Nurturing women in leadership: A reflection for International Women’s Day

As we look ahead to International Women’s Day this March, I find myself reflecting not only on how far we’ve come as a business, but on the responsibility we carry as leaders to create space for others to thrive.

When I founded Spabreaks.com, it was always my dream to build more than a successful company. I wanted to create an organisation that truly nurtured women - their ambition, their talent, and their particular style of leadership. The spa industry is an extraordinary employer of women, but in the wider world leadership opportunities have not always reflected the depth of their capability. Changing that has always mattered to me.

A personal journey

My own journey into business wasn’t shaped by unwavering encouragement. As a child, I was told by a teacher that I wasn’t going to amount to anything. That comment stayed with me for years. It could easily have defined my sense of possibility, but instead it became a quiet motivator. When I founded Spabreaks.com, just a few months after having my first son, and throughout my 16-year tenure, I was also navigating the very real and complex demands of home life as I grew the business.

Becoming a parent, raising children, and managing the emotional and practical load that so often sits invisibly alongside professional ambition takes its toll. There were moments when the balance felt impossibly delicate. School runs before meetings, late nights at the kitchen table after bedtime, the constant recalibration between being present at home and present at work - those experiences shaped not only my resilience, but also my belief that leadership must make room for the whole person, not just the professional façade.

That’s why it feels particularly meaningful, as International Women’s Day approaches, to celebrate a new chapter for our business. With Tamzin Silander stepping into the role of Managing Director in recent months, and with so many other women flourishing in leadership roles across the company, I feel an enormous sense of pride. It is a privilege to watch talented women grow into their authority, define leadership on their own terms, and shape the future of the organisation.

Recognising talent

Women often bring different strengths to leadership. Collaboration, empathy, intuition, long-term thinking, and the ability to manage complexity with care are qualities I see time and again within our teams. That’s not to say these traits are exclusive to women, but many women have had to develop them in response to navigating layered responsibilities and expectations. When those qualities are valued rather than overlooked, organisations become stronger, more balanced, and more human.

The spa industry itself is a powerful example of female leadership often taking the literal lead. It employs vast numbers of women, from therapists to general managers, marketers to finance directors. Yet achievement for women doesn’t always look loud or self-promotional. Many women are more inclined to let their work speak for itself, which can lead to them being overlooked and to businesses missing out on incredible talent.

Often women demonstrate excellence quietly and consistently. They lead through delivery, care, and results. As leaders, we must recognise that performance and promise don’t always announce themselves. Not everyone is going to put their hand up and say, ‘look at me.’ It’s our role to notice the steady high performer, the thoughtful contributor, the person who uplifts others, the one who solves problems without fanfare. Nurturing leadership means seeing different expressions of success, and actively creating pathways for them to develop.

Reflections for International Women’s Day

For me, International Women’s Day is not just about celebration; it’s about intention. It’s about asking how we continue to open doors, how we mentor more deliberately, and how we build cultures where women with ambition, in all its forms, feel supported rather than stretched thin.

Looking around the business today, I feel hopeful. The next generation of leaders at Spabreaks.com are not trying to fit into a predefined mould; they are shaping leadership in ways that reflect who they are, and that, to me, feels like progress.

If I could speak to the younger version of myself, I would tell her that leadership doesn’t have to look one particular way. There is strength in empathy, power in consistency, and influence in quiet excellence. When women are nurtured, trusted, and given space to grow, they don’t just succeed individually, they transform organisations from the inside out.

I can’t wait to see what these powerhouses do next!