Wanting to lead doesn’t make you a worse mother
Being a mum wasn't enough for me. I loved my children and I still wanted to lead, and wanting more on top of motherhood felt greedy in a way I couldn't shake for years.
Insights
Women in FE Leadership: Why the Numbers Haven’t Moved
Women are 65% of the FE workforce but only 54% of leaders, and that hasn't shifted in four years. The drop happens at one step, manager to senior leader. Here's why I think that is, and the senior role I turned down without ever testing my own assumptions.
Fear Dressed Up as Logic: Why You Keep Putting Off Senior Leadership
You want senior leadership, but the sensible reasons for not going for it keep piling up. At 38, a single mum of two, I told myself the same things for two years. Here's the model that finally showed me what was really going on.
Deciding on a senior leadership role? Put down the list
If you want senior leadership but can't quite make yourself go for it, I'd put money on there being a pros and cons list somewhere. Several versions, probably. Here is why it feels like progress and why it might be the very thing keeping you stuck.
Leadership programmes build capability. They don’t build belief. Here’s the difference.
Your HoD knows how to be a senior leader. She just doesn't believe she can be one. There's a difference, and it matters.
5 questions to ask your partner before you apply for senior leadership
You've been thinking about that VP role for months. You know you could do it. You know you want it. But every time you imagine the conversation with your partner, your stomach tightens.
So instead of being direct, you test the water. "There might be a restructure coming up." "Do you think I could do an AP role?"
Here's what I know from progressing through senior leadership whilst being the primary parent: avoiding this conversation doesn't make it easier.
If you're serious about stepping up, you need five specific conversations with your partner. Not vague "are you okay with this?" chats. Proper, uncomfortable, necessary conversations that test whether what you need and what they're willing to give actually match.
10 ways to build your network
Many women in FE avoid networking because it feels like cold calling or awkward breakfasts at dawn, but building your network is really about meaningful connections. Here’s how to grow a strong, genuine network that supports your move into senior leadership, without the hard sell.
The 5 emergencies that never happened – what I learnt as a single mum in senior leadership
When I was a single mum working in Further Education, I almost didn’t apply for a senior leadership role because I was convinced family life and leadership couldn’t mix. I imagined endless crises, guilt, and judgement. The reality turned out to be very different — and taught me that the biggest barriers weren’t practical at all, they were the stories I was telling myself.
Reinventing your career: Building on what you already have
When we talk about reinventing your career, it’s easy to think it means starting over. But reinvention is rarely about wiping the slate clean. Looking back at my three careers – catering, further education, and now coaching – I can see the same thread running through them all. Reinvention is really about building on what you already have.
How I Used the Wheel of Life to Sort Myself Out
You don’t have to fix every part of your life at once. Real change happens when you focus on one area at a time. I used the Wheel of Life to take stock, chose where to start, and over five years transformed my health, relationships, business, and finances. This simple exercise can help you see what matters most and decide your next step.