Yvette’s Impact Story

We caught up with one of our key volunteers, Yvette. Yvette has been on board for nine months now, and we were keen to find out how her experience has been so far. 

Yvette is the Director/Owner of Moonraker Development Services Limited, a leadership development executive coaching consultancy based in Birmingham. She has a passion for developing people which has seen her work in nearly 20 countries from Argentina to The Philippines and aspires to support people to be the best they can be.

She is a keen supporter of charities connected to women and girls and The Arts generally at a grassroots level.  Her garden is her happy place, along with swimming, walking, and fine cooking (read eating!) and she adores her nephew, nieces, great-nephews, and nieces who keep her young.

– Hi Yvette! So, how did you become involved with ILT?

“As part of my work I am a coach and coaching supervisor, and I’d done some professional CPD (Continuing Professional Development) in resilience coaching. An individual who was involved in that knew Leigh (ILT Founder), so she communicated the volunteer mentoring opportunity to the alumni to say “this is a great charity, they are looking for mentors/coaches to work with beneficiaries, here are the details”.  I thought wow, that sounds like a great organisation. I applied to become a mentor/coach and went through the process which included upskilling and due diligence training which was very thorough. When I discussed my experience of this with Leigh, she said “I want you on the Inspiring Leadership Advisory Board instead!”

– What did you find surprising about the ILT?

‘The underlying agile way of working. The fact that we all absolutely believe in the vision – the impact on 100,000 girls in 10 years – and empowering women and supporting vulnerable young girls through their different life experiences. And, how new it (the charity) is. The other surprising thing was the nature of some of the partnerships and how we can build on them. It feels like we are operating in the grown-up world when we are a teenager ourselves as we seek to establish ourselves as a creative and inspiring force to be reckoned with in the charitable sector’.

– What have you enjoyed about working with ILT?

‘I have enjoyed working with like-minded people who put their energy, effort and enthusiasm behind something they are passionate about. So often volunteers take the title and do not do anything – the people I have come across in my short time, whether on the Advisory Board, in the mentor/coach network, or Masterclass presenters gifting their time, are putting their words into action and role modelling their version of inspiring leadership to enable progress to happen’.

– Is there anything else you would like to add?

‘There is plenty for us to do and one of our challenges is how we expand our volunteer base and broaden and deepen our partnership-relationships within the context of the Inspiring Leadership Academy.  We are at the centre of all these different tentacles of the octopus and just making sure they all connect back in is an important opportunity for all of us involved with the ILT’.