How To Empower Women in The Workplace? Case Study: LMF Network x Pace Integration IWD 2025 Workshop

Sonya Barlow, How To Empower Women in The Workplace? Case Study: LMF Network x Pace Integration

The discussions are flooded with the same question: How do you empower women in the workplace? And my answer considers these 4 elements: people, purpose, policies and processes.

In this newsletter, I’m sharing insights from my business workshop with Pace Integration and methods you can implement in business to empower women in the workplace.

Given the current times, it’s a challenge to support your team members, lead meaningful change, and balance tight budgets. But that doesn’t make it any less important, or any less of a business priority. What it does mean is that we can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results.

The data is clear: investing in the upskilling of colleagues increases productivity and, ultimately, profitability. And isn’t that what every business is built on, these 3 pillars: people, productivity, and profit?

In March 2025, Pace Integration invited me, as CEO of the LMF NETWORK (Like Minded Females), to lead a workshop on Accelerating Action for their International Women’s Day 2025 celebration in London.

They asked a question:

“How do we accelerate action for women in our workplace, without knocking their confidence?”

I knew from the start that this would be a powerful and necessary conversation.

Sonya Barlow x Lily Spokes at Pace Integration's IWD 2025 workshop

The Brief

After seeing me speak several times at Karren Brady's Women in Business & Tech Expo (including a panel with the brilliant Karren Brady herself), Lily Spokes from the Pace team reached out. She believed that the LMF Network’s framework of storytelling, our unique position as a female-led consultancy, and our focus on actionable takeaways, could make a real impact on the incredible women at Pace. And she wasn’t wrong.

Their goal? To deliver an actionable and educational IWD 2025 workshop session, designed to empower, educate, and spark change, all under the theme of "Accelerating Action."

What we didn’t want was another workshop that tells women they’re imposters. What we did want was an open space to reflect on real and current challenges, identify key skills, and build the relevant tools needed to take the next step, both in business and in brand.

So, let’s break down what I covered, what worked, and what you can take away from it.

What is IWD all about?

International Women’s Day (IWD) is about recognising how far women have come, from not being able to take out a credit card 100 years ago to now climbing the career ladder and actively investing in their personal and professional growth.

But there’s still more to be done.

This session wasn’t just about celebrating progress. It was about sharing positive examples of change and equipping women with additional practical techniques they can use in their workplaces to build confidence, capability, and ultimately, workplace success.

Workshop Overview

Theme: Accelerating Action for IWD 2025
Format: 90-minute workshop (on-site in London)
Attendees: 13 incredible women
Follow-up: Resources, tools, templates

We focused on practical action, not just pep talks, empowering women to build confidence, capability, and career clarity. These included: sticky note exercises, whiteboard discussions and reflective moments with an open forum to share.

Key Discussion Points

Identifying why you want to build your professional profile
Aligning your 12-month vision with milestones and key principles
Creating boundaries in business, life, and social circles
Storytelling your current experience (and future self)
Documenting success using the SMART method
Boosting your profile through mentorship and sponsorship

These weren’t just talking points, they were applied in the room, with real conversations and tangible, personal exercises.

Takeaway

Everyone left with tools, templates, and confidence. We didn’t just talk about action, we took it. We encouraged the company to explore initiatives like debate clubs and consider a rotational ERG, all while increasing their sense of inclusion. I want to make this clear - this is not a women-only issue or discussion. To make any change, we need to consider the policies and processes as well as the people.

I wouldn’t say that Pace Integration doesn’t know what they’re doing – quite the opposite. As a business, it’s refreshing to see them committed to continuous improvement and open to external perspectives.

Because empowerment starts with information, but it grows with ownership.

Investing in your people is essential for business growth.

Businesses like Pace Integration understand that building the confidence of their people not only supports individual career development but also drives overall business success.

As Lily Spokes, an Account Executive at Pace, shared:

"Our mission is to champion gender balance, support the growth of female leaders, and nurture an inclusive space where everyone thrives."

That’s why it was such a meaningful moment that their first point of call for developing their women and creating an inclusion space was the LMF NETWORK (Like Minded Females) – a consultancy and careers platform dedicated to attracting, hiring and developing diverse talent.

Pace also shared a wonderful testimonial of their experience:

“As part of our company purpose at Pace Integration, we have embedded growing with diversity and supporting the growth of UK talent. Having Sonya join us to share her insights on purpose, power, and profile was a fantastic experience for our team. After hearing her speak at WIBTEXPO last year, I knew we needed to bring her in to share her knowledge with us. Her workshop on International Women's Day was both insightful and practical, helping us connect more effectively within our network and build confidence. Sonya’s guidance has been really valuable in helping us understand how we can grow both personally and professionally, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to learn from her.”

We want to thank Lily Spokes for the invitation, the senior leadership team at Pace for their investment, and the women at Pace for their openness and engagement.

📩 Want to lean into new methods to develop, support, and grow your business and team? Let’s make it happen. Email me: hello@sonyabarlow.co.uk

Sonya Barlow is an award-winning entrepreneur, presenter and author with over 100K followers. She hosts her self-titled YouTube show "The Sonya Barlow Show", authored the business book "Unprepared to Entrepreneur" and runs a business inclusion consultancy and careers app, the "LMF Network". You can work with Sonya for campaigns, content and conversation. Connect via email 📩 - Hello@SonyaBarlow.Co.Uk.