The Naked CEO
18th June 2010
Did you have a warm, toasty, soft, comfy dry night last night? Lucky you!
They say ’spare a thought for those who don’t’. Well I decided to do more than spare a thought, I decided to join them! And so last night, myself and 86 other CEO’s in Adelaide slept outside at the Adelaide Zoo to raise awareness and much needed funds for the homeless, those far less fortunate than us. Coined the CEO Sleep out by St Vincent de Paul, this initiative has been running for 4 years in Sydney and last night in all major capitals participated.
You might not think this is a big deal, but if you know me you will know this is a huge deal. You see, I HATE the cold, no, that is too kind a word, I LOATHE the cold. I am an absolute princess when it comes to the cold weather and this was something I did with enormous reluctance. I wasn’t even talked into it, I simply heard about it, and faced it head on and ‘did it’.
While planning for the ‘big night’ I found myself thinking ‘what do homeless people have on them? Had they managed to second blankies, thick coats, warm beanies and warm shoes? I realised I was coming into this venture privileged, so even though I left my face cream and slippers at home, I did take the warmest thing I own, my sheepskin sleeveless jacket. I took thermals extra gloves and extra blankie and wore UBER thick socks. In my ‘baggie’ I took my wallet (in case of fundraising), a torch, my phone to rustle up more donations and my toothbrush. I was carrying the appropriate ’bag lady’ striped/checkered bag.
A week prior to the event I did a reconnaissance of the venue to ensure I knew what I was getting into. I found myself staring at a large rotunda, covered with café blinds protecting the sides and I very quickly decided on my spot right in the middle! Making the decision to arrive early so I secure said spot, I did arrive early and of course nothing goes to plan. I was swiftly roped into being an ‘extra’ on Channel 9 weather live read by Brenton as we ‘set up’ our spots for the night. The phone was pinging furiously as the SMS’s poured in “eeeek you are on the weather”.
As CEO’s began to arrive, I noticed some rather large swags, pillows, inflatable mattresses (built into the swags) thick padded swags and an array of very cozy bedding. I picked on the first bloke to walk in carrying ‘comfort’ and cheekily piped up, “I don’t think homeless people have swags and soft pillows” and he retorted by saying “oh not you too, I have already copped an earful from the wife”. I later discovered that this was an ANZ man who dared to venture ‘out’ for the night. I asked if his swag was waterproof and while I was staring up through the trees into the heavens trying to guess what the weather was going to do, he said “sort of, but not for heavy rain“. I thought he was being optimistic (about the weather).
As the night drew on, we were subject to a number of speakers all related to Vinnie’s, this went on for a few hours and in between the proceedings, dinner was served. In rolled the legendry ‘Fred’s Van’. We were treated to exactly the same faire as the homeless are and Fred has 4 vans around Adelaide serving food to the homeless, all supported by donations and volunteering. I was offered more food than I normally prepare in one sitting at home, soup, a veggie burger (even homeless people have principles and are vegetarian), a cheese & salad sandwich, fruit cake, muesli bars, fruit and hot drinks on tap. More than adequate faire for the evening. It was at this point the weather started giving away some clues.
One could think that Fred’s Van was a thankless task , but ask the volunteers who have been doing this for years and years, CEO’s, ordinary citizens, all doing their bit and enjoying the experience of ‘giving back to the community’. It is easy to walk along the streets and not ’notice’ the homeless and to think that they are useless, lazy ’don’t want to get a job’ gits and remember I come from Johannesburg where homelessness is rife and as common as a cold.
So what has changed for me? Well I traditionally support ‘animal & environmental welfare’ and very seldom put my weight behind human issues especially none so ‘mundane’ as the homeless. In that I mean this cause is very far removed from the ‘glamorous’ charities. Surely these people can think, talk, help themselves. They are adults for goodness sake – aren’t they? Well no not really, lots are children.
Me, we are protected by money, education and a strong social structure. But when these people fall through the cracks it’s the system that lets them down. Some want to get out the rut, some are incapable and some have just given up. There is very definitely a common theme that is prevalent amongst the homeless and they are made up of all sorts of people, just like you and me. People falling on hard times, victims of violence, abuse, addiction and sadly mental health issues. Often the highest amongst us fall off our loftiest perches the hardest and quite often it isn’t about money ironically. But when adults lose all social support, structure and hope it is easy to lose ones way.
It was at this point I began to reflect on my life. I had it all, the high life, the money, the fast cars, fancy houses, the jewels, the maids, the booze and the perfect job. And it was at this point that I nearly lost my own life through being abused, having addictions, and that feeling of worthlessness and despite having all of the above I never felt more alone, depressed and willing to give it all up. What I needed was someone to believe in me, to tell me it was going to be ok and be there to help me get up and keep going, and that salvation came in the form of a father figure boss. Resulting in me being alive to tell the story, but I was so close to living on the street, it was beyond scary, and when I crashed to the very bottom of the barrel – when you can go no further, I was one of the lucky ones, because of a kind word and a helping hand I clawed my way back up and out.
What we don’t realise is the impact of our actions around us which was why I decided to brave the cold and make a stand. We were told a story last night of a man called George, George was 75 years old and his wife asked him to leave. He eventually landed up on the doorstep of St Vinnie’s who took him in. He had no idea where to go, what to do or where to start. They helped him stand on his own two feet and assisted him in starting his life again at the age of 75. Imagine yourself in his shoes, 75. The good news, he didn’t fall through the cracks and he is not a victim of system rather a victor. A success story.
As midnight came around (very quickly might I add) I thought about finding my way to bed. Armed with only my toothbrush (yes I know) and after casting my eye over the sleeping, snaffling, snorting, snoring farting souls in the rotunda, I realised this was too comfortable and that homeless people don’t often have the luxury of a closed in space to bed down for the night. I grabbed my stuff, stood in the delicate sprinkles of the rain and wondered ‘if I were really homeless where would I sleep?’ I discovered 4 giant umbrellas outside the zoo shop and hatched a cunning plan. I squeezed a spot as close to the middle as possible, grabbed some cardboard for my ‘bed’ and promptly got myself organised and settled in. I was sharing the space with about 5 other people who were either snuggled down or getting ‘ready for beddy’.
The trick for staying warm in a sleeping bag is not to sleep with clothes but rather without clothes, you heat up faster and it is way more comfortable, the head and the feet are the areas that need extra warmth so socks and a beanie is perfect. I did find myself thinking if this was ‘real’ I wouldn’t want to be caught butt naked in a storm (with just socks, and a beanie – YIKES). Oh well I thought tonight I will take my chances. Also its easier to get warm quickly in the morning as you start to put layers on. I had my Scandinavian coat thrown (on loan for the night) over me for extra warmth and was surprisingly not uncomfortable. If I slept for an hour at a time, it was a lot. I prefer to sleep on my side but with the ground being so hard it was too sore on my hips so I landed up sleeping on the tummy most of the night using my sheepskin jacket as a pillow (homeless people don’t have pillows).
At about 1.30am I heard rain – the gentle pitter patter of soft rain drops that very quickly escalated into a flash flood, I swiftly moved my stuff closer to the middle on put everything on my cardboard and tried to get back to sleep with the knowledge that I am potentially about to be swept down the zoo road in a tidal wave. Another chap who was under one umbrella a bit further away from us got quite wet on the ground and proceeded to load his cardboard and himself on top of the wobbly plastic square table under the umbrella. He wasn’t a small chap and I recall someone saying to him “are you sure it’s safe up there?” well at least he wasn’t sleeping in a torrent of water. He was nowhere to be seen when we arose at 6am. Maybe he sailed away on the table.
I wondered about our banker out on the lawn in his swag and found myself thinking about a story a girlfriend had told me about swags and charity. Dominic, the CEO of St Vinnie’s was test driving a brand new swag that had been donated to St Vinnie’s for the sole purpose of giving to those that were desperately in need of a bed. My girlfriend (who works for another charity) was helping a resident homeless person (oxymoron I know) but he was making the North Adelaide post office his domicile. In her kindness she arranged gifts of blankies, clothes, swags etc (of which he was very grateful might I add). He was found beaten up with broken teeth because ‘others’ wanted his swag. You’re damned if you and you’re dammed if you don’t!
The animals in the Zoo woke us with a cacophony of sounds, squawks, squeaks and typical noises that zoo animals make, traffic, not to mention we were right under the flight path and the early morning flights were just coming in. The night was anything but peaceful, it was noisy, there were lights on and I imagine it would be very difficult to have peace of mind and wondering whether you were still going to have what little you owned left in the morning, and that some other sod hadn’t swiped your stuff (which is why you should sleep with your clothes on). By the way, it wasn’t as cold as I imagined either, unlike Monday night when it was 2°. I didn’t need all the padding, thermals, extra coats etc.
So after putting my jeans and stuff back on and emerged from sleeping bag fully clothed, this was the first and only time I felt remotely cold, I caved in and wore my coat for all of 10 minutes. I was approached by Tim Noonan from the ABC radio station and he began to interview me. He asked for my insight on the night out and of course I mentioned the ‘sleeping naked’ which he found not only amusing but good enough to air on radio the very same morning (do you know how weird that is to be interviewed then hear yourself on radio not half an hour later!) Anyway, he asked about my bedfellows and I said “charming, I have slept with you all and I don’t even know what you do let alone your names” one of the men responded by saying “that’s typical” and I responded “speak for yourself buddy”. It was an amusing slant.
While listening to the interview in the car on the way home I realised he gave me decent air time and the only other person he interviewed was Tony Braxton-Smith, famed for raising over $20 000 for the sleep out (well done Tony) and I wondered why? Why me and not any of the other 85 people there? A number of reasons I think, and it comes back to what I do, which is personal branding. I was about the only person not wearing a beanie, I was wearing a green woolen 40’s style pull on hat, which was rather dapper, and although my red hair usually attracts attention, my hat hid my hair, so I must have looked different. I was a woman on my own under the brollies and seemingly attracted attention. So the point is that even as a ‘homeless CEO’ I still managed to be a Purple Poppy in a field of blue Vinnie’s beanies and attracted the attention of the media. (More on this in another story).
Once I had been gently and kindly released by Tim from the ABC, I forsook my tooth-brushing and face washing/moisturising routine, figuring homeless people wouldn’t waste money (they don’t have) on cream, I know I wouldn’t, I would rather have a warm meal, a dry bed and dry feet (I would however miss it terribly, I think). Breakfast consisted of sticky buns and the usual accoutrements of hot morning drinks including hot chocolate; it was chilly but very civilized. I also wondered where homeless people would find a hot cuppa in the morning after a frosty night. (*Note to self, next time, when walking through the city at sparrows fart be sure to give a cuppa to a lonely cold soul).
My sleepover reminded me of a time when I had been deserted and abandoned in England and I found myself without work and domicile. After knocking on the Dole office door they began to ‘process me’. I was a born UK citizen but had never worked a day in my life (in the UK) consequently I hadn’t paid a farthing in tax; nonetheless I was a British ‘Citizen’ and entitled to some ‘help’. Whilst looking for work they provided me with a roof over my head, pocket money and even footed the bill for a new pair of glasses (albeit from the kiddy section). Strangers helped me and showed me the way. I was an alien in my birth land.
I was saving all my pennies to return ’home’ to South Africa and survived on 5 pounds a week (this was UK winter ‘95/’96). I would wait till Sunday night and walk half an hour downhill to the nearest big shop and carefully select 5 pounds worth of breads, veggies, soups, food on special, baked beans etc, whatever I could afford to feed me for a week and of course whatever I could carry. And so I would trek back up the hill with a full load on my back in the middle of winter, rain, snow, hail or shine, I did what I had to do to eat. I was one of the lucky ones, at least in Adelaide we don’t have snow, (I couldn’t imagine being homeless in snow).
However, what really rocked me was the support I received. By the morning of the event I was up to about $700 odd dollars and did a pleading email blast (with a photo of me looking like an Eskimo) and encouraged people to support with anything they could as every penny counts. By midnight I had managed to attract another $1000 into my donation account. The goal per person was $1000. I was over the moon as I was able to attend the event in the knowledge that I had (with your help) achieved my goal and didn’t look like an under achiever against all these CEO’s of major corporations, and just me running my small businesses. I beat quite a few of them and was chuffed as chips that little me and ‘My people’ made a significant financial contribution to St Vinnie’s and you can all be proud that we surpassed some of those ‘bigwigs’. Surprisingly a lot of funds came from people I barely know, have met once (if that) and overseas. For your support I am eternally grateful, I know times are tough, but compared to these people our lives are bliss.
At the beginning of the day, I stated loudly “what was I thinking?” Would I do it again? You BET! And as I stood in my warm shower this morning I blasted the cold water to remind me of where I had been and thanked my lucky stars and spared another thought for those less fortunate than us. St Vinnie’s can count on my support next year and I hope I can count on yours again too. Be pleased with yourself as you have helped shape and alter the future of someone, someway, somewhere.
Thank you
Ashley
The Naked CEO
Brand it Purple & tish’n enigma books
How to stand out in a Crowd
Last week I was interviewed by Kylie Bartlett the Web Celeb and in it you will discover the 6 tips to being a Purple Poppy and ‘Standing out’ in a crowd (without having to wear a feather boa or a silly clown tie!).
This is a succinct, amusing interview with plenty of stuff you can implement immediately that will make a difference to you and your business if you apply these really simple tips. So have a listen and be a Purple Poppy!
Cheers, Ashley 
