‘The Female Voice’ Panel: Top Tips for Confidence and Making an Impact in Business

As part of our new initiative ‘the female voice’ we hosted an event designed to empower women and foster connections within professional networks. Family law expert Ros Bever was joined by a panel of exceptional woman, including Abi Fisher, Nikki Alderson, Lisa Hinze and Sally Prothero, to discuss top tips for cultivating confidence and making a lasting impact.

The event enabled attendees to establish new relationships, reinforce existing ones, and share expertise, topped off with a fashion show showcasing ‘classic with a twist’ designs from the Abi Fisher Collection.

The panel, each coming from a diverse professional background, offered a wealth of knowledge and motivation to attendees, sharing their personal journeys and echoing the common thread of self-assuredness as a driving force in their success. Their top tips for making an impact and feeling your best included:

• Visualise Confidence: One resounding piece of advice that echoed throughout the event was the power of visualisation. Successful individuals from professional athletes to business owners often visualise their ideal outcomes. Abi Fisher exemplified this by creating a unique shopping experience at her destination boutique. Her ability to envisage a tailored, personalised service led to a decade of loyal clientele and a thriving business. The panel encouraged attendees to envision themselves at their most confident and capable.
  
  
• Fact vs. Feeling: When facing moments of stress and self-doubt, Nikki Alderson, a former criminal barrister turned coach and public speaker, offered a critical question: "Is this fact or feeling?". She advised attendees to challenge their inner doubts by examining the concrete facts and highlighting the positives. Nikki's journey from the courtroom to coaching was marked by her belief in her professional ability to make a difference, while also raising young children. Her dedication to championing legal talent, particularly women in law, underscored the importance of pushing negativity to the side.
  
  
• Dress for Impact: Dressing to reflect your personal brand and boost confidence emerged as a key theme. Nikki emphasised the importance of personal branding and confidence in clothing choices. She recounted the impact of Baroness Hale's spider brooch, which led to her naming her autobiography ‘Spider Woman: A Life’, illustrating the profound impact clothing choices can have on your professional image. Lisa Hinze, who transitioned from being a client to a valued team member at Abi Fisher, shared her insights on balancing fashion statements with personality. She described how the boutique's one-on-one styling sessions empower women to express themselves confidently through fashion.

Summary of the event

Attendees left armed with practical advice to enhance their confidence, and ready to embrace the power of their unique personal brands.

This event underscored a broader, women-led initiative at Irwin Mitchell called “The Female Voice” which aims to bring women together from professional networks and beyond. The firm was recently named in the top 20 best workplaces for women in the UK and were the only law firm on the list. 53% of Irwin Mitchell partners are women, which is almost double the industry average; across the board, only 30% of partners and 19% of equity partners are women.

To hear about our next events, sign up for more information here:

The female voice (dotdigital-pages.com)