Alison De Luise
Playing Bigger Program Graduate
Alison De Luise is a leader and respected voice in the field of climate resilience. A dedicated, purpose-driven leader, she has had to move countries several times because her partner works as a diplomat.
Each time she moved, it took more than a year to re-establish herself, during which time doubts would creep in.
Alison describes the feeling; “You start to panic, thinking, ‘Am I going to get what I want? Or do I compromise?’ And do I look at offers that aren’t ideal and say, ‘I'll just grab it, for the sake of getting my foot in the door?’”
This time, after moving to Europe from the USA, Alison wanted a job that matched her senior experience level, but she was also wavering.
As she works in the field of climate resilience, she felt urgency and anxiety about getting back to her field of work. She recognised she needed reinforcement.
“Working with Jules and Sarah came at that perfect moment where I needed reinforcement to say, ‘Stay your path’.”
When joining ‘Playing Bigger’, she met other senior purpose-driven leaders. Before the course began, as she saw the list of attendees, she experienced imposter feelings, wondering, “What will I have to offer the group?”.
Once inside the program, she saw that Jules and Sarah were able to create a safe and loving space and she forged relationships with other senior leaders who are driven to solve big problems. Her fears faded.
At interviews, Alison was able to articulate her value proposition with more confidence and clarity. This helped her land her dream position as a manager at the Climate Alliance - where they tailored the role to her specific strengths. She now coordinates adaptation policy for cities across twelve countries at the Climate Alliance in Brussels.
Another aspect of Playing Bigger was helping Alison identify key people she wanted to network with in a reciprocal way.
Since finishing the program, Alison has hosted many panels in her field, further raising her profile.
She reflects, “I’ve realised visibility to others isn’t about ego and ‘Alison De Luise’. Rather, if I care about these issues, how do I get them out to as many people as possible? And you only do it by saying yes.”
As a result, Alison is becoming more widely known in her industry, in a new region, making bolder decisions and positioning herself to make a greater impact in her career. All in a way that aligns with her values, preferences and personal style.
“It's easy to get into the weeds in any job, there's the busyness of day-to-day, deadlines and the rest. Sometimes, you have to have time to lift your head up and say, okay, what's the bigger picture?”
Alison De Luise
