Life After Law School | Episode 6 | I had to be creative & forge my own path
Have you ever felt the odds are stacked against you? You want to follow a path but you fear being rejected or not fitting in? Today you're going to meet someone who has had a truly remarkable journey. You'll learn how you can create your own opportunities rather than waiting for them. Rugare Gomo is a law graduate, Humanitarian, and Life & Business Coach. He heads up the Gomo Foundation which works to provide education and support to young women in Zimbabwe, Rugare's motherland. Learn more about Rugare Gomo www.rugaregomo.com www.gomofoundation.org.au Music Upbeat Party by Scott Holmes (CC BY NC license)
Explore more Monash Law podcasts
Transcript | Life After Law School | Episode 6 | I had to be creative & forge my own path
[00:00:00] Rugare Gomo: That's how I started actually creating my opportunities because the system wasn't actually going to work for me. So I had to be creative and forward my own path to get what I wanted.
[00:00:16] Amy Scarlet: Have you ever felt like the odds are stacked against you? Like you can't make the choices you want to in fear of being rejected or not fitting in today, you're going to meet someone who has had a truly remarkable journey.
[00:00:31] This story is one we can all learn from. It's about how you can create your own opportunities rather than waiting for them. I'm Amy Scarlet, and this is Life After Law School.
[00:00:47] Re Gomo is a law graduate, humanitarian, and life and business coach. He heads up the Gomo Foundation, which works to provide education and support to young women in Zimbabwe where Rega is originally from. Hello Rega. It is fantastic having you here on our Life After Law School podcast. Uh, I'd love to get you to introduce yourself before we get started.
[00:01:12] Rugare Gomo: Hello, Amy. I'm so excited to be on this podcast. Monash Law is a very special home for me, and so a little bit about myself. My name is Re Gomo. I'm from Zimbabwe originally, and I came to Australia by myself when I was 16 years old. One suitcase. Backpack and a dream. A dream point. Education I would never have ever had in Zimbabwe.
[00:01:38] Fast forward. Um, I practiced law at a, um, a law firm, worked for a, a startup, which I grew into a multimillion dollar company, and now I'm a high performance life and business coach. And what I'm passionate about is, um, empowering people to live a wondrous life, purpose-driven lives. So as part of that, my biggest heart is always giving back, which I then also do via a foundation.
[00:02:09] I started called the Gomer Foundation, where provide scholarships for girls to go to school in rural Zimbabwe where I'm from.
[00:02:16] Amy Scarlet: So you touched on, um, how Monash is a bit of, I guess, home. Can we just talk a little bit about your, I guess, education journey, uh, what your thoughts were around careers when you started out?
[00:02:26] Rugare Gomo: Absolutely. So coming from Zimbabwe, there were very limited opportunities for me, uh, for tertiary education. So I came to Australia and I completed my year 11, year 12. But then, um, I had a scholarship to do that. So I had no idea how I was going to go to university. University was gonna be very expensive.
[00:02:50] It was gonna cost me $20,000 a year, and my family would never have been able to afford that. So I had to find a way to actually attend, um, Monash Law. And I remember saving money, but also asking my community, my high school community, um, to contribute funds for me to go to, to university. So literally every single year, I had no idea whether I was going to make it to, to go to the next year.
[00:03:21] But in terms of my choice for law, um, I had got advice and had talked to people and what, what I'd always been passionate about was helping people. I, and law was a great toolkit to use and to have inside of helping people. The opportunities to either work in not-for-profits, the UN as an example, um, the opportunity to travel different parts of the world, and also the kind of respect people have for lawyers.
[00:03:56] And so for me it was a, a handy toolkit to have being a lawyer.
[00:04:02] Amy Scarlet: Did you know exactly what you were going to use your law degree with? You kind of alluded to that through your story, um, about why you wanted to get into law. But when you actually started it, did it, uh, change throughout, you know, were you drawn to doing different sort of careers, um, based on, you know, say around that clerkship period?
[00:04:20] Uh, time where a lot of people get, you know, involved in that. Um, was there a lot of back and forth or did you kind of enter your law degree knowing exactly what you were going to do and then at the end of it completely apply that to your career?
[00:04:32] Rugare Gomo: No, I didn't know exactly what I was going to do. So as you can imagine, I'm a 17-year-old boy at this time, no family in Australia.
[00:04:40] Um, and very little guidance. Um, and I was my, I was my own ultimate decision maker. And I did have this dream of wanting to make the world a better place, but when I did then start law school, it was very different from, um, the conversations I'd been having with other people. It became a conversation of making it into the top law firms.
[00:05:07] Getting practical experience, um, as a, as a gateway first before you could do anything else. So over time I did buy into the, uh, conversation of having to work, um, in a, in a firm before going out to make a difference. And, um, that was very, I could say, uh, a very taxing journey. Which I can share in more detail shortly.
[00:05:35] Amy Scarlet: Yeah, that would be great to touch on. So what was your actual career journey like while studying at university?
[00:05:41] Rugare Gomo: So while studying what life was like for me was that being an international student, I had to raise about $20,000 every single year. And so, um, unlike many of my high school friends or my uni friends now, then in my first year would come a lot from private schools.
[00:05:59] Um, I had to work really hard to make money to just attend law school, so a lot of the time in my classes I was exhausted. And also because, uh, during that time the situation in Zimbabwe was deteriorating, I had to also find a way to stay in Australia. Um, otherwise I'd be going back to Zimbabwe, to nothing.
[00:06:25] And for me, that was not an option. So I, I had to discover being creative. Now, you know, as I'm talking out, the person you're talking to right now wasn't the person who arrived in Australia. I was quiet. I had to talk like this. You know, I am. Um, I'm gay, and growing up as being a gay person in Zimbabwe, you go to jail.
[00:06:51] So I was already uncomfortable with my sexuality. I grew up in a context that white is better than black. So I had all these limiting beliefs when I was starting law school. All these students in my world who seemed to have resources, the books, uh, the overseas holidays, the internships, and for me it was, um, getting to class, being present, um, finishing my classwork and then going to McDonald's to do my shift and during my summer holidays, working very long hours just to save money so that I could come back for my next semester.
[00:07:30] So to be even have the life I have today, it's really is a miracle because it was really hard going through law schools and the kind of decisions I had to make and the sacrifices as well. And um, as I continued going through law school, for me, I really had to discover. Um, staying in Australia, so that also meant applying for clerkships.
[00:07:59] But this was the problem. Being an international student in that time, um, I could not apply for clerkships or even traineeships because the requirement was that you have to be an Australian permanent resident or an Australian citizen, of which I was neither. So how in the world was I then going to overcome that obstacle?
[00:08:20] Uh, what made a difference was my, one of my, my classmates, their father had heard my story and had invited, um, him and myself actually to come and do a two week, um, traineeship. At their firm, and this was at Maddox. And I remember, I remember arriving at Maddox, and this was at the end of my first year of university and I ended the building.
[00:08:46] It was amazing. I'd never seen anything like that. I'd never been exposed to buildings like that. I'd never been exposed to lobbies like that. So that's very grandiose for me. And, uh, that, that those two weeks, I spent the first week in the mail room and then the second week in document management and afterwards I asked, I went to HR and I asked if they had any more jobs for me.
[00:09:15] And that's how I started actually creating, um, my opportunities because of the system. Wasn't actually going to work for me. So I had to be creative and forge my own path to get what I wanted.
[00:09:31] Amy Scarlet: And did you get, uh, a role? Did they have something for you? Did you continue on working with them?
[00:09:37] Rugare Gomo: So I continued working with them.
[00:09:38] I worked with them for my entire law school. And I remember actually going to HR and talking to Sophie Gilbert, who was the HR manager at the time. And I communicated with her that. I couldn't apply for clerkships or traineeships because of the system, and she asked me to hand in a paper application, uh, so, which I did.
[00:10:00] And, um, I was very fortunate to be selected. Uh, to, uh, participate in that clerkship program.
[00:10:07] Amy Scarlet: That's great to hear that you got onto that clerkship. So post that clerkship process, did you get offered a traineeship or a graduate role? I
[00:10:14] Rugare Gomo: did. And also just to note, you know, the circumstances were really hard for me, and so my marks were not that great either.
[00:10:22] So I wasn't getting hds and Ds. At all us getting ma many credits, um, some DS passes and the, and that was in inside of the other activities I had to do in terms of balancing my, my, my life, um, and being unsupported generally inside of my life. But, and I knew that once I had my foot in the door at Maddox.
[00:10:50] I was going to do amazing work, so I worked very hard to show them that I was capable. So, so another barrier was going to be my marks. Mm-hmm. But then I thought that I can show them, um, that I can write well, I can show them that I'm an effective communicator. I got to connect with the partners, um, create.
[00:11:14] Uh, friends with the senior associates. I was a, I can do it person. And that fostered trust within the organization.
[00:11:24] Amy Scarlet: I guess further touching on those skills, uh, your, your skills that you have. You think that you offered to the firm, what else do you think, um, made them say, yes, we're going to keep rega on?
[00:11:35] Did you get involved in any extracurricular activities? Is, was there anything else that you think that they looked at, um, when, when they were considering, you know, offering those clerkships to you?
[00:11:45] Rugare Gomo: One of the things I also did at university was I did, I did a double degree, so I majored in French and European studies.
[00:11:53] And after my second year of law school contracts law, I failed contracts law twice, and I thought to myself, nobody will ever, ever look at me. I'm such a failure. I'm never going to be employable. And that's what it felt like as law school is very competitive. And so, you know, many of my friends were getting D'S hds and then I had this on my record.
[00:12:20] And so it, it was an opportunity for me to pause and reflect what, reflect on what I was actually committed to. So what I actually did was I created a whole opportunity for me to go to France for six months. My school fees in Australia was going to cover my, um, expenses, my educational expenses in France, as well as my living expenses, my food, and I got to then, um, uh, well, I speak fluent French, and then while I was in France, I then created opportunities for myself to do internships in Brussels.
[00:12:54] In the European Union, which I loved as well. And you know, um, I got to create all of that for myself when I was 20, 21 years old. And that was really the power of talking to people and sharing my vision. And I literally would go to people and say, I'm from Australia. I'm studying French and European studies.
[00:13:16] I'm going back to Australia in second semester and I'm looking for internship. Do you have anything? I was that direct and I talked to so many people and I had so many nos, and one person, one organization, care for Europe said yes. Actually would be delighted. Send me an email. So I sent them an email in both English and French.
[00:13:37] Um, then realized that they actually only speak English. I spent, I worried the whole day making sure it was in perfect French to go avail. That's brilliant.
[00:13:48] Amy Scarlet: And.
[00:13:49] Rugare Gomo: Vape. Uh, I arrived in Brussels and they arranged my accommodation and for those two weeks I was the right hand person for the director and attending some amazing, um.
[00:14:02] Synopsis on, um, you know, protecting miners from digital media to stem cell research to seeing diplomats. And it was also the time when Tony Blair, the former prime Minister of the United Kingdom, had come to, to Brussels to take over the chair of the UK Union. And, you know, Brussels was on fire with excitement at that time.
[00:14:27] So it was, you know, those. Experiences then also were very valuable. When I went to the interview stage with, when I was given opportunities to be interviewed, I was able to then share what I'm able to create. And I think that's really a powerful skill for any lawyer. You know, as a lawyer there isn't a right or wrong your, your.
[00:14:51] Your game is to really put forward your argument for why the judge should say yes to you or why somebody should follow your position. And so I was practicing that literally from raising money to creating internships to, um, finding my, my next employment. And, um, you know, in the end, you know, one of the things that Maddox said to me and one of the partners said to me is, we like to hire people who are great communicators.
[00:15:24] We don't really care about the marks we want to put, um, and we want to hire people that our clients will love. And so I think that, you know, at law school, there's a great opportunity to continuously explore how else you can develop skills other than just your marks. The marks will get you in, but it's actually the other things.
[00:15:48] Are you, um, willing to be vulnerable and network? Are you willing to fail? Are you willing to take a risk and then pick yourself up and start again? Because that is literally what the real world is like. So I feel like, um, though my journey was very difficult. It was a real learning ex experience that I would never trade for anything.
[00:16:14] Amy Scarlet: That's super cool. And those, those stories and, and the fact that you got to do that is awesome and you've just touched on it, which is, you know, you have the opportunity while you're studying to improve your skills, your employability skills ultimately. Um, and they are life skills as well. Super important.
[00:16:30] Um, but I guess the, the question is how do students know? While they're going through it, that that's what they're actually gaining. You know, sometimes it's a, uh, life's experiences and, and those, um, those ones can be quite tough. You know, you ask the question, can I, does anyone have a job? And they say no.
[00:16:48] And then getting up and asking the question again to someone else. Is a skill, right? It's, uh, having that confidence that, to be able to push through and be persistent. Uh, but, you know, I guess, um, this is a tough question to ask, but how do you think, um, now given your current role and, and your current experience, how can students start realizing that what they're doing or what they could do can help them on their journey?
[00:17:12] How can they. Stand that, uh, from a level where they're not really, um, exposed to it on the other end. You know, hindsight's a wonderful thing. You can stand there now and say, those were great experiences and that's what helped me get to where I am now. Um, but how do they realize and reflect on that while they're going through their, their experiences and their journeys while at university?
[00:17:32] Rugare Gomo: So for me, I know that I was very conscious that I was already at a huge disadvantage being an international student. So I knew I had to do something extra and also put myself in a situation where I go beyond myself. So for me, growth if, if you're feeling comfortable right now in law school and just worrying about your marks, then.
[00:17:57] You're not on the right track. If you're going beyond just looking at getting the best marks and looking at how else you can be a contribution to society, something new can show up, you become interesting, and that's really one of the things to ask yourself, am I focused on just getting the best marks or am I also going to use my life to be a contribution to society?
[00:18:25] And go after things that I, you may actually fail at. It's really okay to, that's one of the things, so for myself, I know I got involved with Amnesty International in my first year of university, which was wonderful. 'cause then I got to connect with different students from different walks of life, uh, you know, around a common cause.
[00:18:47] Um, I was the social justice officer. As well at law school, which was then a great opportunity on, on connecting with other students, particularly people who were more political than I was. It was very uncomfortable. I hated going to the meetings. I barely used my voice, but I got exposure, and that exposure allowed me to grow.
[00:19:11] So it's not, it wasn't about being perfect, it was about being willing.
[00:19:17] Amy Scarlet: So we'd love to hear about where, how you got to where you are now, so that career journey to where you are now and how did you discover that, um, going on that journey. So you've gone from Maddox, uh, through to your current role.
[00:19:30] Rugare Gomo: So my life I say, is not my own.
[00:19:33] It really is the community. Because all I have is my thinking, and my thinking is small, but once I allow others to contribute something greater than myself can show up. And so my journey has always been surrounded with people. Around me. So when I finished law school, well, I, I was fortunate to get a traineeship at Maddox.
[00:19:56] Um, but one of the, my barriers about that was that there was, I, there wasn't actually a visa for me at that time and the Australian law for me to take up. So, um, six months before I finished my university, the Australian government introduced the visa called the 4 8 5 graduate Visa, which Maddox sponsored me on.
[00:20:19] So that, so I managed to pursue opportunities without having to figure it all out.
[00:20:26] Mm-hmm. And I
[00:20:27] think that's a big thing, particularly for us, a type personalities and law students, is if we can't see every single element of it, we don't do it. So what I'm offering is you don't have to see all the, all the elements.
[00:20:45] Sometimes you give it your best go and something miraculous may open up, which did for me, and, but that's not just a one off. That's been particularly a testament in life. Um, so I then practiced, um, as a property lawyer at Maddox for a couple of years, and then I moved to Howard Andrews after about two years.
[00:21:09] And I did that to really focus on property development work. And there were lovely, lovely, lovely firm. And when I was at Howard Andrews, they're now called, uh, Slaters. And um, I got into a, a mentoring program. With the Property Council of Australia, and it is a highly competitive program. They were only selecting 25 people, but they had over 800 applications and 20, so it was 25 uh participants, 25 mentors, and I applied and I got an address.
[00:21:45] It was people from all walks of the property. So we had lawyers, we had engineers, constructions, builders, architects. So this, it was this, uh, great. Group of individuals hungry to make, to progress in their career. And I got matched up with this woman called, uh, Rose Hanson, and she's an international urban planner.
[00:22:08] She's retired then. And I shared my life with her and when I shared my life with her, she. Nothing in what you said has anything to do with your property career. I think that you want to really make a difference to people's lives and interested in business. So we're going to do something unconventional.
[00:22:27] Uh, I'm going to, we're going to explore how you can move out of the property industry and into the business community or making a difference. People's lives. And I felt for the first time that somebody heard me for who I was, it wasn't about tick the boxes to, to get success, uh, because other people said I was successful.
[00:22:54] But it was really, somebody heard my core vision and my core values and was able to articulate it better than I could at that time, and they took a chance. To mentor me to fulfill on that, and I'll always be grateful. Toro Hanson. Sounds like
[00:23:17] Amy Scarlet: a fantastic mentor. Like they, they really, like you said, they really listen to you and, and instead of just applying, you know, oh, okay, you're going down the property market, um, route.
[00:23:26] Let's continue on that one. It's, oh, actually, maybe we should reconsider what you're going to do because this doesn't necessarily seem like the space for you, so. I guess just touching on that a little bit, um, what initially made you follow the property law market? So why did you go into that in the first place?
[00:23:43] Um, and then, um, what, how did you get out of it and what did you go onto?
[00:23:48] Rugare Gomo: So I'd done a rotation, um, at Maddox in the property group. I done property, commercial and also construction, and I was toying up between property and commercial, and I put property as my first choice. Um, but, and I did that because I didn't believe in myself that I was going to get the position in commercial.
[00:24:08] So that was, I had a limiting belief about myself. And when I'd started my career, one of my limiting beliefs was that I'm black and gay. Who, who in the industry, what client is going to want to work with a black and gay person? I was one of three black people in law school for about six years. So I had, I hadn't actually seen other black lawyers, people of my own skin having opportunities.
[00:24:37] Like I was so part of, you know, choosing my career was in, I, I didn't really also have people I could look up to that looked like me. All were of my sexual orientation and was really lonely. So some of my decisions were not good decisions, and that's why I'm really passionate about having these kinds of conversations because it doesn't have to be that way for you.
[00:25:06] And so I went for my second choice, not my first choice. That's how I ended up in the property group. That fast forward, you know, um, many years later, I actually started my own commercial law firm and I loved it, loved it very much, but we'll come, we can come back to that story, that that's how I ended up in the property group.
[00:25:26] So I think that when Rose met me and she was listening to what was in my heart, she could see that I wasn't really passionate about it. You can't fake these things.
[00:25:39] Amy Scarlet: Mm-hmm. And without, I guess I'm, I potentially might be skipping ahead too quickly, but I now I'm, I'm intrigued to know, um, if you could have had a coffee with yourself at the start of your uni degree or even at the start of your career journey, um, and give yourself some hints or tips, what would you have given yourself at that point?
[00:26:00] Rugare Gomo: Surround yourself with people who see you for exactly who you are. That'd be the first one, first one.
[00:26:10] Speaker 3: The
[00:26:10] Rugare Gomo: second one is really define what success is for you and what your vision and values are. Typically at law school, everybody has a very narrow view and the narrow path of what success looks like.
[00:26:27] Success for many law schools. Law students means going into a top tier law firm, that's not success if that's not your path and what's in your heart. So, um, having or talking to my younger self, I would spend time really defining what success means for me and also willing to ex and willing to explore it and discover it.
[00:26:57] Amy Scarlet: Building on that, for students that are listening to what you've just said, how would you recommend they do that? How do they spend that time? What would you recommend they start doing for themselves to explore their career and, and what they want to do?
[00:27:11] Rugare Gomo: Well, the, the, the two things, uh, the more than two things actually, but the first thing is to first understand what's the noise around you.
[00:27:19] And shut off the noise. There's lots of noise first and foremost. So when there's lots of noise telling you, you must do this, you must follow this path, it stifles what is already in your heart. You can't really have the space to explore when you are already full up with other people's points of view or society's points of view.
[00:27:41] So it's really important to be able to identify whether the conversations you're having with yourself are yours or the, are they your parents or the expectations of your friends? Are they the expectations of your teachers? What are actually your thoughts? So that's the first thing. Once you can distinguish that there can be a space to really explore what could be possible for you.
[00:28:09] That exploration can be things that has shown up. Like you might be interested in asylum seekers but may not really know what to do about that. You might be interested in, um, technology, but have never really allowed yourself to explore that. So then outlist the things that you are connected to that you have some affinity to.
[00:28:32] Be willing to explore and go outside the box of what the expectations of your life should be to discover it for yourself. There is no right answer. Again, it's an exploration, and I think by the time we get to law school or enter into law school, that childhood curiosity adventure like disappears. But it's actually that curiosity and that adventure life.
[00:29:01] That actually builds the, uh, more wondrous, purposeful life.
[00:29:06] Amy Scarlet: Yeah. I really love your energy there. Like that. You make me motivated when I hear you talking, so, um, that's fantastic. And I'm sure that a lot of people listening to fulfill the exact same energy and really resonate with that. Um, love to hear about your biggest wins and your biggest fails while navigating your career.
[00:29:24] Rugare Gomo: I laughed like,
[00:29:29] um, so many failures, but I think those failures, I, I call them growth. They're opportunities to grow. And I think my biggest, I'm going to start with my failures and I share that because they lead to successes. I think my, one of my biggest failures is. Not taking that advice and following other people's expectations of me.
[00:29:53] I had this huge expectation that because I was black, um, and gone to law school, then I had to be, I could never show any weakness. But that lack of vulnerability then led to me not being authentic and open when I ended into the workforce. So while I was at university, I was a very, I was more open. And willing to share what I was dealing with.
[00:30:18] When I started working in a law firm, I decided that I needed to be perfect, and trying to be perfect stifled me. It led to me having mental health issues without even knowing I had mental health issues. I wasn't connect fully connected to my work. I wasn't performing at the highest levels because I was pretending.
[00:30:40] So that was a big failure for me. It robbed me of living, um, a, a healthy oness life. But out of that, once I got to draw the line in the sand and had the courage to take an action, I left the legal profession altogether. So I was working and being mentored with roles for entire year, and there were no opportunities opening up for me.
[00:31:07] This was just like after the, the, the global financial crisis. And, you know, I was, I was being introduced to some really powerful organizations, CEOs of organizations, and they kept on telling me and was that I was this wild card, that they would employ me during the good days, but I didn't tick boxes. So, and that was a lot of the conversation.
[00:31:30] And so I was like, no, I am going to start living my authentic life. I'm no longer going to do things to fit in or to make others happy. It's time for me to draw the light in the sand. And so I quit with two months savings. I quit the law altogether.
[00:31:51] Amy Scarlet: Wow.
[00:31:51] Rugare Gomo: And the, the first month goes by nothing. No opportunities.
[00:32:00] The end, close to the end of the second month, nothing. And then at that time, you know, while I was being mentored, I was also on the board of the Australian and Australian African Business Council, uh, where we were, uh, promoting trade between African countries and Australia. And part of my role from time to time was meeting, um, Australian ambassadors and high commissioners, you know, briefing them on different parts of their, uh.
[00:32:29] Their, their missions they were going to go to, whether it was South Africa or Nigeria, et cetera. So it was really enlivening for me. And, um, the lady, uh, who was the president of the council there, had just started. And then your organization and I guess each to her, I just love what the organization she was working in, they were making a difference, um, in different African countries that created peace centers, a children's exchange program.
[00:32:59] Um, and I said to her that outcome and volunteer with her for. One day a week. So in the midst of what I was dealing with, I still found an opportunity to be of service to something greater than my circumstances. And when I was doing that, I remember I was, we were going to brief the new Australian, um, ambassador to South Africa and the, the founder of the organization I was volunteering with.
[00:33:29] Came along to that and I prepared the briefs. I asked questions and I was walking back to the office. He actually asked me what I was up to and I said to him, I want to be a businessman. Um, I haven't found any opportunities. I may be going to do an MBA. And then he looked at me and I said, why didn't you come and work with me full time?
[00:33:49] And if you want to do an MBA, you can find, do an MBA here in Melbourne somewhere. And, and then I looked at him and I said, absolutely, that'd be amazing. He says, come and talk to me in my office the next day. So the next day I go into his office and I, and this is what I say to him, if I'm gonna take this job, I want to learn to be a business person.
[00:34:08] What that means is I'll be your right-hand person. I'll go to every single meeting with you. I'll do all your follow ups. And, um, I took a 20 per, it was like I was earning 20% less than I was making at a law firm at that time. But it was about living my vision. And it was amazing because it was a company that was making a difference on the African continent.
[00:34:35] But at the same time, we were also interviewing global leaders, presidents, prime ministers, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. So for me, it is the perfect mix of being a business person and diplomacy, and I was their fourth employee. I then ended up nego. I was then responsible for negotiating, um, the deals, uh, with presidents, making sure that all their agreements between them and our organization were properly done.
[00:35:03] I was responsible for, um, entering into partnerships with TAs and universities in Australia. I was responsible for opening up offices in the States, Canada, Mauritius. Um, and that would never have happened had I stayed in the law firm and I was only 27, 28 years old.
[00:35:23] Amy Scarlet: A lot of people talk about opportunities came their way.
[00:35:26] Or, you know, or that opportunity presented itself. You've spoken a lot about how you've created opportunities and how you've really enjoyed that. Uh, I want to understand your mindset and how you feel that people, uh, should be, or how they can create their own opportunities and what that has been for you.
[00:35:44] Rugare Gomo: It's such a great question. Thanks Amy, for asking it. You know, um, I do talk a lot about creating opportunity because. Opportunities were not coming my way. There were so many barriers to that. And so one of the things I really learned about living a purposeful life is that it's my responsibility to create what I want and to communicate it to others.
[00:36:15] I know that, you know, when I started working for this, um, business. The reason why I was that direct is because I had gone through so much pain already for not asking what I want. So I had learned that if I'm not going to step up and be vulnerable, then I actually am already jeopardizing my life. I might as well ask for what I want and get a no at least.
[00:36:47] I've gone and given it my best shot. And I know, you know, as a human being, um, asking for what you want and hearing and know can feel really painful. You might feel rejected, you might feel like a failure. You might feel embarrassed. That's, that's normal being human.
[00:37:06] Amy Scarlet: Mm-hmm.
[00:37:06] Rugare Gomo: And what I'd like people to be left with is don't let that stop you.
[00:37:12] Yeah. Allow all of your humanity to be there. It's normal. Every human being feels that, but feeling like you are a failure, feeling embarrassed, feeling rejected, has nothing to do about what's possible for you. It's just being human. But we now live in a society where you're not allowed. To feel any of those things.
[00:37:38] If you do, you're in the cycle of failure. So part of what there is to learn is really allowing that space. It's really important when you can, when you can hold that space, you can go, you can go out to anything.
[00:37:55] Amy Scarlet: Amazing. Thank you. Thank you very much. Um, I do have 10 questions for you that I would love for you to answer very quickly.
[00:38:03] Yes. The first thing that comes to your mind. Um, so there are a couple that you might need a short answer, but essentially one answered questions, um, and, you know, multi-choice essentially. So are we ready?
[00:38:17] Rugare Gomo: I'm ready. I'm ready to go. Brilliant.
[00:38:21] Amy Scarlet: Fantastic. Alright, time starts now. Favorite song?
[00:38:25] Rugare Gomo: Uh, crazy in love.
[00:38:27] Beyonce.
[00:38:28] Amy Scarlet: Coffee or tea?
[00:38:30] Rugare Gomo: Tea?
[00:38:30] Always.
[00:38:32] Amy Scarlet: Night or day?
[00:38:34] Rugare Gomo: Oh, night.
[00:38:38] Amy Scarlet: Breakfast or dinner?
[00:38:39] Rugare Gomo: Breakfast.
[00:38:40] Amy Scarlet: Sun or rain? Sun. Walk or Run?
[00:38:45] Rugare Gomo: Run.
[00:38:45] Amy Scarlet: Favorite book
[00:38:47] Rugare Gomo: Things Fall Apart by Genoa. Chebe.
[00:38:50] Amy Scarlet: Start early or finish late.
[00:38:52] Rugare Gomo: Start early.
[00:38:53] Amy Scarlet: If you had your time again, would you study law?
[00:38:56] Rugare Gomo: Yes. It's an amazing toolkit for life.
[00:39:01] Amy Scarlet: And last but certainly not least, your favorite inspirational quote.
[00:39:05] Rugare Gomo: I'm going to read it. It's by Chinua Achebe. Nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me. But who I am and what I need is something I have to find out myself.
[00:39:22] Amy Scarlet: Amazing. Thank you so, so much again for your time. You have brought so many insights to this and I know so many students are going to be extremely inspired and I feel so grateful that I've been able to have this conversation with you and I, yeah, I wanna say thank you very much for giving us this opportunity.
[00:39:40] Rugare Gomo: Thank you so much for the privilege. And you know, the last thing I want people to be left with, if you're listening, is. You may be in many places right now, you might feel despondent. You might feel that your futures have been taken away because of this new world order. What I want you to be left with is there is hope.
[00:40:01] Don't let this circumstance dictate the rest of your life. It shall pass. There is hope.
[00:40:10] Amy Scarlet: That was Rega Gomo. You can learn more about rega@regagomo.com. If you liked this podcast, tell your friends. Rate it and leave a review on iTunes. I'm Amy Scarlet, and this was another episode of Life After Law School, brought to you by the faculty of law at Monash University.
[00:40:30] See you later.