By Bijna Dasani MBE
Woman in Finance and Tech, Entrepreneur, Investor, Venture Partner and global speaker
I instantly fell in love with the passion and enthusiasm bubbling at the 2015 Women in Tech (WiT) event Rav Bumbra invited me to speak at, and since then my curiosity for the challenges and corresponding needs for WiT continued to magnify.
Having mentored various demographics over the years, I approached the journey with my first Cajigo Mentoring WiT cohort with an entirely open-mind, aware each mentee and cohort present individual needs and lenses to life.
Our first session was introductory for the first few minutes with pleasantries. As soon as we started to discuss key challenges, the group warmed to sharing extremely raw and personal experiences which led to highlighting a series of shared denominators which continued as core themes throughout the year.
As we rapidly transitioned from comfort zones to our sharing our inner-most feelings and most extreme experiences, we found solace in commonality. Realising we had all, as professional and passionate career-woman, faced some synergy of challenges was strangely reassuring.
I left feeling lighter and in the words of Sheryl Sandberg, thinking about what I’d really do ‘if I wasn’t afraid’ at the next session…
And when that session arrived, we connected instantly on the note we’d parted on. Yet, to my surprise, there were several significant changes in the mindset of the group. Whilst one mentee was now contemplating the wrong (career) decision, for the right practical (personal) reasons, another was contemplating a strategy to start invoicing for consultancy and brokerage services she has provided networks with for years, and another was contemplating leaving a working environment that was preventing her from sourcing the right environment and associated progression…there was a clear emergence of confidence and new thinking in this transitionary state.
And each mentee encouraged the other to progress with the right changes for the right reasons, regardless of the perceived consequences.
As we reached the final session, the cohort had significantly evolved from its initial state – more confident, buzzing with energy and bonded as a tribe of confidants with a set of clear, common values that will drive friendships and peer support moving forward, outside of the formal structure of the mentorship programme.
And it’s evident the end of this cohort’s year is simply the seed of many new beginnings, lenses, friendships and game-changing decisions. The journey has just begun.
It’s been a truly enriching and rewarding year and I am excited about the next cohorts upcoming arrival!
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