Together we can stop women bosses burning out - Dani Trudeau

By 2022, a quarter of women in the United Kingdom were considering quitting their job because of burnout, with many recovering for a brief period only to find themselves slipping back into stress and despondency.

Current data verified by The Gender Index, also confirms that only 16.8 per cent of all active UK companies are female-led.

And high-growth companies led by women lag significantly behind their male counterparts with the percentage of those that successfully raise capital from investors even lower.

I have always been intrigued and invested in what makes a good business and importantly, what makes a "business for good” and I believe passionately that women can learn to create success and wealth for themselves without burning out and we want to support them on that journey.

Dani Trudeau, Founder, Keystone Women

When I founded our holistic business community, Keystone Women I wanted to work to directly address this gender disparity, and experience told us that the combination of community, group coaching, upskilling and mentoring really does work.

I also wanted to champion women to define their purpose, tap into their creativity, cultivate their entrepreneurial mindset and prioritise their core values above all else.

Keystone is designed by women, for women. Starting from an events-based programme, now an online community and programme, we pride ourselves on being grassroots, holistic support for enterprising women.

As entrepreneurs ourselves we know and understand the unique challenges of starting and running a business, and we wanted to create a space to safely test ideas, gain insights and practice pitching.

Our work also contributes to the links between education, entrepreneurship, economic prosperity and the well-being economy.

One of the primary aims of Keystone is to support women towards letting go of perfectionism and instead, focus on striving for excellence while incorporating the concept of wellness into their psyche.

We have found this way of working helps avoid the physical and mental impacts of burnout, not only for individual well-being but also for workplace culture.

The idea for this programme and community was born from my experience in supporting female entrepreneurs at Tribe Porty and after entertaining hundreds of conversations with women who all shared the same challenges, frustrations and desires for a better working life and I am very fortunate to be witnessing the transformational power of community!

We believe in the power of a nurturing environment and of understanding that “when she shines, we all shine”.

We have created a holistic approach aimed at combining world-class teaching with wellness rituals which power participants' unique passion, skill set, experience, values and creativity. By nurturing entrepreneurial mindsets, we provide a person-centred approach.

We pride ourselves in the ability to understand that it is people and good businesses who make a difference in society.

Particularly in current times, it is going to take ingenuity, creativity and determination to spot and take advantage of the opportunities that uncertainty creates.

It also takes community, self-awareness, resilience and well-being to be able to contribute to a better world.

For more information on who we are and what we do, please visit the Keystone website at www.realkeystone.org

Dani Trudeau, Founder, Keystone Women