#WomenEd Blogs

by Vicky McKinlay @vmckinlayfcctLinkedIn 1. Through attending #WomenEd events I have gained a greater awareness of the issues that women face in education, e.g. flexible working, and I have taken personal action to be #10%braver. My first experience of a #WomenEd event was when I was invited to the #WomenEd North West England Unconference at BCHS i...

by Jackie Hill @hill1_jackie

Losing your voice

“I’ve lost my voice - again” – it kept happening for 2 years. At first, it was funny (sort of) but that changed, as it could take weeks for it to return fully. I tried different treatments, but nothing worked permanently. 

My GP said the best treatment was simply not to talk!! Well, I found that practically impossible...! I learned just how dependent I am on my voice and how, without it, I felt disempowered and left out.

by Jackie Hill @hill1_jackie    #BirthdayCelebration

I didn’t know where to start when trying to say what #WomenEd has done for me. There is simply so much I could say …

Should I explain how #WomenEd has helped me to discover the power of Twitter? It's a fantastic source of CPD, as well as connecting me to the EduTwitter community all over the world.

by  Nasima Riazat @NSRiazat How can we be mindful of equity and equality as leaders? What is the difference between the two and how can we develop our existing practice, in view of DEI (Disability Equality & Inclusion) considerations, to remove potential barriers so we can retain talent and support recruitment practices? In this blog ...

by Yasmin Ariff @AriffYasmin 295,650 According to a survey, this is, on average, how many times a woman apologises in her lifetime. 25% more than men. And this was the topic of a group coaching session I facilitated at the WomenEd unconference last month. But why do we over-apologise more as women? A study from the University of Waterloo, Canada&nb...

By Yasmin Ariff    @AriffYasmin Just before the pandemic started in 2020, I attended my first women's networking event hosted by #WomenEd London at Sarah Bonnell School in London. I don't think I had ever existed in a space like I did that day. I felt: An unspoken kind of safety, knowing that this community embodied inclusivity Increasing...

by Vivienne Porritt @ViviennePorritt

We started WomenEd because women's voices on twitter were often silenced, harrassed or our views were not valued. It's one of the reasons we included a mic in our logo. So we encouraged women to tweet and to write blogs to tell our stories and share our lived experience. 

One of the reasons we wrote 10%braver: Inspiring Women to Lead Education was to ensure the voices of our community reached women who are not on twitter. And over 30 voices are included in Being 10% Braver which, joyously, is published this December - you can pre-order and it's a great Christmas present! And we are delighted to share more opportunities for our community to write and to be heard.

By Nasima Riazat   @NSRiazat 'Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher' Oprah Winfrey When I set up my @NSRiazat account on Twitter in 2009, at the time it was still a social media platform which was still forming with few people using it. I can remember the very early days of watching and interacting with the @Women...

By Mrs. Sarah Mullen  @BCAMrsMullen In 2007 I was diagnosed with unexplained infertility. At the time I was a middle leader, newly married and the diagnosis hit me hard. What followed was 5 years of fertility treatment, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy and a gruelling adoption process, all whilst still trying to forge a career in education. Tod...

by Mel Greenwood     @MelGreenwood1 The moment that I came across this phrase, I loved it because it embraces a mindset that is resilient and gritty. The phrase is now a part of not only my internal monologue but I use it as a challenge to other people - women, men and young people - in my life. For me, #Being10PercentBraver is a call to ...

by Lyn Lawton @lynjlawton

Being a big fan of the book ‘10% Braver – Inspiring Women to Lead Education’. I decided to be 10% braver myself and put myself forward to deliver a workshop at the national WomenEd Conference this year. I didn’t actually expect to be chosen!

by Astrid Emma @myvisioninwords Photo: Dyaa Eldin on Unsplash

Before I start, this is not “a feel sorry for me” plea, but more of a reflection on how I have come to believe that “everything happens for a reason” and how being #10% braver allowed me to challenge the status quo.

by Kate Sawyer @Dorastar1

With age comes wisdom someone probably old and wise once said, and yes supposedly it does. What they forgot to mention was everything else that comes with age. As someone who has the shadow of a 50th birthday rapidly approaching (it’s not till early next year so I can ignore it for now) I am more and more aware of the added pressures that age brings.

by Emma @pedoughty

A fair amount of time has passed since my first blog, mainly because I don’t really think people will want to read anything I say! However, #WomenEd has, as usual, been my inspiration/kick up the backside. When I saw the campaign to share pledges for 2020 #pledgeforchange I thought right I am going to sign up and that will make me do it.

by Caitlin Bracken @LittleMissB_NQT

This is not the blog I expected to write today. I was almost sure I wouldn’t be able to harness the enormous theme of ‘respect’ into something brief and engaging enough for a #DailyWritingChallenge entry… and then a very good friend, an NHS paediatric nurse, brought something to my attention that boiled my blood.