I know that people go to work to make money. I do that too. But it’s not where my heart is.

“Don’t be so sensitive.” My parents couldn’t account for my feelings, and so I sent them to a glass cellar, and when the time came for me to emerge, I didn’t know how.

The working world didn’t help either. It can feel like a treadmill: we go through the motions of our jobs – and even our duty-bound charity work – without doing much to quiet the inner chatter.

Maybe it has something to do with empathy, but in my work as a culture strategist it falls to me to guide companies towards what I didn’t have: caring, connected workplaces that empower both individuality and a community focus.

Even armchair psychologists know I’m motivated by the same forces when I’m one-on-one with clients as a coach. Our coaching conversations include self-reflection; developing a new, authentic story and plan; and laying the groundwork for a more peaceful and contented path through your life and career. It’s what I would have wanted.

I spend the remainder of my professional time as a kindness advocate. I explain to companies why kindness redounds to the bottom line … because it’s true, of course, though at a push I may admit to an ulterior motive. Be the change you want to see.

Steffi Black, Kindness Advocate