We continue our event review from the seventh Socially Shared Women in Business Conference under the powerful theme of Ambition.

By lunchtime, the Socially Shared Women in Business Conference was in full swing, and the delegates enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the Windmill Village Hotel staff. You can read Part 1 of the Conference Event Review HERE.

Start with You: Personal Growth as the Real Path to Ambition

After lunch, Sarah Alexander from Vivid Learning & Development reminded us that ambition isn’t just about goals but about personal growth. Without that foundation, achieving true ambition becomes impossible.

Sarah urged us to view ambition as a journey, an ever-evolving process combining immediate creativity with long-term vision. By visualising not just the lofty goal, but a moment in its path, we can prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the challenges ahead. She likened our inner work to the roots of a tree, unseen yet essential for communication.

She shared four growth-action steps:

Self-awareness – Understand your strengths, superpowers, values, and what gives your life meaning.

Growth mindset – Recognise that effort fuels development; embrace challenges as opportunities to grow.

Skill-building – Develop emotional intelligence, time management, and other soft skills crucial for leadership.

Taking action – Nothing matters without doing the work, and 70% of learning happens through experience, supported by feedback and social learning (mentors, peers, training).

Sarah discussed how critical this growth is to avoid stagnation and burnout. We gain resilience to handle tricky relationships and challenging moments by nurturing our inner roots. Stepping outside ourselves, imagining life from another’s perspective, becomes possible. Without this growth, we risk feeling stuck, low on confidence, uncertain of what’s next, and unable to advance.

She introduced practical growth habits: setting learning goals, regularly reflecting, and gathering feedback. To help us detach and gain clarity, Sarah shared a practical exercise: the Ambition Triangle©, designed to help us step back and view our systems from above.

In a thought-provoking finale, she compared Western ambition (loud, outward, celebrated) with Eastern ambition (quiet, internal, mastery-focused). Both approaches have value, and our path should be authentic, guided by what aligns with our true selves.

Her closing message was, “Personal growth is about potential, and our potential is endless!”

Client Appreciation into Award Recognition

Next up was Emma Hewitt, Business Awards Advisor, who explored the often-overlooked power of entering awards. She said, “Awards celebrate our ambition and achievements.”

These accolades aren’t about vanity but amplifying your business and propelling you toward your goals.

Emma recalled Blue Peter Badges, where kids confidently submitted poems and drawings without overthinking. She invited us to return to that mindset and submit our work with pride and belief in its value.

To make award-writing practical, she introduced her WIN Framework:

W – What do the judges want to know?

I – Illustrate your answers with real-life examples.

N – Now prove it with solid evidence.

Participants used a standout customer testimonial and used the template in the conference brochure, applying the WIN steps to transform this social proof into compelling award-entry content. With simple structure and genuine stories, Emma demonstrated how our achievements can shine through confidence and clarity.

She finished by asking, “What makes your business award-winning?”

The Experience Collective

The fourth part of the conference was the Experience Collective, another trio of speakers with an abundance of experience, knowledge, and ambition. The first voice from The Experience Collective was Wendy Garcarz of Refirement UK, who opened with a compelling reminder: “Life is lived in motion. It’s not a static thing.”

She then shared a favourite Barack Obama quote: “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition… only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself do you realise your true potential.”

Wendy used a three-act structure to explore entrepreneurial ambition:

Act 1 – Setting the Scene

Childhood influences take centre stage with family, friends, and teachers. In this formative act, we meet two kinds of supporters:

The unconditional encouragers who propel us forward

And the conditional protectors who try to keep us safe

Wendy described how her mother backed her unconditionally, while her father was more of the cautious type. This balance helped her discover that her competition was with herself, and that potential is within each of us.

Act 2 – Testing the Learning

This act is all about achieving, climbing the corporate ladder, and gathering accolades. For many, including Wendy, it’s where circumstance overshadows ambition. Ambition came second to opportunity in Wendy’s life, and her ambition developed from these opportunities.  She reminded everyone that ambition must come from within, not just from the chances we’re given.

Act 3 – The Reframe

Shifting expectations appear as retirement looms, often with stereotypes about women’s later-life roles. But for Wendy, this is not the end. It’s a rebirth of ambition. She shared her message of, “Never underestimate me!”

She was dismissed early on, saying that her peers didn’t pay attention to her because she was a “blonde, short, business owner, and sounded like an extra from Peaky Blinders.” Yet here she is, thriving.

Wendy’s mission is clear: to inspire women to claim their ambition as their own and view it as an ongoing journey, not something with a final curtain call. With a final statistic, she revealed that 53% of the world’s wealth will soon be in women’s hands. A call to dream bigger than we ever have!

She closed by asking each of us to reflect on which act of life we are in and what our ambition looks like now.

Following Wendy, the spotlight fell on Dr. Predencia Dixon, a mentor, life coach, and spiritual counsellor whose journey redefined ambition through purpose, resilience, and legacy.

Dr Dixon opened with a humorous confession, “I have three sons, and I’m surprised by how little they know about me!”

When one son asked if her ambition was to become the first doctor in the family, she laughed, “No,” she said. “It’s one of those things that just happened!” She has always been focused, driven, and adaptable. Initially training as a biology teacher, she devoted nearly 20 years to working in a secure children’s home, supporting young people with severely challenging behaviours. To deepen her impact, she studied a Master’s degree in psychology to better understand these children, and her passion for learning continued to grow. She moved from taking courses to writing them for social care professionals, but then, in her words, “Then I got bored!”

In 2013, she took a DNA test that revealed maternal roots in Cameroon. A transformative trip followed, during which she taught, built a school, and reconnected with her ancestral heritage. Inspired by her journey, she began fundraising and earned the royal title Yaa Bonkiyung in honour of her work.

Driven to share her experiences, she embarked on a PhD to have access to research materials to write her book, Sketches of Cameroon. Midway, life threw her many challenges, including a cancer diagnosis, which forced a year-long pause, followed by the pandemic and the death of her contact in Cameroon. She nearly walked away, but remembering why she began kept her going.

She completed her PhD at 62 (now 70, much to the audience’s amazement). Her final message was clear: “Be the best you can be at whatever you do. Younger people see everything you do, and you are their role model.”

Dr Dixon’s story showed us that ambition isn’t a sprint; it’s a lifelong expedition, growing with every challenge and inspiring the generations that follow.

The final speaker in The Experience Collective was Heather Atkinson, a nutrition and wellbeing expert, who opened with a laugh, “I’ve never followed royalty before!” (a nod to Dr Predencia Dixon’s earlier talk).

Heather admitted that ambition wasn’t always on her radar. In her 30s, she wasn’t particularly driven by traditional measures of success. But by her mid-40s, that all changed, sparked by one client’s powerful transformation. That experience lit a fire in her, and a deep sense of purpose followed.

She shared her personal journey with warmth and openness. Growing up with a mother who struggled with addiction, she left home at 17. Soon after, she headed to Canada, embracing full-on wanderlust in her campervan ‘in full hippy mode.’ But the adventure didn’t stop there. What was meant to be a one-month visit to Australia turned into 30 years of life, growth, and learning.

In Australia, Heather studied nutrition, health, and personal training, working with athletes and building her own wellbeing business. Her curiosity led her to conversations with farmers, medical professionals, and even the World Health Organisation, uncovering the truth about the food industry. These conversations ignited her mission to help clients not just survive, but thrive.

One client in particular changed everything. A mother of three, trapped in an abusive relationship, lacking confidence and exhausted by life. After months of working with Heather, this client entered a parent race at her children’s sports day. When her kids came running up to her saying, “We’re so proud of you, Mum!” something shifted.

That moment didn’t just transform her client’s life; it transformed Heather’s sense of purpose.

“I didn’t want my kids worrying about me the way I worried about my own mum,” Heather said.

Motivated by that clarity, she turned her passion for learning into deeper practice, sharing everything she knew to uplift others. She ended her talk with the words of her client, “You’ve given me my life back.”

Heather reminded us that the stories we collect and connect to our ‘why’ are where the real joy lives.

Dare to Dream

Vicki Fennell from Ebb & Flow was our next speaker of the day and brought an energising exercise to the event with an interactive and uplifting session using her Dare to Dream coaching tool.

As attendees enjoyed the activity, penning their biggest dreams as Vicki offered this powerful encouragement: “The bigger you dream, the more chance you have to attain it.”

Known for championing positive change, Vicki introduced DREAM as one of the five foundational steps in her coaching practice. But it wasn’t just about writing goals, it was about clearing the beliefs that get in the way.

She asked the audience to write down their limiting beliefs – those sneaky internal voices that say, “You’re not enough,” “You can’t,” or “This isn’t for you.” With all those belief barriers now staring back from their pages, Vicki gave her next instruction: “Rip them up!”

The room erupted in the satisfying buzz of tearing paper.

“Your life is now limitless,” Vicki said.

It was a simple yet powerful reminder that what we believe about ourselves is the only thing truly holding us back. When we dare to dream without limits, anything becomes possible.

Ambition Without a Plan is Just a Wish

Closing the day with fierce truth was Rowena Wilding, marketing strategist, straight-talking speaker, and founder of Wilding Marketing. She opened with a line that stopped the room in its tracks: “Who the f**k does she think she is?”

It was a phrase Rowena heard throughout her life, and for a long time, it held her back. That internalised message dictated her success. But not anymore.

Rowena’s ambition? To empower more women to make more money. “This world would be a better place if more women had more money!” she said.

She reminded us that money is the power to create change. Women reinvest in their families, communities, local shops, and kids’ clubs. Ambition paired with money fuels impact.

But ambition is just a wish without a plan. She then shared her no-nonsense 5-step roadmap for turning that ambition into income:

Step 1 – Set Your Goal

Do you want to earn £100k working three days a week? Sell 200 digital products by Christmas? Get specific. Know the conversations and conversions required to make it real.

“It’s about engineering, not manifesting.”

Step 2 – Know Your Audience

Your business is about one thing: solving your client’s problem.

“They don’t pay you to be inspirational, they pay you for relief,” Rowena said. “Avoid vague messaging. Instead of saying ‘I offer aligned brand strategy,’ say what your clients are actually thinking: ‘I’m embarrassed by my Canva logo and no one is buying from me!'”

Step 3 – Align Your Offer

“If your offer isn’t selling, it’s not the algorithm, it’s your messaging or pricing.”
Strip it back. Be clear, concise, and compelling. Meet your audience where they are.

Step 4 – Strategic Content

Don’t post for the sake of it. Every piece of content should have a purpose:

Attract or repel – Show up authentically

Nurture – Add value

Convert – Sell clearly

Then rinse and repeat.

Step 5 – Diversify & Scale

“If your business only makes money when you’re live, it’s a job, not a business.”
Scale by turning your knowledge into assets such as a workshop, a downloadable, or a retainer. Then build recurring revenue streams to earn even while taking a break.

She challenged the audience: “What’s one thing you could turn into passive income? Give yourself a 90-day deadline, and DO IT. You are exactly what the world needs, so go out and build it.”

Wrapping Up – A Celebration of Ambition

As the event drew to a close, Karen Heap, founder of Socially Shared, returned to the stage to offer a heartfelt thank you. Her words were full of warmth, pride, and deep appreciation for the community that makes the Socially Shared Women in Business Conference such a powerful experience year after year.

She extended her thanks to:

• All the incredible speakers who shared their insights, stories, and strategies with passion and honesty.
• Headline sponsors Claire Lawton of Acorn Support and Stephanie Napier of Willsons Solicitors for their generous support.
• All supporting sponsors and partners who made the event possible.
• The media team – John Cleary, Ella Wilson, and Kian Musticone for capturing the day’s energy.
• The venue team, especially Marcus and Ben at the Windmill Village Hotel and Spa, for their flawless hospitality.
• Sarah Kershaw and the amazing Area Host Team, who helped coordinate the event behind the scenes.
• Nic Mooney, the creative force behind the stunning rebrand, graphics, and this year’s inspiring conference brochure.
• Finally, a huge thank you to every attendee who showed up, participated, and brought their ambition to the room.

Karen’s ambition was that everyone would come away with a new strategy, a deeper sense of purpose, or simply the feeling that they were not alone in their journey. The seventh Socially Shared Women in Business Conference was a powerful reminder that ambition takes many forms and is valid in every version.

As Karen reminded us throughout the day, this network is a space for you to grow, dream, connect, and learn on your terms.

So, the only question left is: What does ambition look like for you now?

Until next year!