POWER: A woman's guide to living and leading without apology

Power: A User’s Guide, in which she writes: ‘Power is neither good nor bad; it is energy, a human drive to shape the world, influence others, and make an impact. We need power. Power may be difficult to master, but it’s vital to have. It’s generative and creative.’

I am thankful to Maxine Beneba Clarke for writing The Hate Race, a memoir of growing up as a black Afro-Caribbean woman in Australia in the 1980s.

I was constantly threatened that I would be ‘sent back to Nigeria’ by some of my foster parents, so I never felt secure or that I belonged anywhere.

power does not have to be an external force. When power is an internal force, it is an abundant resource: I can have it and you can have it too.

what does living and leading without apology look like? It means that we take up space, without apology. It means that we communicate our needs because we are worthy of having our needs met. It means we operate in the world as full expressions of ourselves, creating our own unique paths. It means we own our opinions and voices, without diminishment

‘Her power of splendid strength and irresistible passion, her warrior mood, her overwhelming will, her impetuous swiftness and world-shaking force.’