Strong, not silent: The power of women telling our stories

At the Women of the World (WOW) North East Festival in Durham, women of all ages stood up, shared their stories, asked brave questions, and showed up for each other. From footballers to business founders to women finding their feet again, it was a reminder of how powerful it is when we speak up and how much we all gain when we listen.

One of the biggest takeaways for me came from hearing people like Ashley James, Jill Scott, and Jude Kelly talk about ageing, confidence, body image, and expectations of women. They spoke about how often women are told to stay quiet, be polite, not cry, and not take up space. Yet the truth is, our emotion is our power. As Ashley James said,

“If Elon Musk and Trump can angry tweet in the middle of the night, why is that seen as powerful?”

Why can’t women show emotion when we care? Why can't that be seen as powerful? And we need to stop thinking that only presenting in a masculine way is the right way.

We’ve been taught to hide passion, when it’s often what helps us make change.

Stories that shift things

Jill Scott spoke about football and how, not long ago, most girls in schools weren’t even offered the chance to play. As recently as 2022, only 45% of girls were given the option to play football at school; now it’s 85%. It’s progress, but not enough. 

Her words,

“Nobody should be told they can’t try something or do something”.

This could have been said about football or construction, because the message is the same.

Both are spaces where women are still fighting to be seen and supported.

WOW reminded me how storytelling can be one tool to change that. When women share their experiences, the hard bits, the learning and the wins, everyone starts to see the bigger picture. As Jude Kelly said,

“Sharing our stories allows us to feel we are not alone.”

That’s also what We Build Too is built on. That every woman in construction has a story worth hearing, and that those stories can create opportunities for others.

Unlearning silence

Many women at WOW spoke about being called “bossy” when they were young girls, when really they were just trying to help. Or “too emotional” when they were enthusiastic. Ashley James reflected that words are weaponised against women, reminding us that those same qualities are called leadership in men.  

There was a reference to Suzie Miller’s upcoming play called 'Strong is the New Pretty'. Redefining what’s important and how to celebrate it. That strength can look like many things - from skill, to kindness, and speaking up when it’s hard. 

We Build Too exists to challenge those old labels, in workshops, on building sites, and in classrooms. We’re here to show that women can lead, build, and create without having to fit into someone else’s box.

Backing ourselves

There were also powerful stories about money and independence. Jordan Groody’s talk on Financial Empowerment stuck with me. She shared with us that out of forty women at a local women in business breakfast, only three felt financially confident.

That matters because confidence with money means freedom. Jordan spoke about having an emergency fund (she called it a “f**k off fund”) not just for safety, but for choice. And she made a point that felt so relevant to women in construction and self-employment: if you work for yourself, you need your own safety net, not just savings, but people and processes you can rely on.

At We Build Too, we believe practical confidence and financial confidence go hand in hand. It’s hard to back yourself on-site or in business if you don’t feel in control of your money.

That’s something we’ll keep exploring in future posts, because being strong isn’t just about physical strength, it’s about being secure enough to make decisions and choose your own path.

Learning from each other

There was a moment near the end of WOW when a young girl grabbed the microphone and asked a question that silenced the room. It reminded everyone how brave it is to speak up. Another woman, in her seventies, said she’d just learned to hula hoop for the first time. Both were small moments, but they said so much: that learning and confidence don’t have an age limit.

We all need spaces like this, where women can come together, share openly, and leave feeling stronger.

That’s what we’re building in construction. A community that says: you belong here. You’re allowed to be proud of what you do. You’re allowed to be strong, kind, emotional, and ambitious.

Because when women speak, build, and support one another, we don’t just make noise, we make change.