A Moment With Cassie - Cassie Kirtisingham

Hey Cassie! Tell us about yourself – who is Cassie Kirtisingham? 

I grew up in a mining town 6 hours from Perth called Kalgoorlie, where my parents were Pastors. At 17 we moved to Perth where I studied Public Relations and International Aid & Development at University. I worked on a few projects overseas with different NGOs in Thailand and Bangladesh and really thought that I was supposed to use my studies to work in International Aid, but God had other plans and I ended up getting a pretty coveted job in Public Relations straight out of Uni. After working a few years in that industry where I was mentored by an incredible business woman, God put it on my heart to start what is now IZRA, six years on I get the privilege of running this business while I am a Mum and serve at Kingdomcity alongside my amazing husband Julian!

 How did the idea of IZRA come about?

While working in Public Relations, God stirred in my heart a passion to create a program in schools that used good branding and creative presentation to speak on identity and resilience. When I was in school, everything that promoted good or healthy lifestyles, had really poor presentation and was often condescending, while everything around us that was unhealthy or toxic looked really attractive.

There is a quote by Erwin McManus that really sums up our mission where he says, “Whoever tells the best story shapes the culture.”

Billions of dollars are spent telling young people the story of what should define them and what they should buy to make themselves feel good enough. While we don’t have billions of dollars, I really believe there needs to be voices out there for young people with the truth about their identity, their value and the resilience tools that will see them thrive. So I created IZRA where we do Resilience, Leadership and Creative Workshops in schools, youth groups and with local councils with the aim of telling a compelling story of hope and resilience.

So, you’ve had this crazy, big idea. What was the process in bringing your dream to fruition? 

The big thing when starting to develop an idea is to test it out! Most ideas we have are based on assumptions; we are assuming our target market will want our product/service, that the price point is right and that our point of difference is enough, so I asked lots of questions! I asked teachers what they believed the biggest needs of teenagers were and I asked teenagers what they thought their biggest needs were and I tried to develop something that addressed both, presented in an attractive package. My first workshop was a long way from what we do now, but I learnt soooo much! The feedback I didn’t want at the time always became the biggest turning points of innovation and growth in my business.

What/who are your inspirations for IZRA?

There are a wide range influencers who inspire my work and some of those include:

Glen Gerreyn I am inspired by what he has built and the impact he has on young people through his speaking.

Zoe Foster-Blake for her excellent brand personality, communication and the diversity of her appeal.

Pastor Jemima Varughese and her commitment to creative and innovative approaches to communication.

What is a book or resource that has impacted your life, both personally and in business?

I love ‘Dare to Lead’ by Brene Brown! It has taught me a lot about being a healthy leader and creating room for my team to grow and contribute.

What has been your biggest challenge (business wise) so far?

My biggest challenge would probably be my Imposter Syndrome and the fear that everyone will find out I don’t know what I’m doing! I had never experienced bad anxiety until I started my business and after launching and putting it out there, I started getting terrible panic attacks! Part of my problem was that I had aligned my identity and value too closely with my work, but I also had to learn how to discipline my mind and still my spirit with the Word. God has helped me learn how to separate my identity and value from my work, but it still tries to pop up and distract me! When we lost all of our bookings for most of the year at the start of the Covid-19 lockdowns, it really hit me hard in terms of my identity and feelings of self-worth. Thankfully God walked me through it pretty quickly though and used my reaction as a health check to realign my identity in Him.

What was a highlight moment in your career with IZRA?

A highlight for me was when my team in Sydney ran their first big One Day event while I was overseas for a wedding. My team leader was only 22 and pulled off an incredible event that combined our Creative and Resilience Workshops with 10 team members working with over 100 students at The Scots College. I wished I was there and it was nerve racking waiting by my phone for news on how it went, but it was so humbling to see it come together. A little idea that started a few years earlier had now grown to enable people I had never met, to empower and inspire young people I would never meet. I cannot think of anything better than opening doors for others to walk into their purpose!

Being a Christian in the education/leadership world poses many challenges. What is something that encourages you to stay true to yourself?

There are plenty of messages and identities being promoted and explored in schools these days that don’t line up with what I believe, but for me it’s important to stay in the lane God has called us to. I believe that our space is to speak life and hope into the mental and emotional health space, shining His hope.

What has been the most personally rewarding aspect of IZRA?

Aside from the privilege of speaking into the lives of young people, it would be leading my incredible team of speakers. In recent years God has been teaching me about stewarding their gifts and of the role I get to play in them developing their gifts and talents. They all bring a different strength and perspective to our programs and it’s so rewarding seeing it take on the best parts of them.

If you could tell young females looking to do something similar to you, what would your advice be?

Fear is the most dangerous when it masquerades as wisdom, so make sure to really assess some of the reasons and excuses not to step out. If God has put something on your heart, seek out wise counsel and do your due diligence in preparation, but also be honest about what is wisdom and what is fear that you need to conquer.

What’s your next step? 

I would love to grow our online resources and to see our resilience and leadership content expanded to work with adults and in workplaces. I’ve been asked over the years whether we would speak in that space and have let fear stop me, but I’ve started to see how relevant the content is for all ages and would love to explore that. I think we also have the right team members for something like that now!

Where can we find you? 

My personal instagram is @cassiekirtisingham, while you can find IZRA at @IZRA_au or on our website  www.IZRA.com.au

Interview with Cassie Kirtisingham

Cassie is the Founder of IZRA, she presents a range of the Resilience and Entrepreneurial Workshops in schools for IZRA and speaks externally on topics such around starting a business, creativity and leadership.