International Women’s Day: The Power of Growing, Building and Belonging
International Women’s Day always makes me stop and reflect. Not on perfection or polished success, but on the messy, beautiful, unedited reality of building a life and a career that feels true.
Five years ago, I became a single mum...four children, a growing business, big decisions to make, and no map to follow. It has been joyful, empowering, and exhausting...often all at once.
There is a freedom that comes with stepping into responsibility on your own terms. Making decisions rooted in clarity. Learning to trust your instincts. Designing a life that works for you and your family. But there’s also the fatigue that sits deep in your bones, the late nights after the children have gone to bed, the mental load that never takes a break, the constant juggling of care and work and business strategy.
It hasn’t always been easy. But it has taught me so much about resilience, self-belief and what really matters.
Today, five years in, I feel like I’m finally finding my feet.
Professionally, my work with Architecture Ventures has matured in ways I never would have predicted. I’ve learned what it means to lead with intention — to put the experience of people and families at the centre of design, to look for opportunities in existing spaces before defaulting to bigger solutions, and to bring clarity and calm to what can feel like overwhelming decisions.
And then there is Shropshire Women in Business, now entering its second year. What started as a simple idea has become a community with heart. A creative force. A group of women who don’t just show up for themselves, but for one another.
This year we published a book!! an achievement that feels like a shared heartbeat rather than a personal trophy. It’s a testament to what happens when women build with each other, generously, authentically, without ego.
There are so many women who have made this journey richer:
Katie, my wingwoman at SWIB, steady, smart, generous. Someone who brings out the best in ideas and makes them real.
Kelly, a constant reminder that we can grow beyond the patterns we were raised with and consciously build lives that look different to anything we were taught to expect.
Lydia, whose friendship holds across distance and time, proof that true connection isn’t limited by geography.
My godmother, whose encouragement and belief have been a quiet anchor through so many seasons.
My daughter who is brave, bright, wildly curious, whose spirit inspires me every day to show up more fully.
All the other women in this community who are ambitious, kind, hard-working, real, who choose support over comparison, collaboration over competition, connection over isolation.
What I know now, more deeply than ever, is that female friendship matters. Not just as a nice-to-have, but as a source of energy, courage, and clarity. We expand each other’s capacity just by being in each other’s orbits. We remind one another of what’s possible. We carry each other through the days that feel too long and celebrate the ones that feel too short.
International Women’s Day isn’t about perfection. It’s about growth. Deep connection. Learning from our past while shaping our future. It’s about women building lives and businesses that reflect who we actually are, not who we’re told to be.
So today, I feel grateful.
Grateful for the work I get to do.
Grateful for the community that surrounds me.
Grateful for the women who choose strength, kindness and ambition every day.
Here’s to women who grow, build and belong...together.