If you had a collective of Super Women by your side, what help would you ask for? This was the question that Are Media’s Jane Huxley asked more than 800 incredible attendees at B&T’s Women in Media awards in August this year.
Last week on B&T’s Superwomen Series we spoke to Women In Media Power List inductees Margie Reid and Lou Barret about shifting focus, finding the right path and recognising personal growth. To view last week’s instalment click here.
The women of the Australian media, marketing and advertising spoke out loudly, sharing their biggest fears and doubts. So, now, in partnership with Are Media, B&T has called upon our legion of superwomen – that’s our winners and the Women in Media Power List inductees – to guide this generation of women through some of the industry’s most consistent problems.
Why does celebrating myself feel like bragging? How do I stop downplaying my wins and really own my successes?
Beverley McGarvey: Celebrating yourself can feel awkward. However, acknowledging achievements and effort can inspire others. Try viewing it as sharing your growth story to encourage someone else. I would also say virtually nothing in our media world is achieved by individuals; most accomplishments come because of working with the right team of talented individuals. Sharing the credit where it is due is essential and will help other people also receive the credit they deserve and create a positive environment for celebrating success.
Carly Bowra: Celebrating ourselves at times can feel like bragging because so many women have been taught to equate humility with likability. I think we have a natural tendency to downplay our wins to make others comfortable, not because the wins aren’t worthy. Over my career, I’ve learned to reframe it: owning my success isn’t self-centred, it’s a signal to other women that they’re allowed to own theirs too. When I catch myself minimising something I’ve worked hard for, I ask, “If a friend achieved this, would I celebrate her?” The answer is always yes. We owe ourselves the recognition we so instinctively give to others.
Nomfundo Msomi, head education Auntie: Let’s reframe this question entirely. Celebrating yourself isn’t bragging; it’s course correction.
Women face structural barriers that systematically minimise our achievements. We’re interrupted more in meetings, credited less for our ideas, and judged more harshly when we display confidence than men are. So, when we hesitate to claim our wins, we’re not being humble! We’re internalising a system designed to keep us small.
Celebrating yourself is an act of resistance. And the guilt you feel? That’s conditioning. We’ve been socialised to make ourselves palatable and to worry more about others’ comfort than our own advancement. Resist, resist, resist!
How do we create real pathways for women, where knowledge, support, and opportunity are passed down to help the next generation soar further, faster?
BM: Creating real pathways for women begins with intentional engagement with our female team members and colleagues – actively supporting women’s growth through sharing knowledge, opening doors, and advocating for opportunities. Encouraging people to think differently when recruiting and promoting people into senior jobs from less traditional areas brings different skills to the management team and results in great outcomes. Building networks and encouraging women to support one another helps create an environment where the next generation can achieve even more.
CB: As a passionate mentor and leader, creating real pathways for women means moving beyond mentorship and into sponsorship. Not just offering advice, but actively opening doors and helping to make connections. It requires intention: noticing who isn’t yet in the room, who needs an introduction, who deserves a stretch project or an advocate in conversation. Sharing our learnings, especially the lessons learned, is just as powerful as sharing our achievements because it makes career growth feel accessible and real. “Lift as you climb” is a lovely mantra, but the real work is in building ladders sturdy enough for others to climb after us.
Sive Buckley, general manager Auntie: For me, real pathways are built, not talked about. It means moving beyond mentoring or leadership as the odd coffee catch-up, random 1 on 1s and into practical, consistent actions. Senior women have to open doors in a very real way: sharing the do’s and don’ts, being transparent about hard work, money and progression, recommending younger women for opportunities, inviting them into rooms they’re not usually in, and backing them out loud when they’re not in the room.
We also need to stop shying away from real feedback. Mentorship isn’t just cheerleading or a cute quote on LinkedIn. It’s being willing to have the hard, sometimes uncomfortable conversations, to listen and to offer real-life, practical advice.
On top of that, we need structures that support this, not just goodwill: formal sponsorship programs, clear progression frameworks, and real accountability on who is getting promoted. When knowledge, support, honest feedback and opportunity line up, women don’t just progress, they change the shape of the room for the ones coming next.
How do we learn to take stock, celebrate our progress, and feel proud of how far we’ve come?
BM: Regularly pause to reflect on your progress, both individually and as a team. Celebrate all wins, big or small, and acknowledge the effort involved. Making this a habit builds pride, resilience, and drives further growth. Every step forward deserves recognition.
CB: Ahh, to stop and smell the roses! I think many of us are guilty of constantly moving the goalposts. We achieve one thing and immediately shift our focus to the next. I’ve had to learn the discipline of pausing and acknowledging progress, even in small ways. Sometimes that looks like asking myself at the end of a quarter or even a tough week, “What am I proud of? What did I learn?” Celebration doesn’t always need a spotlight; often it’s a quiet moment of recognising resilience, growth, or simply showing up when it was hard. Those moments matter, they are the ones that carry you forward, and they’re worthy of recognition.
Dhivia Pillai, head strategy Auntie: I’m going to tackle this practically, first. We don’t do enough to record our wins, big and small. And we definitely don’t give ourselves enough credit for how much we actually do.
So, my first answer would be to keep rolling tabs on how you’ve helped pad out the bottom line, whether it’s through winning new business, upskilling, taking over from direct reports in a crunch or expanding the current scope. Women contribute to the P&L in enormous ways, both direct and indirect, and it’s time we brought that to every table. Whether it feels inconsequential, or was something you genuinely surprised yourself with, record every win.
Part II of this answer is a bit of a misnomer because it involves more than just one element and looks a little ridiculous on paper – but it does wonders for shaping how we feel about ourselves. 2.0: Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how far you’ve come. 2.1: Keep the women who’ve achieved incredible things in our fields visible; make them (and their content) a part of your feed/daily doomscroll). 2.2: Finally, make celebrating each other a habit, whether it’s in-person at industry events, or online.
