by Anonymous

I have met some truly inspiring people who have shown me kindness; given me the strength to carry on; and believed in me, when I never did. I am forever grateful to them for giving me the encouragement to share my story – Thank you.

by Kate Sawyer @Dorastar1

With age comes wisdom someone probably old and wise once said, and yes supposedly it does. What they forgot to mention was everything else that comes with age. As someone who has the shadow of a 50th birthday rapidly approaching (it’s not till early next year so I can ignore it for now) I am more and more aware of the added pressures that age brings.

By Sue Plant @PlantPlant4Sue

I have been reading a lot recently about ethical leadership. It coincided with preparing to speak at the 5th UK #WomenEd Unconference. I haven't been reading just for that purpose though, it is something that interests me and therefore I want to know more. The more I read, the more questions I have.

by Tara Bryan @Bryan_Amethyst

I’ve got no shame in saying it: I love Calamity Jane. Doris Day was my first heroine before I even knew what a heroine was, and even then I instinctively recognised in Ol’ Calam’ herself something that would often be a hallmark of the characters that Doris Day played in all of her films.

By @WomenEd_US and Kimberly Lane Clark @askatechnogirl

Making professional connections is vital to an educational leader’s success. If you don’t have a strong support system around you, it’s essential to find ways to structure a meaningful support system, whether through face to face communication or technology. Connections are all about shared values.

by Vivienne Porritt @ViviennePorritt 

What’s the issue?

Equal Pay Day this year is 14th November.  From this day, most women are working for nothing because they earn less than men: the most recent statistics show the mean gap for full time workers is 13.1%. The gap is wider for part-time employees.  Women earn less than men in 90% of all employment sectors.

by Julie Ricketts @DOpsSBL (ISBL Fellow)

The beginning of October saw my three-year anniversary working as a School Business Leader – an anniversary I never thought would arrive. Not because I don’t love what I do, but more that I had made a decision some years ago that my school-based career days were over, and it was time to try something new.

by Emma Turner @Emma_Turner75

As people and teachers, we all need encouragement. We need encouragement to rise out of comfy beds, to start our days, to take those first steps or to take on new challenges. We need encouragement to keep on going when things aren’t progressing as smoothly as we’d like or might have anticipated and we need encouragement to believe in ourselves and our decisions.