Patricia Kaziro

Undergraduate
BA (Sociology)

Graduation Year: 2008

Current Position: Founder of Radiate Coaching + innerCIRCLE6

Tell me about your current role....

As a Coach I help women reach their goals faster by coaching them to launch and grow their own businesses. I facilitate group coaching workshops and 1:1 Strategy Coaching sessions, as well as host and MC a Speaker Series, innerCIRCLE6. innerCIRCLE6 features thought leaders and influencers from the impact innovation and entrepreneurship space. With the focus squarely set on female founders and entrepreneurs, each panel member shares the learnings from their own entrepreneurial journey, as well as key trends in the sector.

When innerCIRCLE6 scales globally it will offer an array of live Edu-Events and an online educational platform that are accessible and affordable to women around the world. Through my two ventures, Radiate Coaching and innerCIRCLE6 GLOBAL, I’m committed to developing educational initiatives that empower women by teaching financial literacy and business skills. My mission is to help other women join the world of business.

What does your typical day look like?

It’s quite varied – through the week it involves facilitating 1:1 Strategy Coaching sessions or workshops; writing and recording educational content and organising events and outreach to grow my business via collaborative meetings with other business people.

What is one thing you love about your job?

Through my work as a Coach and Educator I love that I’m helping other women to succeed by growing their businesses and helping them work and live to their full capacity.

How do you stay focused and inspired in what you do?

I stay inspired by creating new initiatives in my business that are aligned with my values and my focus on creating social impact. Collaboration with people who share the same values constantly inspires me and helps me stay focussed on this mission.

Did you imagine this would be your career? What would a 17-year-old Patricia think of what you are doing now?

If I could go back in time I’d be pleased with what I’ve achieved as I hadn’t considered setting up my own business. I’d be happy to know that I found a way to apply my life-long passion for social justice through business, improving the lives of other people by opening up access to business education.

Why did you decide to do a Bachelor's of Arts (Sociology) degree at UNSW?

When I left high school I originally thought that I’d like to become an investigative journalist. I thought that undertaking a B.A would be a good way to better understand global issues and to learn other languages including Spanish and French. I tried a couple of Sociology courses in my first year and loved this lens for understanding the world and its complex problems and then decided to focus on Sociology as my major.

What was your Bachelor's of Arts (Sociology) at UNSW like?

It was great, the courses I studied were transformational to my way of thinking and being in the world. I started to question so many things about how our society is structured, things most people generally take for granted. My B.A studies have fundamentally shifted my mindset to encompass critical thinking, how we can tangibly solve global problems such as gender inequality and also celebrate diversity in culture, politics, social norms and people more generally.

What is your best memory of your Bachelor's of Arts (Sociology) degree?

I elected to undertake a 6 month internship at the AIDS Council of NSW (ACON) and this was the highlight of my degree. I was tasked with helping ACON improve their service provision for heterosexual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women living with HIV/AIDS. I conducted an in-depth qualitative research study and wrote a report, where my recommendations were endorsed and implemented by the organisation. This was my first taste of the impact that I could make through my work, to improve other peoples’ lives.

How do you feel that your Bachelor's of Arts (Sociology) degree shaped your career?

What I learnt through my B.A studies has inherently influenced my career choices and decision making. I find myself thinking about how to balance performance requirements and making profit in business, with a desire to achieve social justice. I think business is the perfect sector to facilitate opportunities for diverse or marginalised members of our society by opening up access to wealth generation and enabling all people to working to their full capacity.

What is the most valuable thing you took away from your time at UNSW?

Studying a high quality degree with a focus on critical thinking afforded me the opportunity to open my mind up to the world and evaluate how we can solve pressing global problems.

Where have you worked since graduating?

When I first graduated from UNSW I worked in various roles in human services, including as a caseworker with high needs groups. I established my first business, Hurricane Duke, in 2011, where I specialised in garden design, botanical styling and horticultural therapy. I established and directed the GROW Horticultural Therapy Program, working with mental health outpatients from St Vincent's Hospital and several other inner-east health providers, in partnership with City of Sydney. This was an extremely innovative community based recovery program that was the highlight of my career due to its positive impact on the lives of participants. I also developed the GROW Garden Buddy Program at St Canice's Kitchen Garden in late 2015, connecting graduates from GROW Horticultural Therapy Program with a diverse range of community members, in a system of social support.

What advice would you give to someone trying to decide if they should sign up for a Bachelor's of Arts (Sociology) degree?

Make the most of your Bachelor’s of Arts (Sociology) degree because it’s a privilege to be able to spend several years contemplating such a diverse range of real life issues within an environment that encourages freedom of thought and diverse viewpoints. I’d also recommend grounding yourself with more practical applications for the knowledge gained here. Think about how you can supplement the intellectual knowledge and learnings gained from a B.A (Sociology) with industry experience that will help you enter the workforce, for example, by doing an internship in a company you would like to work for.