Getting to the Heart and "Seoul" of the Matter: My Experience at #WISE 2025 in South Korea

When I was asked to be a keynote speaker at the WISE Conference in Seoul, I was both excited and nervous at the same time. What value could I add to this already amazing group of women? Dr Helen Wright had already made me aware of how amazing this event and the attendees are after her first WISE event in Manila, so I knew the bar was high. As the weeks went by, I thought, "You know what, let me share my story." I think the most powerful thing we have that no one can take away from us is our story, and so I began to prepare my keynote on how to use your unfair advantages as superpowers as women in leadership.

Now, you may think of unfair advantages as the edge you have over someone else, but that is not what I was referring to. I was playing on the word "unfair" to talk about how we can reframe the unfair things that happen to us in life and use them as superpowers in our leadership journeys. LinkedIn, I think you will have to come to an event near you at another time to hear me give this talk!

For the first time ever, I really opened up about my upbringing, especially about my mother and the woman that she was, and how that has shaped me into the woman and leader that I am today. Surprisingly, it was not very difficult being vulnerable in front of these ladies because, for some reason, I felt a sense of belonging there. Everyone was so welcoming and kind. The conference had a great feel about it, and I think it is down to the ethos set by Katie Tomlinson and Thea Williams , who are the founders.

Then I went on to run not one, not two, but three workshops over the two days on how to use your voice online to build a personal brand, and they were some of the most energising workshops I have ever done. I know I moaned a little about having to do three because I wanted to attend so many great workshops being run by the other speakers, but I really enjoyed interacting with so many of the delegates during those workshops. We laughed, we posted, we broke barriers, and we became braver to make our voices heard. To all the ladies who attended, too numerous to mention: keep on adding value online – we all need your voice and input.

Now, let's talk about the team at Dulwich College Seoul Alison Derbyshire @Suzy, Lara S. , @Vanessa Wilson and Jane Smith , wow, your kindness and hospitality went above and beyond. Thank you for an amazing time.

I am a vibe person, and everywhere I go, I look for people who are "my kind of people," and I found Lara S. and Andrea Carrera P . Andy took me walking up to the Seoul Tower and then her and Lara took me out to see a bit of the city at night, and it was awesome. Then, we hung out the following evening for dinner. It is comfortable to say I have found two new friends.

But those were not the only friends I made, no, no!

On Monday, I met up with Sa-Eun Park , a Korean lady I met at the conference, and she took me to the most amazing Korean restaurant for lunch. The restaurant had a long line of waiting customers, and I was the only foreigner there. you know that is the sign of a good place to eat when it is full of locals!

The food was out of this world. We dined on Korean delicacies and then went on for a tour of the Palace and a stroll through the artisanal streets. Wow, what an experience. Seoul is definitely worth a visit again!

After that, I did what any good introvert would do, I toured the streets of Seoul by myself for about five hours. I just walked, looked at sights, people watched and took in all the sights, smells and sounds. The air was brisk and cold and it was so refreshing.

It would be remiss of me to end this newsletter and not mention some of the wonderful ladies I either met or was so happy to see again at this event. The lovely Hannah Wilson who was a trooper. Pauline O'Brien who taught me how to keynote and pose at the same time. The wonderful Morgan Whitfield (she/her) who surprised me all the way from Vietnam. Iyabo Tinubu it was so good to meet you and hang out. Rachael Wilding , Gemma Stanton , Jeanie Y. Chang, LMFT, CCTP who knew K Drama could be good for your mental health, Kathryn Hemming she is indeed making stuff better.

Now that I am back in my office and quiet place it is time to plan for the upcoming AI In Education Summit with my team. April 24-25, 2025 in Dubai at the Millenium Lake View Hotel in Green Community DIP. register now at www.aiineducationsummit.com.