A ProspHER(ish) Intro: Finding Your Tribe by Finding Yourself

A ProspHER(ish) Intro: Finding Your Tribe by Finding Yourself

by | Aug 4, 2025 | Entrepreneurs, Founder, News, Support, Wellbeing

Hi, I’m Serena Fordham, and this blog post is an extension of my Amazon Bestselling Book “ProspHER(ish): The diary of a fcuked up female-founder” written to help women succeed in their businesses and careers – while ultimately achieving their dreams and fullest potential.

Focusing on others

As a woman in business it’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game. We scroll through social media, watch the highlight reels of others, and find ourselves asking those all-too-familiar questions: “Why aren’t I that successful?” “How come they get all the luck?” “Why does everyone seem to love them so much, when I’m over here struggling?”

I know I’ve been there. I remember being a quiet kid in school, watching the popular children from a distance, and wondering why I wasn’t like them. That feeling of being on the outside, of not quite belonging, is a heavy one. And the truth is, it doesn’t just disappear when you leave the school hallways. It can follow you into adulthood, into your career, and even into your personal life.

For years, I carried that same loneliness and self-doubt with me. I compared my journey as a writer and business leader to others, always feeling like I was falling short. The more I looked outward for validation, the more I felt I lacked. It was a vicious cycle of comparison and self-criticism that kept me from truly celebrating my own wins.

The shift to me

But a few years ago, something shifted for me. I had a moment of clarity that changed everything. I realized that the reason I felt like I was struggling wasn’t because of what anyone else had. It wasn’t about their success, their luck, or their popularity. It was because I wasn’t giving myself the love and respect I deserved.

I hadn’t celebrated my own achievements. I hadn’t fully embraced who I was—the good, the bad, and the beautifully imperfect. I was so focused on trying to be someone else’s version of “enough” that I had lost sight of my own. Once I started treating myself with kindness, once I started acknowledging my own strengths and accomplishments, something truly magical happened.

My “right people” started to appear in my life.

The old adage is true: “Your vibe attracts your tribe.” When you show up as your authentic self, you become a magnet for people who are on a similar wavelength. When you stop trying to fit into a mold that was never meant for you, you create space for genuine connections to flourish.

I started embracing all the quirky, beautiful parts of me. I’m a writer and an advocate for female success, yes, but I’m also newly disabled, a film fanatic, and a proud lover of giraffes. I’m a tea drinker and a wife to an amazing husband, and a mum to two children and two mischievous dachshunds. These are all parts of my story, and they are what make me, me.

And you know what? When I started sharing these truths, the community I had been searching for all along began to form around me. It wasn’t a group of people who were all exactly the same, but a crew of individuals who were all on their own journey to self-love and authenticity.

My invitation to you

So, if you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt like the quiet one, the outsider, or the person constantly comparing themselves, I want you to know that you are not alone. The greatest gift you can give yourself is to stop looking outward and start looking inward.

Embrace your authentic self, celebrate every single win, and give yourself the same love and grace you would give to a friend. Your tribe is waiting for you to show up, fully and completely, as yourself.

If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to reach out and introduce yourself to me here.

#hello #welcome #authenticity #myself #entrepreneur #business #success #selflove #networking #people #femalefounder

The Importance of Allyship: How Can Men Support Women’s Careers?

The Importance of Allyship: How Can Men Support Women’s Careers?

by | Feb 24, 2024 | Career, Support

Gender equality in the workplace is still an ongoing issue in many workplaces across the UK.

Take these statistics from Business in the Community as an example:

  • Women earn 85p for every £1 a man earns
  • Women carry out, on average, 60% more unpaid work than men per week (e.g., domestic work and unpaid care)
  • Over two million women in the UK are paid less than the real living wage
  • Women only make up around 30% of senior management roles, and only 6% of CEOs of FTSE 100 companies

Though many businesses are taking action towards greater diversity and inclusion in their organisations, there’s still a long way to go, and progress can be slow.

Much of this progress is moved along by allyship – but how exactly can men support women’s careers and positively contribute to gender equality in the workplace?

1. Actively listen and amplify

A key issue in workplace gender equality is that women can feel as though they’re being talked over, belittled, or undermined.

This can often lead to hesitation around allyship, due to not wanting to be seen as ‘overtaking’ or taking ownership of the discussions.

Women are the experts in their experiences in the workplace and wider world, which makes active listening absolutely critical in allyship.

Active listening means that you’re valuing women for their contributions and experiences and can advocate for them and amplify their voices.

If there’s an opportunity to let a female colleague weigh in on a discussion, interject on their behalf to let them into the discussion!

We are the home of Female Education and Empowerment

Join our email list (we only send you relevant content) to get content just like this straight to your inbox!

2. Give credit where credit is due

Fairness means valuing everyone’s contributions to the workplace, and a big part of this is giving credit to women for the work they do.

Though a misattribution of credit might not seem like anything major in the grand scheme of things, for women in the workplace that already feel unheard and unseen, it’s just another issue contributing to gender inequality.

Advocate for their ideas in meetings and ensure you’re always attributing their name to their achievements and successes – a little acknowledgement can go a long way.

3. Call out inequality

The odds are that you’re very familiar with the issues many women face in the workplace, and you may have already participated in discussions and/or initiatives relating to gender equality in the workplace.

But what about in practice, in the moments when inequality is in action?

If you see a female colleague experiencing a microaggression, speak up and challenge the perpetrator’s stereotyping directly.

If your workplace is currently running initiatives, activities, or media relating to gender inequality, show your support by engaging or sharing their efforts.

Small changes over time can be cumulative and encourage others to do the same!

4. Take your support outside of the workplace

Advocating for women professionally is important, but as we said in the statistics earlier, a lot of gender inequality comes from women taking on the additional burden of housework and childcare alongside their career.

Rather than allowing these disproportionate responsibilities to continue to stack up, participate in the ‘behind the scenes’ work that often goes unnoticed to help share the load with the women in your life.

This also includes advocating for better work-life balance in the workplace, such as paid leave for all caregivers and flexible working hours!

Pin It on Pinterest