Across The Pond Talk

The Art of Office Politics: How to Lead with Strategy and Confidence

For Black and women of colour in leadership, excelling at work often requires more than just competence it requires a deep understanding of the unspoken rules of office politics. While these dynamics can feel overwhelming or even discouraging, the truth is, navigating them with grace, strategy and authenticity can help propel your career to new heights.

In the professional world, particularly for Black and women of colour, the ability to engage with office politics can be the difference between remaining stagnant or achieving your full potential. Office politics doesn’t mean playing games or manipulating situations. Instead, it’s about understanding how the workplace ecosystem operates and how to position yourself in a way that aligns with both your personal values and career ambitions.

3 Key Ways Office Politics Manifests for Black Women in Leadership

Leading with Confidence and Compassion

Great leaders are not just experts in their fields they are advocates for empowerment, equity and resilience. Leadership is about inspiring change and no one exemplifies this better than Dr. Priscilla J. Murphy. From her beginnings as a Registered Nurse to her impactful work as a Mental Health Counselor and Motivational Speaker, Dr. Murphy has committed her career to helping individuals break through barriers, particularly within under represented communities, while also prioritising their mental health.

In an era where workplace stress and mental health challenges are at an all-time high, Dr. Murphy’s perspective is more relevant than ever. Neuroscience research consistently shows that emotional regulation, the ability to manage stress and maintain mental clarity—is key to effective leadership. Leaders who prioritize mental well-being are more resilient, exhibit better decision-making skills, and build more engaged, motivated teams. Dr. Murphy’s work directly aligns with this scientific understanding, as she teaches professionals how to…

Breaking the Stigma: Dismantling Mental Health Stigma in the Workplace

The landscape of leadership has shifted dramatically in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with leaders being forced to adapt quickly to an increasingly complex and uncertain world. Mental health has taken center stage, as the global crisis brought to light the importance of well-being both for leaders and their teams.

Yet, despite this, mental health stigma remains a barrier, particularly within the professional and leadership circles, where vulnerability is often seen as a weakness.

Dr. Priscilla J. Murphy, a Registered Nurse, Mental Health Counselor and motivational speaker, has spent decades working to dismantle this stigma. Her mission is clear: to create safe spaces where leaders can prioritise their mental health without fear of judgment.

Dr. Murphy’s work has focused on breaking down barriers for diverse communities, empowering individuals to seek professional mental health services and manage their life transitions with confidence and…

Workplace Civility, DEI, and Career Progression: A New Touchpoint for Transformation

In today’s professional landscape, the conversation around workplace civility and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is more vital than ever. Both play crucial roles in shaping the environment in which professionals thrive, but they serve distinct yet complementary purposes.

Workplace civility is about creating respectful, considerate and professional interactions at every level. It’s the day-to-day kindness, politeness and thoughtfulness that builds a culture where individuals feel seen, valued and heard. However, while civility sets the foundation for positive relationships, it doesn't inherently address the deeper, systemic issues that can hold people back, especially within historically marginalised groups.

This is where DEI comes in.

DEI efforts focus on dismantling structural barriers, fostering diversity, ensuring equity and creating inclusive environments where all individuals can succeed and grow without bias or hindrance. It goes beyond just a friendly work environment, it challenges the systems that impact…

Prioritise Your Wellness in the Workplace and Business

As professional women, we often prioritise work and career growth, leaving our wellness on the backburner. However, Dr. Priscilla J. Murphy MS, MEd, BSN, RN, LPCMH, Founder and CEO of Nylex Educational & Counselling Services Inc. As well as being a distinguished expert in counselling, education and healthcare training the importance of mental health and wellness in our leadership journeys. For over two decades, she has worked tirelessly to promote mental health awareness, particularly within diverse populations, to combat the stigma that often accompanies seeking support.

Dr. Murphy’s career journey has spanned across nursing, mental health counseling and healthcare advocacy. Her focus has always been on providing holistic care, ensuring that individuals feel heard, supported, and empowered as they navigate life’s transitions.

Her transition into mental health counseling in 1999 was a pivotal moment, allowing her to leverage her nursing expertise and advocacy work to support…

You’re in the room, but you’re not at ease. You’re asked to represent “diversity,” but rarely resourced to lead real change. For many women of colour, being the ‘only one’ in senior spaces doesn’t always feel like progress it feels like pressure. When inclusion is symbolic rather than systemic, leadership becomes a stage, not a seat of influence.

Organisations often equate visible diversity with meaningful inclusion. But visibility without structural support leads to tokenism, isolation and emotional exhaustion. You’re asked to speak on behalf of a community, correct biases, sit on every “inclusive” panel and still deliver KPIs. This unpaid emotional labour is packaged as opportunity, while your white peers advance without carrying the same cultural weight.

This has become even more apparent following the public dismantling of…

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just disrupt education it exposed every crack in the system. From infrastructure gaps to digital exclusion, millions of students were left behind while teachers scrambled to adapt. And now, AI is being positioned as the solution to everything.  Personalised learning, automated grading, real-time feedback, but we must ask who is steering this transformation and what values are guiding it?

AI in education promises scale and efficiency, but without diverse leadership and inclusive design, it risks reproducing the same inequities that have always existed this time at lightning speed. Post-pandemic, learners and educators alike are seeking not just technology, but trust, connection and support.

The legal profession has long been synonymous with tradition, precedent and slow-moving change. But AI isn’t waiting. It’s already reshaping the field automating research, scanning contracts in seconds and even predicting case outcomes. What does this mean for the legal profession and for women over 40 trying to lead with integrity in an increasingly digitised world?

While AI claims to offer efficiency and access, it also introduces serious risks. Legal AI tools are often trained on flawed datasets perpetuating biases that have long plagued marginalised communities. Without proper oversight, the systems meant to accelerate justice can deepen inequality.

In regions where many women still don’t have a bank account like Africa, India and parts of Latin America AI isn’t just enhancing banking, it’s leapfrogging it. These markets are embracing mobile-first solutions, decentralised finance and community-driven fintech to reach millions. Meanwhile, legacy institutions across the West remain mired in outdated infrastructure, regulatory gridlock and a culture of incrementalism that stifles progress.

While the Western banking system struggles with trust, bureaucracy and slowness, emerging markets are innovating out of necessity. For women in developed markets particularly women over 40 in leadership this creates a sharp pivot point. Do we maintain tradition or do we reimagine access, equity and value creation?

Teaching as we know it is changing and so is the role of the teacher. AI tutors, adaptive learning platforms and virtual classrooms are now woven into the educational landscape. They offer speed, scale and personalised content but they’re missing one essential ingredient, human connection.

And we’ve already seen the cost of that.

What COVID-19 Exposed

During the pandemic, digital learning exploded, but so did the gaps: