Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today’s webinar. I’m Dr. Sam Collins, and this is Women shaping the future. So, could you first of all let me know that you can see and hear me okay? Please just say quick yes or hi on the chat. Thumbs up, that will work too. Thank you very much. So if you are willing, because we have so many phenomenal people joining us from all over today. If you’re willing, in the chat, just very briefly say, I am, so I am Sam, and I’m from Los Angeles, or… so that’s me today, I’m from… well, I’m originally from London, you can probably hear it, hopefully still, but I’m living in in Los Angeles now, so it’s a little bit earlier in the morning, so just if you’re welcome to put your name and where you’re from in the chat, it’d be great to know where you’re coming in from today. And I want to really welcome you here. We’ve got the next hour, and if you’re here, I know that you are probably passionate about life and about work, and about the world, and you’re wanting to really think about your influence, your impact How you make a difference and maybe also more broadly for women in general. I want to also welcome our male allies here today. I know that you are here too, so welcome to the dads of girls, to the team leaders that have women in your teams, and for those of you that know that this is an incredibly still incredibly important topic to share All right. For those of you that don’t know very much about me or the work that I do I actually started my organization, Aspire, in 2001, so I’m just about to have our 25th anniversary. I was 29 and thought I was really getting older, and so I should do something with my life And I wanted to do something really that was for me. You know, I wanted to have flexibility. I thought that one day I might want to have a family, and I was concerned that in my corporate job at the time, I wouldn’t be able to have that kind of balance. And indeed I had seen my own pioneering mother in the workplace in the 1980s doing so fabulously as a finance director, but ultimately really struggling with work and life balance and the expectations of her as a wife and a mother and And as a director in an organization. Ultimately, and sadly, she took her own life when I was 21, which was so radically life-changing, of course, for me, but made me really want to do something with my life and direct that grief and anger constructively into doing something that I’ve wanted to be purposeful and meaningful

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And I always have this little plan in my mind that I would start my business quite commercially and focus on leadership development and coaching for women, is what I did in 2001 originally, and there was no one doing that. You know, it was very new at the time And then I would build this community of phenomenal women like you, and then I would want to be able to move into a more activist community, making a difference mode as I got older. So here I am now at 55. And realizing that I’m just getting started. What about you? Even though I am now 55 and I want to tell you a little bit of a story about what just happened to me this morning because it did make me really remember that I not as young as I was, but it also made me remember about how important it is to, you know, be the woman at the house, and realize that sometimes, the only person that’s going to clean up a mess is The mom or the woman in the house and what do I mean by that? Well, about half an hour ago, I was printing off my notes for this webinar. I was still in my, well, no, it was about 45 minutes ago, I was still in my shorts and t-shirt from getting up this morning and I was coming down the stairs to go to the printer in the garage to get my notes, because that’s where the printer is, don’t ask me why, that doesn’t make a lot of sense thinking about it now, but I was coming down the stairs, and I missed I lost my footing, and I missed the last four steps, all right? Anyone ever done that? And so I went tumbling down the steps and landed on my knee, which is already Got problems, landed on my knee really hard at the bottom of the stairs. And for any of you that have fallen like that, you know it really bloody hurts and it’s a bit of a shock, isn’t it? And I was I instantly and I don’t very often cry But I instantly started crying and calling out for help. So I called out to my husband, Robert, Robert! No answer. He’s a little bit deaf now, and also he was on a call. He was on a business call in his office, so he didn’t hear me Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, my younger son, he was gaming in his room before school, so he didn’t hear me. Jake, Jake, Jake, my older adult son, who actually has a room downstairs. I thought, this is handy, he surely will hear me But Jake was still sleeping. And so on my bum, because I can’t walk, I’m literally shuffling to Jake’s room. Jake, Jake, Jake! Like, so fucking dramatically and you know he’s like, oh, what’s going on? And I fell down the stairs, laughed, it really hurt?” He looks at me and he goes okay and I was like I’ve got a webinar in half an hour and he’s like well just don’t do it What’s wrong with you? Just don’t do it. And in that moment, I realized there is absolutely no way on God’s earth that I am not going to do this webinar today. Number one, I really enjoy it. Number two, it’s really important. Number three, it’s my passion and purpose in life. So even though I’m shuffling along the floor, like. Weird idiot right now who has Like, you know, my shorts are up my bum, and my… my… I can’t even imagine. It must have been hilarious to look at. Maybe it’d make one of those great YouTube TikTok right now, but you can imagine the moment, all right So, basically, no one came, no one helped. Not Liverpool, but I was like, all right, you know what, sometimes I have to just get up and realize that the only person that’s going to sort this out is me. Now, why am I sharing this story with you? Because isn’t this what many of us do We get on with it. We fall, but we continue to get up. Not always, I’m talking literally, but in terms of the setbacks that we have in life and in our work. And in this time when we are experiencing so much incredible disruption, uncertainty, and change in the economy, in politics, in our workplaces, in our lives, in our careers with our health, that I believe, I believe, that it is going to be women who have always and will continue to But not in a way that is sacrifice, in a way that is purposeful, and in a way that is enjoyable. We will, we are, and we will continue to shape the future, all right? So that’s my little introduction for the day, and it’s not just about falling down the stairs, although it is, it’s about getting up even when

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Times are tough So, what brought you here today? What brought you to this webinar? What made you want to give up an hour of very precious hour of your day today? Let me know. Please share in the web… in the webinar chat what brought you here today, and if you’re listening in the future to this recording, just reflect on what that is, and maybe just share in the chat what it is that brought you here today Because there is something here, not only about what brought you here, but what brought us here and what would make you want to attend something like this, what your curiosity is, what perhaps it is that you’re looking to get out of it. I’d be very interested and curious to know, and Looking at the chat now, and I’m going to review this I always review the chat as much as I can during webinars, but also afterwards as well to really understand what the needs are, what you’re looking to do, and what you want. All right. This isn’t about women having more pressure or more guilt or more shame about anything like that. It’s really about an invitation to think about possibility, responsibility, and contribution today And for many, many women who are working to progress women and women’s movement and women’s equality, whether that’s in a workplace group, community group, organization, political group, activist group. The women that I have worked with over the past 25 years have represented all those spheres But they all have something in common, which is that we want to make a difference. We want to see the future be better, all right? So whether that’s with regards to AI or technology or economic uncertainty or even workplace transformation, climate pressure, rising expectations, increased mental health and loneliness, I invite you to see this as part of your purpose in life

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And how do you direct your purpose in life into the work that you do as well? And for them not to be separate pieces, all right? And this is very relevant to all of you, and I want to For a moment, to those of you who are in a corporate setting or in a business setting This isn’t something outside of your role, that the decisions that you make in your meetings and in your hiring choices and in your budgets and your product designs in your team meetings and team norms in your client decisions and your cultural expectations are all places where the future is made. And that’s how the future is made every single day. So, women should not be positioned as an afterthought a moral obligation or a diversity statistic, although we often are. But really, as architects and co-creators of what comes next. And this is a vision that I have. We are looking at shaping the future And women throughout history have shaped the future and will continue to do so. The women’s movement was focused quite rightly on the rights and autonomies of women. And at the same time. changing the systems and being architects of the legal, organizational, cultural, and community systems around us. So don’t ever think that you’re not a systems changer, because you are. Every time you speak out about something, every time you say that’s That’s not okay. Every time you question something, every time you say, oh, I see that there’s no women in this, in our recruitment, or I’m at this panel and I’m at this conference, and I’m really, it’s so interesting or curious to me that there are no women being represented here. Every time you say something, you don’t just think it. But you speak out or write something about it, and it doesn’t have to be aggressive, it doesn’t have to be difficult, although it can be. Every time you do that, you shape the future, all right? So When we look at the lens of women leading change, all right, and when I say leading change, this can be very much leading change. I like to think of this like a three-legged stool leading change in yourself, in your life, leading change in your work, in your career, and leading change in our communities and in the worlds you touch. That these are three interconnected pieces Which are, I would love to see more women, more of us, really focusing on these at the same time. I think that we look at ourselves through the lens of one at a time rather than at the same time. And what would it be if millions of us, if you, if millions of women every day woke up and said to themselves, how am I going to change the world today? And as you put your feet on the floor That’s what you think. Imagine that. Most of us don’t wake up and think that. We wake up and think, I’m tired, it’s early, let me find a cup of coffee, what do I have to do today? And it is an endless road of tasks obligations, overwhelm of doing somebody else’s job for them because they’re not competent enough, or trying to bend and shape ourselves into the expectation of what we think we should be or what we are measured on within our careers and organisations, all right? So it does take a level of My dears, it takes a level of new thinking, and I believe quite a lot of bravery and courage to be able to look at things through very different lenses. And how we will do this, I really believe will be through the connection with other like-minded women. Now, I’m very clear that not all women will think this way, all right? Not all women will want to change the world every day. And I’m not talking about that you have to run for political office tomorrow or start a massive nonprofit or write four books, although some of you already are. I’m talking about the fact that we look at our everyday decisions, our everyday thinking, and know that that has the most phenomenal multiplier effect of change, all right? You know, did you know that

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As we start to lead change, we bring very unique and diverse and different perspectives things that you think are really common sense are not often discussed at very senior levels. When women shape team meetings and policies, our focus is often to include the broader societal well-being of our people, and we start… we want to include things like parental leave and healthcare access and workplace flexibility, even if they are still seen as soft or sidelines or not particularly strategic. We are redefining, and this is incredibly important, we are redefining what leadership really is. We are championing new leadership models, aren’t we, that are rooted in emotional intelligence and kindness, and collaboration, and sustainable growth where we challenge traditional top-down only profit-driven, let’s just do everything at the expense of our people, kind of cultures. Alright, so this is really important. We are… we are at this age and stage the multipliers We are the women who are actively mentoring and sponsoring other women and girls to build a robust uninterrupted pipeline of future leaders, okay? We are the women who are reinvesting our loans, are reinvesting back into our communities. And women statistically Across the globe when given money to start businesses, micro businesses are reinvesting that money into their communities When we’re looking at global crises from climate change to systemic poverty, women in business, particularly, I want to talk about for a moment, represent a massive underutilized economic force capable of driving systemic change. Now, if all of this is making you a bit tired because you’re already tired and a bit stressed and got lots to do, let me tell you that this is the most fun you’re ever going to have in your life, all right? Because when you wake up every day And you know that in some small or large way, you are contributing to something bigger than yourself. It gives you an energy and a passion and a purpose that you never even knew existed Can you imagine that? Do you wake up inspired? Let me know in the chat, yes or no, or maybe it’s sometimes. Do you wake up with a drive and an energy, and does it sustain you throughout the day? Not a drive and an energy from obligation or sacrifice. These models that many women before us modeled because they had to, but an energy today that comes from purpose, an energy that comes from change. Are you someone who is able to have more energy when people around you are challenging you that you see the funny side of it, that it gives you a sense of humor, that you are like, oh, okay, here you are again, my Mr. Bond, my greatest adversary. I learned this very much when I had two years working in the city of London coaching big teams across the insurance industry and the technology industries. Many, could I be myself? How could I demonstrate and role model a way of leading and empower other leaders to do it this way, when so much objection and very traditional cultures. I would have quite a little giggle in my mind as many objections and challenges and people would come my way. Alright, so can you do that? Next, let me just talk about leadership for something. I’m seeing that some of you are saying, not often enough Sometimes, sometimes, yes, this is what I want for all of you. I want for you to lead a purpose-driven life. And if you already are to enhance that and teach that to others. And I say this because I believe that it’s going to be incredibly Fulfilling and satisfying and financially viable, please don’t think that this is not something that is financially viable for you, but also that it will really help to evolve and change the systems and the structures in the institutions That’s where we’ve got the work to do now. All right, that’s the work that really needs to be done.

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Do you see yourself as a leader? Are you a leader? Are you a leader? Tell me in the chat whether you see yourself as a leader. Perhaps you have a leadership title Perhaps you are part of a leadership team Perhaps you don’t What I would say to you is it is my very strong belief that Leadership is not only a position. Leadership is an act, and every one of us can lead. And this is incredibly important, because When I go into many organizations now and I have been asked to work with the leaders What I find is that many of the leaders are not leaders. They are managers. What do I mean? They are managing. They are cajoling to-do lists and delegating, and controlling resources, and this kind of thing. And this is very important work. We need to manage, or nothing will get done. I don’t see very much leadership. Leadership, what is leadership? Leadership is an act of courage. Leadership is an act of caring. Leadership is doing things that other people won’t do, being brave, putting yourself forward without personal gain I see much personal gain wanted out there, but I don’t see enough actual leadership When I do see leadership is phenomenal. It is leadership which has vision and purpose and has the ability, you have the ability, do you have it, to bring people with you, to communicate to people in a way that they will want to follow you and your ideas. And so, I believe that when we see ourselves as a leader, whatever age we are whatever stage you are, whatever background you have, whatever country you’re from, whatever organization that you work in, who are the leaders When you do your talent review, how are you deciding? Oh, she’s a leader. He’s a leader. How do you decide What are the criteria that you’re looking at Do you look at, okay, bravery, check, vision, check Influence check. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a little bit more, should we say mechanical So leadership is something that is incredibly key When we are raising a concern or setting a boundary, or asking a different question, is that leadership, in your view? In my view, absolutely, it’s leadership. If you are speaking out in a meeting and you don’t normally, you’re nervous in meetings perhaps because you are wondering how you will be perceived. Are you going to say something intelligent enough? It’s hard to get a word in edgeways anyway And you do speak and you maybe stumble over a word and it doesn’t come out perfectly. Is that leadership? Yes Absolutely, that’s leadership. When you set a boundary and everyone is in your organization is working 24/7 and in your global organization and there’s a 9:00 PM meeting at night to reach a different time zone and they want you to be there and that’s the time you’re absolutely exhausted and you’ve just put the kids to bed and that’s time, the only time you get to rest and have a glass of wine, and you decide, no, I’m not going, and you say respectfully, I’m not going, but you don’t just say, I’m too tired or make some excuse, you actually say why you’re not going That’s leadership It comes with a risk, doesn’t it? How will you be perceived? Maybe you’ll lose your job. Maybe they won’t like you, maybe they won’t promote you, maybe they will. Maybe amazing things would happen. So if you saw yourself as an influential leader What would you do What would you do with this precious life? What would you stop doing? What would you start doing? What’s the first thing that comes into your mind posted on the chat. I would love to see what comes up as I ask you that question. Now, for those of you that have personal ambition, I want to talk to you for a moment. For those of you that are interested in your promotion You are interested in your financial security. For those of you who are interested in buying your house, for those of you who are interested in starting or growing your business, for those of you that want to get more clients And progress your career. Let me release you from the false choice that you can either do 1 or another. This is not something I am interested in

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We can progress our careers and serve something larger. In fact, one of the biggest lessons I learned over my recent work is that those that are more purpose-driven, even in the most Let’s say traditional or corporate cultures that could be for some considered toxic or ruthless, those that have a bigger purpose like want to serve the customers or the clients or they have the people really in their mind’s eye are the ones who are getting promoted. Often, those who are only the self-serving ones are, interestingly, not getting promoted as much as I used to see those, you know, that know the right people and that kind of thing So there is nothing wrong with ambition In fact, isn’t it that women have been penalized for ambition and aspiration? Over the years, we were told, well, you can’t have it all, you cannot be a mother and work, you cannot be a successful woman and have a life. You can’t have a social life and be an executive. We have been told and driven by society for so many years that it’s an either-or proposition. I want to explain and share for you that the more that you progress, the more that you get the things that you want, that you have the mortgage on your house, that you are the first woman in your family to go to university that you do get that promotion, that you do get that leadership role, or whatever it is that you want, that pay rise, that it opens up the door, doesn’t it, to so much more, if you decide, okay, I’m here, now what What am I going to do with this success? It gives you access, and access is very important. Access to people, access to budgets, access to platforms, access to networks, and access to opportunities to really change something. So this is not about self-sacrifice. This is about sustainable contribution, sustainable contribution that must include boundaries and well-being and support and space for women’s needs And as more women are in leadership positions, and I believe, in a way, in a contributing, purposeful way Then we really get to start living the and not the or. Yes All right. So what do you think about some of this? How’s it landing with you? What are your comments, your thoughts I’m becoming increasingly feminist in my thinking I was deeply saddened by the passing of Gloria Steinem A sweet And I was watching documentary Dear Miz about Miss Magazine last night I’m realizing that

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Feminism, and I just published a podcast on this yesterday called Feminism for Women Who Don’t Call Themselves Feminists That it’s something that I feel that we have to reclaim, because so many women do not, you know, we don’t identify necessarily as feminists, or would call ourselves a feminist, but we are operating as feminists, and a feminist 2026 because a feminist essentially is the little girl who grows up Saying it’s not fair and you’re not the boss of me. Anyone grow up like that? I was told by my dad that I was very annoying child because I would always say it’s not fair And I’m very proud that my sons, especially my older sons, says you’re not the boss of me. And now he’s the most fabulous feminist constantly and he’s just turned 18. So as feminists now and as we reclaim this, not as a a stereotype, but as a leadership proposition we start to ask what kind of world not only what kind of world do we want to live in, but perhaps even more importantly, what kind of world do we women want to help create, and I think these are two fundamentally different questions. One points very much to the world we’re in and how to survive it And the second one talks to the world we could imagine and how we create it And I believe that these things need to work side by side because women’s rights and survival in this current world still needs a huge amount of work. And in fact. in many places Including developed world countries, those rights are reversing or going backwards. So these struggles are unfinished, and we must continue them. But there is an evolution, I believe, okay? An evolution that we can start imagining, envisioning a better world. When I talk about a better world, it’s really the world that you touch and the world which is your family and your friends and the people you interact with socially and maybe your school or your community, your church your corporation, your charity, your government department, even your country. I want you to start imagining and envisaging what you want that world to be, and then to ask yourself Quite simply, I think, but very powerfully, and it’s very challenging what what is it that I can do as part of that? However small it may seem and I spend every day feeling incredibly insignificant. Like, okay, I… I… you know, this giant world of all these amazing women doing amazing things, I’m gonna do my little bit, alright, I want to do my part, I want to feel like I’m making a difference and encouraging others to do it. My purpose

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I remember when I did my coach training and that was a good 20 years ago, one of the things we had to do was an incredibly challenging exercise called life purpose, and we had to do some work to discover what our life purpose was. And I remember saying to this one woman, you know you’re going to the sort of partners, and I said, my purpose is really to be a role model for my children. And I remember she looked at me and she said, oh, but you’re so much more than that And it was almost to say that that wasn’t enough, or, you know, I could be more. And I get where she’s coming from, but for me, I really do want to role model something different to my kids So that they may go on to do their own great things. So I think that that sort of generational impact is really important to me. But I also realized that in sort of more the work side of me, like my work purpose, if you like. That I call it my work purpose: M.A.D. to M.A.D.. Now, let me explain what that is. Mad to mad is making a difference to making a difference women. So, my model has always been a multiplier one. It’s like, if I can help you a little bit, if I can give you a little bit of a boost of inspiration today, or some ideas, or connect you up with other… other great people then you go off and make that difference as well. You know what I’m talking about, like, you’re going to stop the webinar in half an hour, and you’re going to do some different things, I hope. And so, my… I hope that I can make a difference to you, because you’re already making a difference Does that make sense? So, I think it’s really important to start really thinking about what our purpose is, and also, you know, what is it, what are the areas or, you know, issues or passions, if you like, that you want to impact. What’s really important to you that can be within your your job or in your life and I want you to think about this for a moment because Maybe you’re clear already, and you know that that’s where you’ve sort of directed your work, but I think if you can combine both what you care about and you’re passionate about with something that is needed in the world and you’re in business or wherever, and you can also get paid for it at the same time, then you achieve that full life meaning in have any of you heard of the

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Japanese concept of ikigai, which, if you have these posts about it, or post a link if anybody has got that, because Ikigai is sort of I probably aren’t going to say this quite right sort of meaning of life, you know, like life’s meaning. And it’s three concentric circles. And in those concentric circles, and you could draw them out for yourself, it’s fabulous to do. One is your passions and your strengths and, you know, things that you care about. And then the other circle is what the world needs, and then the third one is, is financial. So we’re not talking about an outside hobby or something that you do outside of your regular work. We’re talking about something here that is part of your work and your life, alright? So Ikigai is that aspiration that I want for you. And with ikigai, with these three circles, and the recommendation when you read about Ikigai is to start on which circle, right? Post in the chat which circle do you think You should start on if you’re doing this work, so one circle is financial one circle is your passions And the other circle is what the world needs. Where do you think the recommendation is to start? So a lot of you are saying passions. And I a few years ago, I would have absolutely agreed with you But no, the recommendation is to start on what does the world need And then you are matching that with your passions and financial. And I think that’s a really interesting thing because I think a lot of people will start on what you can get paid for, and I think someone just said that, and I think that’s the worst place to start, alright? Because it’s very limiting, and we’re very limited by what’s already out there. So I remember when I started Aspire, lots of people told me, you would… you’re never going to get paid for that. You’re not gonna pay for this, like, working with women. This is never going to be financially viable, and I remember my first husband, first husband Saying to me, this is never going to work because you’re too nice. You’re never going to make any money and you’re too nice, and I’m like, yeah, F you, 25 years later, here we are, all right, sustained my whole family as the main earner for 25 years. So there you go, alright? So I don’t think we should ever start with what I can get paid for, because you don’t know. There’s lots of things out there that you might not think you could ever get paid for, but we can, or I really, that’s a very important message. And then… but I think let’s start with what the world needs, so… and then you’re sort of guiding it around that, which I think for entrepreneurs out there, this would totally make sense, doesn’t it? Entrepreneurs? Because what do entrepreneurs do? They look for a need, they look for a gap in the market They look and say, okay, that’s a gap in the market. How can I fill that with what I’m good at and get paid for it? Like this is quite an entrepreneurial way of looking at it, actually. So when you think about what you care about, all right, it takes quite a lot of bravery though to say, I’m really passionate about healthy workplaces or I’m really passionate about ageism or I’m really passionate about AI governance, or I’m really passionate about new models of education, or I’m really passionate about human rights or women’s rights in Afghanistan and Iran and Iraq and Russia and Ukraine and wherever else I’m really passionate about climate change and really passionate about mental health. And if you start, I encourage you today, even if it’s just for fun, to start with what is it that you are really passionate about, but also to think about what is it the world needs, because if you can map, can you imagine this? If you can mesh these things together If you can mesh it together, it was very, I don’t know, reassuring in a way when I was listening to Gloria Steinem last night and she talked about her mother and her mother who, like my mother had struggled with mental health, who had struggled to be a pioneering journalist, and Gloria was the carer for her mother, and I believe it had really shaped who she was what she felt she was able to do as a young woman, and what she felt she was not able to do. And very much guided to the creation of Ms. Magazine, which was, in its originality, a commercial project.

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you know, a for-profit magazine that wanted to make a difference and make money at the same time to be able to, you know, pay everyone there and do everything they need to do, but also to be a voice for women, a voice for the women’s movement. Alright, so I think it’s very interesting That that was a model even then, wasn’t 1971 when I being born, that even today, perhaps we have forgotten that these were… these aren’t brand new models. Social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, ikigai, these are perhaps even in some ways, ancient models of doing things that very much play how many women think and feel. Alright, so the more that you can expose yourself to these kind of ideas and say to yourself, well, okay, well, why not? You know, why not? So what is it that you… you care about Please post in the chat the issues, or the passions, or the areas that you want to impact. Please post them. I would love to see them. Perhaps it is people in your organization, perhaps it is organizational culture, perhaps it is aging perhaps it is education, autumn ethics, innovation, health Mental health, what is it? And as you’re posting, I invite you to look at the other people who are posting Take another moment to look To realize that, wow, look at the company I’m keeping today You get curious Why is it that Daniela doesn’t want to give another cent to Amazon? Hmm, how fascinating. Let’s find out. Maybe that’s something I need to do too We don’t know until we ask Look at how many people want to protect nature. How many people here, how many women here are passionate about education of young people or girls in trafficking Amy, who wants to remind grown-ups about the importance of play and creativity. Having Amy at your house tomorrow or in your workplace where everyone’s miserable and tired. Let’s bring Amy in. What a fantastic network. What a phenomenal group of people. Give yourself a quiet moment to reflect. Within this area that you care about What is a future that you want to help create? Now, for me, I’ve always been very passionate about so many areas, but predominantly, of course, it is gender equality. The future that I want to help create is a world where women are leading it Imagine that I was on a Teams call with some of my so fantastic coaching clients a few weeks ago And One woman, she said, Look at the women that I hear on this call. That was about six or seven of us. And she said imagine if we were there, what did she say like the board, the The board of the world It’s not necessarily about us taking over that men are bad or any of those things. I just think we need to have a little bit more of giving… a chance to give it a go, don’t you think? I wonder what would be different. I’m not saying all women are perfect and we would run things perfectly, but I wonder how things might be a little bit different if we were

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Do you really think there would be as many wars Do you really think there would be as many conflicts? I mean, I don’t know. It’s a hypothesis, isn’t it? It would be a great hypothesis to test. Also, I want you to remember not only what it is that you’re passionate about, but why it matters to you and what you’ve already done. I saw that someone very kindly had posted in the chat, Sam, you’ve already done so much. And I don’t always remember it. I just always thinking about the next thing and it’s never enough and there’s so much to be done and there’s so many issues and Sometimes I forget to look backwards and say, okay You are 55, Sam, and you have been doing it for 25 years and It’s lovely when people say, you remember me? Now I’m doing this, all right? So, it’s very important because No change has ever come from one person It comes from us helping each other in thousands or if not millions of different places. Yes I think there has been a lot of lone rangers Loan rangers, lone wolves maybe. You know what I mean? Like just Separated from the pack 300 miles from any other Group of wolves. Is that you? The more that… I believe the women’s movement needs to Ignite, re-ignite and include many, many women who maybe wouldn’t see themselves as part of it Especially women who are in business, in corporations, and in charities, and running things already imagine the time and energy and effort that you utilize to allocate human resources and to think about commercial success and to achieve the projects that you need to achieve That if we direct and redirect and come together, how we can as a collective, really make a difference in many, many different areas I also want you to think about the influence and impact that you have on other people Now, whether you’re doing anything or not, we always have an impact. I remember someone said to me once, I was in a workshop and I was sitting in the workshop and I wasn’t really speaking very much. I was just sitting there And the workshop leader said, we’re always making an impact You are always making an impact, even if you don’t say anything. And I thought, well, that’s really interesting. How can I make an impact if I’m not saying anything So, we’re making an impact by our presence, by our energy by how engaged we are, how we sit, how we feel, the energy that we’re giving out The encouragement that we’re giving to others These are all very productive ways to be impactful Many of us are sitting in meetings worried about do we look professional? Are we saying the right thing? Are we going to be perceived in a certain way? And the inner self-talk is so high that we’re not able to really be out there and acknowledging others and bringing others up

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shining light on issues and speaking up when it may seem to be career-limiting, but actually it might be career-limiting But its purpose enhancing I can’t promise you that this approach will get you your next promotion. It might get you five promotions. I can promise you this It will give you a life well-lived, alright? And I think there’s nothing better. I think I’d rather be living in a bit of a plastic bag Not maybe a plastic bag, but cardboard box somewhere, and living a life well lived, then you know, having some of the things that might make me feel better in the short term without feeling like I’m really making a difference to those around me. of you can influence At least 5 other people, couldn’t you? Can you name 5 people now that you influence through your acts and your expectations and your possibilities and what you see and hear and feel? Because how you do the things that you do will travel. It will travel, alright? We’ll travel across teams, across organizations, across families, across communities. And if you can be someone as well who doesn’t always need the immediate positive feedback of what you’re doing. I think that you will do very well Let me give you an example. You might speak up in a meeting and be greeted by utter silence You might send an email and never have a response. It is the ego in us that needs to have, oh, thank you for doing that, and that was great, and I’m so happy you did. If you get that, fantastic. Many times It doesn’t happen. It might happen years and years later Or never happen at all can you live in that world? Because if you can live in that world, you realize, I’m doing this because I believe it’s important, and I will do it in the most respectful and constructive way that I can. But if I don’t speak up or speak out in this moment, I won’t feel good about what I’ve done. All right, so I want you to consider this as A spiritual insight in some ways, perhaps that if you need to have the affirmation, this is probably not the life for you, because it also comes with, and I saw this last night when I was watching my documentary about Gloria Steinem It comes with those that won’t agree and it comes with those who will feel like and think and maybe tell you that you’ve gone absolutely mad I’m here to tell you that you’re not crazy That there are many who feel and think and are acting the same as you, alright? Find your people, find the other women. Start the women’s network, run the event write the book, speak out, post on LinkedIn Don’t go to the meeting, go to the meeting, start the meeting, whatever it is. So let’s talk for a little second before we start to finish off here. How are you doing, by the way? How are you doing post in the chat how you’re doing I’d love to know, are you excited? Are you hopeful? Are you scared? Are you happy? Are you… is this not for you? Is this too much? Is this too little? Is it too optimistic? Just way too utopian, Sam Yes There you are.

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Let’s talk about A step that you can take now that will continue who you are and the work that you’re doing and give you And horizon large enough to pull you forward Yes, when you have that horizon out in front of you, it’s like watching a sunrise over the ocean. You know when you go on holiday, or if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere like that, and you watch that, and it just… it pulls you up in the morning. It is this beautiful, beautiful sight, all right. So What happens is when we all take action collectively Things change. All right, so feminism or equality believing that we have the right to are equal the same as other people And believing in those economic, social, and political rights, there’s one thing about believing in it. There’s another thing about acting on it. And a lot of the work that I do with men right now is they’ll say, yes, yeah, absolutely, I believe in it But I will ask, and what are you doing about it? So it’s one thing to say I’m a supporter, but another thing to be an advocate and to actively speak out and be also thinking as a man what am I gonna do about this, and how am I integrating this into the systems of my work and my life? Inspiration without action, it just fades. It fades, all right? And action, this is really important. Action without connection can feel isolating and it can feel very lonely. The lone voice of the woman speaking up at the meeting where you are the only woman. So it’s very important to take action, but also to feel very connected.

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And also it’s very important to understand that what you may see as a small action, you may say to yourself right now, what can I possibly do about what it is you’re speaking about? Setting yourself your own boundaries. Have you done that recently? What are my boundaries? What is it that I’m willing to tolerate and not tolerate when it comes to my time and my work-life balance? This is an example of a boundary You can set the boundary, then can you stick to it? Stick into it could be quite the challenge So, setting a boundary, however, that might feel quite small, well, I always like to walk in the mornings and I don’t do it anymore, and this is a new boundary that I’m going to make sure happens. So, is going for a walk in the morning When you know that it’s something that sets you up for the day and keeps you healthy, is this a world changing action of women? What do you think? Yes or no? I believe it is. It absolutely is, because if en masse all women said, I’m going to do something for me first thing in the morning. I just think the world would radically change. I think most of us would probably stay in bed a lot longer and get more sleep, alright? And say, you get your own breakfast, deal with that yourself I’m not going to that meeting. Imagine that with how fantastic that would be. So, what can seem seemingly small actions are very difficult to implement. People come to my coaching sessions and they say, they lament to me, and they say, it’s a… I’m sorry, I’m talking to you about this, it’s so… it’s trippy, so it should be so easy, and it’s not. It’s not easy to get up and go for that walk Or to set that boundary. It’s terrific, it’s very easy to say, this is my boundary, but it’s like organisations that say, here are our values, here are our values, look at our website, here’s the values. Are you actually living those values, behaving those values? Hmm, maybe sometimes, but you’re doing all the time, probably not So, setting a boundary, speaking out, backing another woman Asking who’s missing, changing a meeting norm, or testing a better way. These are these take horizon and they take courage. So I’ve got a couple of questions for you to finish off. Are you ready? Can you get a pen and paper and can you stay with me for three more minutes? Will you? Alright? Here we go. I want you to think about actions, inspiration, and connection. Question one

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Are you ready? What is one small, seemingly small act of leadership that you could take this week? What is it? Think about it. Is it the boundary? Is it the speaking up at meeting? Is it something small? What comes to your mind Please post on the chat as well, because it’s going to give other people inspiration. Oh, I hadn’t thought about that One small act of leadership that you could take this week. All right. If you can’t think of anything, listen to the webinar recording again. That could be your act of leadership and sharing it with someone else. Question two What is one bigger act of leadership that you could take within the next year? All right, a bigger act of leadership you could take within the next year. Not saying you’re going to, but you could. a bigger act of leadership that you could take over the next year What could that be? Perhaps it’s time for you to move to something else to start that project to enhance that program, to fund that woman To stop doing what you’ve been doing for so long What is it? that comes to you, and then just trust your intuition a little bit, and see what comes, as mad as it may sound and Post it in the chat. Post it in the chat. So we’ve got one small act of leadership and one bigger act of leadership. When it’s bigger, it’s going to feel a little bit more gulpe, a little bit more scary, but probably quite exciting. And you won’t have any clue right now about how you’re going to do it. It’s going to feel quite, oh my God, unfathomable And the last question three is Now, just think about this for a second. Who could help you And who could you help? Just whatever comes into your mind, all right? Who could help you Somebody’s face is going to come into your mind, or you’re going to think of a name Who could help you? You might not even know them yet All right, I googled last night, where does Kamala Harris live? Because I just thought, flipping heck, wouldn’t that be amazing? And you know what? She lives now like 10 minutes away from where I live. Although, went into Mars when I was like, well, she lives in a really nice part of where we live, and I live in the not so nice part, but it’s okay. But it’s only 10 minutes away. I was like, hmm, I wonder what the coffee shops are around there. Not that you’ll probably be hanging out at a coffee shop, but she could help me for sure. Could you imagine And who could you help? Really important. Who could you help? Who can help you and who could you help? And make a commitment to contact and connect In the next week Can you do that? Not one of you are going to do that, but some of you are. Some of you are, and you know who you are. You know who you are. You’re doing this live now or you’re doing this some point in the future and you’re saying this is something small I could do. This is something big I can do. And this is who can help me and this is who I can help. And you’ve got it You’ve got it, you’re done, you’re ready, you’re off, you’re going, you’re off with the races, all right? You are not powerless, you are very powerful, and you are very connected, should you choose to remember it, alright? And you are already shaping the future and what comes next.

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The future is not something we just let we enter and it just happens. It really is something that… that we create, okay? So, this is To remember and I love it. I love I love that you’re here and I Actually, you know what is very fascinating as well, that My knee doesn’t even hurt so much anymore. It’s pounding at the start. Isn’t that interesting? Maybe there’s some connection between being really passionate and purposeful and connecting with amazing women and pain. That would be a really interesting PhD, wouldn’t it, for somebody So thank you very much for being part of today. We’re going to talk more about how to do this in the next webinars. The next webinar is on October the 7th and is about influencing systems. And look forward to those of you that are joining me in London on October the 16th. And if you’re not, why not? Come along. We want you there Lots of scholarship places. If financial’s a challenge right now, come and spend Friday with me, and we will have some fun and talk about all this stuff in a live forum, alright? So, go and rest now, and enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you so much for being part of Women Shaping the Future And I look forward to seeing you next time. I will send out the recording to you if you have any questions or anything you want to ask me about or anything like that, feel free to respond directly to the email. I run my own email and look at it all and love responding whenever I can, alright? So, have a great week, let’s stay connected, and And remember your inner feminist leader, all right? She’s in there. Thank you very much. See you next time.

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