Stepping into our superpowers as women in the workplace - fempreneurs and fampreneurs

We continue our International Women's Day series with a focus on the unique experience of being a female social impact founder, leader or entrepreneur.  

The clip you see here plays back some reflections on what have been the challenges, and superpowers, of being a social impact fempreneur (or fampreneur) - from female investment and fundraising, caregiving and motherhood, work culture, challenging paradigms of the workplace and creating value-led organisations. 

What I’m left with is the question - how do we harness our superpowers as women to more freely to shape the way the way the workplace, and the world, is experienced by women? What is the golden opportunity to do things differently? 

For example, in the International Womens Day panel, one of the themes that emerged was the construct of the 9-5 day.  Many founders spoke to how their experience as a women, or mother, has helped them find healthier balance and more flexible work patterns for their team.

Another spoke of how her experience as a woman led to deep empathy and common understanding, making their shared mission stronger. 

Another spoke of curating work cultures of mutual encouragement and strength. 

At Holos, we have used our fampreneur context (between us as founders we have had a child a year for the last 5 years, and one due any day!) - to create more flexibility for our teams but also to help inform how we run our work placement opportunities for women who have been exploited, some of whom have dependents… finding ways for them to work flexible hours, from home or in a more supported way.  

It makes me wonder what else I can be doing to create the kind of workplace where other women will flourish - and how I can step into the tensions between the different needs that play out in my own life - for example between my work and my kids - to find unique and innovative way forwards that are not mutually exclusive, or binary, but incorporate creative possibilities and new constructs for the female leaders of tomorrow. 

Check out our full panel discussion here..