Krysalis Christmas 2022: Britain’s Got Neuro Talent! – business consultant and CIC founder, Anne Ricketts...
International business consultant, Anne Ricketts’ impactful approach to solutions not only earned her the nickname ‘The Rottweiler’, but it also made her an invaluable adviser to the Ministry of Defence.
And we are delighted now to welcome Anne - unleashed in her role as founder of the UK brain injury educational and support network, GBIA - as the final star in our 2022 Britain’s Got Neuro Talent (BGNT) campaign supporting workplace neurodiversity.
For over 20 years, Anne’s “trial, error, and persistence” [1] in her brain injury recovery has been driven by one simple desire - to help others along the way, as she reveals now in our BGNT Q&A...
If an employer is educated about someone’s needs and knows what happens when things go wrong with the brain - not wrong with the person - then understanding that is a crucial place to start. 
Anne Ricketts, Founder of Global Brain Injury Awareness UK
What type of work did you do before your injury?
I was an international sales manager and business consultant. My work covered all aspects of business operations. A lot of it was technical, involving engineering and software.
What is your injury?
I came off a horse and came down, apparently straight as an arrow, on the top of my head.
I was diagnosed with severe traumatic brain injury, but it was a piece of information that took me six-and-a-half years to relate to.
Was work discussed as part of your early rehabilitation journey?
Never! It was only discussed at the Job Centre about 14 years after my injury when I was still not ready for the world.
What work do you do now?
I spend between eight and 14 hours a day, seven days a week, running GBIA to support other people – and it’s growing all the time!
What is good about working?
The most brilliant thing about work is that it gives you a sense of purpose which, for any human being, naturally lifts self-esteem and self-confidence and motivates you.
Seeing that you've achieved something is great for your inner morale. Knowing that you've contributed and helped somebody else, I think, is incredibly powerful.
Why does the work you do matter?
It’s absolutely 100% about other people – my innate personality and skills reserve enables me to do what I do so well.
It matters because of the difference I see. We help other people by explaining why they need to learn about the impact of their injury. We help them understand it is the brain that is broken and not who they are, and, as the captain of their ship, they need to fix it. We help them realise what is broken!
What does your work mean to you?
Everything I have been through is a gift of experience. It’s incredibly valuable, and because of how my brain worked before, I can use that drive to help others through my work.
Disclosure: finding the courage
Talking to others about our needs can be hard. Do you have any suggestions that might help?
For me, it's about always believing and knowing absolutely that you end up in the right place doing the right thing at the right time.
So, you can stand up, be you, and tell your truth; whatever comes, it serves a purpose essential to rebuilding the familiar self.
Part of what GBIA does as an organisation is to educate people, including employers.
Awareness, giving information and educating all serve separate purposes. For the greatest impact and to drive real change, education is vital.
Shared understanding: building knowledge
Neurological conditions are hard to understand. What would you like the workplace to know about your own experiences? What has helped and what has not?
You must be upfront to prevent problems from happening further down the road. When you educate people, you get the adjustments and support you need. You feel more empowered and less afraid.
Helping people understand how they can take back control is also an imperative part of returning to the workplace.
Working together: collaboration
There has been a shift towards workplace inclusion for people living with additional needs. What are your thoughts on this? Is enough happening? Could we do more – if so, what?
The shift towards workplace inclusion has been going on for quite a long time. Still, it’s taken a long time for people to realise how beneficial it is for their business, the community, and the person they're employing.
There are differences between employing new people and keeping positions open, maybe even for a long period, and helping an employee to come back to work they were already in.
Another thing to consider is what is available or suitable.
Sometimes, you may have to find the courage to stand on that first stepping stone again after a brain injury. But when you do, you rewire the brain, and everything you want to take back, you can.
Hope: being open to the possibilities
What would you say to others living with a neurological condition who are struggling at work or who would like to work?
Many people struggle with returning to work when employers and other employees don’t know what support is needed.
Loss of hope can bring about apathy, a lack of confidence, or fear about stepping back into the world. These feelings are genuinely compensated for by understanding it's your brain that's broken, not you; the awareness and realisation are self-supporting.
With this new understanding, something rises within the self that says, ‘What a relief! Who I am isn't cloaked in that disability. That disability belongs to my brain.’
Hope is about understanding that you have the fortitude as a human being to do whatever you want to do. With a brain injury, sometimes you forget that you can make choices.
What would be your key message to the workplace and employers around supporting people with neurological conditions?
There's absolutely nothing to be frightened of. Everybody, with or without a brain injury, can understand what is involved and take it on board.
When you clear away the debris, you let the blueprint shine. Pushing yourself helps the brain rewire, and I’m proof it does!
*Read more about Anne’s brain injury experiences and how not-for-profit GBIA is signposting and supporting people along the brain injury pathway here: Global Brain Injury Awareness | Don't Struggle Alone (globalbia.org)
More BGNT showstoppers…
Discover more about ‘highly desirable’ neuro talent along with some of the latest facts and figures around disability employment and workplace accessibility issues in our BGNT launch report: Britain’s Got Neuro Talent! (krysalisconsultancy.co.uk)
And meet all the stars in our 2022 Britain’s Got Neuro Talent lineup who happily shared their stories (with our heartfelt thanks!) in the hope of making neurodiversity in the workplace a UK norm…
- David Wozny - Brain Injury - I Needed To Be Needed
- John McDonald - Eagles Wings Consultancy
- Anne Ricketts - Who we are - Global Brain Injury Awareness (globalbia.org)
- Tim Richens - Tim Richens | Regain the brain
You can catch up with all our 12-day Krysalis Christmas 2022 BGNT postings here or via our social media channels right up to Christmas Day!
References
Nutrition and diet following brain injury - Anne Ricketts (krysalisconsultancy.co.uk)
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