Stories From Women Who Walk

How Quiet Disruptors Are Rearranging Our World for the Better Led by Sue Heatherington. Part 1.

Episode Summary

Sue Heatherington, writer, catalyst and thinking partner for pioneers, innovators and change-makers who want to cultivate a better change perspective in the world coined the term “Quiet Disruptor” which led to a manifesto which became a book: Quiet Disruptors: Creating Change Without Shouting.

Episode Notes

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk. You’ll recognize yourself in these true-life stories from women who are walking their lives while their lives walk them and the lasting difference these journeys have made. I’m your host, Diane Wyzga.

Today my guest is Sue Heatherington, writer, catalyst and thinking partner for pioneers, innovators and change-makers who want to cultivate a better change perspective in the world. In 2018 Sue coined the term “Quiet Disruptor” as a short-hand introduction to her unusually broad back story, which includes 10 years as a pioneering public service chief executive. Now, Quiet Disruptors: Creating Change Without Shouting is the title of her newly published book.

Sue is joining us all the way from Swansea, Wales where she writes daily thought-provoking blog posts while inviting us to explore her valley through the lens of her camera. I’ve invited Sue to talk with us about the practice of writing, changing the narrative around conversations and belonging, her manifesto, her book, and most significantly doing it all without shouting. Welcome to the podcast, Sue!

Minutes 38:24

00 to 4:02 Intro and Alpacas

Sue (along with her podcaster husband, Steve Heatherington) are raising about 45 Alpacas
Did you know that alpacas hum?
They also anxiously look around: “Where’s the baby! Where’s the baby!”
Some cluck to their babies weeks before the babies are born
Sue learns so much from them

4:02 to 6:28 Start From Where You Are

Host: One of these fine days we will return to travel and Wales - among other places - is on my hiking itinerary. If I met up with you on one of your favorite walks, where is it and what might I notice about you?

Sue smiles!
Sue’s valley makes she feel so good, to be in her own skin
Sue strolls to be where she is instead of fast walking to get somewhere
Sue is a wanderer, taking everything in, open to seeing what she needs to notice
Sue is a stopper and a looker and a listener
Sue’s intention is to be very present

Host: Sue’s blog posts with her photography comes from a place of slowing down, pausing and being aware.

6:28 to 20:05 A Bit of Back Story.

Before we get to your manifesto and your book, entitled Quiet Disruptors: Creating Change Without Shouting, I’d like to know a bit about how you coined the term “Quiet Disruptor” in 2018. Would you share with us how that came about and what you discovered about yourself in that process.

A beautiful defining moment that Sue didn’t see coming
Sue had gone through challenging times professionally and personally and not expecting beauty to emerge
Sue’s approach (how can we do this differently) is not traditional and may make folks uncomfortable, like The Emperor’s Clothes story
Health, family, and Sue’s own purpose, direction and income challenges together created a constellation of taxing and trying times and then Sue’s diagnosis of breast cancer
Out of all of this acute chaos, in her recovery time Sue was exploring “Now what?”
Sue joined an online community with Bernadette Jiwa and coined “Quiet Disruptor” as a means of introducing herself with honesty but without drama
Also reading David Hieatt and The DO Lectures
As well as Susan Cane and her Quiet Power book
Being a Quiet Disruptor is Sue’s life - in a quiet voice
After Sue began using this phrase she was stunned by how much people were drawn to it and wanted to use it as well: I can be a change-maker my own way; I feel seen and heard. Quiet Disruptor changes how people perceive themselves because change is theirs to say and do - call out the status quo, etc. but differently
Now the “do” happens: as a way of changing the conversation for folks Sue wrote a Manifesto to enable those who want to be seen and heard to have a way to quietly disrupt
Sue was seeing that the voices of the Quiet Disruptors were experiencing their time having come as a collective connective, to say, do, explore and create
One person can no longer be The Hero
Organizations will have to be on the forefront of the global change

Host: an unrealistic burden to expect The One to have the answers, especially when imposed by society. If The One has no answers or, not the right answers they might push, shove, shout or masquerade

Sue is extending a welcome to The Others
Come on board and work together, all voices are to be heard

20:05 to 36:30 Manifesto for Quiet Disruptors

The word Manifesto is strong, a public declaration of intention, of design. Would you give us the opportunity to hear your Manifesto.

Sue reads her Manifesto as an advocate for Quiet Disruptors
We need Quiet Disruptors and here’s why.

Host: There is so much in the invitation to come along. People drawn like filings to a magnet. Sue named qualities or attributes shared by the Quiet Disruptors: stubborn courage, do work quietly and insistently. Question: How might we notice change makers among us or even notice if we could be a change maker?

Those who have read Sue’s book and claim the Quiet Disruptor label for themselves, are self-identifying
Being seen and heard is key
Sue uses tree and fruit as metaphor to explain how to notice the others.
The Others have certain characteristics which we recognize: thoughtfully curious, how they are in the world, with others, those who ask the questions, delve deeper, join the dots, see the bigger picture, expression of creativity, the effect on others

Host: I imagine you have people and situations in mind. Question: would you share a few who are already carrying on as a Quiet Disruptors.

The book highlights who is already out there - some well known, some not so well known - making courageous connections
One example: Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, MD: as a practicing physician could see her patients in a way colleagues could not. Also saw that her colleagues were unseen and unheard and became protectively hardened. Remen shifted this experience and radically changed clinical practice in the United States

Host: One woman begins the shift and then change happens over the course of time. Similarly in the legal profession. Litigators who learned to tell their own stories - doing an archeological dig on themselves - were better able to tell their clients’ stories. Being seen and being heard goes toward our understanding and being understood.

So often people struggle to listen deeply
The traditional model is waiting to get the next word in
Cultivating your curiosity has more value in the questions
We are at a space of asking deeper questions

Question: Let’s assume you might have to work with or encounter someone who is not so agreeable to this notion of disrupting quietly, how would you suggest working with folks like that to get them to see the necessity of hopeful, quiet change?

Here we are, at the end of the road but not the journey. Thank you for listening to Part 1 of this episode of Stories From Women Who Walk with your host Diane Wyzga and my guest Sue Heatherington, Quiet Disruptor, blogger, author of the book Quiet Disruptors:Creating Change Without Shouting, and a catalyst for pioneers, innovators and change-makers who joined us from her small valley in Swansea, Wales. We hope you enjoyed and are motivated by our quietly disrupting conversation. We’ll be back in a week with Part 2.

You’re also invited to check out over 450 episodes of this podcast Stories From Women Who Walk found on Simplecast, your favorite podcast platform and my website: Quarter Moon Story Arts. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! You will have wonderful company as we walk our lives together.

About Sue Heatherington

Sue Heatherington offers fresh sight from the quiet edge and believes that our words shape our reality. She is a writer and host of Waterside Conversations from a little valley in South West Wales.

Sue coined the phrase 'quiet disruptor' in 2018 when trying to make sense of the journey of her life and work. Her book Quiet Disruptors: Creating Change Without Shouting was published in January 2021 and has been read across the globe.

Her short daily pause points combine words of inspiration, provocation and encouragement, with a beautiful photograph from her home in the valley, which she shares with her husband, learning disabled brother and a herd of alpacas.

Quiet Disruptors: Creating Change Without Shouting is available on Amazon in printed and Kindle versions. The short ebook Being Seen and Heard… Quiet Disruptors: Companion Notes for People Professionals is also available for free to those who have the main title

LINKS to Stay in Touch With Sue:

email: sue@quietdisruptors.com

https://thewaterside.co.uk/

https://quietdisruptors.com/

linkedin.com/in/sue-heatherington-98a87013

https://twitter.com/SueWaterside

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga: Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Entering Erdenheim from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

Sound Editing: Darwin Carlisle & First Class Reels