Leigh-Anne Sharland’s Post

It’s never easy to share moments of disappointment, but I believe in the power of vulnerability and authenticity. Recently, I had the honour of being a finalist in two categories at the Women in Wealth Awards. While it was an incredible achievement to be recognised, I ultimately did not take home an award. I’ll be honest—missing out was tough. The self-doubt has crept in, and I question my path, my work, and whether I should continue pushing forward. It’s natural to feel conflicted emotions: happiness for the deserving winners, yet sadness for not being recognised myself. To all my fellow nominees who didn’t win, I see you and I feel your pain. But let’s not let this moment define us or diminish our efforts. We were finalists for a reason; our impact and contributions are real and meaningful. This experience has reminded me of an important truth: recognition is wonderful, but it is not the sole measure of our worth or success. Let’s continue to support each other, celebrate the small victories, and keep moving forward with resilience and determination. Congratulations to the winners—you inspire us all. And to everyone else, remember that our journeys are unique and valuable. We are all winners in our own right. 🌟 #WomenInWealth #Resilience #KeepGoing #SupportEachOther

The Nomination Is The Win Today, I wanted to share how humbled I am to be nominated for the #RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards presented by Women of Influence+ I am honoured to stand beside some of the most incredible humans. To be perfectly transparent, I’m not sure who nominated me, but THANK YOU! In my opinion, receiving a nomination is incredible because it signifies recognition and validation of your hard work, dedication, and achievements. It is a testament that your efforts have been noticed and appreciated by others, whether it be #peers, #colleagues, or the #public. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”~Marianne Williamson It means that someone believes in your abilities and contributions enough to put you forward for recognition. It is a humbling experience to know that others see value in what you do and deem it worthy of acknowledgment. There is so much power in knowing your worth. Take the acknowledgement as the win and know that whatever you are doing, you’re a #rockstar and doing awesome. Your #superpower is the confidence, the belief system you have within yourself. Personally, I take so much pride in the fact that somebody took time out of their busy, precious life to do this for me. That is the win for me! It motivates me to continue striving for #excellence and creating a positive #impact in the world. “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes you just might find you get what you need.”~Rolling Stones While the desire to win is a natural and valid aspiration, it's essential to recognize the value and significance of being nominated because they represent acknowledgment, recognition, and validation of one's efforts and accomplishments. I believe they should be celebrated as important #milestones in their own right. Both being #nominated and #winning have their own merits and can contribute to personal growth, recognition, and success in different ways. I’m unsure who needs to hear this today… I believe we are all worthy of being acknowledged and applauded. That is what my entire mission is with I Am Unbreakable™ Global Media. So, know there are many different ways to be elevated and celebrated. It might not always be in a traditional form, but there are people who appreciate your grind, vision, and passion! On purpose and intentionally. Remember, my three favourite words…… YES YOU CAN! #nominated #nomination #winning #purpose #passion #superpowers #iamunbreakable #iam

The other day, while I was in the instagram video hole, I came across Niecy Nash-Betts’ Emmy Awards acceptance speech and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since. I then came across the interview she did after the speech, and I became a little obsessed with that too. Google them both and have a listen- they’re short but POWERFUL. She talks about women of colour being overlooked and underrepresented. She talks about self belief, and self congratulation because sometimes you have to be your own biggest believer and supporter. When asked in the press room backstage about thanking herself, Nash-Betts said “I’m the only one who knows how much it cost me. I’m the only one who knows how many nights I cried because I couldn’t be seen..[]”. She is a winner, and she overcame so many barriers to become one. When she achieved one of her major career goals, she took a moment to thank herself. And she did it proudly, publicly and with emotion. I want you to think about that today. About how many thanks you owe yourself, about how you’re the only one who truly knows how hard you work, how many sacrifices you’ve made, how many difficult experiences you’ve overcome, how many amazing things you’ve achieved. And you have homework: 1. I want you to consider nominating yourself for an award. There will be some platform within your industry that seeks to showcase people like you. Research them, find one that fits the bill and proudly put yourself forward. 2. Look into programs or schemes you can join that will up your skills, raise your profile, build your knowledge. Just because your employer isn’t investing in you, it doesn’t mean you can’t invest in yourself. If you can’t afford to, look at scholarships and competitions. 3. Check your support network (home and work) and really think about whether it’s truly supportive. Are you happy at home? Are your trusted work colleagues really trustworthy? If some of those answers are no, is it time to make some changes? Thank yourself. You’re the only one who knows what it cost you. View post on instagram: https://lnkd.in/geKb-2MT #thankyourself #thecost #believeinyourself #thankme #niecynash #selfesteem #success

I don’t like being labelled and I certainly don’t like being pigeonholed. So that made me think… you shouldn’t have to be either. You should be allowed to be YOU. When I started to look at this further, I realised I need to practice what I preach with my Awards. It's been a long-standing issue where women's unique stories and achievements got squeezed into broad categories that hardly did justice to their individuality. So many times, my judges had to invent a category as one didn’t quite fit and so the categories grew and each year I’d be asked “Can you do a category for…?” I simply thought, I can change this, so I did 👏🏻 My judges now take pride in appreciating each entry on its own brilliant merits. Kerry Orton of ORTON Marketing Limited shares a slice of her experience: "Writing about your own successes feels a bit odd at first, doesn’t it? But with the amazing support, guidance, and cheerleading from the Woman Who a community, I managed to submit my application. If you're having second thoughts, my advice is to just jump in! The advice and opportunities you'll encounter are golden." To make things a bit easier for you, I've put together some handy tips and answers to those burning questions about the awards, designed to nudge you gently towards that submit button with confidence. There's a treasure trove of free resources waiting for you, just a click away. And oh, a gentle reminder: that deadline is looming! There’s just 1 Day to go. Deadline dancers this way 👇🏼 ******************************************* 🏆The Woman Who Achieves Awards are open for entry ⏰ Deadline: Midnight on 3rd March ❌ No categories

500 Subscribed ☑️ I’m still amazed that I get to impact and influence Women Leaders. I help busy professional women prioritize themselves, their success and their happiness in way that makes them happy, healthy, and helpful. My superpower is accelerating your success but I have to admit… my sweet spot is helping you reimagine it. Learn more about the Career Success Academy https://lnkd.in/eCDuSKXE

Today I want to talk about the desire for recognition. You know, as business owners or career professionals we would love to be recognised for our efforts, whether it's through awards or acknowledgement from our peers and clients, etc. It is a common desire. With being in business for over 20 years, there is still that limiting thought that sometimes comes to my mind when I feel that I am not being recognised for what I am doing professionally or in my personal life. When these kind of thoughts come into my head, before it drags my countenance down or before I begin to give the negative thoughts more power, I counter them by reminding myself that I am not where I used to be and even if my efforts are not being recognised now, maybe the time has not come yet. So I remind myself that I have grown personally and in business and I have been able to inspire and empower so many people including myself in business. I also remind myself that me feeling any negative feeling is a reminder that my higher self doesnt agree with me, because it acknowledges my work without external validation. To quieten the voice of that desire to be recognised, I also fill my mind with thoughts of my achievements, my lessons and I smile as I remember that I have been consistent in my business for over 20 years. We have been celebrating women for almost 16 years on the ELOY Awards Foundation. We have been screening people for cervical cancer-free of charge every year since 2010, we have been empowering women to build thriving businesses, I have written 6 books, etc 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾. I celebrate myself and all my achievements. And that lifts my spirit. Therefore, in as much as I might feel that desire to be more recognised, it would not be a factor for me doing my great work, making an impact. So if you have that desire to be recognised and feel you are not being recognised enough, let me tell you that you shouldnt worry and let the thought diminish your great work, at the appointment time, your recognition would be visible. Make sure that you are doing the work consistently, continue making an impact whilst you are developing yourself and your business. One day, we shall know you by your name! Have a wonderful day. I am Dr. Tewa Onasanya and I am living the words I speak. #teawithtewa #womenempowerment #winningmindset #businessmentor #speaker

Life can be tough. And it’s even tougher doing it by yourself. Life is a team sport.  None of us know it all; we all need help, & it’s ok to ask for help. NOT asking for help, when you need it, is foolish.  Maybe you have some idea in your mind that you should “know it all” or that asking for help (directions comes to mind 😂) in some way is beneath you or makes you “less than”. I know there are times when you need to prove that “you can do it”, but as an identity, this makes me feel sad. She Mentors, an organization where women support each other, is ALL ABOUT asking for help !  Help that comes in many forms - a new idea, a reframe, a perspective shift, constructive criticism, perhaps some new information, some coaching, some guidance.  Another set of eyes that helps us see what we couldn't. Sometimes the support is technical – sometimes it’s emotional – usually it’s both. And sometimes, you just want someone to listen.  To listen without judgement, without criticism, ulterior motives or hidden agendas.  Someone that you trust. There is so much I need help with, navigating my new life, new business, new city, new identity, new emotional challenges.  It can often be lonely.  So I reach out & for help, & in SheMentors, I often find a friend. I love it when I meet a new mentor.  Sometimes I’ll meet her online, sometimes at a meetup, & sometimes, though alas not often enough, over wine & cheese & “une assiette de charcuterie”, as Nicole Stallard & I did recently. Last week was SheMentors annual award ceremony, a fabulous soirée of celebration, honouring, & recognition of exceptional women – all oh so worthy winners. But I’d also like to honour the c 800 other worthy winners across Australia & NZ, women who make up the membership, who join up, show up, quietly offering their knowledge, skill, time & presence to graciously make a difference to someone else’s life. And that’s what it’s all about for me – making a difference to someone else’s life. Thank you Ali Adey (she/her) & She Mentors Bobbi ❤️ Inspirational speaker | Coach | Mentor   #bobbispeaker  #diversityandinclusion #personaldevelopment #brisbane #motivationalspeaker #inspirationalspeaker Paul Ashley Jensen

We’re thrilled to share that The Female Quotient is a finalist in the Shorty Awards for best Branded Series, FQ Trailblazers in History and for our LinkedIn presence 🏆 We believe that change happens through powerful storytelling. Through our “Trailblazers in History” video campaign, we share the stories of “unseen” female change-makers. From historic firsts to pioneering the world’s most innovative concepts, women have made extraordinary contributions to the world as we know it. Yet, so many of these iconic women’s achievements have gone largely unnoticed because they were never documented in history books. For example, Albert Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Marić-Einstein, was a physicist too – and there’s plenty of evidence that her work contributed significantly to his groundbreaking science. They decided to publish under his name because a man's name carried more weight. The purpose of this campaign is simple, but powerful: Make the invisible visible by highlighting forgotten women in history. With a small social team of just a few people (who truly love uncovering the history of trailblazing women) and zero budget, we’ve organically grown this series post by post. FQ community: We'd love your help to vote for our team's creative work through April 30! https://lnkd.in/gjJBmbRe #shortyawards #shortyawardsfinalist #audiencehonor

And just like that the #DFFawards are back for 2024!😆 Nominations are now officially open but remember, it's not just about nominating others; you can put yourself, a colleague, or your entire team in the spotlight🔦 And for our Exec Members, we've got your back by assisting you in picking the perfect category and crafting that winning nomination! Spread the word far and wide! Let your colleagues, friends, family, and even the neighbours know that the #DFFawards are back! 🏆✨ Head over to the Digital Finance Function Awards page for more updates and details and head to the comments section below to submit your nomination! #cfos #financeandaccounting #DFFawards2024

As Black History Month transitions into International Women's Day, this video from Don Peebles as he receives the Business Icon Award at The Grio Award, highlights the shared challenge both groups face in access to capital. "The fuel to run the motors of business is capital. Now, let me give you an illuminating fact. Today, there is over 82 Trillion dollars invested in venture capital and private equity. Of that 82 trillion dollars less than 1.3% of it is invested in firms run or owned by women or people of color. Combined. What that means is 98.7% of venture capital money, 81 trillion dollars out of 82 trillion dollars is provided to white men. Yet, white men represent only 31% of America's population. Women represent 51% of Americans, we Black Americans are 13% of Americans. Thus, you have 64% of the population receiving less than 1.3% of the investment capital." ~ Don Peebles Link to video in the comments. These numbers are not unique to the US. Less than 2% of VC funding globally is invested in female founded businesses. Less than 2%! In 2024, Growing the 2% Club is committed to amplify and advocating for female founders seeking the investment and liquidity to grow their businesses. If you are a fund manager in the position to invest in a fabulous female founded business, 🎯 Write the check. If you are a family office looking to make a true impact, 🎯 Seek out female founded businesses that are ready to scale. If you feel your business is already making an effort in this space, 🎯 Do more. If you are a purchasing department, of large corporations purchasing from female founded businesses, 🎯 understand the reality of the 2% Club and find ways to accelerate or adapt the payment terms with your purchase. Please feel free to highlight people doing hero's work in this space. #blackhistorymonth #internationalwomensday #Grow2PercentClub