My Secret Battle: Why I Nearly Quit Advocacy

Excitement. Pride. Joy.?

Just some of the emotions I feel when I see another woman succeed. But, when I look around, I don’t see women getting anywhere near enough support and celebration from their colleagues, peers – or from other women.?

They say a rising tide lifts all boats.?

But honestly – I think we’ve all been sitting at low tide for far too long…

2024 really was a year of ups and downs for me. I shared some of them with you back in December, as I reflected on the year. And, as part of my self-worth journey, I’m also trying to be more open and honest on social media every single day. ?

But there’s one thing I haven’t been completely honest about.?

And I feel a bit of shame just saying it out loud.?

Because it involves a topic I’ve been SO vocal about.

Advocacy.??

I’ve preached a LOT about advocacy. But, behind the scenes, things looked very different for me. Whilst I was talking about how important advocacy was, I was a stone’s throw away from turning my back on it...?

The Challenge With Advocacy?

Everyone who knows me, follows me, or listens to my Women in Supply Chain and Blended podcasts, knows that empowering others and bringing community together in discussion – especially women and other underrepresented voices – is SO important to me. It always has been. Maybe it’s because of my own experiences of not having a voice, or struggling to find my authentic self – I’m not sure.?

Over the years, I realized I wasn’t the only one who was struggling and, living and working in male-dominated supply chain, it became crystal clear that if we, as women, were going to succeed, we needed to work together, to bring each other along for the ride.?

We needed to advocate, support, empower.?

There’s a fundamental challenge, though, for women in male-dominated spaces. When there’s only one seat at the table for women, an environment is created where competition happens between women, we’re fighting for that one seat.?

What should be happening is that we pull together to advocate for more seats.?

Some women embrace that. Others don’t. And I don’t blame them. Sometimes women have to do what they have to do to succeed.?

But that mindset clash became more and more apparent to me over the last year or so, and left me wondering if I was really the problem.?

Women vs Women??

I showcase women in supply chain through my podcast and blog series, dinners, and groups. I’ve partnered with women, given them my time, shared my expertise. I meet them in digital and real-world environments, celebrate them, and encourage them to celebrate themselves.?

But, in doing all of that, I started to notice – that competition, and sense of divide instead of unity, was leaving the boardroom and rearing its ugly head out in the wild.???

• When I started a paid membership group for women as part of Secret Society of Supply Chain, there were a few others that decided to launch something similar and compete – but for free. Listen, this isn’t about calling anyone out. There’s space for everyone. My point is that we're stronger together. By reaching out and collaborating, we can create something bigger, stronger, more impactful. If we don’t, we become fragmented, and we encourage that sense of competition over community that keeps us tied to that one seat. And, as I’ve talked about before, offering work for free harms women. We need investment, because work takes time and talent - and advocacy doesn’t pay the bills.?
• Numerous women and groups have tried to challenge, or even take, our Women in Supply Chain name and trademark.?
• People have shouted about the need for a Women In Supply Chain brand or series, and when I’ve said “Hey, I already have one! Here’s how you can get involved!” – crickets.
• And, when it came to achievements and celebrations, too many men and women were just staying quiet.????

I couldn’t help but ask: why?

And last year, it all really got to me. How could I continue to advocate for women when I got negativity or apathy back? How could I continue to talk about the importance of advocacy if I wasn’t seeing its effectiveness in action??

Did this all make me a hypocrite? A liar?

I got to a point where I was second-guessing everything, and I thought that the only answer was to step back from advocacy.?

Flipping the Script

But, just when I thought advocacy would no longer be a part of my journey in 2025, the universe did its thing and stepped in.?

I was honored by fashion entrepreneur and Real Housewives icon Sutton Stracke in New York. I was recognized as a ‘Pioneer of Circular Fashion’ and, honestly, it took me by surprise. I felt so valued, so appreciated. I felt more special, career-wise, than I had in a long time. And, when I was at the event – wow. It really showed me how important it is to advocate for what you believe in, and bring people together from different walks of life to celebrate the women making?an impact.?

Then I flew from New York to Las Vegas for Manifest, and was beyond excited to see advocacy and female empowerment taking center stage once again.??

The women's lunch saw a male speaker taking the stage for the first time! Michael Ringsdorf, Vice President of Transportation and Logistics at Mary Kay Global, joined Tammy Wharton, CEO and President of Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland, to share their stories and talk about the importance of diversity and mentorship, and it was a joy to see an ally advocating for women in such a high profile forum.?

And that empowerment continued with our Women In Supply Chain dinner. We had over 20 women attend, and they LOVED it. I saw how much women really do value the power of connection and community, and saw the difference it can make. I realized how important advocacy is now more than ever. (If you want to get involved, sign up here.)

Advocacy 2.0?

I’ve learned a few things from my crazy life and career journey so far: failure is a good thing, there’s always an answer to a problem – and I’m no quitter!?

I’ve come to realize that I need to think about advocacy in a different way. And, right now, I don’t even know what way that is!! As ever, I’m muddling through and figuring out the details as I go along. But I do know that it’s time to think outside the box.?

And that giving up on advocacy isn’t the answer.?

Sarah??