They might have stopped investing in women... but we haven't 🫡

Hello beautiful soul

The best things in my life have seldom happened inside my comfort zone.
They’ve happened on the trembling edge — that holy space where discomfort becomes possibility.

Last week, that edge looked like New York, at Leila McKenzie-Delis’ DIAL Global event.

Your girl went out out. 
And came home with a heart cracked wide open.

Because what I saw there was both truth and hope.
Yes, there’s still a huge gap in investment for leadership development designed for women.
But what I also saw was possibility — humans hungry for change, daring to imagine organisations built on inclusion and integrity.

Right now, it’s harder to get companies to invest in women as a group.

Budgets are tightening. DEI programmes are being cut. But what companies are still doing is investing in women as individuals.

And honestly? That’s not nothing.

Because if you are in the driver’s seat of your own development — not waiting to be noticed, not waiting for permission — that’s power.
That’s leadership energy.

The kind that grows in the cracks of broken systems and still manages to bloom.

The more I do this work, the more I know: real change doesn’t happen in isolation.

It happens when we come together — women with brains, heart, and spirit — to talk honestly about what’s real and what’s next.

That’s why I’m trying something new this autumn.
I’m bringing the Sisterhood offline.

The Reclamation Breakfast Series — three invite-only mornings in New York + London.
Small tables. Big conversations. A space for women who are ready to rise.

Session 1, Thursday November 27th, NYC: Commanding the room
How to cultivate presence, credibility, and confidence at the board table — even when the room wasn’t built for you.
We’ll explore what true executive presence means for women — beyond performance or polish — and how to lead from energetic and embodied authority.

Session 2, Thursday December 4th, NYC: The art of beginning again
How divorce (or any ending) can become a portal to power — what we lose, what we find, and how we rebuild.
A soulful conversation on identity, reinvention, and self-leadership through transition.

Session 3, Thursday December 11th, London: The first 90 days
How to navigate new beginnings with confidence, clarity, and courage.
Whether stepping into a new role, relationship, or life chapter — this session unpacks how to set the tone early, balance humility with authority, and stay anchored in authenticity through change.

These are invite-only as space will be VERY limited, register your interest here for each specific date here.

Over the past year, the single workshop I have run for Bloom for companies has run more than any other has been about burnout.

That fact alone says everything.

People aren’t short on talent or drive — they’re short on capacity.

And capacity isn’t built by pushing harder.
It’s built by learning to recover faster.

That’s why at Bloom, we don’t talk about “resilience” anymore.
We talk about being adaptogenic.

Adaptogens — herbs like ashwagandha or rhodiola — don’t stop stress from happening.
They teach the body how to adapt to it. They don’t numb; they strengthen. They don’t harden; they harmonise.

That’s the kind of leadership we need now. Not tougher humans, but wiser systems.

And whilst I am on the topic, here is some fake productivity propaganda I stopped normalising.

Being “always on” = fake dedication
Constant urgency = fake passion
Back-to-back meetings = fake importance
Performative vulnerability = fake connection
Pushing through exhaustion = fake resilience
Promotions without alignment = fake success
Overachieving = fake safety
Saying yes to everything = fake collaboration
Perfectionism = fake confidence
People-pleasing = fake kindness
External validation = fake worth
Overthinking = fake control
Ignoring your body = fake strength

Here’s what’s real instead:

Regulated energy.
Boundaries with heart.
Rest as strategy.
Embodied presence.
Purpose-led action.
Work that honours your rhythm.
Having FUN at work.

Adaptogenic leadership is about capacity, not grind.
It’s how we hold inclusion and performance, compassion and accountability, ambition and rest.

Because the future of leadership won’t be built by tougher people.
It’ll be built by wiser, more connected systems — and women who lead from truth, together.

Rooting for you always

Ruth x

Ps. Our first ever New Moon Circle is Tuesday 8 am EST and I can't wait! Join the Sisterhood community for FREE here. It's a gentle reset to reconnect with your rhythm, reflect, and set one intention that matters. Think cyclicality meets strategy, and get re-aligned with yourself ready for this next cycle.

Tl;dr: come if you need a good clean exhale before your next inhale 🫡