On Friday 13th June, the Windmill Village Hotel Gold Club and Spa in Coventry buzzed with energy as the seventh Socially Shared Women in Business Conference kicked off under the powerful theme of Ambition. Founder Karen Heap warmly welcomed attendees and introduced our headline sponsors, setting the tone for a day of inspiration and connection.
First to speak was Claire Lawton from Acorn Support, who joked, “I break up fights for a living!” Claire and her team are the go-to HR partners, coaching and supporting employers to navigate employment relationships, all while staying focused on business objectives.
Following Claire, Stephanie Napier from Willsons Solicitors took the stage, saying, “We deal with the less sparkly but necessary side of life.” Willsons Solicitors, proudly named Warwickshire Law Society’s Law Firm of the Year 2023 and Family Law Team of the Year 2023, emphasised the importance of meaningful connections. Stephanie captured the spirit of the day, saying she was honoured to sponsor a conference proving that “networking doesn’t have to be like speed dating with business cards!”
Ambition: A Positive Force for a Purposeful Life
Our first speaker, Lisa Cressy, pointed out the reason we’d all gathered: Karen’s unwavering ambition! Lisa said, “She has created space for women to grow.” She then went on to tackle the stigma women often face with the ‘A‑word,’ pointing out how ambition is framed as leadership in men but labelled unfeminine in women. The narrative that you can’t have it all or that a driven woman is a dog with a bone resonated with many in the room.
To challenge these narratives, Lisa invited us to ask ourselves: What does ambition look like for you? Is it stepping into a leadership role, launching a new product, achieving financial freedom, finding balance, or something entirely different?
She then shared two powerful tools to help bring our ambitions to life:
Fire vs Fear
Discover what ignites your fire. What ideas excite you and keep you awake at night? Operating from that creative spark, rather than fight, flight, or freeze, is key. Remember: overcoming fear requires a mindset that’s 2½ times stronger! Our brains are wired for survival, not success, so fostering a growth mindset helps push past our limitations. Ask yourself: Is your decision driven by fire or by fear?
The Three Ps: Purpose, Passion & Power
Purpose is your why; when you align, it has a greater impact.
Passion is what lights you up.
Power is your natural gifts, such as intuition, empathy, and connection.
When these three elements align, they become a powerful driver of ambition.
Lisa concluded with: “Don’t apologise for being ambitious. The world needs you!”
Ambition, Role Models and Accolades
Next to take the stage was Louise Bennett OBE, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, a title bestowed by the Lord-Lieutenant with the sovereign’s approval. With prior roles including High Sheriff of the West Midlands (2021) and current Chair of the High Sheriff Nominations Committee, Louise brings a background spanning the NHS and retail sectors. In 2007, she was honoured with an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to business.
Louise began by distinguishing between ambition, the drive to do what you love and do well, and ambitious, which often refers to getting to the top. As Lisa mentioned earlier, ambitious can carry negative connotations for women, but ambition at its core is about adding value.
Reflecting on her own journey, she introduced us to three key lessons from her role models, all of whom were strong women, even in male-dominated spaces. They were change-makers: influential, respected, and hardworking, and their brilliance created real impact.
Jackie, a nurse director, taught Louise to hold her own and uphold high standards.
Another mentor said that giving 150% means your off days still fall within the 95‑100% range, which is an insight into managing expectations and resilience.
Others encouraged her to seize opportunities but to avoid carrying others’ burdens. “Helping is vital, but their pain is not yours.”
Louise emphasised that role models shaped her growth as both a person and a leader. She challenged everyone to embrace becoming role models themselves, especially for the younger generations. She asked the room, “Who is your biggest role model?” and was met with answers ranging from teachers and mothers to colleagues.
Louise also reframed accolades as more than shiny medals:
Accolades are opportunities – doors opened by recognition.
Awards are powerful accolades – like the King’s Award, the UK’s highest business honour, celebrating excellence.
Verbal praise counts – being told, “Well done, you did brilliantly,” is a meaningful accolade in its own right.
Dawn Owen Coaching and Purple Orchid Bookkeeping sponsored the arrival drinks and morning refreshments.
The Purpose Collective
The third section of the conference featured The Purpose Collective, a dynamic trio of speakers who explored a unique angle of ambition. First up was Lyn Lapworth from Eco for All, who revealed a surprising truth: starting a business was never her plan!
Lyn shared that as a child, she dreamed of being a vet (or even an astronaut!), motivated by her love of animals. With parents working traditional jobs, entrepreneurial role models weren’t part of the picture. However, at age 17, a growing interest in ethics led her to go vegetarian and research the state of our oceans, planting the seeds of future ambition.
Years later, chats with other mums at the school gates sparked ideas that would blossom into a business, Eco for All. Her initial goal? To support fellow school mums. From there, ambition widened through networking. She asked the room, “Who feels overwhelmed by being eco-friendly?” Every hand shot up.
Her solution was small, everyday changes, like saving £15 a week on groceries or embracing preloved items. These tips turned sustainable living into practical, manageable steps. When these tips started saving her clients real money, her first ambition was realised. But she didn’t stop there.
Her second ambition is shifting the narrative on sustainability. Taking to stages at Excel London, the Ideal Home Show, and TEDx, Lyn shares how purpose-driven living can spark change. “Imagine if all of us used that sense of purpose to make small changes like reusable water bottles. What else could we achieve?”
Lyn’s ultimate ambition? To reshape mindsets and reduce consumerism. She closed with a powerful role model quote from Sir David Attenborough: “If working apart we are a force powerful enough to destabilise our planet, surely working together we are powerful enough to save it.”
With Eco for All, Lyn proves that ambition isn’t just big dreams but everyday actions with ripple effects.
The second speaker from The Purpose Collective, Sandra Godley OBE, brought a vibrant energy to the stage as a seasoned talk-show host, keynote speaker, podcast creator, and award-winning singer. Reflecting on life’s uncertainties, she began with, “Life throws things at us and we often feel a bit bewildered.”
Sandra’s remedy? Creativity and music. Having left a well-paid corporate role (company car included) to embrace her passion, she encouraged the audience to ask themselves:
- What keeps me going?
- What am I good at and what lights me up?
- What creativity will sustain me into next week or next year?
Her message was clear: “I needed something to sustain me and that was creativity.”
She challenged conventional timelines and comfort zones and praised young people’s proactive mindset: “Don’t wait to become an influencer, or for the right time. Do it now!”
Explore new communities: Attend gatherings and events you usually wouldn’t.
Learn and listen: “Listening is key” Don’t just hear, listen louder than you talk.
Serve with consistency: Show up and ask, “What can I do for you?”
Through her own journey, Sandra made it clear that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s sustenance, purpose, and a channel for meaningful action.
The third speaker from The Purpose Collective was Mandy Bygrave of the Coventry & Warwickshire Community Development Agency (CWCDA), who captured the audience with her humour and passion.
She kicked off with a question: “How did I get where I am today?” She grinned and confessed, “By accident!” Balancing ambition with the demands of work, life, and children, Mandy spotted a council job offering subsidised childcare and thought, ‘That’s for me!’ The audience couldn’t help but laugh at her refreshingly honest tone.
Even as she joked, “I’m close to 60, I just landed at 2am from holiday, and I’m not sure what country I’m in right now,” her dedication was crystal clear. Mandy’s enthusiasm for CWCDA’s work shone through as she detailed the breadth of their community projects:
- Employability initiatives and math outreach
- Financial inclusion schemes
- Community bike projects
- Enterprise support and more
Her ambition? To empower communities and ensure CWCDA thrives. Currently responsible for a 14-person team, she’s focused on running a sustainable organisation that generates surplus funds to continue making a difference.
She posed a powerful question to the audience: “How can the CDA help you?”
Mandy emphasised the important role of non-profits and social value, reminding us that being a good neighbour truly matters and that our actions impact others.
We then broke for a spectacular lunch sponsored by Joy Douglas from Joy Friday Remote Business Support.
Read PART TWO of the Conference Event Review HERE.
