Growing up with a mother who is a family and child psychologist meant that education was never just a topic in our household… It was a way of life. She was intentional about the schools she chose for my siblings and me: not simply institutions that taught your typical subjects, but places that encouraged us to think beyond the obvious, explore our personal interests, take pride in “unusual” skills, and build confidence standing in front of a room. That foundation quietly planted something in me that I only fully understood much later: that education is not confined to a classroom. It lives in every observation and every conversation you’ve ever had.
This way of seeing education has shaped how I lead. With my team, I try to normalise learning as part of the work, not something that happens before you’re “ready” but something that happens continuously, right in the middle of everything.
What I have come to realise is that being educated is not simply about accumulating knowledge. It is about the kind of person that learning shapes you into. Over the years, education has made me more open-minded, more principled, more reflective… And perhaps most importantly, more empathetic. When I make decisions, I am rarely just asking what is logical or efficient. I am asking who will be affected, how, and whether I have taken the time to truly understand their experience. Empathy, I have learned, is not soft. It is one of the most rigorous and demanding disciplines in leadership.
One of the biggest things I have had to unlearn is the idea that learning has an endpoint. There is a quiet cultural pressure, once you step into professional life, to appear as though you already have all the answers. But the truth is that the most meaningful growth has happened in the in-between spaces: in the failures, the moments of doubt, the quiet contemplation… When people see me speak confidently in public today, they may not realise that what they are witnessing is years of accumulated learning… Formal and informal, deliberate and stumbled-upon. I had to unlearn the belief that confidence is something you either have or you don’t, and instead come to understand it as something you build, over and over again, through continuous learning.
Joining the Women Emerging expedition has already stirred something in me, even after just our first gathering. If I am honest, sitting with the question what is your Essence? was harder than I expected. I found myself circling it. What core is truly, deeply mine? What reflects the most authentic version of who I am? It was uncomfortable in a way that felt important.
What core is truly, deeply yours? What reflects the most authentic version of who you are?
And while I do not yet have a clean answer, I am beginning to see that education has always been part of my Essence. What I am most looking forward to, as the expedition continues, is understanding myself with greater clarity. Not to arrive at a fixed definition, but to lead from a more grounded place. I want to understand how my Essence as a learner and a thinker shapes the way I show up for my team, and where there are still edges I have yet to explore. Education brought me here. I trust it will keep showing me the way forward.
About the Author
Janis Argeswara is a marine conservation practitioner with over five years of professional experience in marine research and conservation. She holds a Master’s degree from Florida International University and works extensively on manta ray and sea turtle research, monitoring, and education initiatives. Janis began her career as a Research Assistant with the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) and has since progressed to Country Manager, currently managing and overseeing three key project locations.
One Comment
Such an insightful article. Thank you Janis!