When Women Show Up for Each Other

Reflections on the Soul to Self® Podcastathon, unexpected connections and being reminded just how wonderful women can be.

I've spent a fair bit of time over the last couple of weeks thinking about the Podcastathon.

Not just the conversations themselves, although there were some absolutely brilliant ones, but the whole experience of bringing so many women together, hearing their stories and watching people support something that started out as a slightly bonkers idea in my head.

On Friday 25th September, I hosted the Soul to Self® Podcastathon in support of Hopefull Handbags, an organisation helping women and families affected by domestic abuse.

The plan was ambitious. Possibly a little too ambitious, depending on who you ask! 😂`

There were guests to organise, recordings to prepare, technology to figure out, conversations to host and quite a lot of moving parts.

And while things didn't go entirely to plan (do they ever?), we managed 7 hours and 20 minutes of live conversations.

Seven hours and twenty minutes!

I don't think I've ever talked quite so much in one day. And given how much I love a conversation, that's saying something.

But the funny thing is, when I look back, it's not the amount of time I spent talking that stands out.

It's the women.

Different women, different stories, so much in common

One of the things I love most about hosting conversations is getting to know the person behind what they do.

Of course, I'm interested in their work and their experiences. But I'm even more interested in what matters to them.

What drives them? What have they learnt about themselves? What do they believe in? What experiences have shaped the way they see the world?

And throughout the Podcastathon, I kept noticing something that I hadn't necessarily expected.

These women came from such different backgrounds.

We talked about physical strength and midlife, changing careers, finding our voices, food and body image, self-care, financial independence, personal energy, ambition and the cost of success.

On the surface, some of those conversations might not appear to have very much in common.

But underneath them, there were these lovely threads of shared values.

Women wanting other women to feel more confident.

Women wanting to challenge ideas they'd grown up believing.

Women questioning expectations, making changes, learning from difficult experiences and finding ways to help other people through what they'd discovered.

And I found that genuinely inspiring.

Not because everybody had the same answers. They absolutely didn't.

But because, in their own ways, they cared about helping people have more choice, confidence and connection in their lives.

I think that's what I enjoyed most.

Finding the common ground between people whose lives might otherwise look completely different.

Something I hadn't quite expected

There's another part of the day that has stayed with me, and it's a little more personal.

My own relationship with women supporting women hasn't always been straightforward.

I've had experiences over the years that have made trusting other women difficult at times.

I won't pretend those experiences haven't shaped me, because they have.

And when you've been hurt or disappointed, it can be surprisingly easy to carry those experiences into new relationships without even realising you're doing it.

Perhaps you become a little more guarded.

A little more independent.

A little less willing to believe that someone genuinely wants the best for you.

Not necessarily consciously. Sometimes it's simply something you learn to do.

But during the Podcastathon, I experienced something rather lovely.

Women showed up.

They gave their time. They shared their stories. They encouraged me, supported one another, celebrated what we were doing and trusted me to hold conversations about things that mattered to them.

Some of those conversations were funny and light-hearted. Others were incredibly personal.

And there were moments when the technology wasn't behaving, the timing had gone completely out of the window or I was wondering quite what I'd got myself into!

But people were kind.

They were patient.

They were generous.

And I think, somewhere in the middle of all that, I was reminded of something I hadn't entirely forgotten, but perhaps hadn't fully allowed myself to trust either.

Women really can be wonderful at showing up for one another.

Not just when everything's going brilliantly, but in the ordinary, messy, imperfect moments too.

And I found that quite moving.

The people who made it possible

I couldn't reflect on the day without acknowledging the support that made it happen.

MIB International came on board as our headline sponsor, and I'm enormously grateful to Leona Burton and the MIB community for getting behind the event.

Something I hadn't fully appreciated until I started bringing everyone together was how many of these connections had begun through MIB.

Women who had met through networking, conversations, shared interests or simply being part of a community that encourages people to get to know and support one another.

It was lovely to see some of those relationships come together for something bigger.

And, of course, the whole reason for the Podcastathon was Hopefull Handbags.

This cause matters to me personally.

I grew up in an environment where domestic abuse was part of my childhood, so I'm very aware that what happens within a home can have an impact that reaches far beyond the immediate circumstances.

Practical support, dignity, kindness and knowing that somebody cares can make an enormous difference when someone is facing a difficult situation.

The Podcastathon raised £300 for Hopefull Handbags, alongside giving us an opportunity to talk about the organisation and the work it does.

I'm grateful to every person who contributed, shared, listened or helped make that possible.

And to the women who trusted me with their conversations, thank you.

Genuinely.

More than a day behind a microphone

One of the things that has become clearer to me through creating Soul to Self® is that I don't particularly want conversations where everybody agrees.

I'm much more interested in the moments when someone says something that makes us think.

Perhaps we recognise ourselves in their story.

Perhaps we find ourselves disagreeing.

Perhaps they ask a question we've never considered.

Or perhaps we hear something we've known for years but needed to hear in a completely different way.

That's what I love about conversations.

They remind us that there's always something more to discover about ourselves and about one another.

And I think that's part of what the Podcastathon gave me, too.

A reminder that I can create something, bring people together and enjoy the experience without needing every single part of it to be perfect.

A reminder of how much I love the talking, the curiosity and the connections.

And perhaps most unexpectedly, a reminder that being supported by other women can feel just as wonderful as supporting them.

What happens next?

All those conversations are now finding their way onto the Soul to Self® podcast, where you can listen to them in your own time.

Over the coming weeks I'll also be sharing some of the thoughts and reflections they've prompted, because there was far too much good stuff in those conversations to leave it all behind on 25th September.

And I'm excited about where those conversations might lead next.

But before I disappear into planning the next big thing (because apparently I can't help myself! 😂), I want to appreciate what this one gave me.

Not simply a successful event, or a collection of podcast episodes.

But connection.

A sense of shared purpose.

Some wonderful conversations.

And a little reminder that perhaps we don't always need to carry everything on our own.

I'd love to know: has there been a time when another woman showed up for you in a way that genuinely made a difference?

Because I think those stories deserve to be shared too.

You can listen to the Soul to Self® Podcastathon conversations at Soul to Self® Conversations.

The Podcastathon was held in support of Hopefull Handbags, with MIB International as headline sponsor.

Victoria Browne is the founder of Soul to Self®, supporting women to reconnect with themselves beyond their roles, responsibilities and expectations.