Get ready as we explore the journey of cricket superstar Isa Guha as he works to promote a more inclusive environment for women and girls in cricket. Having distinguished herself in the field, Isa has made a significant impact on the not-for-profit sector through her charity, Take Her Lead.
Isa offers invaluable business advice and leadership insights, revealing how the skills she honed on the cricket field led to her success in the non-profit world. She highlights the importance of resilience and emphasizes that while setbacks are inevitable, it’s how you respond to them that really counts.
Isa is also committed to friendly leadership and fosters a positive and supportive culture that leads to greater success and enables everyone to thrive.
This episode highlights the importance of staying true to your purpose and values, even when the journey becomes challenging.
Here is her unfiltered advice:
Paving the way for girls in cricket with Take Her Lead
Bex Burn Callander:
Can you tell us a little about when the idea for “Take Her Lead” first came to you? Is it something that happened all at once, a lightning strike, or did you realize over time that there was a need?
Isa Guha:
Basically, I started Take Her Lead in honor of my mother. So we lost her in 2019 and I knew I wanted to do something to remember her and recognize her.
A teacher herself, she worked with disadvantaged communities and young people to give them the confidence to go out into the wider world and explore — albeit in inclusive spaces.
And I knew I wanted to do something in cricket too. And throughout my journey as a player, I realized that there were still some challenges and things that needed to be addressed.
I was very fortunate to have the support of my parents as a child, which enabled me to embark on this journey. But I think with COVID, at the end of your playing career, you start to think about why you were one of the few.
So there were only five people from ethnically diverse backgrounds who played for the England women’s cricket team and I was one of them.
So I looked back and thought: actually no, there is a strong pool of talent from the South Asian diaspora who want to play cricket, they are girls. But they didn’t necessarily make that transition into the path.
And so there was still a real separation there. And I just wanted to find out more about why this was happening and really talk to those on the ground and in the local communities.
And my mother talked to me a lot about that, about inclusion and creating better spaces for inclusion. And one thing she did: she learned about many different cultures to ensure that the environment was as good as possible.
And so I basically went on this journey to understand what obstacles still existed. I found someone to work with to help me execute this vision and practically bring it to life, which we did. And it was an amazing experience to be able to do that.
And now we have Take Her Lead, whose mission is to create a more inclusive environment for women and girls in cricket. But that’s what brings us all on this journey. And we do that through our mentoring program.
So we have a champions program, we have elite player champions who work with young girls in disadvantaged communities to accelerate their growth and retain them with the team.
So they are already engaged. And we work with charity partners to visit these different venues and places where cricket is played. But then we add that little something extra, which is that support system and that mentoring.
Bex Burn Callander:
The sparkle.
Isa Guha:
The sparkle, the extra bit of magic that will hopefully make them stay in cricket because we have learned that girls come to cricket for many different reasons, more than boys. So you really have to try to create the best scope for them to keep coming back and give them opportunities in the game that aren’t necessarily just playing.
It could be administration, it could be coaching. That’s exactly what we’re trying to address. And just help make that transition go a lot smoother so that we end up having more women in the game who feel included.
Starting a business is a marathon, not a sprint
Bex Burn Callander:
It’s such a big mission and you did it in your mother’s name, which I think puts even more pressure. It has to be very motivating, but also a lot of pressure.
So tell me how it felt to start the company. How challenging was it for you in those first few months?
Isa Guha:
We took part in the Sage Business 11 competition and have just spoken to business owners and small business owners and we are all facing similar challenges.
That said, I think if you’re the one who set it up, you feel like you have to overwork yourself or work throughout the day to make sure you get to the next step.
And also about the fact that it’s a marathon and not a sprint. I wanted it to be recognized for what it was early on. I wanted the branding sorted out as quickly as possible so we could go out there and tell people what we were doing.
And it has formed over time. It took some time to get to where we are and the people we influence. But I think the hardest part was really getting that message across and getting people to understand what we do.
Because I know what’s going on in my head, but it’s really the communication, and sometimes you have to involve the other charities or the sponsors and the people that want to donate to us.
So yeah, that was difficult. It was a difficult journey.
And I also guess that it was a stroke of luck for me that over the course of my sport I was able to meet a lot of people that I had access to.
However, once you make these connections, you can become inundated with information. So it’s a bit like I was when I played. You have a lot of different trainers that you go to.
They all try to change different things about you, give you advice and you need to know what advice to follow in order to move forward. And I think you can only do that if you have your values.
So we have a board and set our values. Every decision we make is based on these values. So we might say “no” to a potential sponsor because they don’t necessarily align with our values, but we need to take that on board to make sure everyone is on board with it.
And actually there is a vote. It feels like more pressure because it’s in honor of my mother. And whenever I talk about it, I definitely feel a lot more vulnerable when I talk about it because you want it to work so badly. And I think that creates pressure.
And so does that need and that impatience, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you have to manage your own relationship with it.
And I’m at a point now where I’ve invested all of my time outside of my regular day job, but I’m at a point now where I have a much better relationship with it and that everything works out. It doesn’t have to happen right away.
They make changes, incremental changes, that improve the overall picture, but that may not happen for three or four years.
Bringing resilience from the cricket pitch to the business world
Bex Burn Callander:
And you mentioned there that building partnerships reminds you that you have all these coaches telling you how to change different parts and you have to cherry-pick what works.
And I think it’s great that you’ve brought a skill from cricket into your business life. Can you tell me any other skills, soft skills or competitive skills that you have learned that you have found really useful in the business world?
Isa Guha:
I think resilience is part of it because there will be days when you have a setback, you’re talking to someone and they might not want to donate or invest in what you’re doing. And that’s okay and you have to accept that that didn’t happen.
You can’t take it too personally and just keep going. There may be days when you haven’t quite, I don’t know, described exactly what you want to do right.
And then I will always be able to evaluate that and then move on. So I did the same thing while playing.
I would evaluate my performance. I do it on the radio. If I have a bad day, I have to watch it again to see how bad it was. I know it’s terrible-
Bex Burn Callander:
This is so cruel.
Isa Guha:
It is. Stuart Broad said the opposite. So he talked about a significant moment in his life when he hit six sixes in an over. Everyone remembers it. Yuvraj Singh took him to the cleaners.
And he said that set him on the path to becoming a better bowler because he never saw it again. But he basically assessed why this had happened and that he wasn’t as prepared as he could have been.
And then that got him moving to make sure he moved forward.
When I’ve done something bad, I try to analyze it and then I think: Okay, put it aside and move on.
But generally there is a rule of 24 hours and 48 hours to really push it aside. Take it in, push it to the side and then move forward. So I think you’re always learning in everything you do.
For me, this was a huge learning experience in charity. I mean, I’ve never worked in charity before. Of course I have been an ambassador for many, but I have never been so deeply involved in a specific cause.
And it’s practically like a small business, that’s for sure. You try to build your resources, but you can’t scale until you have the funds.
But you can’t get this funding until you’ve identified your goal and your branding and marketing are aligned so that you can go out and sell whatever you want to sell.
Take good people, take the right people.
That’s why it’s really important to strengthen the people you have with you, but also not to overwhelm them. And that’s something I learned on this journey: working as part of a team.
Everyone has different motivations and ways of thinking and different abilities. How do you try to empower them to be on the journey with you and thereby excel?
Create an environment in which everyone can thrive
Bex Burn Callander:
It almost sounds like you have to unlearn some of the things you learn in cricket, like impatience, the desire to win and constant progress.
And in fact, and especially in nonprofits, you have to learn to be patient, step back, let events unfold, and give someone else a chance to shine. So it almost feels like unlearning.
Isa Guha:
That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned: everyone has a different way of thinking. Everyone has a different motivation than what drives them.
And when you play for England you’re already at a level where you’ve got a group of guys who have all come through competitive cricket and they’re all very similar in that competitive, high-functioning mindset.
And actually you have to recognize that not everyone is. And I think it is extremely important to create an atmosphere in which people can develop.
And just because we’re involved in charity doesn’t mean it won’t be competitive.
Bex Burn Callander:
You still want to win, but you want to win the right way.
Isa Guha:
Exactly. And you really have to make sure everyone is on board. And if someone is having difficulty, you have to first recognize it and then try to find ways to manage it from a support perspective.
But like I said, when you’re a small business, everyone takes on more than they should, and it’s about making sure you connect with that person.
And in cricket it’s pretty easy when you play at this level. You want to connect with your friends, but they also take care of business, and that’s all fine, and you know they’ll speak up if they have problems.
Some maybe not. And so it’s just about recognizing that in a person and being aware of it, being able to kind of move it, but also maintaining that high level of intensity.
Some people can do more than others, and so again, you need to recognize how that impacts and fits in with your work.
Because I definitely got to a point where it was intense over a long period of time alongside full-time work. And it got me to a point where I was like, no, I need to step back now and try to find that balance.
It’s about finding the right people to take you to the next level, and that’s always what you want to learn and get better at.
Learn that you don’t have to do everything at once
Bex Burn Callander:
It’s interesting that you actually built Take Her Lead while also working a full-time job. And you got to a point where you thought: Things can’t go on like this.
Can you tell me a little more about it and what condition you were in and how you got back from there? Because a lot of people talk about burnout these days. That sounds a lot like burnout.
Isa Guha:
There are a lot of people around me who would know what that looks like. I mean, I had one of my busiest summers last year. I played Wimbledon and also played a lot of cricket and I had a lot of commitments around that.
But then in my free time I made sure the charity was heard for what we were doing. Because it was such an important time in cricket when the independent commission was released into equity and cricket.
And we had learned so much from the young girls that we had spoken to that we felt like we had to get the message across but also offer solutions that we had already thought about, but it was about putting them into one To bring shape Just like we thought, right, we can help here.
And so everything came at once. And then when you run a charity, you realize that fundraising is also very important.
So if you’re trying to do both, I mean, I did a fundraiser right before I went to Australia and basically did everything I could because you’re also trying to share the responsibility. A lot of it was driven because I wanted to do it.
And then you take it upon yourself and have support from friends around you. But actually it was a 24-hour thing. I worked around the clock for two weeks to try to get the money together to get started. That’s right, we can pay for it now to move forward.
And after that, I realized that it’s more important for people to stop the impatience at the door and say that your health and balance are more important so that people get the best out of you.
I went on my trip to Australia completely exhausted. Yes, that’s exactly right. I’ve addressed this, and because you’re exhausted, your job might suffer.
And I learned that I can’t do that again. So I came back, took a step back, and now we have a very happy, balanced relationship with it and I think that’s great.
You don’t have to do everything at once. And that’s what I learned. It can take 3 years, it can take 5 years. As long as you have a long-term strategy, have the right people around you, you can make it a success.
Highlights from the “Take Her Lead” run.
Bex Burn Callander:
It sounds like the lows of setting up a charity can be almost as low as the experiences of things going wrong in cricket, but are the highs the same? Is there a moment, a highlight of Take Her Lead that felt as good as a highlight of your cricket career?
Isa Guha:
For me, it’s just about seeing the young girls we talk to who are so empowered and empowered by the champions who come and talk to them.
And you can see the smiles on their faces, you can hear it in their voices when they are asked a question, and they can talk about their experiences confidently and in an environment where they feel safe and included.
For me that is the best thing about what we do. And when you see that, you kind of see the vision of everyone coming together. For me it’s really important to have male supporters and ambassadors too because they have the power to influence young women for the better too.
And I just feel like everything will go a lot faster if everyone works together to get women’s football to a point where everyone is happy.
But also from a South Asian perspective: I was just at the Olympics and only 2% of the British team had a South Asian background. I know that when it comes to cricket, 30% of the South Asian population participates in the game.
For women it is much less, but this transition does not take place along the way. And if we could see this growing, if we could see this improving, then that would make me really, really happy.
Similar to what Ace is doing with the black community, I think there is a larger talent pool for young South Asian girls. Because I think that because of their background and watching on TV they came into contact with cricket quite early on.
But to have that bond and then increase the number of young girls playing in the black community, I think would be incredible.
Has women’s cricket evolved in recent years?
Bex Burn Callander:
However, do you feel that women’s cricket has changed a lot since you took part? I know it might be quite difficult because you’ve been so closely involved all this time, but when you look at the perception of women or interest in sport, do you feel like there’s been a change yet?
Isa Guha:
Yes, there has been a huge change. I speak of all of these things as a journey.
When I played for England in 2009 we were playing in the final at Lord’s and I remember we were on the bus and the England men had been eliminated but we drove past a pub and they were advertising the Pakistan-Sri Lanka men’s competition game, but we weren’t mentioned.
And it was our turn before the men. And I thought we were an England team in the final of a World Cup.
Bex Burn Callander:
Light up.
Isa Guha:
And we wanted to be on TV, but it was nowhere to be seen. And then I knew we still had a long way to go.
So that was in 2009. I could never have imagined that we would have turned pro in 2014, which we did, which was great.
And now we see that the women’s games have reached a completely different level. Women can receive up to $300,000 in the IPL. Since it is a three-week competition, there is tremendous progress at the highest level. The same applies to investments in England, Australia and India.
And this domestic standard has also improved due to the focus on the domestic structure. Where we haven’t seen much change is a little further down. So a basic and first century level.
This is what we did with the charity in the first year of our founding, speaking to many young girls about their experiences.
And we still hear the same things that me and my teammates faced 20 years ago. Since we were the only girl in the club, we didn’t mind because we knew we were one of the select few trying to break into the game.
And in fact, being outside of our comfort zone strengthened our resilience.
But for many girls, being the only girl might make them feel rejected.
Being in a club and not having changing facilities for women still happens on a large scale across the country.
Make yourself feel different. I was lucky, I was part of a team at High Wycombe Cricket Club.
When I was 8 years old I was on a boys’ team and what worried me most was that I was the only girl, but the boys were really supportive and really celebrated me.
And there were teams that we played against and the parents said, “I don’t want my son to play against a girl.”
And that would only cheer me up even more. I would want to get her boys out. This made me feel much better.
But I know that for a young girl, this experience could be the experience that puts her off cricket forever.
That’s why I think it’s important to create a better environment where girls are encouraged to get involved. And I think there is still a lot to be done in this area.
Adversity can be motivating and daunting
Bex Burn Callander:
It’s difficult though, isn’t it? Because it’s terrible when you feel like you’re different or that the kids on the other teams are tricking you. Nobody should have to go through this.
But on the other hand, it has also made you much more resilient. This could be one of the reasons why you have been so successful in everything you have undertaken. Because you could almost cope with other people’s expectations and just shrug them off.
And that was a skill you learned.
So there’s a tension there, isn’t there? Because sometimes you think a little adversity is good, but at what point does too much adversity end up destroying a person’s chances or possibilities?
Isa Guha:
Yes, absolutely. At the same time, I think the number of girls wanting to come to play cricket would increase if it was more inclusive. And that’s what I’ve had to learn since playing.
I think we all live in our bubble where we say: yes, it has to be competitive, you have to endure setbacks in order to continue on the journey and survive. But to increase the number of girls taking up the sport, I think it needs to be more inclusive.
And so I was part of that team and I was more concerned with being the only girl than being the only girl of British Indian descent. We had British Pakistanis and British white boys on the team.
And because my parents didn’t see any problems with it, no one else saw it either. And I think that level of support was really important for me.
Because sometimes I wonder why I was one of the few who made it. And for many British Indian girls, it can sometimes be a cultural barrier that their parents don’t want them to play with the boys.
Then there needs to be an area or a place where they can go, where they feel included, where they can go with their friends and where they feel supported.
And then how do we take the next step? And that’s a two-way thing. The coaches need to be really supportive and understanding and the environment needs to be as good as possible.
Have a backup plan and find a new purpose
Bex Burn Callander:
And cricket careers are notoriously short. At what point, when you were playing and getting everything done, all your attention was focused on the game, but was there a point where you thought, “I need to start planning what’s next.”
I need to start thinking about my plan B.
Obviously you decided on this great idea and mission and Take Her Lead was born, but were there any things before that that made you think about what should happen next?
Isa Guha:
I think I’ve always been someone who really enjoys different experiences. And when I was on this trip with England, it was honestly the most incredible people trip.
People always ask me: Do you wish you played in that era? I think, no, I didn’t have any of that social media to deal with. We could all make our mistakes and everything outside of television and the camera. And it was a very special team.
In 2002 we were still pretty average. We couldn’t beat Australia, sometimes even New Zealand, and became the best team in the world in 2009.
And that was the most incredible experience I had with this group of people. This will take forever. It was something that stuck with me.
And whenever we’re in the room together, it’s like we did that. This is amazing. But the focus was always on making us a better team.
I was still at university at the time. I was at school when I started playing for England. I then went to university. Because I knew I needed a backup. Because I was only an amateur back then or we were only semi-professionals.
So I kind of knew I needed a backup. So I did that, wrote the thesis and then I had to make a decision.
After 2009 we became the best team in the world, achieved everything, One Day World Cup, T‑20 World Cup, whitewashing the Aussies in the Ashes. It literally couldn’t have gone better.
And at that point I thought, okay, we’ve done it, what’s next?
And I just graduated from college and I was like, OK, what do I do with my life? I don’t make money from cricket. What do I want to do?
And that’s when I decided I wanted to continue to develop into a better cricketer and become part of a team, to be like an Australian team that had been dominant for a good five, six years.
And it’s hard to win one after another. So that was the challenge I took on, but I also needed a backup. So I decided to do my PhD part-time and that gave me the starting signal for my next journey.
And when I retired, there came a point where I was ready for the next step. So I started doing a bit of broadcasting, it gave me a different experience and I made money from it. And it felt like a natural progression for me.
So there have been some people in life who live and breathe cricket and Jimmy Anderson is one of them. Charlotte Edwards, who went on to coach truly successful teams, would live and breathe cricket.
But I always needed something else as a backup. I never wanted to put all my eggs in one basket. And yes, that’s probably why I went into broadcasting.
But now I’m being challenged in different ways with the charity and that’s what I really wanted to do. That was my goal because the loss of your mother or anyone in your life is very significant and can have a big impact on your mental space and what you believe life is for.
And so that became my next goal.
Inspired by this business story?
Subscribe wherever you’re listening or watching Good advice about Apple iTunes Here.
We are also on Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.
Join our community to share your insights and stories X @SageUK with the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast on Instagram @SageOfficial or in the comments below!
Would you like to find out more about Isa and Take Her Lead?
You can find out more about Isa from her Instagram or LinkedIn.
You can find out more about Take Her Lead here website And Instagram.
