When Women Unite, Systems Shift

We trace how women’s voices move from personal healing to public change, from Parliament hallways to policy, art, and activism. Menopause screening gains, consent clarity, and centring women’s stories show how asking hard questions shifts systems.

We talk about BBC Riot Women, Lily Allen, and Virginia Guiffre. Womens voices that are making a difference.

• Visiting parliament for menopause awareness and what institutions feel like
• The suffragette cupboard story as strategic protest
• Culture and healing through music and TV that tell women’s truths
• Consent, drugging, and why a clear verbal yes matters
• The cost of harm and the need to centre women not gossip
• Asking difficult questions to power and accepting discomfort
• Moving from wounds to wisdom and everyday leadership
• Unity over silos and backing women to be heard

Join us on 21st November for “Closing the Gender Leadership Gap — Strategies that we can all turn into action.” For two hours, we share wisdom, tackle bias and the authority gap, and plan real steps you can take. We would love you to join.  

Webinar : Empowering Women Leaders. 5 strategies to close the gender gap. Join us.

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Mission
• 0:39 Menopause Advocacy In Parliament
• 3:04 Tradition, Rules And Democracy
• 6:07 Behind‑The‑Scenes Stories And Symbols
• 9:59 Policy Wins For Menopause Screening
• 12:05 Women’s Truths In Media And Art
• 14:12 Healing, Holding Space, And Validation
• 16:34 Activism, Consent, And Law Reform
• 19:36 Date‑Rape Drugs And Systemic Harm
• 22:10 Centre The Woman, Change The Narrative
• 24:28 From Wounds To Wisdom
• 27:14 Asking Hard Questions To Power
• 30:16 Webinar Invitation And Collective Action
• 33:56 Closing: Believe Her, Keep Speaking

Transcript

Speaker: 0:00

Welcome to another episode of the Say it sister Podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:04

Brought to you by Wise Women Leading founders Karen Heras-Kelly and Lucy Barkas. This is your space for real unfiltered conversations about womanhood, the messy, the magical, and everything in between.

Speaker: 0:16

We're called upon to name the taboos, stigmas, stereotypes, and lies that keep us stuck so that we can rise and reign like queens.

Speaker 1: 0:25

We open up spaces and deepen relationships that bring us closer to love and a better world for all. So get comfy, grab your favourite drink, and let's say it sister.

Speaker: 0:39

This week, I've been thinking a lot about women's voices and what happens when we use them, when we lead through truth. And a few days ago, I was in Parliament from Menopause Awareness Month, and I was in a room full of powerful women and allies, and people who are really, you know, fighting the cause out there in the world, who are making huge changes in women's health, you know, from politicians to doctors to influencers, campaigners, charity, charity heads, it was just absolutely amazing. Of course, the menopause mandate were there as well, and journalists and pharmacists, and I was just sat in this room looking around at the faces, which were mostly women, and I just thought, we've come such a long way, there is so much more to be done, of course. But wow. And my heart was just so grateful and glad. And it was just this idea of having this shared mission of helping women to live their best possible lives and give them the support that they deserve and that they also need. But it also struck me that there is we have so many different fractures that sit within, you know, our health service, the way we live our lives, and we have to still jump through so many hoops, which is a personal frustration of mine. Like, I just want people to get it and then for things to change, but that generally isn't how things are done. So there's the hoops that we're jumping through, and there's the conversations that we're having, and then there is this brilliance and this commitment and this purpose that comes through as well. That's like it's just not good enough when we need to do better. And the fact that we are where we are is fantastic, but my God, so many women have suffered in the past, but now there is this drive and this commitment. So for me, it's like I just see this idea of us coming together in different ways and supporting each other, and rather than dividing, it's more about unification, it's more about you know, collaborative speaking, collaborative work, and joining forces because otherwise we still sit in our little silos and it can feel lonely and it can feel really, really hard. But when we do come together, something extraordinary happens, and I'm here for that. Lucy, what's your take?

Speaker 1: 2:53

Oh well, um yeah, I'm all for that as well. Uh I've often talked about um collaboration and unity and alignment as being our way through any difficult times. Um, but before we jump into the conversation about women's voices and speaking truth, um, I just wanted to um ask a little bit about your experience of parliament because I've been a couple of times now and it is the most fascinating of places because it is for me steeped in this old tradition, old rules, everyone has to behave in a certain way. Um I felt like I had to be on best behaviour. Um, so many rules about you can't take pictures here, and you can only walk down this side of the corridor, and if the carpet is green, then it's for these people, and if the carpet is red, it's for these people. And I'm like, oh god, it's it's oppressive in so many ways. But sitting listening to debates in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, which we were able to do, was phenomenal because it reminded me of this is our democracy. Um, and there were women who were doing some of the talking at some point, so still very much outnumbered, but again, it was like, yes. Um, so before I tell you a couple of funny stories about my uh my visit there, what was your take on it?

Speaker: 4:09

I was just really impressed with the organisation of it because there were so many people going in, and we went through a different egg, a different side of the venue. So I have been there once before to do some lobbying for um san tropez, a brand that I used to be head of the communications for. So it was my second time, but we went through a different way, and um the cues to get in were incredible. I was like, oh my gosh, we're in a proper queue. And then there was all these different events happening, private events that were happening at the same time. So I was chatting to people in the queues and finding out what people were going in for, and it sort of blew my mind because it was everyone from like education heads, you know, people who were there to sort of talk about um the education system, uh, mental health was on there as well. Obviously, we were there for for the um menopause issues, and I was just like, and then you go in and it's just so well organized, and you kind of like float through. Um, so I was just really, really impressed by the level of different things happening all at the same time, which shows that you know, this is a serious institution. And then as we were leaving the event, there was all these army cadets coming through, and nobody was talking, and they were like in this line, and there was a sergeant at the front and a sergeant at the back, and there was me and two of the other like influencers who were there, and we just kept getting in the way because we couldn't quite coordinate ourselves, you know, and like that they were all like flex kind of floating up the stairs, and um, it was just funny, it was just a moment of like real life versus the structure and the organization of systems that we have in our country, and that's kind of what I took away. And then we had this moment where we could take photographs as you're leaving through this main hallway. We had photographs and all the rest of it. So, yeah, it was it was just a total experience and one that I will never forget, and such an honour and privilege, and um so grateful to Camards Menow for inviting me. So tell me your stories.

Speaker 1: 6:07

So um I was uh well lucky enough to have um a friend in um who was stationed there, positioned there. Um and so um she invited me first with a group of women, and then the second time it was actually we just took our kids. We had a day out there, which was fab. Um, but on the the first time we went, um she took us down to a broom cupboard and she said, Lucy, you are gonna love this cupboard. And you go down the stairs to the chapel and it's it's all very nice, but we were the only people in there because of her special past, she managed to, you know, talk to the security guard and said, We're just here for 10 minutes, can we pop in? She needs to see the cupboard. I'm like, what the hell is going on? Anyway, she opens this door, uh, which is actually a broom cupboard, and in there, there is um a uh plinth, I guess, and it's uh for the suffrage Emily Davison. And I just was blown away by the determination of this suffrage, this woman, because um on the night of the census in 1911, she managed to sneak in, hid herself in that cupboard. So for her her residency, that um, and you have to declare that on the census, her residency was the House of Commons, and she is the first woman to ever have her name written there because it was her protest that um women weren't allowed in politics, we weren't allowed to vote at that time, and it was just phenomenal. So I wanted to share that story, and obviously we know that two years later she died um being trampled by the King's Horse. And then when I went with my kids, there was a completely different aspect to it. And we were walking down the halls, um, and we were in some pro of the private halls at this stage, and um we just nipped into the toilet, and as we came out, we walked past, and I said, Did you see that? And everybody was like, Yeah, is this for real? And a full-size dressed womble of Wimbledon was walking around and had gone into one of these side rooms where they're having meetings. I have absolutely no idea to this day. We were searching on you know the news a couple of days later to see why were the uh wombles of Wimbledon there. No idea. So that was just the most strange story. So that's where when you were talking about the the structure and also the informality and the strange stuff that goes there, I just find it a fascinating place. Um so yeah, so they were my couple of stories. Um but the first one I I wanted to share because that is all about women who are speaking up and using their agency and their feminine leadership to really make a point. It's wise.

Speaker: 8:55

I mean, how smart was that? I mean, I think you obviously got a private tour as well, which I you know I love that because we don't obviously we were walking through that building, you were aware of all the history and the heritage, and you know, we're now moving in, it's almost like bonfire night as well. So we've got that idea of you know, Guy Fawkes, and you know, the it is just full, and then to have that behind the scenes peak, because I was wanting to slow it all down. I'm like, I want to just like you know, take this in because as we're going through and you're trying to rush through to get to your event. I said to this random guy, I was like, it's going too fast for me. I need to slow it all down so I can take it in. But then on the way out, I was able to do that. So I was really happy because I was like, I don't want to be rushing through something like this. I don't know if I'll ever go back. Who knows? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't really matter. But the fact that I've been there twice is quite incredible in itself. And then I don't want to rush through, I want to have the experience of being in these halls and you know, the secrets and the intrigue really that comes. And then also the changes that are made, you know, that this is where change is happening, and yeah, it was wonderful. I mean, the the the the other side of it is that due to the work that's been done by um you know the the menopause mandate, there has been significant changes made now to how women are being screened um in the UK between the ages of 40 to 74, and it means that menopause is going to be part of you know the conversations and the screening checks, you know, for every single woman, because it's true to say, and I know there's a lot of people saying everyone's talking about menopause, it's too much, but the truth is the research shows that women still feel blind-sided by perimenopause and that they do not know enough about it. So, you know, people can say what they want. However, we know that women out there still don't really have a clue, and so the fact that they can then go in and have put be have an official, you know, significant conversation when they get their screen ins, I think is is incredible. And I think that's where the real changes are going to start happening.

Speaker 1: 10:56

And I think the announcement came on the day when you were there because it was all kind of aligned for the same thing, and I was just like, yes, it's finally working. And just to like think about what's been going on over the last couple of weeks, well, you know, a month ago we we saw um that that amazing woman um won the Nobel Peace Prize, and then um last week everything on my um feed was all about um the book by Virginia Giffrey. That's the one Giffre. And then uh Lily Allen, who I've always loved as a poet and artist, um, came out with the most brutal, honest, beautiful album to help her heal and put her side of the story about what her divorce was like and what her marriage was like, and um, it was amazing. And I just thought, you know, they often say revenge is um best served cold. Um, but I just thought actually, it's not about that, it's about finding a way to be able to express what really matters to you. And for Virginia, of course, she knew that that book could only come out after her death. Um, and as a result of it, she's brought down. Um, you know, well, it's not a prince anymore, it's just Andrew. Um, and you know, it's just phenomenal. Her persistence, even what though nobody wanted to believe her, she never gave up. And she wasn't yelling and screaming and being violent about it, she was just consistent and choosing her words, choosing her platforms, phenomenal. And then with Lily, she's taken, I guess, a Prince of Hollywood, Prince of Marvel, and Stranger Things down. Um and she's just been quiet about it ever since. She just wants to talk about the art, the music, um, because the words in her music actually tell the story. She doesn't need to talk about it anymore. She's done what she needed to do to heal, to move on. Um, and then of course, um, which I know you're gonna touch on a little bit, uh, um, you know, the law changes as a result of a woman in France. And so I'm just like, yes, there's something here. But if you haven't watched it yet, I have to have to have to talk about riot women, which for prime time BBC TV, it is phenomenal. And it is about a group of 40 to 60 year old women and everything that they're going through from feeling invisible, um depressed, assaults, um, police treatment, um being harmed in every way, adoption, fertility, infertility, you name it, every single topic that affects women and women's stories is woven into this script. And it is funny and it is raw and it is wild, and it is just class. And I just wanted to celebrate that as well because again, it's another way to tell women's stories in such a beautiful way. Have you uh watched it, Karen?

Speaker: 14:03

I haven't watched it, but I it's on my list, and I feel like obviously I'm seeing the clips come through on the socials and everything, and it just looks incredible, so I'm super excited about that. But it what I'm happy about and what I'm celebrating is that I always say there are so many issues, there are so many elements, there are so many layers, and what a woman lives through, you know, in her life, never mind in midlife, is is incredible and it's huge and often so widely ignored and not discussed. And so to have something like that, you know, where it covers all of the issues is so profound because as you will know as well, like when I when I'm doing work with women, I never know what they're gonna what they're really dealing with, and I know I don't know what they're gonna show up with. I just know I can handle it, and I know I can handle the space, I can hold the space for it. That's what I do know, and the reason I know that is because I've lived through my own traumas and my own experiences and my own challenges and I've healed. So for me, it's like, yes, I've done the work, and I also know how to support you too. I feel like that's quite deep, isn't it? But at the same time, you know, when something is put into the space, it's almost like anyone watching that is gonna go, Well, that's happened to me. That's my story, that's my story. Oh, yeah, I know, you know, I know somebody, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it it puts it into the space as popular culture, where it's like, I honestly believe that we are more similar than we're different. And I know that was said, that's been said many times, but I really feel like in the the things that I'm seeing and the conversations I'm having, I'm like, oh my god, we've all lived through the same things. We have, and we are, and it will continue to happen. So we have to be able to talk about that because when it does happen to someone we know and love, we're like, Yeah, I know this, I know this, and I know what you're going through. And I think there's something really important about that. And then there's a professional side of it, of course, as well. So I am excited to watch it. I I also wanted to say, you know, this idea of the healing journey as well. Like, you know, someone like Lily Allen, I look at her and I think she looks really happy.

Speaker 1: 16:04

Loving the conversation, make sure you follow us on your favourite podcaster. And if something resonates, share it on your socials or with a friend who really needs to hear it. We'd love to hear your stories too.

Speaker: 16:15

Find us on Instagram at say it's Sister Podcasters and at WiseWomen Lead. And let's keep the conversation going because your voice matters here. She looks like she's living a best life right now. She looks like she's been validated, you know. I think we're all seeking that somehow. And I know we have to give it to ourselves. So I look at her and I'm like, oh my god, brilliant. And it's like that idea of revenge is a big word, but like the own the best form of revenge is to be over it, is to have done the healing, is to have come out the other side. That's how you then, you know, echo back to somebody. Their actions in a way, it's like, she's talking about pain, but she's doing it from a place of elevation and rawness at the same time. So I'm I live for things like that because it's almost like so empowering because it's like, yeah, I've gone through that and I've come out the other side. And look at me now, you know, and I think we all we've all grown up with those stories, haven't we, as women? Um, especially as teenagers.

Speaker 1: 17:12

So yeah, and Lily is a fascinating character because obviously she uh she became very famous very, very young, and she was around that whole um britpot kind of culture. Um, and she had some real tragedies with her own um firstborn child, and then the breakdown of her marriage, infidelity, um sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and her twenties were really marked by a lot of trauma. And for anybody watching it now, you can see that this woman was in pain, and unfortunately, the the press and the heat magazines, the gossip culture love just to tear her apart, which we consistently see with any woman just trying to exist in the world. Um, they are just pulled apart, and so I think this place that she's in now, not only is it because of the pain of her marriage, it is the pain that has carried through her whole life. And so when I look at her, I get that same feeling of wow, you you're right here, who knows what's coming in the future, but right now, look how far you've gone uh come, woman, and I am so proud of you.

Speaker: 18:22

And to do it in the public public eye as well. I mean, it really is brave because we all know when we talk about this, you know, that's claiming space, sharing your stories, um, showing the world, all parts of you, taking off the mask, being raw, vulnerable, real, and courageous. You know, you it's like that there's a lot of work in that and there's a lot of like ups and downs in that, I think. And so when somebody does that in the public eye and goes out in full force, you know, full nature, I I look at someone who's liberated, but I'm like, I'm pretty sure she hasn't been liv feeling liberated every single day of that. So there is that journey of it because it takes so much guts and courage to share everything with you know, with the world, knowing that people some people are gonna love you, some people are gonna hate you, um, and then there might be the bits in between, and they're just like blah, whatever, you know what I mean? So that for me is like the pure courage, and I feel like that's where I'm at in my journey of like claiming voices, that's one part, and then there's a showing up and there's like being out in the world, which is a process for me. And where do you go with that?

Speaker 1: 19:27

Um well, it made me think about um a talk I went to. So I went to the Hay Festival last, well, this summer, um, and uh Carolyn Dorian, who who is uh Giselle Pellico's daughter, uh was doing a um a talk about her book, and uh Jamila Jamil, who I just think is phenomenal, um, was interviewing her. And she has basically published the diary of events, her own personal diary, from the moment she found out that her father had been arrested and all of the conversations and the thoughts and the things she had to do. It is so deeply personal. And and you know, I know I've read the book and I've heard her talk, and she does it from a real, you know, painful place because she's still in a lot of pain, but she has turned into activism, which is what I think part of the healing process for a lot of women in particular goes into. Once you've gone through something and you've found your voice and that liberation, you can't help not turn to some kind of activism to speak up, to make a change so that it never happens to anybody else. And the the cause that she's um really focusing on was to get um drugging people as part of the charge, because at the moment you can drug whoever you like over in France. Um, but what was really powerful was just last week, another amazing story was that consent is also now put into the French uh law um because it's been in the UK law for some time now, but again, in France it wasn't there. So not only is to drug somebody to have sex with them or abuse them, it's also about consent now. And I just want to that's what came up for me because I I just remember how raw it was last year when I heard her speak, how brave she was, but equally how it's turned into action, and that's what caused us to open up into wise women lead, the work that we do and start this podcast, because we need to just get active about the stuff that had happened to us and say that you and I have been talking about this privately, but we need to talk about this publicly 100%, and and it's that place of going, there's something about the verbal consent that I think is extremely important that there is a definite yes, because it can be really misleading, you know.

Speaker: 21:50

Like obviously, if something bad is happening to us, we can lose our voices quite fast. So the fact there needs to be a verbal consent, and a clear consent, I think is vital because in my life, I've certainly lost my voice in these situations. I think there's something really, really it was like for me, it was like, oh yeah, that makes so much sense to me. Like, of course, it needs to be a very clear consent, otherwise Yes, I want to do this.

Speaker 1: 22:13

It's quite simple.

Speaker: 22:14

Yes, it's it's very simple, isn't it? And yet, um, I suppose really with women's voices, it's like, well, if it's not a no, if there's no verbal no, then it's it's all fair game. If a woman's asleep, it's all fair game, you know. If she's drunk, it's all fair game. All of that, and then the drugging's a whole different level for me. And I have been I have had the date rape drug put in my drink twice.

Speaker 1: 22:36

Um I have only once, it's horrendous.

Speaker: 22:40

And I have still have night terrors about that. And I when I worked out what the night terrors were about, I realized a lot of the seeds came from those experiences of not being able to control my body or speak or do anything, you know. It's just regardless of whether somebody gets what they want, if they put something in the drink, regardless if you get home safe or not, which is a whole different story. Um it is so incredibly disturbing for our systems because we we can't control ourselves, and um, yeah, that's why they do it, isn't it? So it it it gave me uh last week I was in and out of the news, but I really felt like I had so many moments, and for me it was just pure relief.

Speaker 1: 23:20

Yeah.

Speaker: 23:20

And you know, Prince let's call him Andrew. Andrew, um, the situation there, I was like shouting at the radio, you know, when I heard the radio, because it it was just this like thing that burst out of me that was like, I cannot believe it's gone on for so long.

Speaker 1: 23:35

And it was we believe her. That's the thing that came out more than anything.

Speaker: 23:40

Yeah, so I'm I'm you know, whilst these these what we're talking about here is triggering and it's difficult and it's um challenging and all those things. We understand as women the impact of how it's impacted our lives and how it's impacted the lives of those around us who love us and who often see you know the bits when we're not okay. Um so I these are difficult conversations, but they're such important conversations because let's face it, uh these things are still happening and there is they are increasing. So let's keep going, I think.

Speaker 1: 24:12

Um and one of the things that I wanted to celebrate um also was um the the the focus has been on the women, and yes, that for Andrew there's been a lot of uh news because he is the news, um, but most of the stories have been about the women, and you know, one of the things that has been really important for me and has shifted my whole sphere is centering women. And although men are part of the conversation, actually, when we change the narrative and we uh focus and centre the the victim or the woman in the story, um, it really does focus our attention. And anything that is also, you know, because there has been a lot of chatter about, oh well, she deserved it, and oh, we shouldn't believe her, and oh da da, and all this gossip stuff. I just go straight past that because I will not ever go down that that conditioning that I had from the the gossip-filled uh 90s and noughties with all of the everything was about running celebrities down and like knowing what's in their bin and who they're dating, and um, I'm just so over that, and we've got to do better as a society to focus on the women or the the voices that are speaking up, believe them, and you don't need to pick apart whatever they've been in the rest of their life. In that moment, they were just a human being going about their lives when something happened to them. Um, so I want to really change that narrative as well.

Speaker: 25:39

Yeah, absolutely. And I think when we go back and we look at, you know, all the iconic women who have stood for things that matter, I see those women out there in the world today as well, you know. So you've got the women of the past, you've got the warriors, we've got the suffragettes, you know, Virginia Wolf, um, Boudicca, Athena is one of my absolute favourites, you know, and the these are like some of the mythology, some of its, you know, icons. Um there's a power in women when they get into their sort of like their fire and their fight. And I stand for that. And I also see these women, you know, like different representations of these women, someone like you as well, me out in the world, and you know, really turning their wounds into wisdom because otherwise we stay small, we stay separate, we stay wounded, you know, and we want to be out there flying still. I think we've all been through so much in our lives, but the things I celebrate the most is that the fact that I can still spread my wings and fly. And it does feel different these days, you know, it does feel like a different form of flying. Even getting on the train to go to London, um, you know, every time I step back out into the world, it's such a small thing compared to the life I used to live, which was always on planes, always on trains, always doing huge things. Now I do it in a very, very different, more concise way, and I'm always very aware about how my body's feeling and what my instincts are telling me. And I take great care of my um my well-being, um, how I do things. You know, I'm I'm not like everything will be fine. I don't sort of approach life like that anymore. But I'm also not coming from a place of wounded and fear. So it's like that discernment, that wisdom piece for me every time I'm gonna be. It's con very considered. You know, it's not just like I'll be fine, I'll be fine, I'll be fine, everything's the world's great, and there's good more good people than bad. You know, I do believe in that. And at the same time, I'm like, yes, and there are also some lunatics out there, the world is more extreme. Um, not everybody likes women. Um, you know, I've got that other story running, and then I'm like, right, both are true. So I now choose to do these things because I really believe in them, and this is my approach to it, and this is how I'm gonna take care of myself because I actually trust myself more than I ever have in my life, and that feels like And each time you show up and you speak your words, you are seen, you are you know out in the world speaking your truth and showing up as your authentic self, you are leading, you are that wise woman who leads, and every time a woman does this or supports another woman doing it or champions another woman doing it, well, we're creating the change, and that's what really excites me.

Speaker 1: 28:19

And we see more and more women coming together, supporting each other. This there's such a shift that's happening. Um, of course, there are still women who are not doing that, um, but yeah, let's just ignore them, let's focus on the the you know, the women who are really making a difference. And we we like to think about change happening in the boardrooms or in a manifesto, but you know, some strategy document or something. But actually, real change is happening from everyday people having the conversation, sharing their stories, saying that's not right, backing somebody as they go and um do something um or stand with them and advocate for them. And every time a woman refuses to shrink and she's got a whole you know collection of other women supporting her, incredible things can happen. And you being in parliament on that day is actually, you know, it's testament to that because we've seen bit by bit this movement, and it's probably taken seven, eight, ten years, maybe, um, since you know the the older Gen X started talking about this, and now look where we are, it is phenomenal.

Speaker: 29:26

So I just to say it has been that long, and I did I was on the IT I was on ITV's Tonight programme, I think it was 2015, and it was like a little like group of women who were like, you know, doing different types of work and looking at yoga and well being as part of the the medicine for women and talking about our menopause journeys. And and I was in perimenopause then, but I am now much further down the line and I didn't know very much about it. And I talked about my mum's experience because I remembered that, and it felt really like quite cutting edge. At the time. You know, like, oh, it's you know the Tunnelite program, and you know, we're gonna talk about it. And then I look at you know what's happened since, and I go, that was it was like they were kind of just trying to get an angle on something, I think. And now it's like this huge industry, and it's it's mainstream now. Yeah, it's mainstream, it's every day. And I'm like, that's amazing, that's amazing. Because I remember what it used to be like, and there's also something for me about we have to be willing to ask difficult questions and have difficult conversations. I feel like that is the absolute crux of everything that we're all about because for me, I've never been someone who would put my hands up in a lecture or I would ask questions in boardrooms, no problem at all. But if I'm in a public space and then I'm like, Do I have a question? Do I have not have a question? My mind will get a bit cloudy. That's just my sort of like panicking sort of like thing that can happen sometimes. But I sat in parliament and I had a question and I was like, what question do I want to ask? Because I've actually got three questions, and I asked this killer question, and I saw the impact of the killer question, and it was the question that need for me, I lose sleep about, and it's really about what's going on in the world and how we maintain um this presence for women's health and not get snowballed by this movement against women's health that's happening in the States. So I asked that question and I saw the impact of the question, and then people said to me afterwards, Thank you for asking that question. That was such a powerful question. And I was it was a really it was quite hard to ask because I knew it would be uncomfortable and I knew it would maybe put people in like, oh my gosh, how do I answer that?

Speaker 1: 31:34

Because it's And sometimes they don't need to answer it. Just asking the question is powerful enough.

Speaker: 31:38

And we're in a political space, so we have to be able to look at what's going on in politics. And so it was all of that coming together. And and I walked away and I was like, the fact that I asked that question shows me everything that I need to know. And I will I am willing to put my hands up and ask those questions and keep asking them until we get to a place where you know the answers, the questions actually get answered properly. It wasn't quite it the I got some good stuff that came up, but the question never got answered because it's a massive question, and there probably should be a whole thing around that. But either way, that's I think the key for us as women, as Trailburg.

Speaker 1: 32:13

I am so proud of you. I just have to say that I'm so blurry proud of you. And um, I just wanted to end uh before we like sign off, just to point people to our webinar that we are yeah, 21st of November, we're going live. And it is again to ask some really difficult questions, but also create space to hopefully find some strategies that can turn into action. And the title is Closing the Gender Leadership Gap Strategies that we can all turn into action. And so for anybody that wants to be part of the change, to learn to act, whatever that looks like for you, you are very welcome. For two hours, we exchange our wisdom with you, discuss the problem, especially in the workplace, the bias, the authority gap, and how hard us together, uh wise women lead, can be part of that solution. So we would love for you to join.

Speaker: 33:10

Because when women unite, when we ground, when we plan, we emerge differently and we create something that is purposeful and powerful. And we don't want to be starting these like echo chambers where we're hearing all this bad news, um, you know, and we're being led down certain paths. We want to be able to come back together and actually look at our own immediate world and go, what's my stake here? What's my part? How can I effectively lead and how can I be part of something that may feel like a smaller part of something, but actually when you connect all the dots, it becomes huge. So that's really what we're about. We would love you to come and join us. Um come and be part of our worlds, come and be part of our conversations, and then take it back out into your world.

Speaker 1: 33:53

Oh, so yeah, let's wrap up. Um, because women's voices are being heard, and of course, there will always be backlash, but we just need to turn our attention to the real words, the real stories, um, and believe her, support her, champion her, centre her. We are creating change, and we can't be complacent. We know there are challenges and we are there are forces that might be trying to stop us. Um, so we have to speak our truth, especially to power in a safe way, but in a way that is going to be heard. Tell our stories, support the campaigns, get interested and get educated. Remember, we have agency for our own lives, and together we create a movement. So, as always, say it sister. That's it for this episode of Say It Sister. If it moved you, made you think, or made you even feel seen, hit follow, share it with a sister, and leave us a review.

Speaker: 34:55

And remember, your voice is power and your essence is wisdom. So speak your truth and live a true and empowered life. Until next time, say it sister.