When showing up isn’t enough (and why I'm sharing the story anyway)

It started with a 9am meeting I couldn’t make and a comment I’ll never forget.

“We managed when our children were little.”

It was just a sentence.
Said casually.
Dismissively, even.

But I still remember how it landed. Like a quiet gut punch.

I was sitting in a meeting, surrounded by people I worked alongside and respected. The topic wasn’t strategy or performance or plans for growth. It was me. More specifically, whether I was committed enough to the business.

Why? Because I couldn’t make the early morning meetings in London.

At the time, I was a single mum with a young child in primary school. There was no nearby family to call on, no partner to tag team with. Mornings were a blur of packed lunches, perfect high ponytails and small emotional needs that couldn’t be rushed. I could do 10am. I always made it work, but 9am just wasn’t possible.

I explained all this. I thought it would be understood. After all, we were building a business that was supposed to work differently. A business that recognised the very pressures that had made traditional workplaces feel unworkable in the first place.

But that day, I saw something I hadn’t expected.

My reality, my life, was being quietly measured against a standard I had no say in. And it was being found lacking.

There was no shouting. No confrontation. Just that sentence.

“We managed when our kids were little.”

As if motherhood was a single experience.
As if circumstances didn’t vary.
As if my inability to show up at 9am somehow cancelled out everything I was doing the rest of the time.

The uncomfortable truth

It took me a long time to understand why that moment stayed with me. On the surface, it was a disagreement about logistics. But underneath? It was about so much more.

It was about how easy it is to be misunderstood when your story isn’t visible.
It was about how quickly people forget the realities they once fought to change.
And it was about how often women are asked to prove their commitment in ways that ignore the complexity of their lives.

That meeting hurt. But it also clarified something for me:

We need more honest stories in business.

Not just the polished versions, but the messy ones. The ones where we speak about what it really means to juggle ambition with caregiving. To be overlooked, or questioned or judged, not because of your skills or output, but because your life doesn’t fit the mould.

And more importantly, we need to own those stories.

Because every time we do, we shift the narrative. We make space. We invite others to see themselves in the story and maybe even find the courage to share their own.

When I look back now

That moment, uncomfortable as it was (to make matters worse I started to cry big messy tears and had to excuse myself) changed me.

It taught me that being committed doesn’t always look like being the first one at the table. It taught me that leadership isn’t about conforming, it’s about carving a path that works for you and staying true to it even when others question your choices. And it taught me that our stories, especially the ones that make us squirm, are often the ones that carry the most power.

It’s no surprise that that moment for me was the catalyst for carving out my own life and setting up my storytelling business. And it’s why I’m so passionate about helping women tell their stories on their terms. Not performative stories. Not sugar-coated ones. But real stories, shaped by real life, told with purpose and pride.

Because every time a woman shares her truth, she opens a door for someone else.

And if we want to build businesses, brands and communities where women don’t have to choose between who they are and how they show up, then those doors matter.

Want to share your story too?

If this resonated with you, I’d love to invite you to join the #SheRoarsChallenge—a free 5-day storytelling journey designed to help you unlock your voice, connect with your values and start telling your story in a way that feels unapologetically you. Head over to Instagram where you’ll find a pinned post and details on how to get involved.

Whether you’re building a brand, running a business or simply ready to be heard, this challenge will help you find the words, and the courage, to share the story only you can tell.

➡️ Join the #SheRoarsChallenge now – it’s free, and it starts soon.

Because your story matters.
And the world needs to hear it.