I spent most of my engineering career thinking “If I can just get to the next level, then I’ll know I’m good at it.”

I was constantly trying to prove myself to others to make sure I was doing a good job. I’d watch my colleagues thrive at certain skills and move ahead of me while I remained stuck trying to prove my worth in the workplace.

My solution was to try and figure out what I was bad at and work on getting better at them. …

I have a bad habit of looking forward without reviewing the past. Since this year has been full of highs and lows, I really didn’t want my experiences to go to waste. So reflecting on the things I learned in 2020 seemed the right thing to do.

Here’s what I came up with:

1. Lockdown wasn’t so different to my regular life.

I know for a lot of people, lockdown was a really tough transition to make. But for me, I was a little embarrassed to find out that it wasn’t much different to my regular life! …

What I Failed to Understand for My Whole Career

I had two big and detrimental misconceptions about career progression:

1. You get promoted based on how long you’ve been working.
2. You automatically get promoted when you’re good enough.

For my whole career, I sat around waiting for my turn to get recognised with a promotion or for someone to notice I was doing a good job. Either way, I handed the keys to my success to other people.

I know I’m not alone in this. If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you care a great deal about your career, yet you’ve never been taught how to actively work towards…

Most people believe that career strategies are just for high flying execs. This is simply not true! As a career strategist for women in STEM, I can spot if someone needs one from a mile away.

Here are 5 ways to know YOU need a career strategy:

1. You lack clarity in your career direction

Many women feel like they want to shake up their careers. However they either have too many options to choose from, or they feel stuck and have no idea what they want. In either case, they aren’t able to move forwards.

This guide is dedicated to all the women out there who deserve a pay rise but haven’t received one yet. Maybe you haven’t had the courage to ask or didn’t know what to say and how to say it. I’m here to prove that it doesn’t need to be scary or awkward.

Here is a practical step-by-step guide based on my own experience (as an employee and a manager) that will set you up for success at your next pay rise conversation.

Why People Fail at Getting a Pay Rise

The top three reasons people don’t get the pay rise they want are:

1. They don’t ask.
2. They don’t…

Supporting gender diversity in a male dominated workplace is hard. No matter how many facts and figures you know about the topic, it never prepares you for how to respond to people who do not support it.

If you can relate, I’ve written this especially for you. By the end of this article you’ll know what I wish I knew years ago — how to deal with people who aren’t on board with gender equality the right way.

I WAS PREACHING TO THE CHOIR

I’ve given countless talks about the benefits of gender equality in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). …

I recently spoke on the topic of gender balance at a tech Meetup in Bristol, UK. Most attendees, at one point or other, had been bashed over the head with messages such as “hire more women” and “we must work harder to improve gender balance”.

After my talk, so many people approached me and confessed that no one had ever taught them about the benefits up until this point. It’s hard to fathom that an industry as prominent as tech is trying to solve one of society’s largest problems, without actually knowing why they’re solving it.

The Stats

With women making up…