Susannah Chambers in the UK
In this new blog series, I’d like to ask four questions to people from different countries, backgrounds, professions, and genders who have all one thing in common: volunteering. I hope you’ll get inspired by their journeys and take the leap into volunteering.
Notice: The positions, views and information contained published here are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily represent my views or opinions.
Susannah Chambers is a mother-of-3 with 6 dimensions to her career portfolio: Agile Coach Lead; Executive Coach; Family Learning expert/education consultant; professional musician, founder and teacher of guitar and singing business Susie’s Superstar School and signed model.
In her primary vocation – coaching – Susannah feels hugely passionate about individuals and teams having their unique voices heard and respected (which is why she created the Metrix & Chill approach to value articulation), especially those that who are disadvantaged and so may face challenges.
This golden thread of empowering and activating the voices of the disadvantaged and vulnerable is at the heart of Susannah’s work and the volunteering she carries out. Alongside creating space for others to have voice Susannah’s mission in life is to bring joy. Volunteering has been a crucial vehicle for Susannah to make a contribution to improving quality of life for others.
How did you begin to volunteer?
I began volunteering at the age of 6 when I helped my Dad prepare hundreds of delegate packs for an education conference he was volunteering to organise in the 1980s, in the early stages of the eLearning revolution. This tradition of volunteering in education was reinforced later in life when I volunteered as a 13-year-old after school on a fundraising committee to raise money to build the University of Lincoln, making a contribution in my small but passionate and committed way to transforming what was toxic wasteland into a stunning University campus. Years later I would live on that campus as a student studying for my first degree and then later for my Master’s degree.
Why did you continue volunteering?
I continued volunteering because I found it hugely rewarding to see others being more joyful as a result of the contributions I brought to a situation. For example, when I volunteered with the charity Habitat for Humanity in Romania when I was 23-years old the non-verbal reward of seeing the faces of the children and their parents whose house I was helping build to rehouse them out of squalor – digging trenches for foundations in the scorching sunshine and fitting fiberglass (completely out of my comfort zone) – has stayed with me over the last 2 decades because I know volunteering has a unique and special quality of connection with those ones serve.
How has volunteering helped you in your career?
By adopting such a servant leadership mindset to volunteering I have:
1) Delivered more impact and value as an Agile Coach as I have a strong North Star value of focusing on improving quality of life for others, which is a similar mindset in an organisational context too.
2) Strengthened rapport and trust with colleagues as they can see that I have a varied lived experience of working in some of the areas of highest poverty.
Would you encourage other people to take up volunteering, and if so, why?
I would encourage volunteering because it expands one’s mind and horizons to areas of life and challenges we ourselves may not struggle with day-to-day but is at the core of our humanity. In addition to helping others it shines a light on our own perspectives, challenges our judgements and requires us to be conscious and present with those we are serving – especially precious in a relentlessly busy world.
