless Friday, she coaches managers on how to build cultures where diverse women thrive and she’s building a community with women who refuse to settle for ‘fine.’ Through Fully Human and Fearless Friday, Gerry supports diverse women at work by helping managers build cultures where they can thrive.
Gerry Anyanwu on inclusive leadership and workplace culture.
Tell us about yourself and your background.
The best way to describe me is multi+ which to me means multi-passionate, multi-ethnic and multi-generational! I sit at the intersection of so many things, and I love it, it gives me energy and a great perspective on life. I am a British born Nigerian with a strong sense of both my identities; this fuelled my passion for diversity and inclusive spaces. Brought up in a working-class household, hard work and resilience was an everyday reality but it has also blessed me with some key superpowers. Now I am a thriving queenager, with a desire to make an impact in every space I am in. My life experiences have been a blessing, and I have turned trauma to triumph to live a life that is joyful.
When you think back to the start of your career, what experiences helped shape the values you hold today.
My first ever role was in a marketing department of a music company. I thought it would be my dream job! Instead, I was bullied, made to feel small and so badly traumatised I lost my hair. Though it was an awful experience, it gave me a great sense of what it takes to be a good manager, how to make space for other people to speak and what good leadership should feel like. From that moment to now, I have always wanted to create transformative workplaces where employees feel happy and are able to thrive rather than just survive.
Join Our Table has created a sense of belonging for many women. What inspired you personally to begin building that space.
Lots of Rose and a trip to Cannes Lions Festival of creativity in 2023. The murder of George Floyd the year before meant the advertising industry was abuzz with talk of representation and diversity. Yet here I was in Cannes attending panels and speaking with judges where I saw no representation of Black British women. Where was our voice our perspective on the Global stage? As a purpose driven woman, I always aim to be the change I want to see, and I was lucky enough to find 6 other co-founders on that trip who felt the same way. J.O.T was created to support Black and mixed heritage women to be more visible across all stages. We weren’t prepared to ask for a seat at the table; we created our own table!
Can you share a moment in your journey where you felt especially proud of how far you had come.
In 2023 I won the MEFA (Media for All) ‘Unsung Hero award, which has been a career highlight. For much of my early career, I felt invisible in the media and communications industry. I never felt good enough or thought of myself as successful. Then a simple conversation with a friend helped me shed the metrics of success that I was measuring my life against.
The minute I stepped into my power, my world changed. The minute I stepped into my power, my world changed. I became a woman of impact and service to others. That included launching a charity to support young people into employment, becoming a trustee and running employee resource groups. It all came from a mission to create a fairer society. So, when I was recognised for my work by my peers, it was a hugely proud moment. It felt like a real full circle moment. What made the day even more special was I took my son, not expecting to win! Just proud that I was nominated. I pulled him out of primary school, and we went to the awards ceremony together. To then have him receive the award with me was a tear-jerking proud mum moment that got everyone crying in the room.
How do you nurture your confidence during periods of change or growth.
I have always had a growth mindset so am happy to embrace change. Maybe as a child of immigrants you realise nothing is static and things are always in flow. So, I remind myself whatever you’re going through at this moment will pass. I nurture my confidence by being open to new opportunities, whether they come up through networking, informal conversations or learning something new. I try and say yes to as much as I can even when I am afraid. My mantra ‘What’s the worst that could happen!
What has surprised you most about yourself since stepping into leadership and community building.
That people think I am a leader, it is such a weird title. I didn’t set out to be a leader, I set out to be authentically me, true to myself and willing to share my time, my opinions and my energy for life. I think too often we confuse leadership with positions of power and authority but that’s not what it takes. Great leadership is about your ability to communicate, offer clarity and care for others. These three things have fundamentally helped me not only lead teams but change cultures and create communities that people want to be part of.
How do you stay connected to your purpose when work and life feel busy.
Honestly sometimes you can’t. I don’t believe in the phrase work life balance, there is no such thing. Some days I am all about purpose driven work and I can shape it into everything I do and other days I am a hamster on a commercial wheel that is just spinning. The key is to always be true to myself; my happiness comes before everything. If I am happy doing a piece of work, whether it’s for my own business, one of my social enterprises or my commercial job, I need to be at peace with my decision.
Is there a lesson you’ve learned that you now carry with you in both your professional and personal life.
“If it doesn’t support my family, friends or community then I won’t do it”. This is the mantra that I live by. Not every opportunity is the right opportunity and often the wrong opportunities are dressed up to be enticing. So having a yardstick to measure my decisions by, allows me to really think if the opportunity supports one of these three important groups.
If you could go back and speak to your 20-year-old self, what would you want her to know.
You are worthy and your life is going to be amazing. Don’t worry that you’re not the best, have the highest grades, or don’t look like everyone else. Know that you are enough, your skills will enable you to live and experience a wonderful life all designed by your very own hands. Enjoy it all.
When you look ahead, what kind of future do you hope to help create for the next generation of women.
A future where we understand it is ok if we don’t play by the same rule book as men or even other women. That designing our own playbook can still bring you success, opportunity, love and experience. For that to happen women really need to start unlearning some of the patriarchal things we have been taught that hold us back. We need to value our role as part of a wider collective of women that can really support each other to thrive not only at work but personally as well.
