The theme for this year’s BloomFest - the annual conference run by Bloom, the professional network for women in comms - was the F word. That’s F for Feminism. F for family and friendships. F for how F*cking angry we are at the state of the world. F for Fortitude and Fearlessness in tackling the barriers we face. F for our Fundamental rights. F for our Future.

With over 300 women coming together, it was a day of shared experiences and honest truths, a celebration of successes and harnessing the power of our collective voices. Bloom has always focused on everyday actions that people can take to make change happen, and BloomFest this year was no different. 

F is for Feminism

Our panel ‘The Fight Back’ explored the need to rebrand feminism and pull together as one. Feminism is a spectrum, and not all types of feminism work for everyone. Florence Schechter, founder of the Vagina Museum, believes that the reason there are so many factions and divisions within the movement is because we’re assuming everyone agrees on what feminism is, when in reality, feminism is not one thing. To truly come together, we need to check our privileges and examine our biases to see how we’ve internalised different tropes and where we might be making assumptions.

F is for Friendship

Bruce Daisley told us all that it’s time to redefine the word ‘resilience’, which is so often spun as a positive - everyone knows someone who’s been congratulated for being resilient for putting up with things they shouldn’t have to - or offered resilience training to handle clients or colleagues who are way out of line. Resilience is a sticking plaster over situations that sees us overworked and putting up with unacceptable situations, wearing ‘resilience’ like a badge of honour. But that’s not ok. Resilience, Daisley says, is “people trying to silence you”. 

So let’s reject that. Instead, look at individuals and businesses who are successful - more often than not, there’s a feeling that ‘we’re all in this together’. Resilience is not something we individually have or don't have. It’s the strength we draw from being connected to other people, that we get from friends and those with shared experiences. It's a shared joy and a shared strength. So draw on the strength of those around you, and build that deep, shared feeling of being in this together.

F is for being F*cking angry

Bloom’s ‘Booth of Truth’ was back - a space for people to anonymously share their lived experiences. As always, it was an emotive session where the hosts read out some of the ‘confessions’, shared their experiences and invited the audience to participate. Themes this year covered sexual harrassment at work, fighting for pay rises (unlike male counterparts), how there are still not enough allies in the industry when it comes to motherhood, workplace bullying, the lack of consequences for senior men who take advantage, and more. As former Bloom President Steph Mathhews said, “Anger can be such a driver and catalyst for change, if it’s channelled correctly”. So harness that anger - because the next generation of women will progress into leadership roles eventually and the light ahead is that they will be able to enact change. 

F is for Fortitude

Several speakers covered fortitude and fearlessness. The phenomenal Jaz Ampaw-Farr and Baroness Helen Newlove inspired us all with their personal stories of overcoming adversity and dealing with significant trauma. But - as Baroness Helen quite rightly said - it shouldn’t take trauma to unlock your power. It’s time to lean into our power. Time to find it, nurture it, and think about the changes we can make with our collective firepower. 

F is for our Future

Flavilla Fongang reminded us that we are more than our work and to define success in only that way is doing ourselves a disservice. We should be finding balance in other areas of our lives. Indeed, Annie Auerbach agrees; “A stereotype of ambition is that it's upwards trajectory, growth, more. But the thing about being a woman (or someone who menstruates) is our hormones mean we're not always…” It’s time to reclaim what ambition means.

So how do we put that into practice? Sara Tate encouraged us to identify the anchors in our lives - those vital elements in our day, life and work that keep us sane, secure and happy. Whether that’s non-negotiable time with your children or partner, or creating space in your life for spontaneity, those are the things that serve us. 

But more than avoiding burn-out - which Tate defines as doing too much that doesn't serve you, and not enough of what does - keynote speaker Jaz Ampaw-Farr asked us all to be 10% braver and think about the story we want to tell about ourselves. “Ask yourself, if I had the courage to be myself, who would I be right now? What would I say? What would I do?”, she asked. “Why aren’t you living with nothing to fear, nothing to lose, and nothing to prove? Being fearless starts with fearing less”.

So be that little bit braver. Whether that’s raising your hand in a meeting, taking steps to process your trauma, saying yes more, or finally working up the courage to talk to that fit person. As Jaz said “No more excuses. This is your time, this is your moment.”