In order to shine a light on working women in business, we spoke to two amazing local ladies who have shared the obsticles they have faced and their amazing and unique stories of sucess. 

Whether you percieve the notion that glass ceilings exsist or not, there can be no doubt that being female in the business world can present its own unique set of difficulties. 

Is there anything in particular that inspired you to achieve success?

Lucy
My son was born with a bowel condition, needing three operations in his first seven months, and required a colostomy bag. This traumatic journey into motherhood had a big impact on my mental health. This led to a deep interest in maternal mental health for other women and I became incredibly passionate about creating a programme which would help support new mothers. There is even a name for it, Matrescence, but it is not very well known. It describes the mental and physical changes a women can experience, from pregnancy into motherhood.

But there is little to no support given to women to help them understand what these may be. The impact of this, as well as the incredible demands of a new baby, help to add to the large numbers of women who suffer with their maternal mental health. This inspired me to create MAIA, which is a maternal empowerment programme. It educates women around Matrescence, but also on mental health and nutrition and mindfulness and breathwork tools to help women to look after themselves. It also teaches them how they can support their baby into a sleep routine and provides support on how to navigate their maternity leave and return to work. It also provides a supportive community at a time when many women can feel isolated.

Genevieve
People are fascinating, and the art of communication is something I’ve been inspired by since childhood.  The maternal side of my family were teachers, actors and writers. Growing up in Canada, I attended a fine arts school and it was there that I developed a love of how music, imagery and words create stories and emotions which help us better connect.  Starting work at an early age also gave me a strong work ethic and the drive for economic independence.   

Do you feel being female has ever made it harder to succeed in business?

Lucy
I have to try and balance working around looking after my two boys. It is much easier working for myself, as I have more flexibility, but for many women this can be a barrier to them achieving the success they aspire to. Many women have difficult experiences when they become mothers with employers treating them terribly. But we know that organisations who invest in their female talent and support them to thrive in their business are actually more profitable and more successful.

Women may face challenges when they become mothers but they also gain an increase in their leadership skills too, like adaptability, resilience, empathy, prioritisation and growth mindset. There is a massive issue with the amount of funding (money raised through investment) or lack of, for female founders. Male founded start-ups get six times more funding than females. But this difference is starting to narrow and there is a lot of work being done by people trying to level the playing field. The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship has been instrumental in highlighting the vast potential of female founded businesses, with an statement that says £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as men. It’s a massive opportunity that we cannot afford to miss out on.

Genevieve
I have felt the challenge of balancing motherhood with business and this is still an area for improvement. Progressing into management roles, it did start to occur to me that often I was not only the youngest but also the only woman in the room. Whilst I felt empowered as a woman and had the privilege of good company, the lack of representation still irks me now when it happens, because female leadership in business consistently delivers excellent results. 

I look forward to improved parity and celebrating those leaders and businesses, like Sky Media, and previously Face Television and Celador Radio, who recognise the unique and essential balance of skills women bring to the table in business leadership.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Lucy
Creating MAIA has been the proudest moment of my career. I have brought together the most incredible group of women and businesses to bring the programme to life. They are all successful and impactful entrepreneurs in their own right and, like me, hugely passionate about helping support new mothers.

Genevieve
Creating meaningful communications campaigns which deliver growth and awareness for organisations.  Media has a powerful role in shaping cultural norms and galvanising behaviours which direct socio-economic outcomes.  It’s a joy to be part of when it’s done well and with care and consideration for the influence it has, and the results it can deliver.   

What is the best advice you have ever received?

Lucy
This advice was sent to me in a voice note by another founder when I shared on LinkedIn that I had been finding things tough. It said ‘Don’t give up, sometimes it will be hard, but you will get through it and what you are building is so important, keep smiling and be kind to yourself'. I am in awe of this female entrepreneur and getting her message gave me a real boost at a difficult time. Funnily enough she is now my mentor.

Genevieve
The list of support and advice I’ve received over the years is too long to write here and too difficult to choose from. I’m grateful for all those cherished words of wisdom. Perhaps the best for right now is ‘You will never feel resilient when practicing resilience'. Get comfortable with ambiguity and the feeling of frustration as it’s the key emotion indicating the learning phase.  And the more you can stay comfortably in the learning phase, the better you will grow'.  Although, the theory is a lot easier than the practice, that’s for sure!    

What advice would you give to a young woman starting out in the world of work?

Lucy
Get lots of experience. You may not love all the jobs you do, or elements of them, but having a range of knowledge and skills is really valuable, especially if you want to become a founder like me.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help as people are generally really kind and more than willing to show you the way and support you. Try not to take things too seriously. Yes, it’s great to be ambitious and work hard but remember at the end of the day it’s just work. It’s easy to take things to heart when you are starting out. If you want to start your own business, then finding a network of like-minded people is vital for knowledge, growth and connection, two brilliant ones are Female Founders Rise and MOBs – Mums Who Build. They help so much and are amazing for founders, old and new.

Genevieve
Keep showing up. Success is a bit like joy. We look for it in grandiose measures, or flamboyant outcomes, when in fact it consists only of tiny sparks, little spurts, sometimes barely noticeable. When we keep showing up, through the rough and the smooth, we eventually get the composite of all those little things and that’s quite grand indeed. That’s how lasting success happens. Your career is something for you.  

What can society do to ensure that women are as equal as possible in business to their male counterparts?

Lucy
This is a big issue as so many women end up leaving their careers when they have children, when they don’t necessarily want to. This widens the gender pay gap and has a detrimental effect on the financial freedom of women. There should be more flexibility in roles, and a huge overhaul of the childcare system, as its just so expensive and forcing women out of the workforce.

We need better understanding of women’s health in organisations and how they need to be supported, things like menstruation, fertility, maternity, menopause, all of these things can have a big impact on women, there needs to be knowledge around them and the right support in place. Those organisations that retain and support their top female talent, are more profitable and successful, so its not just the right things to do, it makes good business sense too.

The most amazing thing that’s come out of starting Shine Strong Revolution has been the incredible women I have met. The community of female founders out there is just unbelievable. The amount of talent, skills and creativity is so inspiring, and these women are so supportive, a key theme I hear time and time again is collaboration over competition.

Genevieve
I’d bravely say to recognise fully the incredible unpaid caretaking work women do, alongside their careers.  If we put the achievement of caretaking on as equal a pedestal as career building, in such a way that success in this area is equally revered, celebrated, rewarded, and prioritised, then perhaps the aspirational gender parity we seek would be an organic outcome for our society.