Meet a Member – Anna Kikuno O’Leary

19 September 2017

 This article is part of our member profile series. Our members tell us that one of the things they love about being part of our community is getting to know like-minded women. So, each month, we’ll feature an interview with a member, so that you can get to know each other a little better. Today, meet Anna Kikuno O’Leary.

You in a nutshell?

My name is Anna, I live in Lyneham, I work in comms-adjacent jobs. My goal in life is to reach a level of success that allows me to answer these sorts of questions easily and impressively.

What’s on your playlist?

A bit of everything, but it invariably features a pretty embarrassing mix of showtunes (Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen are on high rotation right now), early 2000s bangers and disco.

People would be surprised if they knew…

I always Google how to pronounce words like ‘acai’ and ‘gif’.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m pretty undisciplined and usually flit about between a few books at the same time! At the moment I’m finishing up The Consolations of Philosophy (Alain de Botton), procrastinating with Tiny Beautiful Things (Cheryl Strayed) and David Marr’s ‘The White Queen’ Quarterly Essay and planning to (finally) get started on Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series.

Who is your feminist hero?

Probably a three-way tie between Dolly Parton, Roxane Gay and Maria Bamford.

Why did you join the Y?

A number of incredible women I’ve known have been members or involved in some way with the Y – they have all inspired me to do more to advocate for and support women in my community. I thought joining the Y was a good place to start!

Who inspires you?

Pretty much every second person I meet – I should be more discerning. Funny people. Brave people. Honest people.

What’s the change you want to see in the world?

I’ve been trying to answer this one for so long, but everything I think of either sounds like a terrible Instagram quote or a second-rate Aaron Sorkin speech.

I suppose ultimately I’d like to see more thoughtful analysis take place. Too much damage is caused by unexamined assumption, inherited fear, faith in the ‘truthiness’ of things.

Tags: CBR, inspiration, meet a member