The English Soap Company was founded by an odd event. Bob Butts was cleaning out a barn on his property when he came across a dusty old machine. A bit of research showed that it was a very old soap bar making device and Bob, ever curious, decided to get it going.
Some months later, he had actually produced a few bars of soap and tried to sell it to the local shops but they were rough samples and no one was interested. A decade or so later, The English Soap Company is exporting around the world, has won several prestigious awards and is turning over circa £8 million per year with 104 staff.
Maarten Hoffmann: Susannah, welcome to Dynamic. Let’s go back to the beginning. Where did it all start? What was your first job?
Susannah Atherton: I actually had several jobs as a teenager. My first was in an egg-collecting factory in Burwash for two years. I also did work experience for a company called Funnel & Perring in Hastings, as I wanted to be a solicitor. I didn’t have the qualifications, and my family couldn’t afford to send me to university either but Gerald Funnel employed me every holiday and took me to the courts in Hastings. I loved it.
At 15, I was a chambermaid at a local motel, and by 18, I was working behind the bar. I eventually enrolled at Bexhill College, where I studied A/S Law and English. I really didn’t want to stay in Burwash, so I moved to London to try to earn proper money, trained to be a secretary, and worked in a
solicitor’s office in conveyancing, which really wasn’t for me.
I moved to the National Midwifery and Nursing Council as a secretary, and I loved it. I had also been temping, and that was where I met my husband. So, pretty varied.
MH: How did you meet him?
SA: I worked for him in London at the International Cadmium Association. When they then moved to Brussels, I went and set up the whole company. It was where I realised that people-organising was what I was meant to do. I did some HR training, because ‘people’ was my skill set. Upon my return home, we moved to Haywards Heath, and then we commuted to London, and I worked for a company called Blenheim Bishop, where I suppose I learned the art of compromise, which stood me in greater stead later.
MH: You got married around this time?
SA: I was 24 when we got married, and by then, I had moved to a company called Hutchinson Whampoa. It was a Chinese company, and I worked in the HR department. This is when I got married and had my first daughter.
MH: Did you stop working? If so, how long for?
SA: Not very long, and when I did go back, I realised I really couldn’t return to work in London, nor to an office, because we had a baby. Two and a half years after our first, our second baby was born. When our second child was six months old, I took a beauty course at Eastbourne College. This was made easier by my mother-in-law’s help with childcare.
MH: So you had to put up with the same things most mothers have to suffer; you wanted to work, but you had to look after the kids…
SA: If my husband was away and something went wrong, we just knew it wouldn’t work. I got around the stay-at-home issue by enrolling in a beauty and make-up course. I met this lady called Jane Farden, who clearly saw something in me. She told me I had this ability with women.
There were conferences for battered women; women who had real issues, and we needed to give them self-esteem. I did their makeup. I got into doing colours, dressing people, and style, which is a real passion of mine.
This inspired me to set up Colour Confident, a company I ran from home. It gave me a sense of purpose as I could work in between dropping off and picking up the kids from school. The downside was that it made me realise that so many women have had awful lives, awful husbands, and their lives were just unbearable. One woman was told by her mother never to wear red because it was the colour only whores wore. These sorts of things were ingrained in them, and I had to help them understand they had a purpose and they were enough.
MH: Did you see that part of your job as trying to change those women’s thinking?
SA: Yes. I did a couple of counselling courses because I realised it wasn’t about the colour or the clothes; it was about how people felt about themselves, and that was so important.
One problem was that people cancelled at the last minute. Who wants to spend £95 to invest in themselves? They thought it was frivolous, though they’d then go and spend £95 on their children. Once you’ve got them over the threshold, absolutely, they get the purpose of the sessions.
Then a customer told me she needed an HR person at her workplace and asked if I would consider coming back. I had to do a refresher course, and looked after 120 guys in a tree surgeon’s company. That’s where I really cut my teeth.
MH: Do you think that didn’t daunt you because you grew up with two brothers?
Maybe, I had always been able to hold my own with my brothers and I quite enjoyed it, actually. Being an HR business manager at Pion (my next role after the tree surgeons)was completely different. I didn’t realise what I’d let myself in for. I’d gone from tradesmen to scientists; very different. To deal with entirely different personalities. It was my first day, I thought, ‘What have I done?’
MH: Do you sometimes find that in HR, the problems they have are similar or utterly different?
SA: Very similar. Both companies have difficulties with management style. But people have their own take on how something should be done. There are always the people who work extra, the people who don’t work their hours, the people who do the bare minimum to get by. The problems don’t change. What is different is how you deal with it because everyone is different.
MH: You have to adapt depending on the person standing in front of you. Was it this company that cemented your thoughts that HR was your chosen career?
SA: Yes, I thought that. And then my MD left, and they asked me to take on the role. I was working for an American company, and this was just before Covid hit. It was hard work, and they were control freaks. As an American outfit, they have an entirely different approach to HR. They’d have a culture of ‘fire that person’, and they would expect you to box them up and get them out. But you can’t do that in the UK, and I had to explain that to them, with some difficulty.
MH: How did you find your first MD role?
SA: I just cracked on, and got stuff done. When we were shut down and Covid started, my American boss said to me. “`Your government are making you hermits with attitudes.”
Our Chief Scientific Officer sadly passed away at this time, and I had to tell the team; it was heartbreaking. But it meant they had to shut the office for five days. When it came to re-opening, it was on Thursday, at 12 o’clock, and they expected everybody to go in. More pressure came our way, and I remember in a meeting saying, we don’t have the bandwidth for this, only to be told, “I will tell you when we have the bandwidth, people should be lucky they have a job, and so just get on and do it.” These are just some examples of the mindset I had to deal with.
I helped myself along by reading a couple of books called ‘Get a Grip’ by Gino Wickman, and ‘Traction’ by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton, and these taught me excellent skills about having the right people in the right seats. I also listened to The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey on audiobook. I tend to dip in and out, and I still do now —it just reaffirms people.
Then Pion was being taken over, and I decided to leave. I’m not going to lie, there was a small part of me that felt a real sense of failure, because I wanted it to work, but it just wasn’t possible. I applied for two jobs. I was interviewed for one, but didn’t get it. So I was interviewed at The English Soap Company. Whatever I applied for had to be right—and suit the girls.
MH: How old were the girls by now?
SA: They’d grown up in to young ladies but were doing GCSEs and A-Levels, but they needed me more. I’d be at home, knackered at eight o’clock at night, and suddenly they decide to tell me all their woes. My youngest was an international hockey player at under-18 level, and she played cricket for Sussex. So on the weekends, my husband and I were like a tag team, travelling all over the place. Then we had our eldest daughter to consider, so I had to factor that in as well.
MH: But you managed to juggle it all? Many parents contend with their husbands going out to work while they stay home. You’re juggling it here with two working parents, which is a different kind of juggling altogether…
SA: There was a lot going on. Covid was a challenging time for my family, including a bereavement. But as a family, we almost felt like we had regrouped to have the girls at home.
We could go out and walk our dog together. Everybody finished work at five o’clock and went to the garden to play badminton, chatting or playing games. For us, it was a really precious time, because it has cemented the relationship we have with our girls now.
MH: Which is something that, if you don’t do it, you can’t get back.
SA: We have a very strong relationship with both of our girls. We’re very privileged. I’m a grandma now. I like to be a glamorous granny, but they’ve settled on ‘SuNanna’.
MH: You nearly didn’t go to the ESC interview, did you?
SA: Yes, ‘nearly’. On the morning of this interview, I told my husband that the new person at the company I worked for wasn’t such a bad person and that I should wait it out.
Quite rightly, he pointed out that, “if somebody let you down on that morning, you’d be a bit miffed. In which case, you can’t let them down,” which was a fair point. So I went, and met Oliver and Ailsa for the very first time; the interview lasted over two hours.
MH: To have been there two hours, you must have known they quite liked you. You’d have been out in no time if your cloth wasn’t cut right. Did you know anything about soap apart from how to use it in the shower?
SA: No. They gave me a tour, and I developed a serious case of imposter syndrome. I stood at the door of barn two, and they were showing me this place, and I just thought, “I don’t know if I can do this.”
They then gave me this bar of soap. It was a bergamot and ginger, and I smelt it and just thought, “Who wouldn’t want to work with these products?”
I’d literally got back to my office, and my phone rang. It was Oliver. What I now know is that Ailsa had to virtually sit on him to not offer me the job there and then. She made him wait and said that he was very difficult to pacify.
MH: In hearing that, how rewarding must that feel?
SA: When he said ‘she’s got to have the job’, that was lovely. We had a connection, and we definitely got on from the first minute. However, I also knew that there were things I wanted to do differently.
I’d categorically said I’d never work for a family business again. So when Ollie rang and offered me the job, I may have upset him. While I appreciated the offer, I also told him I’d have a couple of things to do before I could accept.
One of them was that I needed to speak to my husband. Ollie took this to mean that I’d got this controlling nutcase of a husband. This is so far from the truth. John and I just always made decisions that impact us and our family together. Thankfully, Ollie and my husband are now really good friends.
The other thing was that I needed to have a conversation with Pion, my then-current employer. I had a meeting with the new boss and asked him what was happening. When he couldn’t commit to the changes I was looking for, I knew that I needed to leave. Nothing would change. That’s when I arrived at ESC as Head of HR, in charge of 28 people. That was in 2021.
MH: How did you settle in?
SA: On my first day, Ollie and Ailsa were moving house, so Ollie popped his head in and said. “Carry on.” Great, right? So they left me to my own devices to get on with the job as I saw fit.
The first thing I wanted to do was familiarise myself with the place. I looked at the files, then I went for a walk around the premises. I introduced myself to everyone and spent the next fortnight asking questions, such as ‘How does this work?’ ‘How does that work?’ ‘What would make your life easier?’
I spent the next six months away from my desk, on the factory floor, understanding how the operations worked. ‘Why did we do it that way?’ ‘Could we make it better?’ Very quickly, I became HR Ops, helping to resolve problems, finding solutions, and occasionally letting people go as well.
Some people had perhaps been at ESC a long time but needed to move on, having made a few mistakes. I did lose my temper one day with everybody, probably not my finest hour. That’s when I realised I needed an HR patch. So, the patch was attached to my butt from then on, which helped enormously.
MH: Was the menopause a real smack in the face, or a slow creep?
SA: The day I lost my temper, I realised that, possibly because I’d never really had PMT, I just had this rage within me. I’d only been here about a year, and small things were starting to irk me that didn’t used to.
MH: How long did it take you to join the dots?
SA: Oh, it was that day when I lost my rag. With me, what you see is what you get; I’m very black-and-white.
When I realised there was something wrong, I went to my GP, and he put me on HRT. It doesn’t solve all your issues, but it addresses many of them. It certainly found that hormone balance, because I’d never experienced anything like that.
MH: So, you started here while in the throes of menopause, in a brand-new company and a brand-new sector you’d never worked in before, with a boss who was prepared to let you make changes.
SA: Oliver and I found we had a good rapport very early on, and he was really open to suggestions and change, which made all the difference. I was worried that, because Ailsa, his wife, was also part of the business, and having worked in two businesses before that had husband-and-wife teams, that it could have been toxic, but it really wasn’t.
Ailsa was equally open to suggestions and to us moving forward. Somewhat perversely, the company itself had benefited from Covid, thanks to the sanitiser. We were already on a trajectory as a business that was about to take off. What we then needed to ensure was that the company’s foundations were right. So, we’ve had to spend a lot of money and time over the last three years to expand.
MH: Did that become a battle with Oliver, or did he understand?
SA: No, Ollie understood; he was passionate and committed to the changes. We also had Bob’s opinion to consider. He was still active at that point, and it was hard for him. This was, and still is, his business, and he was letting go of some decisions. This was all within Oliver’s remit, but when I made changes, I sometimes really had to convince Bob that I was capable of what I did for the overall benefit of the business.
MH: So many women suffer from imposter syndrome, as do men, though women are more likely to admit it, and men tend not to. How did you deal with it, thinking you’re just not good enough to be doing what you’re doing? Did you find that imposter syndrome ever dissipated?
SA: No. Every day, even now, I still have to deal with it. For me, it’s, ‘how does a girl from a council estate, who doesn’t have a university degree, who didn’t do as well academically as she could have done, still manage to do this job?’
How do I deal with it? I’ve come to terms with the notion that imposter syndrome isn’t about me. I have to remember that it’s about what we do. It’s not about me as a person or what I am lacking or missing.. You’ll always have imposter syndrome, but you have to keep striving to get better. I’m constantly looking at courses and education to keep growing. I am currently undertaking the Help to Grow course, a mini MBA with Brighton University.
MH: None of that conquers Imposter Syndrome. It just gives you a few more tools to deal with it.
SA: Of course. You never get over the idea that you are an imposter. What you do is understand that, actually, you’re good enough. You don’t have to constantly believe that you’re not good enough. If you do one thing that helps or supports someone else then it is worthwhile. With the menopause, you can get anxiety, and you can overthink things. Two o’clock in the morning is the worst time of day because you genuinely believe what your brain is telling you. ‘I can’t do this.’ ‘Did I do that right?’
MH: When you joined here, there were 28 people. What did you do to increase the turnover?
SA: Back then, I think we were taking about £2.6m, maybe £2.8m. As an example, I took a good look at the liquid line here where we were producing about 350 units a day. I saw that if we did things differently, we could improve. Now we produce around 1,800 units a day.
We’re now turning over around £8m, and are optimistic about hitting £9m this year. We have 104 staff members. About 60% are full-time and 40% are part-time. Some are mums who come in during school time, some who have summer holidays off. Others are just here in the morning, while others still do it three days a week.
MH: Onto the business side —this is the important part: do you enjoy your job?
SA: I live and I breathe it. I love it. I believe in the product. I believe in the business. I love Oliver and Ailsa, they have become great friends. There is still so much more that we can do. We constantly strive to make it better. This time last year, we had a 15-day lead time. Today, we have a two-day lead time, and we got there because I’m very solution-oriented. I oversee the day-to-day operations, and we’ve got some great people who make up a fantastic team.
MH: So you work as HR, Ops and MD. Is that because you’re a control freak and want your fingers in every pie, or is it because someone has to do it, so it might as well be you?
SA: I probably am a control freak, but I know what I’m good at. Oliver handles the financial side and the overall business strategy because he’s excellent at it. Ailsa does the business development side, because that’s what she is good at. They both go out and do the trade shows, because being out there is what they excel at. I’m good at finding a solution and inspiring people.
MH: To use that phrase, to operate as a control freak, you don’t have to control everything. You just need to choose the person to delegate that job to, so that you can be a control freak somewhere else.
SA: And we’ve surrounded ourselves with a strong management team and put the right people in the right places. And if someone isn’t in the right seat, that’s when you have to have a difficult conversation.
Sometimes, those conversations are heartbreaking, and there have been times when, come the end of the day, I have to revisit that decision and wonder if it was the right one. If you need a cup of Horlicks to help you sleep at night, maybe it wasn’t the right decision.
MH: In the four years you’ve been here, what has been the source of your expansion?
SA: Oliver and Ailsa have looked more at other marketplaces. We have now expanded into India, South Korea and America. Also, we’ve looked at how and why we are doing whatever it is we’re doing. We have to look at all aspects of our evolution and the issues surrounding it—freight logistics, Brexit, Trump’s tariffs, and so on.
We all work very well together. Helpfully, for the brand, we’ve got the right people marketing us. It’s a luxury brand at an affordable price. People come back for it because the product is excellent, it smells absolutely beautiful, and the packaging is exceptional. We get returning customers because of that.
MH: Also, people rely on you because you’re on time with delivery.
SA: We take very seriously what we need to do to continue evolving, and we’ve done that. This year has been a real success. We ran out of stock of something last week. I was about to roll some heads, only to find out it was because we were 89% up in sales of that product this year. You can’t forecast that.
MH: What does the next four years hold in terms of the expansion of business?
SA: We are about to open our fifth barn in January. We are just about to complete the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standard and ISO, which will open up avenues. These will showcase our professionalism.
We take professional development seriously. We need to look after staff, identify which courses people need to take, and ensure their mental health is supported, from serious issues to every aspect of their lives.
MH: Are you still the first line in HR?
SA: With my job, I’ve got to be a ‘people person’, whilst equally saying, ‘do your job’. I’m incredibly empathetic. My approach to people is that your family comes first. This is your job, and whilst you need it — because you need your pay at the end of the month — your family come first, and that is so important.
I was on the shop floor recently, and there were people arseing around. I had to tell them to get on with their work, because that’s what they get paid for. Next thing, they’re telling me their innermost thoughts. So it is finding that fine line.
I know I am respected for that because I do what I say. It’s possibly because, as a child, I was let down by my dad, which made me realise that if you say it, your word has to be your bond.
MH: What comes across from what you’re saying is that the effects of your relationship with your father taught you one set of skills, while your mum’s work ethic and manners gave you another set. So you ended up with the most important ingredients for life.
SA: And yet there are still elements of my personality that I have to temper at times because I don’t particularly like them. My edges have been rounded off because I surround myself with positive people. My hero is my husband, and I don’t say that lightly. He’s one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He doesn’t say anything bad about people. However, don’t be fooled, he is equally no pushover.
MH: It sounds like you married your therapist.
SA: It’s the simple things that he does that show that he loves us all. He is, without doubt, my absolute rock. And I am the best version of myself that he has allowed me to be. He is a phenomenal human being.
MH: What do you say to young women starting in business?
SA: I’ve got two daughters. They’re very different. My youngest has just started teaching, and the other is a farmer. Very different. The prejudice the farming daughter has encountered due to her sexuality has been massive. Likewise, the teacher has had it due to her sexuality.
You have to surround yourself with people who believe in you and with positivity. And when something goes wrong, you give yourself a little time to go and cry, dust yourself off, then get back up and put your crown back on. And I never forget the lipstick.
MH: Does that advice change to women who aren’t as lucky as you and find such a wonderful husband?
SA: Strong friendship groups that offer positivity really help. I have three girlfriends who go away with me every year; that’s cheaper than therapy! They all do very different jobs, but they ground me. They hold my hand and when the brown stuff really hits the fan, we all support each other, whether they’re right or wrong. We are honest with each other even if it is painful sometimes. So surround yourself by a group of people who, whether it be your husband or your best friends, are people who believe in you. If you don’t surround yourself with honest people, you’ll always think you’re either the best or an imposter. There are traits in me that perhaps they don’t like, but they tell me, and I’m able to deal with it.
MH: In terms of imposter syndrome, the well-trodden tale is that if there are ten things required for a job, women won’t apply unless they can do all ten, whereas guys will look at five, and blag the rest. How do you tell your 23-year-old female potential colleague to overcome that drive of needing to cover all ten?
SA: I would say, believe in yourself, educate yourself, surround yourself with positive people. There is a seed within all of us and we must water it daily, that is how we grow. You may take a hit but never be afraid to admit you got it wrong. Pick yourself back up again and try, try again.
MH: Doesn’t everybody have that seed?
SA: Everybody’s got a seed. It depends on how big you want your plant to grow, and what plant you want to be - a potted pansy, a rose bush, a magnolia tree, but everybody has that seed.
For instance, some people may walk into a room and do nothing but watch; they don’t want to be part of it. Other people enter the room, see a group that’s really comfortable, and go over to chat with them. Then there are people, like you and me, who go into a room, and we’re going to talk to everybody.
Do I like doing that? I actually feel uncomfortable doing it. But I do it because there’s somebody else in that room who doesn’t want to speak to anyone else; who feels far more conscious and conspicuous than you do. There is always somebody else who feels that feeling. Find that person in the room, and then there are two of you. And with two, you become stronger. You can then bring somebody else in. You can have that conversation because you’re not alone, and then you become the group that’s over there. Open the doors for people. There’s always somebody who feels an imposter, who feels they shouldn’t be there, and who feels uncomfortable. Find those people in the room, and grow in strength and numbers to keep supporting others.
MH: You won the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award at the Dynamic Awards last year. What did that mean for you when your name was read out?
SA: Well, that was an imposter syndrome moment for certain. What didn’t help me was that, when my name was called out, it was a bit difficult as I was lamenting the woman who got a ‘Highly Commended.’ I was absolutely adamant she was going to win it.
MH: So you had no idea that the announcement that the winner was actually going to be you?
SA: No! I’d gone to the toilet earlier, and I saw Alison, the lady who interviewed me, and I said ‘Hello,’ and there was nothing in her expression that gave away she had known me, let alone that I had won. Nothing. When I returned to my table, I said to Oliver and John, ‘I can have a drink now because I definitely haven’t won.’
The next thing is, Oliver is bouncing up and down like Tigger, and my husband is grinning like a Chesire cat, tapping me on the shoulder, shouting, “Susannah, you’ve won!” I didn’t hear them call my name, because I was still thinking about the P&O woman who I thought should have won it.
I don’t really remember anything except that they recorded the speech. I saw it afterwards —I couldn’t believe it. For the whole evening, I just felt like I was an imposter. How had I won this award? And even now, I’m a bit embarrassed about it, because I don’t do anything different to anybody else. I do what comes naturally to me, caring about people and being passionate about development. I’m super proud of the award, but also a little embarrassed.
MH: What it means is that you do something different. The Inspirational Award was won by you at an event with real integrity in the judging process. Everybody wins it on merit, and you didn’t win it for any other reason. It is, quite simply, because you were the best person.
SA: I like to make sure that when anyone comes through our door, they’re built up and know how to, for example, shake someone’s hand properly when they’re going for an interview. Make them believe that they can get the job that they want. We’re looking after them for the short term. Our job is to make sure that when they leave here, we’re disappointed —they’re exceptionally good, and their next employer is very lucky, thats when you know it is a good job done. I don’t want staff to leave but for the university students we are a stepping stone, so ensuring they have the right ethos and ethics is paramount.
My daughter, when she left, was a phenomenal worker. I’m gutted that she went, but equally, she went on to do something else in teaching and I think how lucky her classroom and school are to have her.. We’ve sent her out with a work ethic and an understanding of what she’s capable of.
MH: You want to be proud of being an important step on that person’s journey. Do you think being able to do that would have been more difficult if you weren’t a mother?
SA: Possibly. But then, I am a mum, first and foremost. I have a cupboard full of food, in case people forget their lunch or need chocolate. My girls have taken me on a journey of highs and absolute lows. I’ve learned more about myself through the girls than anyone else. Being a mum is the hardest job in the world whilst being the most rewarding, and has enabled me to view things through many lenses.
MH: Do you think it sets you up quite nicely for dealing with staff by how you deal with your kids? Does it help you with the job?
SA: It does. I’m pretty empathetic, but I don’t suffer fools gladly. Oddly, the difference between boys and girls at work is that the boys often don’t want a solution; they just want a hug. I always say hugs are free to all and my door is always open.
MH: The job is knowing which boy that walks in needs a hug and which one needs a good kick up the arse?
SA: There’s one lad who was constantly self-deprecating, didn’t believe in his abilities, and as a result, mucked about. He was, at that time, a pain in the arse. So I moved him onto a machine. At first, he thought it was punishing him, but it was ultimately the making of him. It got him out of his dark place by my offering to be his torch and guide through the door into somewhere better for him. I led him to the door and told him what happened next was up to him. He is now flourishing and I am super proud, and he is equally super proud of himself.
MH: That must be one of the real buzzes of the job; that you did right by believing in him and what he could achieve.
SA: He could have quit. He could have walked out on me. I simply asked him to trust me. My role now is to give some of that back. Some you win, and some you lose, but I hope we’ve taught them something, and we’ll continue to teach them as they journey on from ESC. That’s my hope.
MH: Given your experience, would you like to mentor?
SA: I hope so. I’m with a group of women who are setting something up, and we’re optimistic that we can start this in the next few months.
MH: The two things that often come up with so many women in business, through the magazine, and now the awards, that we’re quite plugged into are imposter syndrome and the lack of decent mentors.
SA: But even when you’re being a mentor, you still feel like you’re an imposter. The imposter syndrome is here for me now. But I’d be happy to keep it, as it will keep me grounded and level. I’d say, ‘don’t forget your roots. Don’t forget who you are, where you came from, and why you’re where you are now, and never stop the learning experience - good and bad.’ That is how we grow as people.
MH: But the problem is that there aren’t enough good female mentors for female-led companies. And there are too many male charlatans whose main eye on the prize is a piece of the action, forever. 10% of your soul for good, for something he has done next to nothing to contribute towards.
SA: Surely, it’s not about getting money from them. Our job isn’t that. I don’t want to fleece anybody. We need to help support people – it is so important.
MH: Therein lies the difference between women and men. You want to mentor because you want to help them, and while there are good male mentors out there, what we’ve found is that the vast majority of women would prefer a female mentor. However, there just aren’t enough of them.
SA: I get that. We are constantly training, taking courses, checking things, attending webinars, and stuff like that. You have to keep that part of your brain active.
Mentoring someone means you also get to learn a great deal —not just about that person and what they want to do, but also about yourself —and you’re able to reaffirm things. It’s a two-way street. If we look at it that way, we will be able to see the benefit of what we’re doing.
The other thing I get with imposter syndrome is that, in my life, I’m really lucky. I’m in a happy marriage. I got two good kids. I’ve got a grandchild, another one on the way. Our respective families are still with us, and we all get on. I’ve got a fantastic job, with great people and love coming to work every single day - does it get better than that?
My point is, I really strive hard. I’ve had to make my own luck because, like everyone else, I have to work at my marriage and my career and my role as a mother; they don’t just happen. All of these things can go down the drain in two minutes if you don’t work at it and stay true to your values, it can take another month to build them all up again. So being a mentor reminds you that it’s fragile – emotions, life and the journey we are all embarking on. You’ve got to constantly remind yourself of that.
MH: We’re not far past the feeling that a lot of women in business have, which is, ‘I need to talk, think and dress like a man.’ The greatest power women have is being a woman.
SA: Woman do not need to think or dress like men, they need to surround themselves with good men who support their journey and empower them to be the best person they can be. Teamwork, empathy, honesty, humor and kindness, regardless of whether you are male or female, are paramount.
