How Grace Mosuro is leading with purpose and championing change within organizations
Grace Mosuro, the dynamic CEO and founder of Acquaintz Consulting and Acting CEO of the Every Future Foundation, shares her inspiring journey of balancing leadership with the challenges of being a Black woman, battling breast cancer, and raising a daughter. Grace explains how these experiences have shaped her perspective and influenced how she runs both her consultancy and personal brand.
“I’ve always been passionate about diversity and inclusion because of my lived experience as a Black woman in the UK,” says Grace. She discusses the struggles she’s faced in the workplace, particularly with unconscious bias and discrimination. Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, Grace established an anti-racism task force in her organisation alongside a colleague. Unfortunately, towards the end of 2020, Grace was diagnosed with breast cancer, spending most of 2021 undergoing treatment. She recalls a conversation with a nurse who said, “You want to be careful because now you’ve had cancer, it’s going to be really difficult to get a job.” While recognising this comment shouldn’t have been made, Grace realised that many companies don’t know how to support employees who have had cancer, and there are preconceptions about one’s ability to work after a diagnosis.
Due to the side effects of her treatment and the potential for recurrence, Grace is now legally disabled. A major motivation for starting Acquaintz Consulting was the desire to be open about this aspect of her identity, particularly as her visible traits as a Black woman already created challenges in some spaces. She aims to create a future where no one feels the need to hide any part of themselves to be accepted or valued. Inspired by her daughter, Grace wants her to grow up in a world where she can achieve anything without her identity being a barrier.
As a breast cancer survivor, Grace notes, “Having something that can potentially take your life makes you run into the rest of your life.” Starting Acquaintz Consulting became a non-negotiable, and Grace felt that this was her calling. “I wake up every day and it doesn’t feel like work—it feels like passion. It’s a beautiful feeling.”
Grace has also built a strong personal brand on LinkedIn, where she shares her experiences of exclusion for various reasons, believing it’s essential to tell her story authentically. She was recently appointed as Chair of Trustees for the Every Future Foundation and later took on the role of Acting CEO. “I’m really passionate about supporting charities, and I want to give back,” Grace says, so when the opportunity came along, it was an easy decision.
Her podcast, The Organizational Inclusionist, celebrates its first anniversary this year. Grace admits she struggled with imposter syndrome and perfectionism, which delayed the launch. “It really held me back,” she says, but she soon realised that even if the first episodes weren’t perfect, they were a learning experience. Her podcast features organic, authentic conversations, often with guests she connects with through networking. While she doesn’t track metrics, Grace measures success by the potential impact an episode can have on listeners. Moving forward, she plans to be more strategic, aligning her podcast with key moments and issues throughout the year.
A huge reason Grace embraces storytelling is to connect with people on a deeper level, activating both their hearts and minds. She understands that while not everyone will relate to her entire story, many have experienced cancer, racism, or sexism, and through these shared experiences, people can begin to understand the fear and pain such challenges bring, particularly in the workplace. Grace recalls presenting to a company where someone objected to the need for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) measures, believing they weren’t necessary as their job applications didn’t include EDI questions. Acknowledging their view, Grace responded with a compelling example. She compared two job applications, one from “John Smith” and one from “Grace Oluwagbemisola Mosuro”, and asked, “Who do you think they’re inviting for an interview?” This immediately highlighted the bias that can exist, even when unintentional.
A typical day for Grace starts with ensuring her daughter is awake for school, dropping her off, and heading to the gym. “I don’t take my body for granted in any way at all. My health and well-being are really important. I need that hit of endorphins in the morning.” After her workout, Grace engages on LinkedIn and catches up on emails. With project work and meetings taking up most of her day, she feels blessed to work from home. Once her daughter returns, they enjoy dinner and decompress for the evening before doing it all again tomorrow.
For those looking to turn their struggles into strengths, Grace advises remembering that tough times won’t last forever. “I genuinely believe that each one of us is being perfected by every bump and hurdle that we face, so that we wake up to be who we're meant to be. I tell people, if you're going through something now, look back at the things you’ve overcome before. You’ve made it through those challenges, and you can do it again.” Grace also recommends The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, which helps her focus on the present instead of worrying about what lies ahead.
Connect with Grace on LinkedIn at Grace Mosuro and visit her website at Aquaintz Consulting where you can also check out her podcast, The Organizational Inclusionist.
