Interwoven Episode 18 – From Crisis to Purpose: Serena Siebel on Reimagining Education

What drives someone to leave the safety of a conventional career and invest all their energy in uncertain, challenging change? In this episode, we meet Serena Siebel, once a manager in the freight forwarding business, whose life was irrevocably changed by crisis and compassion.

Serena’s journey into entrepreneurship began during the conflict in Ivory Coast, where she found herself, with her young daughter, a refugee in a military camp. The urgent need for children’s education amid chaos led her to co-found a makeshift “camp school”—her first, unplanned step into teaching, born not of ambition, but necessity and empathy. The experience planted a seed that would, years later, draw her away from private school classrooms and privilege, towards the realities faced by the majority of the world’s children.

As Serena witnessed stark educational inequality—luxury within glass walls for a select few, destitution for many more—her sense of purpose crystallised. Inspired by encounters in Kenya and resilience gained from Finland’s learner-centric approach, she co-founded Claim, focusing on teacher capacity-building in the harshest contexts. Along the way, she confronted daunting questions of scale, impact, funding and personal resilience.

Serena’s story is not one of confident leaps, but of gradual, sometimes uncertain transformation. It’s a reminder that founders are shaped by allowing discomfort in, collaborating with others, and staying rooted in their values. For anyone navigating their own crossroads, her journey offers hope, honesty, and practical wisdom.