That time I didn’t big-up myself: I remember letting another child take credit for my idea when I was younger. He was labelled a genius and I thought, “This feels rubbish.” Fast forward 20 years, and I was the only female on a team of older men. I’d let them take charge even when I knew I could do better. I vowed never to let that happen again.

And the time I did… During maternity leave, I was having a hard time as a new mum. To keep my mind occupied, I decided to write a book telling the stories of tech founders. I’d never written a book before, I didn’t know how to get a publishing deal and had to work on it between feeds. I ended up signing then terminating a publishing contract because I didn’t believe in the direction they were taking the book. I ignored the naysayers and self-published. Now I’m a successful author working on my third book.

My tips:

Use Twitter and Instagram. On social media you can talk about your work and receive recognition in a much faster way.
Find your tribe. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Not people who think the same as you but people with drive. Future Girl Corp, All Bright and The Wing are groups that will champion you, and celebrate with you.
Fake it till you make it. Ignore imposter syndrome and find the voice that works for you, by giving talks, mentoring or writing.

8 women tell us how they learned to big themselves up in the workplace