Protecting Your Energy at Work: Burnout, Resilience & Rest
What we explored
Work can be demanding, particularly when people are balancing busy schedules, high expectations and responsibilities outside their jobs. This Strategy Circle created space to reflect on burnout, resilience and rest, and how these experiences can affect our wellbeing and relationship with working life.
We explored the importance of recognising our own needs, understanding the pressures we experience and making space for rest without viewing it as something that must always be earned.
What to expect
Discussion of burnout, stress and the pressures of modern working life
Shared reflections on what resilience means and how it can be sustained over time
Exploration of rest, recovery and the role they play in our wellbeing
Conversations about personal boundaries, competing demands and protecting time and energy
An opportunity to connect with other professional women and learn from their experiences
What women took away
A greater awareness of how stress, expectations and everyday pressures can affect wellbeing, alongside different perspectives on resilience, rest and personal boundaries.
The Circle offered an opportunity to pause, reflect on individual experiences and connect with like-minded women navigating the demands of working life.
When It’s Not Just Work — Identity, Perception & Power
What we explored
People can experience the same workplace situation differently. Communication styles, confidence and mistakes may be interpreted in different ways depending on the individual and the environment. This Strategy Circle explored how identity, race and gender can shape women's experiences of working life, including how they feel perceived, understood and treated in professional settings.
What to expect
Discussion of racial and gender bias, including how workplace feedback and everyday interactions can be experienced differently
Shared reflections on code-switching, visibility and adapting to professional environments
Exploration of how perceptions and assumptions can influence the way behaviour is interpreted
Conversation about privilege, allyship and the different forms of support available in working life
Reflections on connection, solidarity and the value of learning from other women's experiences
What women took away
A space to reflect on the relationship between identity and workplace experiences, hear perspectives from women with different backgrounds, and develop a deeper understanding of how assumptions, perceptions and workplace culture can shape professional relationships.
The Circle created an opportunity for open conversation, shared learning and reflection on how women experience and make sense of working life.
Reading the Corporate Room in 2026
What we explored
Workplaces have unwritten expectations around communication, professionalism, relationships and belonging. In this Strategy Circle, we explored how these expectations can shape women's experiences at work, why they aren't always made explicit, and how workplace culture can be experienced differently depending on a person's background and perspective.
What to expect
An introductory discussion about unwritten workplace expectations and changing professional cultures
Shared reflections on communication styles, perceptions and assumptions at work
Discussion of how informal networks and access to professional knowledge can shape working experiences
Exploration of workplace culture, belonging and inclusion
A facilitated group conversation bringing together different perspectives and experiences
What women took away
A broader understanding of unwritten workplace expectations, fresh perspectives on communication and workplace culture, and the opportunity to connect with women navigating similar experiences at different stages of their working lives.
Decoding the Performance Review
What we explored
Performance reviews can be presented as objective assessments, yet they can also be influenced by perception, communication styles and expectations that aren't always made explicit. In this Strategy Circle, we explored how performance feedback is formed, interpreted and experienced, and why two people can understand the same situation differently.
What to expect
A story to introduce the different ways performance can be perceived and evaluated
Two fictionalised, real-world scenarios featuring Danielle and Alice, exploring:
Group discussion exploring different interpretations of feedback and the experiences behind it
Shared reflections on communicating achievements, understanding feedback and recognising different perspectives
What women took away
New ways to describe their experiences, fresh perspectives on communicating their contributions, and a greater awareness of how feedback and perception can shape working life.
Getting the Most Out of HR: Even When It Feels Hard
What we explored
HR can play different roles in working life, and people's experiences of seeking support can vary. This Strategy Circle explored how HR processes are experienced by employees, why conversations about workplace challenges can feel difficult, and how different perspectives shape those experiences.
What to expect
An introductory story exploring experiences of workplace support processes
An experienced guest speaker sharing perspectives on:
Preparing for HR meetings and conversations
Communicating clearly in challenging situations
Understanding the considerations involved in sharing personal information at work
Three fictionalised, real-world scenarios featuring Lauren, Jackie and Danielle, exploring:
Feeling excluded in the workplace
Difficulties navigating organisational processes
Experiences of perceived retaliation or feeling that concerns have been dismissed
A group discussion exploring different perspectives, experiences and lessons from the scenarios
How we closed
With a shared reflection on the challenges women can experience when seeking support at work, the importance of clear communication, and the different ways people approach difficult workplace experiences.
