Meet Victoria Rennoldson, an accomplished communication coach and cross-cultural trainer, recognized for her impactful work in fostering cultural intelligence and confidence, with accolades including being a finalist for the Digital Women Awards 2023 and a recipient of the Global Chamber Global Innovation and Excellence Member Award 2023.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your family?
I was born in and now live with my family in London, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, with over 300 languages spoken.
Communication and culture were always my path. Studying languages took me to different parts of the UK to experience the diverse cultures of our country, and to living, studying and working in Russia and Germany.
I very much enjoyed working in diverse global teams in my first career in marketing, and regularly communicated with or travelled to Germany, France, Italy, the US and Greece, where I experienced many of
the communication and cultural challenges my clients experience today.
Have you had any formal training or family business?
Certified Cultural Intelligence Coach
Associate trainer for the Cultural Intelligence Center
Practitioner in Applied Neuroscience for People Development: MyBrain International
How did you come up with the idea for your business, and what was the process of turning that idea into a reality?
In my previous career working in international teams in large, global corporates, I saw talented professionals who couldn’t contribute their full valuable expertise to the team and the business, because they didn’t always feel able to speak up and share their voice.
The result was that they didn’t fully shine, they became less visible than their colleagues, and the team didn’t get the benefit of their knowledge and skills. In my view, this communication and cultural gap is a huge waste of talent and valuable ideas for your business.
This is why I am passionate about achieving an equal share of voice for everybody in multicultural and multilingual teams. My business was born.
Every day I feel grateful to work as a culture and communication coach with clients from many different cultures, which I find enriching and a great learning experience, and we have worked with people from over 40 countries.
How have you grown as a leader since starting your company, and what have been some of the key lessons you've learned along the way?
Absolutely, from the very first moments of starting my company I had to be in tune with my self-leadership and ensure that I was continually growing.
That meant working with mentors, investing in my own coaching and training programmes to develop my skills as a business owner, coach and trainer, as well as making sure I am keeping on top of the latest in my industry.
I take growth very seriously and it is one of my values, continually improving my ways of working, bringing the latest approaches, developing new areas of expertise, and giving the best to my clients.
Leadership is also for me about leading the company with my vision and scaling it with teams to support me in my growth and allowing me space to expand, including my team of virtual assistant, SEO, marketing, brand strategy and website support.
Can you tell us about a time when you faced a major setback or failure in your business, and how you overcame it?
Every business faces setbacks and one of my major challenges was when covid hit and my business model had to significantly change direction to adapt to the new situation.
Previously my business had been focused on face to face training and coaching in London with people who had relocated from all over the world to work in London.
With the pandemic, relocation stopped and so I had to reinvent the business focus, shift target audience and move to working fully virtually.
It wasn’t easy and it was a time of fear, as it was for so many, and yet, it taught me I can do hard things, and it led to a business which is more solid, aligned with my vision and allows me to expand in a scalable way.
How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals, especially during challenging times?
This comes down to creating positive habits which support my positive mindset and energy as I approach these challenges.
I create affirmations which I listen to every day. I focus on my vision every morning and the impact I want to create in the world. I exercise and move my body. I journal. I get outside and appreciate what I am grateful for. I notice where I am winning, no matter how small the step are, rather than on what is not working. I remind myself of the value I bring by looking through my client testimonials and feedback. I remember to breathe.
This all helps, and there are still challenges, and this helps me keep motivated.
How do you balance your personal life with the demands of running a business?
It’s important to me balance me, my business and my family. I spend time every morning before everybody wakes up doing the things which will motivate me and keep me energised for the rest of the day.
I appreciate the time with my children before and after school, so I work flexibly with no meetings late afternoon, and then go back to work for a couple of hours early evening.
Weekends tend to be non-work time, and I prioritise family time and me time then.
However, to make this all work, I have to get very clear on what my most important priorities are to enable me to move closer to my vision.
That sometimes means I don’t get everything done, that I have to let things go, delegate or say no. This is not always easy for me, and I know it’s necessary if I want to balance my life in this way.
What are your plans for the future of your business, and how do you see yourself evolving as a founder and leader?
There is so much I would love to do still, and I have many plans to expand my business. This is where the word ‘yet’ helps me so I don’t try to do everything at once and get overwhelmed!
I haven’t been on the TED stage…. yet.
I haven’t written my book…yet.
I haven’t worked with people in 100 countries…yet.
I haven’t supported 100,000 people, helping them to share their voice and speak up…yet.
And yet I am sure I will one day!
If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Get started, don’t worry about it being perfect and take the step. You will learn and grow along the way.
What's the most important lesson you've learned from a failure, and how have you applied it to your business?
I learned from my business reinvention during the pandemic that there is no real failure, just learning and feedback to help move you forward. Even if you feel like it’s the end, new things come about when you face these challenges and help you to be more creative and innovative. Ultimately growth comes from this.
What's the most meaningful compliment or feedback you've ever received from a customer, and why did it resonate with you?
“Thank you again for your support, it’s rare to see such care nowadays.” I am very proud of the feedback and testimonials I receive and this comment greatly touched me recently, because I do care. I care deeply about my clients and helping them to get promoted, get the job, to accelerate their career through elevating their communication and building their cultural intelligence.
Their success matters to me.
That’s why my clients matter to me.
If you had to choose one thing that makes your company truly unique and sets it apart from the competition, what would it be, and why?
My business is unique in its niche of supporting global professionals to elevate and amplify their communication skills to leadership levels, which building their cultural intelligence.
Our values make us unique – connection, growth, joy and boldness- and these values resonate through how I work, how I build my relationships with my clients and how I support my clients to develop in these areas too.
Find Victoria Rennoldson on Social Media:
- LinkedIn - Personal Account: www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson
- Company/ Companies websites: www.culturecuppa.com
- Instagram – Business @culture_cuppa
- Email address victoria@culturecuppa.com
Hope you enjoyed reading Victoria Rennoldson’s story!
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