The Short Cut:

A quick fire chat about working life with Rebecca Spiller

At the heart of the Nurture Network is the power of sharing experiences. From breakthrough career moments, to best ever advice, how to deal with stress and the women that inspire them.

The Short Cut designed to bring you a snapshot of our members’ working lives. Today we’re speaking to Rebecca Spiller, Head of Marketing at Culture Consultancy.

Tell us about your breakthrough career moment

Working with my mentor last year and realising what I was great at (marketing) and what made my heart sing (culture)! That set me on my path to join Culture Consultancy as Head of Marketing.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?

My Dad gave me the most wonderful advice in that you should always have a go, and if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Have you ever felt held back as a women?

Unfortunately, yes.

I’ve worked in very male-dominated environments and been given the ‘housekeeping’ tasks in the team, whilst other opportunities to learn something new were passed over to the men. For a while I was telling myself it was because I wasn’t good enough.

I asked my boss at the time (a man) and as soon as I pointed it out, the penny dropped. His bias was at play but he was oblivious that it was happening. It was a somewhat uncomfortable conversation, but after that tasks, opportunities were more fairly distributed amongst the team.

How do you protect your mental health in moments of pressure?

I have ADHD as well as depression and anxiety so looking after my mental health is a high-priority for me.

I exercise every single day to help quell my anxiety. The rejection-sensitive-dysphoria that comes with ADHD I find hard, and so talking, writing things down, and focussing on the facts really helps me.

Do you have any hobbies to keep you busy in your spare time?

Yes! I am a real fitness fanatic, and I recently took up Stand Up Comedy. Hands down that is the most difficult and scary thing I have done, but I absolutely love it!

I feel empowered when…

… I am learning.

There is nothing more satisfying to me than learning either a new skill or new perspective and being able to do something with it.

The world would be a better place when…

…we have a more equitable and inclusive world.

A feeling of belonging, not just in your work, is so incredibly important.

The woman everyone should know about is…

Alice Milliat – she died in 1957, but she was a rower who organised the first Women’s World Games (in a time when women could not participate in sport). Her lobbying led to the inclusion of women in athletics in the 1928 Olympic Games and has led to change around women’s inclusion in sport today.

The woman who empowers me the most is…

…my best friend Amber.

She’s my hype woman when I am being hard on myself, she’s there to support me when times are tough, and she’s kind enough to call me out when I’m not doing the right thing!

She’s got an incredible work ethic and amazing ability to advocate for herself – she inspires me every single day.