Meeting up with someone that you instantly have a connection with and knowing they share your values in wanting to make a positive difference is not something that happens every day and so when Michelle Atkinson, HRD from Suttons International and I chatted about Actually, she can! and the difference we want to make in our local community, I could see she was as enthused and keen to make that difference too!  We are very grateful indeed to Suttons for agreeing to be our main event sponsor for Actually, she can! and even MORE impressed by their attitude and desire for positive change, when they asked us to introduce them to people in Halton Borough where they really can make a difference. Since that meeting they have supported local children who otherwise would have woken up to no presents on Christmas Day and are engaging with Halton People into Jobs to see how as an employer in the Borough, they can offer work experience, apprenticeships, mentoring and even career opportunities to young people.  We could not be happier to have found a large corporate business to partner with, working locally as part of a huge global network, and in this episode you will get to hear what is was about the project that captured Michelle's attention and why it fits so beautifully with the culture and ethos of this business that prides itself on supporting employee growth, driving engagement and creating opportunties for career progression. Thank you to everyone at Suttons for supporting us and for wanting to make a difference too - we really appreciate you!

Ex corporate girl Susie Sprigg believes that connection, communication and conversation are critical to all of us, and that we can build relationships with cheerleaders and people who will check in on us too, all through the power of networking. Networking is not just for people who run a business looking to sell their services to others, but also for people who work within an organisation who might need to build their network for career progression and promotion prospects. Building a strong network, especially as a woman, is so important and Susie is going to share with us the do's and do not's of networking in the workshop she is running at Actually, she can! on 27th February in Runcorn.  Debunking the myths of networking and making sure we create the impression we want to is what her workshop is all about and if you listen in to this episode you will get a sense of Susie's down to earth, honest and authentic approach, allowing you to decide whether you will choose her workhshop from the range that are being offered as part of our amazing event.  If you have not got your ticket yet, please hurry as we have sold more than 65% and I would hate you to miss out!  For more details about all of our speakers and what to expect please take a look at our simple website actuallyshecan.co.uk - the link to then buy tickets is available from there too.

A favourite guest on the podcast Michelle Minnikin joins me again this week but to talk this time about her contribution at Actually, she can!  There is no way we could have organised a day of personal growth and professional development for women, by women without including the powerhouse that is Ms Minnikin!  A professional speaker, author of the fabulous "Good Girl Deprogramming" and workshop facilitator, Michelle helps women to break free from the constraints of the conditioning that girls grow up with and encourages them to unleash the rebel within, and I am delighted that she agreed to travel to Runcorn for our event on 27th February where she will address the conference AND run a workshop for those who want a deeper understanding of the work we good girls need to now do in order to live an authentic, rebelloious life!  Have a listen to our conversation and then make sure you have booked your ticket to be in the room with us in February - it is going to be an amazing day with Michelle offering her expertise along with another 12 speakers sharing insights and inspiration. Tickets are availble while they last from actuallyshecan.co.uk and you need to RUN don't walk and grab yours NOW!

Kerry Lockyer joins me this week to talk about her contribution to Actually, she can! on 27th February in Runcorn and it is a really useful conversation well worth listening to! I managed to catch up with her before Christmas when she was busy running around the country facilitating sessions to help leaders build awesome teams.  Her expertise lies in helping people understand themselves AND each other at a much deeper level using a range of behavioural tools, with over 25 years experience in Learning & Development, she is an accomplished trainer, consultant and coach as well as an amazing TEDx Speaker.  People development is the stuff that lights her fire and at Actually, she can! she will be offering everyone an incredible opportunity for greater self-awareness AND a chance to complete one of the behavioural tools that she uses in her consultancy practice. Thanks to the generous folk at Clarity 4D, everyone who attends will have chance to complete a personal profile, completely free of charge, and Kerry will be delivering two sessions that will bring that learning to life both on the main stage and in a smaller, more intimate workshop setting. This value alone more than covers the cost of the ticket to attend so we do hope you will support our charity fundraising efforts by coming along to hear more from Kerry, to do your own Clarity 4D profile, and to generally invest in your own personal effectiveness to kickstart 2025. Tickets are available from actuallyshecan.co.uk for general admission as well as the Pay it Forward tickets we are offering to make the event as inclusive as possible. Please invite everyone you know to get involved! Great event for a great cause!

Another excellent reason to attend Actually, she can! next February 27th is to hear Jane Kenyon's session as she helps us to understand why it is time to ditch the cape and badge and forget the notion of Superwoman! Jane will help us see how the male energy driven Superwoman model sabotages our right to an imperfect life, and how until we drop the cape and rip off the Little Miss Perfect badge we cannot be whole, authentic or lead from our feminine core. Jane will help us see how controlling everything does not give us power BUT will give us a blinding headache! Are you ready to learn more about a system reset?! Ex Well-Healed Diva Jane has worked with women and teenage girls for the last three decades and you might be familiar with her organisation "Girls Out Loud" which is a multi-award winning social enterprise dedicated to raising the aspirations of teenage girls in the UK. Their programmes are all about embedding more confidence, emotional resilience, self-assurance and self-esteem - so you can see why their work aligns beautifully with our ambitions for Actually, she can!  Listen in to this episode and learn more about Jane, her beliefs and her approach, and you'll immediately recognise why you need to grab a ticket for our event and not only invest in your own personal growth and professional development BUT ALSO how your involvement will help us to offer bursary opportunities to young girls in Halton Borough as part of the Mayor's Fundraiser. It is a real win win opportunity - a chance to invest in yourself and at the same time allow young girls to get a stronger foothold on the career ladder - what's not to love? Tickets are on sale NOW and you can book online via actuallyshecan.co.uk

I am joined on this episode by the most wonderful person that is Helen Frewin of Totem Consulting. Helen is one of the most generous people I have had the good fortune to meet in the business world and am delighted that she is going to be sharing her expertise freely by delivering a session with us at Actually she can! on 27th February. Helen is a Business Psychologist, Executive Coach, Professional Speaker and Author of the book "Better than confidence" and with the team at Totem Consulting works with organisations to help them have their people performing at their best, positively engaged with their work and delivering high standards, through coaching, training and facilitating at all levels. Helen's session at our fundraising event will be a very popular one, I am sure, and if you have not yet got your ticket, tune in and hear why you need to RUN DON'T WALK and get your ticket today!  Helen's session at Actually! is entitled "Why everyone wins with more women in leadership and how we can get there. Get powered up with a reminder of the business case for having women at the top, and a challenge and guide for all genders to make this possible." Definitely going to be a popular one and this session alone is probably worth the ticket price for the whole day!  We have 13 professional speakers, authors and coaches giving their time and talent for free so that we can create bursary opportunities for young girls in Halton Borough and YOU could be a part of that! Whether you want to attend the event in person OR sponsor a place for a women who could not otherwise afford to be there, hurry along to the actuallyshecan.co.uk website now.

If you are curious to hear about "Actually, she can!" and to know exactly what is on the agenda that day, then this brief, basic and straightforward episode is for you! No music, no guests, nothing more than a simple description of the topics being covered and the value on offer - it'll take about 8 minutes but will give you a taste of what the whole event is all about and help you decide how many tickets you need to buy!  Tickets are selling well and can be purchased online or if you need an invoice then just drop me a note and I can organise that for you. Whatever you do, do NOT miss out on this opportunity! It's a total one-off, never to be repeated event offering more value than you can imagine! Promise!

What can we learn from a woman who took a wrong turn and had a bloke pull a gun on her, but eventually sorted and paid for a taxi to take her back to her hotel?  Well, she might be a black belt in 4 Martial Arts, but she only ever went because her mate did, and she still cannot catch a bullet in her teeth - even though both her sons are stuntmen in the movies! This can only be the wonderful (and hilarious!) Heather Wright, talking to me about the session she will be running for us at "Actually, she can!" next February in Cheshire. Heather is a seasoned expert in neuropsychology and will help us delve into the science behind self-discovery to unblock our true potential.  She promises and enlightening and inspiring speech where we can learn strategies to overcome the barriers to confidence and authenticity and build the "us" that we really want to be.  At "Actually, she can!" Heather will be bringing the day to a close with valuable insights that blend science with personal empowerment and set us up to use the learning to break habits that no longer serve us and help us develop new habits that will help us to be the version of ourselves that we want to be. It promises to be a powerful conclusion to an amazing day, and if you haven't got your ticket yet, you really need to get a wiggle on before they sell out!  ActuallySheCan.co.uk is a great place to check out the whole line up and follow the link to get your tickets but please, run don't walk! Time is ticking!

Actually, she can! is all about encouraging and inspiring women to do, be and achieve whatever their heart so desires, but is it realistic to expect happiness every day in that life?  This week's guest Jo Howarth says that indeed it is possible to make that choice, and in our conversation she explains more about what she means by that.  Jo is another of the amazing speakers, authors and coaches that is giving her time and expertise free of charge on 27th February to help raise funds for young women in Halton who might need a hand overcoming financial challenges into higher education or vocational apprenticeships, and I hope that when you listen to this episode that gives you another really good reason to be rushing off to buy your ticket!  Did you know, if you cannot attend the event to support us, you can still PAY IT FORWARD by sponsoring a ticket for a woman who otherwise could not afford to be there?  The day really is a win win win win win at every level! By women, for women, fundraising for future female talent and Jo Howarth and her "Choosing Happiness Every Day" session might be just the inspiration you need to achieve fabulous things, and authentic happiness, going forward. Please do share the episode and help us spread the word and pop along to actuallyshecan.co.uk to grab your ticket before they sell out. But for now, sit back and enjoy our conversation! Thanks Jo!

Kate Trafford is a Master Coach, author and TEDx speaker and am delighted to say is our opening speaker at Actually, she can! next February.  With over 20 years of experience helping people drive for big results AND love the journey, Kate will be encouraging us to take a moment to pause and consider the road ahead, asking us some powerful questions and helping us think about our own authentic happiness and success.  Her highly acclaimed book "Get there, love here" can help you become the person you want to be, with the career you want to have, whilst staying true to yourself and Kate will bring that magic to the Actually, she can! line up next year.  If you haven't yet got your ticket, hurry up and grab it before we sell out - Kate's session and workshop could be just the opportunity you need to set your sights on your future and make 2025 the year you start to enjoy rather than endure the journey!  Tickets and details of all our speakers can be found at - run!