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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2025

Beyond Cupcakes and Hashtags: A practical way to accelerate action


International Women’s Day is a moment for celebration—but it’s also a call to action. Your team doesn’t need more cupcakes or symbolic hashtags. They need real tools and skills to navigate the challenges they face every day in the workplace.

This year, address systemic inequities and equip your teams with Dr Carrie Goucher’s signature talk for women.

 

Request an IWD talk proposal

Why we need to support women in meetings

 

❗️ We spend so much of our working life in them!

Most knowledge workers spend 30-60% of their time in meetings - some spending much more. Meetings are a theatre for culture, where we learn what and who matters.

 

❗️ 70% of meetings exclude marginalised voices.

Meetings aren’t just where decisions are made—they’re where entrenched (and often unintended) power dynamics play out, excluding people and their contribution.

 

❗️ Organisations who can tap into diverse voices perform better.

Companies that foster inclusion in collaboration see higher engagement, innovation, and profitability.

 

This talk will enable every woman to:

  • Understand the dynamics at play in meetings, so they are not at the mercy of them
  • Have the exact words to say to handle all the classic curveballs
  • Create a safe space for themselves and their contribution
  • Successfully bring their talent and experience to bear in every meeting
  • Help distribute voice and power in every meeting they go to

 

Request an IWD talk proposal

Hi, I'm Dr Carrie Goucher 👋


✅  Creator of the FewerFasterBolder collaboration approach

✅  Facilitator of 6,000+ sessions

✅  19 years pioneering new ways to collaborate

✅  PhD in meeting culture from Cambridge University

✅  Hugely experienced speaker, including TEDx

There is nothing I am more committed to than supporting marginalised people through inclusive meetings that allow everyone to contribute.

Request an IWD talk proposal

What this talk delivers


Your teams need more than inspiration—they need practical tools they can use immediately in places that matter: meetings. This session is a liberating, supportive and actionable guide for anyone who has felt unheard or unsafe in a meeting.

đź’ˇ Key outcomes for every attendee:

  • Understand why meetings are so challenging for women and marginalised groups.
  • Learn to handle interruptions, dismissals and dominant behaviours with confidence.
  • Use specific phrases to create space for themselves and others.
  • Discover a framework to foster psychological safety and equal voice distribution.


Every attendee also receives a bundle including a playbook, detailed scripts and a workbook.

The recording is yours to keep for anyone who couldn't attend live.

 

Request an IWD talk proposal

Praise for my keynotes

Highlights from two decades of speaking


I've been speaking at major events for over 20 years, inspiring in-person and virtual audiences in more than 25 countries. Here are some highlights.

 

TEDxSevenMileBeach

I was one of the early TEDx speakers over ten years ago, delivering the anchor talk at TEDxSevenMileBottom. I spoke candidly about my experience as a business leader and proposed a new model for making organisations the lean, purposeful, human-centric systems they deserve to be. 

Keynote at Spark Action conference

I hosted and provided the keynote talk at the Onefish Twofish "Spark Action: How to activate change in your organisation" conference, alongside our client speakers from Mondelez, BBCWorldwide, Pfizer and MyHomeMove for our 200 delegates. I spoke on developing an Adult-To-Adult culture at work.

Medical Research Council

I delivered the keynote talk at the MRC Leadership day in Cambridge, exploring new ways of working so some of the brightest medical minds in the UK could deliver more impact, more quickly.

Global pharma company

I was invited to join a major talk series for a global pharmaceutical, to help break their incredibly busy teams out of meeting gridlock - breaking profound concepts into actionable techniques.

Ricoh Europe

I've spoken twice at Ricoh Europe's Women's forum in the last two years delivering talks on 'How to be a woman in meetings: a fieldguide' and 'Staying whole under pressure, uncertainy and intense collaboration' 

Ok, let's get you an IWD talk proposal 

 

Answer a few questions and I will tailor and send a proposal that includes:

  • a full outline of the suggested talk
  • cost options for your budget range (for example keynote, lunch and learns, panel contribution and pre-recorded options)
  • my availability
  • how to reserve your IWD talk for 2025

 

Looking forward to exploring options with you.

Carrie

 

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