Women Supporting Women: From Snacks to Strategy

I used to brush off the whole “women supporting women” thing.

Of course I supported women.

But I didn’t SUPPORT.

Loudly. Actively. With my cheerleader hat on.

It was a to-do on my list, not ingrained in how I showed up.

Don’t all shout at me at once.

I was young. Misguided. Brainwashed by definitions of success that don’t resonate anymore.

Yes, I did the big, formal, LinkedIn-worthy stuff.

• Mentorship programs.

• Executive sponsorship.

• Carefully crafted leadership initiatives.

And yes, that matters. Of course it does.

But it’s the tiny, everyday things that actually change the game.

• Like the colleague who finds a quiet moment to whisper, “You nailed that” after a high-stakes presentation.

• Or the friend who shows up with snacks when you’re barely holding it together. The one who’s angrier for you than you are for yourself when something bad happens.

• Or the stranger in a bathroom line who becomes your stylist, therapist, and hype squad in three minutes flat.

I’m a particularly large fan of those WhatsApp groups with the ‘girls’ that we (hopefully) all have - where we vent, breathe, encourage, and feel free to say anything knowing it’s a safe space.

Sidebar: some of their memes need work. And don’t even get me started on the gifs. I've learnt to accept it as part of their charm.

Where I'm going with this is...

Support doesn’t always sound like a rallying cry.

Sometimes it’s just consistent (I grudgingly admit that the bad memes count towards consistency).

Sometimes it’s just seeing someone fully.

Sometimes it's claiming to 'know people' when someone you care about has been hurt (if you're from my neighbourhood, we all 'know people').

And here’s the crossover: what works in life, works in corporate.

• In meetings, when women advocate instead of compete, promotions happen.

• When knowledge is shared instead of hoarded, careers accelerate.

• When collaboration beats comparison, cultures shift.

I’ll be honest: as an Enneagram 5, conserving my energy is basically my love language. (Introverts everywhere, you know what I mean.)

But here’s the paradox: support is one of the few things that multiplies when you give it away.

And it matters.

In life. In leadership. Everywhere.

So no, it’s not just a hashtag or something on a to-do list.

It’s strategy, it's human, it's a nod to a (often unspoken) common sisterhood experience

✨ Who’s a woman who’s lifted you up recently? Tag her on social media, or better yet, tell her today.