International women’s day - what does that mean?

So this morning I woke up and checked my social feeds, to see that today is International Women’s Day. My first reaction was ‘well I wonder what that means?’ After a little research it’s clear that the focus of this day is raising awareness against bias, celebrating women’s achievement and taking action for equality. So I sat with my first cup of Sunday coffee and I started to think...

Filter Coffee Not People

As some of you will know, before setting up the Garden Roastery I spent 25 years building a career in the male dominated world of engineering. A career which I love, and which continues today alongside running my coffee roastery. With a profession which is focussed around people I have been lucky enough to be in a position to develop and implement many tweaks and changes which support a more equal workplace and industry. When I first started work, I certainly saw examples of inequality, unconscious bias and in some cases very conscious bias. I have also seen reactions that far outweigh a situation and can send progress in the wrong direction.

Positivity creates change...

I am a firm believer that positivity creates change, and I believe in supporting change that creates equality, by being respectful, appropriate and proportional, not ‘in your face’ and antagonistic.

I have been lucky enough to be born in a part of the world where culture and equality is progressive. I have benefitted from equal rights in a democracy, equality in education and rarely found a barrier that I couldn’t overcome. However, I have personally experienced practices in other countries where this is not the case by a long shot, so whilst we can always improve, let’s recognise how far we have come.

Let’s recognise how far we’ve come

Looking at my female friends, colleagues and local female business owners, it is clear to me that positive support and strength is the most powerful combination. All the female role models that I hold in high esteem, who have been successful in their chosen route (business, family, sports...), have been the ones putting all of their energy into supporting others, showing compassion and fairness, but most importantly working hard. The ladies in my family, both in the UK and overseas, are absolute examples of this, and how lucky am I to be part of that gang...as my Dad said, even the cat was a girl!.

So for me International Women’s Day is about positively supportive each other, celebrating success, recognising where change is needed and working hard together to achieve that.

I have been blessed with some wonderful male role models who have supported and encouraged me, sometimes providing a strong foundation of listening and advice, but also importantly shown me, sometimes with tough messages, that in life you have to crack on. As my wonderful dad would tell me ‘life isn’t fair’ and that’s true, so I worked hard, tried my best to support others and never wanted anything that I didn’t deserve.

So I’m sending a huge well done to all of those women forging ahead in their chosen path, a hand of support to anyone struggling in a difficult circumstances who may need to reach out for help, and true recognition to those men who support the incredibly important role of women in their lives.

#IWD2020 #EachforEqual