I started my journey in the skies, travelling the world and learning about others. Now my feet are firmly on the ground, helping to improve access to mental health support for children and young people and I am super excited about my new chapter!
Working at Innovating Minds over the last four months has been challenging – but in the best way! I am conquering new things and learning a lot about myself, both professionally and personally.
I have been working since the age of 14 so you could say I have done my fair share of trying a little bit of everything! From marketing & communications to events and retail. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism in 2011, I was almost certain that I had chosen my career path, so I applied for my master’s degree in broadcasting and was excited for the next step. However, an opportunity came up for me to become a cabin crew for one of the world’s best airlines and suddenly all my childhood dreams of travelling the world came to fruition. I ended up living out in the UAE for just over five years, mixing with people from all walks of life and I can honestly say it was the best experience of my life. So, as you can imagine working as an air hostess took me down a completely different professional route, but I did continue my passion for journalism and media in the background by volunteering at a local radio stations, a magazine company and a marketing and advertising agency. As you can tell I am a bit of sucker for learning new things as I truly believe no one can ever take that away from you.
Following my return to the UK in 2020, I secured a role in sales and after three months, I was promoted to Account Manager which I held post for a year. I gained such an extensive amount of experience, from working with large and small contractors, but I worked a lot of hours, and it all became very mentally draining; this is what led me to Innovating Minds. I remember having a terrible day at work and I had a telephone interview with (my now manager) Lisa who told me about their flexible working culture, how motivating the team are and how I would have the opportunity to grow. Well, I was sold, and four months in, I can say that I am Regional Manager for the South of the UK, I have trained in Healing Together and I have assisted in securing funding pots to be able to train up passionate individuals who share the same vision: supporting children and young people.
Day to day I am surrounded by amazing individuals, from all different backgrounds, who create positive and mentally healthy working environments to be in. I am valued for my work, I am encouraged to share my ideas, I am celebrated for my individuality, I am supported to grow and most importantly - I am happy. It is an incredibly rewarding job, and I am excited for the future here at Innovating Minds – watch this space!
To find out more about the work we do at Innovating Minds or if you are interested in becoming a Healing Together Facilitator, I would love to hear from you.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolearmstrong/
samantha@innovatingmindscic.com