When women OWN their expertise… everyone gets results
We have partnered with incredible companies from across both public and private sectors. These companies are putting inclusion and diversity high on the agenda and realise the benefits to the whole organisation for investing time on attracting, developing and retaining their female talent to close the gap.
Some of the organisations we have worked with include;
Automattic Inc
Boom! Global
CIPD West Yorkshire
Coty
Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing
Kingdom Housing Association
Lean In Humber
LNER
Midland Heart Housing
Milton Keynes College
Network Rail
Olympus
Petrofac
She Has No Limits
Southern Housing Group
Swan Housing Group
Sweaty Betty
Thursday Design Studio
Wakefield & District Housing
Women in Tech York
Women in Rail (London)
Women in Rail (Yorkshire)
York College
Yorkshire Housing
Impact from workshops.
“Gemma hosted a series of workshops for the members of our XPS women's network on self-promotion, networking and our own personal brand. Not only did we all learn so much from Gemma's practical, insightful advice but the sessions really brought us together as a network as we all realised that we have the same worries and experiences. 100% of our network said that they would recommend this workshop. Thanks Gemma!”
(Charlotte Jones, Actuary at XPS Pensions Group)
“This [train the trainer for allyship champions] session was the most insightful, knowledgable and inspirational that I attended for a while. I was buzzing all evening after the session with ideas on how to become a better ally. Worth every penny, and Gemma is also a genius in engaging.”
“Gemma is a natural coach who creates a safe space for women to truly be themselves to explore their fears and aspirations for the future. Gemma has taught me so much about visibility and self promotion After our group coaching session, I had so many people ask when Gemma was coming back and everyone absolutely loved the session I look forward to working with Gemma in the future.”
(Louise Kennison, People Director at Swan Housing Group)
“Gemma recently delivered a session on male allyship for the men on our senior leadership team. As a group, we were keen to be supportive of our female colleagues without patronising, undermining or disenfranchising them.
An hour with Gemma absolutely equipped us to do that and we're seeing a real impact already. Some colleagues are adding allyship into their own and their direct reports' objectives and we're all putting into practice the simple, practical tools we now have in showing support for all the inclusion work being taken forward, not only gender. Gemma has also supported us set up a Women in Housing network which is seeing brilliant levels of engagement. Very highly recommended.”
(Andrew Latto, Director of HR at Kingdom Housing Association)
Participants Experiences.
“I had a chat with my manager during my appraisal about taking the next step in my career and applying for the manager’s vacancy in our team once it is advertised. This is something I have definitely being indecisive about over the last few months while the post was under review however after attending your session I now feel that it’s the right time for me to put myself forward for this opportunity and as you say…..stop hiding!!”
“The trainers knowledge and enthusiasm was igniting”
“I'm not alone with struggling with self promotion and should go for it more often”
“Gemma is very enthusiastic and has a story to share, this resonated, I think with everyone involved, I think it was interesting to see that we're not alone in how we are perhaps feeling or are perceived. Gemma knows exactly how to motivate and make individuals see their worth and give some good pointers and guidance, on how we see ourselves and how to become more visible, and have self belief.”
“Women are all experiencing the same barriers and we need to make more people aware of that!”
“Gemma was very encouraging and understanding of the barriers that women face and this allowed an appreciation that 'it's not just me' that feels or thinks this way.”
“That there are more women than I thought that share the same experience and getting ideas on how to overcome personal issues with self promotion was very useful and enlightening”
“The trainer was well informed and engaging.”
"It was far better than I imagined it would be, it not only opened my eyes, it also opened my mouth to start speaking up"
Impact from Private Coaching.
“The main question that I wanted to explore was what do I need to do to move my career to the next stage. I needed clarity on what skills I needed to demonstrate, what goals I needed to achieve and then how I was going to do this as well as how I was going to make key stakeholders aware of all the great work I was doing.
By the end of the coaching, I had a clear action plan of what I needed to do, broken down in to manageable steps that I can focus on week to week. She also helped me to look at the beliefs I had about myself which were holding me back and how I can change these. This has unlocked a new confidence in me and allowed me to realise that I am capable of achieving amazing things.
I would recommend Gemma to anyone looking to take their career to the next level”
Kathryn had big ambitions for her career. In 2019, she wanted to help herself get to that next level, make partner and bring ideas for the future of the firm to the board and help shape the company. Kathryn also knew that moving to the next level would mean showing up differently... so she hired me to help.
She is a forward thinking and very conscientious leader. However her introversion meant she avoided some of the traditional ways to get noticed by her seniors. It wasn’t her thing to just pop her head round the door and say hello, or make small talk at the end of the meetings.
She wanted to take control over her career progression and knew that her high performance would only get her part of the way. Since working together we have unlocked how she can be more visible in a way that feels good. It pushes her out of her comfort zone, but has opened up so many more opportunities to showcase how great she is and what she can offer the future of the company.
One example is Kathryn produced an article for a business magazine showcasing her expertise at the same time promoting her company. She has also taken on new challenges that have made sure she is in front of the board sharing her expertise.
She feels great about her strategy and is keen to make sure that she doesn't get distracted and we are working together for the next 12 months. Not only will we focus on continuing to hone her self promotion strategy, but also making sure she takes time for self care whilst achieving the career goals that she's striving for. Success starts from within. I cannot wait to support her in 2020 and I know massive things are in store for her.
“I was in a difficult place, unhappy with my job, wondering whether things could have gone differently. This is how I started working with Gemma.
The first thing I noticed was that it was fun! I was always looking forward to our next session during the three months. Gemma was always able to provide another perspective, open up my mind more on the experiences I was talking about with her. ”
“She offered solutions to many things that have been bugging me for years about networking, asking for help, leveraging relationships. Now, in hindsight, I realize that Gemma not only gave me great tips, but really it has shifted my mindset about networking and relationship-building. I feel that it freed me up from my own old perspective and I now feel free and much more at ease with networking.
Gemma also led me to becoming more aware about the things that have been stopping me and the things that have an impact on my confidence. Although I was aware that I was bothered that people made assumptions because of my accent. I didn't realize that this has an impact on my confidence until Gemma pointed it out. She also gave me great advice about what is in my control when it comes to bias and assumptions of other people. That was really insightful and mind-shifting.”
“It all started by inviting Gemma to be on my podcast. We got to talk and I quickly sensed her passion for her work. She is the ‘expert’ and the ‘go to’ person on self promotion and visibility.
How do I know? I booked a session with her to see how she would challenge me. She did just that in her own way. Within 2 hours, she transformed my thinking. When I thought I felt uncomfortable putting myself ‘on stage’ in social media, she shifted my mindset to do the complete opposite for the right reasons. When I was ‘taking my strengths for granted’, she reminded me of my own DNA and how to be proud of my uniqueness.
Gemma showed me a new ‘visibility’ way which I have used very successfully in my business. If you need someone to empower your ambitious introvert female leaders in your organisation - look no further. Gemma is the ONLY person that I would recommend.”
Impact from Company Group Coaching.
“I was given the opportunity to work with Gemma by my employer and it has been invaluable. Working with Gemma has improved my confidence and given me a new focus.
Since attending sessions with her I have been successful in gaining another position within my organisation and I have become more visible by volunteering for things I never would have done before, like filming a video for our social media page. I have learned to step out of my comfort zone and celebrate the little wins. I am going to carry on working to increase my visibility and hopefully the sky is the limit! I will really miss our sessions but I am so grateful to have been a part of them.”
“I had no clue what I was getting into when I started the sessions, but after the 1st session I realised what I needed to get out of the course. I had no confidence in myself and was always self doubting and worrying what people think about me and my abilities. The course made me realise that I had to look at myself in a different way and actually be able to praise myself and talk about my successes and achievements as if I don’t say them myself no one will do it for me.
I am now able to speak up for myself and ask what I need from my employer which is something I never thought I will do before. From these sessions I have gained confidence to be myself and to raise my profile by being able to speak up in meetings and ask questions. I have managed to raise awareness to the organisation on BAME issues which they did not acknowledge in the past and now are being considered. I would not have done all this if it was not for attending this course. Thank you Gemma.”
Judith Nyanjowa - Quality Control Coordinator at WDH
“Gemma really gets to know what works in terms of the individual person to get the most out of them. She’s really encouraged me and I’ve become more confident with being visible. Her workshops don’t just help women in organisations but assist in strengthening them as a whole as a person’s best skills are brought to the forefront. I feel really fortunate that my employer has provided me with the opportunity to attend Gemma’s programme as she’s made me understand that the only limitations to achieving my ultimate goals are those I place on myself.”
“From the coaching programme I wanted to gain more self belief and confidence. Gemma helped me to see myself through others eyes and build my confidence in my ability.
I have taken many actions to raise visibility such as building confidence to speak up in important meetings and share my thoughts and ideas without fear of how they may be perceived.
I also joined LinkedIn and have enjoyed exploring the platform and gaining confidence to do my own posts. I believe the coaching programme has really made me understand how to be visible, in particular being visible externally and believe this knowledge will help my career progress. My next steps are to continue to put myself out there and even pushing myself out of my comfort zone as Gemma has taught me to think positive ‘what’s the worst that could happen’! The programme was absolutely fantastic and I am so pleased I took part. Thank you Gemma.”
Molly Armitage - Assets and Compliance
“Gemma has been amazing, when I started working with her I was frustrated and feeling left behind in my role. She’s given me a positive way to move forward and helped me re-map the negative emotions holding me back and given me the enthusiasm to focus on my goals and take ownership of my career again.”
Impact from Events.
“I chaired a panel that Gemma was a speaker on and she absolutely blew me away. She’s a natural presenter offering stories and advice with a great combination of humour and wisdom that inspired the audience. It was a pleasure working with her - she was organised in advance yet able to think on her feet and respond to unexpected questions. I highly recommend her for events and talks.”
“‘Gemma spoke at my annual conference and made a big impression on the audience. She has a wonderful style of speaking that is honest and vulnerable, educational and inspiring. Gemma knows her subject but also knows her audience. She is a truly wonderful speaker and I would highly recommend her to speak at your event or run a workshop on her subject areas of expertise.’”
When women own their expertise. Feeling Fierce Live event hosted by Gemma Stow - Sept 2017, York
“Yes, yes, yes I would recommend Gemma without a shadow of a doubt. What she can unlock inside of you is amazing and I was blown away by the results.
Her coaching style is a combination of ass-kicking, gentle encouragement and above all fun and laughter. A perfect, winning combination. Don’t even think about not working with her.”
“Gemma is a fantastic coach. She empowers women to take back control of their lives and turn dreams into reality. Without a doubt this improves levels of confidence, wellbeing and happiness, all of which impact positively on both clients and their families. ”
“Gemma is a pleasure to work with - no BS, no fluff, just really practical, focused and so, so supportive of her clients. I’d highly recommend her to anyone who needs that little push or needs to start believing in themselves!”