Lessons from Women Leaders for International Women’s Day

With International Women’s Day on 8 March, I’ve been reflecting on the remarkable women who shape our networking community. As a host of both mixed and women-only sessions, I have the privilege of seeing first-hand how female founders support one another, challenge old assumptions and build companies that genuinely reflect their values. This month feels like the perfect moment to celebrate them.  

 

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from the women in our network is that leadership doesn’t have a single template. For years we were told that regardless of gender, if we want to be taken seriously as leaders we should adopt traditionally “masculine” traits: be tougher, louder, more ruthless. But the entrepreneurs I admire most lead in ways that feel authentic to them. 

 

They are decisive without losing empathy, ambitious alongside some really inspiring collaborations, and confident without pretending to have all the answers. Watching them has shown me that strong leadership can be warm, intuitive and community-minded, and that these qualities are assets rather than weaknesses. 

 

Our networking meetings regularly showcase this diversity of style. We have people who have built their staffing models around flexible hours so parents can thrive, and those who measure success by the wellbeing of their teams, and the feelings they evoke in their happy clients, as much as by profit. Their stories remind us that businesses grow when leaders include empathy as a vital part of their business strategy. 

 

 

People sometimes ask why we offer women-only sessions alongside our mixed events. The answer is simple: choice matters. Many women tell me they feel more comfortable speaking openly about pricing, confidence or work–life balance when they are in a space designed for them. These sessions aren’t about excluding anyone; they’re about creating an environment where everyone feels their voice can be heard. The friendships and collaborations that begin there often flow naturally into the wider mixed network, strengthening the whole community. 

 

Over the years I’ve watched members celebrate hundreds of wins, navigate child and elderly relative care challenges, launch podcasts and brand new collaborations, and even reinvent their businesses completely after Covid. The common thread is generosity: advice is shared freely, introductions are made without hesitation or expectation of profiting in any way, and successes are cheered as if they were our own. That spirit is exactly what International Women’s Day represents. 

 

 

So this March I want to say thank you to the women who show up, support others and prove that there are countless ways to run a business well. Whether you attend our women-only meetings or our mixed gatherings, you are helping to create a network where confidence grows naturally and opportunities multiply all the time. 

 

If you’ve been thinking about joining us, consider this your invitation. Come and meet the founders who are redefining leadership on their own terms, and showing us all what is possible, whatever their circumstances. Let’s use International Women’s Day not just to celebrate what women have achieved, but to continue building spaces where the next generation of female entrepreneurs can flourish.