‘A client recently shared what she valued most was that I didn’t roll out familiar theories but was able to work in the moment; I offered structure, simplicity, or pressure as and when they needed it. I made things make sense for them and their world, at their pace. For me, that’s the work.’
Olivia Margo, Founder & Practitioner
Background
I grew up with a sense of my place in the world, volunteering for leadership roles at school, university, and in the community. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
In the world of work I started to come up against barriers I couldn’t name. Politics and hierarchy. Envy and competition. A clash of belief systems. Protectionism and loyalty. Eventually I hit a wall.
Why is it so hard to make a difference when we all want the same thing?
I started noticing seemingly benign events have significant consequence. I noticed experts left out of critical meetings. I saw funding opportunities go ignored if they came from the wrong ‘level’ in the team. Talented colleagues were passed up for roles that went to far less capable people. I saw gender, ethnicity, age, and privilege impact whether someone was listened to or not. I found myself disillusioned and frustrated. Why was it so hard to make a difference?
In the years that followed I sought to understand these challenges and find creative ways of engaging with them. I learnt how to construct practises, methodologies, and social technologies that make it possible for us to engage with the seemingly unmanageable or unknowable aspects of our organisations. Working with the systemic forces and factors at play has been inspiring and liberating as a leader and consultant. Is it just me? Or is it the organisation/team? It’s always a little of everything, but making a choice as to where and how to intervene in the complexity is the real skill.
My aim is to bring what I’ve learnt to others in ways that are accessible, pragmatic, and really make a difference.
Experience
I’m a systemic consultant and coach, trained in systems-psychodynamics. I have a love of philosophy and a flair for precision in ideas and words, so some call me an organisational philosopher, others see me as a pragmatic partner helping them to wade through the complexity of work to make a difference. I bring creativity and generosity to my relationships with clients; there are often multiple hypotheses in my mind to share with you! I’m told I can be challenging and compassionate in equal measure.
I have a Masters in Organisational Analysis, PostGrad qualifications in transformative mediation and conflict resolution, and have worked on Faculty with MSc students in leadership and organisational analysis. I am trained in numerous coaching methodologies such as integral, somatic, and systemic. I offer both systemic team coaching as well as individual coaching, and have also conducted social dreaming sessions and dream analysis work for individuals and teams.
Drawing on diverse experiences and modalities of learning is core to my approach. I have consulted in-house, worked across sectors and industries, and also worked for boutique consultancies. My early career was in the third sector as the National Director of a youth charity, and from there I went on to create multi-agency programmes working with conflict in the community for young people and adults. I have been designing developmental learning opportunities since my teenage years.
I have travelled extensively as well as lived and worked in Asia and Australia. I now live in London and continue to work both locally internationally, face-to-face and online.
