This International Women’s Day, I’ve been reflecting on my career journey so far — the personal growth over 14 years, the opportunities I’ve been given and the women leaders who shaped my journey.
My career didn’t begin with a grand plan. It began with an interest in writing and communication, as well as a stab in the dark at a marketing internship.
When I stepped into my first role back in 2012, fresh out of university with a degree in Linguistics, I had no idea where the path would lead. I didn’t know I’d spend more than a decade in cybersecurity and EdTech. I didn’t know I’d manage global campaigns, travel around the world, or eventually build my own consultancy.
Looking back now, here are some of things I would tell my younger self to give her the confidence to know she would create some amazing work, overcome difficult times and that everything would work out.
Your non‑technical background is not a weakness — it’s a strength.
I started in tech with a Linguistics degree and later an MSc in Digital Media Communication. At the time, I worried I didn’t have the “right” background. What I didn’t realise was that understanding people — how they communicate, how they make decisions, how they learn — would be the foundation of everything I’ve done since.
Those skills shaped my work at Maildistiller, where I learned the basics of digital marketing. They shaped my eight years at Proofpoint, where I worked with global SMB and enterprise cybersecurity partners. And they shaped my role at Promethean, where I took ownership of our global partner programmes and I began to use my expertise to train our team.
You belong in the room - even when you’re the only woman there.
There were moments early in my career when I second‑guessed myself simply because I didn’t see many people who looked like me in the room. I felt too young, too anxious, and not experienced enough.
Being the only woman in the room of highly technical male professionals taught me to speak up, to trust my instincts, and to lead with a clear plan. I wish I’d known that belonging isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you build through showing up and participating in the conversation, even in small ways to begin with.
Don’t underestimate “soft” skills — they’re strategic and transferable.
Empathy, communication, collaboration, and the ability to translate complex concepts into easy-to-digest messages are often undervalued skills in tech. But these are the skills that helped me create global partner communications, design scalable campaign playbooks, and manage cross‑regional launches.
They’re also the skills that now underpin my consultancy work with small businesses. They help business owners and solopreneurs feel supported, understood, and capable. That’s where I can make a real impact.
Becoming a mother - the best and hardest job I'ver ever had.
Each chapter of my career stretched me in different ways and grew my confidence. However, none of them compares to becoming a mother.
This job has taught me that I can really do anything, but I can’t do everything. Especially not with a baby who thinks sleep is optional. Now, nothing work-related seems as daunting as it did before I made and nurtured another human.
Motherhood has been the most wonderful and humbling experience. It has forced me to prioritise ruthlessly, let go of perfectionism, and accept that some days “good enough” really is enough. It has also given me a completely new perspective on time; how valuable it is and how quickly it disappears.
Before I went on maternity leave, I assumed it would be a pause. A break from work life before returning to business as usual. It wasn’t a break at all. In fact, I worked harder than ever and I was on the night shift too. I'm learning constantly how to look after my baby girl and it has been so rewarding to watch her grow and thrive.
Stepping away from work gave me space to think about how I wanted my lifestyle to look and the kind of career I wanted to build alongside it. When your priorities shift overnight, it becomes much harder to ignore the things that weren’t quite working before.w
I started asking myself the question: how can I build a career that allows me to be present at home without burning out?
Build something that works for you.
Like many people in tech over the past couple of years, my journey also included redundancy a few months after I returned to work.
At the time, it felt unsettling. Redundancy has a way of shaking your confidence and forcing you into a period of uncertainty you didn’t plan for. But looking back, it was also a turning point. It pushed me to reconsider what I wanted next rather than simply moving on to the next logical step in someone else’s structure. It created the space for an idea that had been quietly building for a while — the possibility of working for myself.
Starting my own consultancy last year was the first time I truly designed my work around my strengths, values, and the kind of impact I wanted to make.
Helping small businesses grow through clear, sustainable marketing systems feels like the culmination of everything I’ve learned in tech. It’s work that feels human, purposeful, and aligned.
Becoming a mother and experiencing redundancy in the same chapter of life might sound like a lot of instability. In reality, it reminded me that careers don’t have to follow a straight line. Sometimes the unexpected chapters are the ones that lead you exactly where you’re meant to go.
What International Women’s Day Means to Me
For me, International Women’s Day is about visibility and possibility. It’s about acknowledging the women who paved the way, the women who walk beside us, and the women who are just beginning their journey.
I’m proud of the path I’ve taken and the challenges I’ve navigated. I’m grateful for the women who supported me and I hope to support other women in return.
There are some more exciting developments happening soon in my career and while I don’t know exactly what the next chapter will be like, I know I’m building it intentionally with purpose, balance, and a lot more confidence.
All thanks to the brave 21 year old me who walked into that first interview in 2012.
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