Read our inspiring interview with Michelle Vickers, CEO of the Head And Neck Cancer Foundation. Here she talks about her career, developing friendships later on in life and why it’s important to think about what you don’t want in your life!
Tell Us About Your Career So Far
Only the last few years of my career have been the result of planning and real choice. Previously, childcare and supporting my husband’s career dictated my direction. It was liberating later in life to take the time to decide for myself what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it.
What 2 Things Do You Do To Build Your Confidence?
Spend time with my magnificent and beautiful friends. I only developed strong female friendships later in life and these friendships both inspire me and lift me up. I also take the time to reflect on my successes and achievements and give myself credit for them. It has taken me a while to realise that they are my achievements.
What Has Been Your Biggest Life Lesson So Far?
That some people are genuinely not nice, for whatever reason. They just are broken, and you, no matter how hard you try to fix, help, support and understand them are never going to make them better. Sometimes you have to stop trying. Some people just cannot be fixed and they bring you down in the meantime. Let them go.
How Do You Feel About Getting Older?
I have loved getting older and am more comfortable and confident now than I have ever been. I do wonder though if I could have got to this place sooner had just started to believe in myself when I was younger. It is not age that educates and develops you but experiences and learning from those experiences.
What’s Your Purpose In Life?
Happiness. To be happy and create happiness around me. It is remarkably quite easy to do when you do it consciously. Be kind, accept kindness and be thoughtful, compassionate and empathetic. Consciously making these behaviours makes such a difference to your own energy.
How Do You Balance Work And Life Responsibilities? What Sacrifices Have You Made?
It’s taken me 35 years to find a work-life balance in a way that suits me. I work from home and have external meetings probably once or twice a week. I work the hours that suit me and have very little stress or drama. The one big sacrifice is probably the salary – but it is swings and roundabouts. I lead an organisation that I love and truly believe in.
What Are Your Top Self-Care Tips? How Do You Relax?
- Make time for yourself – for so long I felt really selfish doing that, but now I just enjoy it
- Laugh, preferably long, hard and often
- Surround yourself with positive, happy people whose energy lifts you up
- Conversely, say goodbye or distance yourself (if you can’t completely ditch them) to negative relationships. Letting those unhealthy relationships go will be the best thing you have ever done to care for yourself.
I relax by spending time with the people and dogs I love. I also love crafting and always have one or two projects on the go. I love making things for the people I love and care for.
What Advice Would You Give The Next Generation Of Girls?
I am not sure that they need much advice. My daughter, her friends, my nieces and my young girlfriends all seem amazing and powerful to me. I am excited and confident about how they are going to shape and change the world.
The advice I would give if asked would be to control your own destiny and to actually know what you might want that to be. Take the time to really think about that. What do you want, what do you like and most importantly what do you absolutely not want in your life? Make the most of every opportunity and where there is no opportunity make one for yourself.
