The workshop partner for UK women’s networks and ERGs. From single IWD sessions to full-year programmes.
What you need to know:
- Workshops, keynotes and multi-session programmes designed specifically for women’s networks and ERGs.
- Anchor workshops: Confidence at Work, Imposter Syndrome, Managing Menopause at Work, Women’s Mental Health, Women in the Workplace keynote.
- 60-90 minutes per session. In-person UK or virtual worldwide.
- Multi-workshop programmes are our sweet spot — clients typically book 4-8 sessions across the year.
- Trusted by 350+ organisations including Sky, Accenture, TikTok, Charlotte Tilbury, IOD, Jamie Oliver Group and Total Energies.
We understand women’s networks — because we’ve spent 18 years supporting them
Women’s networks and ERGs are unlike other buying groups. You’re building something meaningful with limited budget, often volunteer time, and a leadership team who need to feel the impact of what you’re doing. The wrong workshop lands flat. The right workshop becomes something your members quote back to you six months later.
At Stretching the City, we’ve spent 18 years working with UK women’s networks — from FTSE 100 employee resource groups running six-figure annual programmes to 15-person start-up networks planning their first International Women’s Day event. We know the difference between a session that ticks a diversity box and a session that genuinely helps women step up, stay, and grow.
This page is for network chairs, ERG leads, DEI teams and HR business partners planning content for a women’s network or affinity group. If that’s you, keep reading — everything below is built around what we see actually works for this audience.
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The anchor workshops for Women’s network programmes
Every women’s network is different. But a small handful of workshops come up in almost every conversation. These are the sessions we deliver most often for this audience:
Confidence at Work Workshop
Our newest and fastest-booking session for women’s networks. A behavioural-science workshop on the habits that quietly hold women back at work — over-explaining, hedging, holding back in meetings, defaulting to others. Not “just believe in yourself” affirmations. Practical tools women use the following week. 60 minutes. Frequently paired with Imposter Syndrome as a two-part programme.
Imposter Syndrome Workshop
The cognitive companion piece to Confidence at Work. Addresses the internal narrative that so often surfaces in women’s network conversations — the sense of not belonging, the fear of being found out, the invisible weight of high performance. Combines evidence-based content with reflective exercises. Deep, warm, honest. 60-90 minutes.
Managing Menopause at Work
GP-led. Covers perimenopause and menopause symptoms, workplace impact, and practical management strategies. Increasingly the flagship October session for women’s networks — a moment for the organisation to say “we take this seriously.” Also delivered as a manager-focused version so line managers know how to support their teams.
Women’s Mental Health
Broader wellbeing content built specifically for women’s networks — mood, hormonal health, boundaries, stress patterns that show up differently for women. Often anchors Women’s Health Month in May or the wellbeing-focused sessions in a broader annual programme.
Women in the Workplace — Keynote by Sally Lovett
Stretching the City founder, Sally Lovett’s signature keynote. Delivered for IOD, Total Energies and Jamie Oliver Group. The right choice when your women’s network needs a moment – not just a workshop. Typically anchors International Women’s Day for organisations of 150+. In-person UK. Q&A included.
And beyond
Other workshops that women’s networks regularly book: Boundary Setting, Anxiety at Work, Employee Burnout Workshop, our full productivity & personal development range.
The annual moments Women’s Networks build programmes around
Most women’s networks find their year naturally organises itself around four to six anchor moments. Some networks anchor around all of them. Others pick two or three and go deeper. Both models work — as long as you’re intentional.
March: International Women’s Day
The biggest moment of the year for most women’s networks. Books up 3-4 months in advance. If IWD 2027 matters to your network, start scoping in October 2026. Popular formats: Our International Women’s Day workshops, Sally’s keynote, Confidence at Work workshop, Imposter Syndrome workshop, or a paired programme combining two of these.
May: Women’s Health Month / Mental Health Awareness Week overlap
The wellbeing anchor moment. Women’s Mental Health, Managing Menopause, or a broader wellbeing session tend to work best here. This is often when networks bring in content that supports the whole person, not just the professional.
Planning ahead for 2027 already?
The 2027 Wellbeing Awareness Days Calendar is now live for HR teams who plan a year ahead. If you want first sight of the 2027 dates and themes, see the 2027 calendar or sign up to our newsletter.
October: World Menopause Day / Menopause Awareness Month
Second-biggest anchor moment for many women’s networks after IWD. Managing Menopause at Work is our most-booked October session. Increasingly, networks are pairing the employee session with a manager-focused version delivered the same week.
Ongoing: Quarterly wellbeing rhythm
The strongest women’s network programmes we support don’t just mark the awareness moments. They build a quarterly wellbeing rhythm — one session every 8-12 weeks — so the network stays present in members’ calendars year-round.
Planning ahead? Our 2027 UK Wellbeing Awareness Days Calendar maps every workplace wellbeing moment across next year with suggested workshops for each. Free PDF download.
Three typical programme shapes we deliver:
Most women’s networks land in one of three shapes. Not prescriptive — just useful patterns to see whether your instinct matches something proven to work.
Shape 1: The International Women’s Day Anchor
One flagship IWD session (usually a keynote or high-impact workshop) — plus one supporting session in October (typically menopause). Best for networks with limited budget or those just building momentum. Two-session commitment. Full-day IWD feel without year-round overhead.
Shape 2 : The Quarterly Programme
One session per quarter, timed to natural moments (IWD in March, Wellbeing in May, Menopause in October, reflection or confidence in November/December). Four sessions. This is the sweet spot for most mid-sized networks — enough presence to build community, not so much that scheduling becomes a burden.
Shape 3: The Signature Programme
Six to eight sessions across the year, including a paired programme (Confidence at Work + Imposter Syndrome delivered a month apart), a menopause pairing (employee + manager version), an IWD keynote, and quarterly wellbeing content. This is the shape for networks with strong internal sponsorship and a mandate to make a genuine cultural difference.
If you’re not sure which shape fits your network, a 20-minute call is usually enough for us to help you scope it.
What makes Stretching the City different for women’s networks?
- The workshops are built for the audience — not generic wellbeing content dressed up. Everything we deliver for women’s networks is developed with the specific challenges women navigate at work in mind. Not the same content we deliver for a generic wellbeing week with pronouns swapped
- Every session is grounded in behavioural science. Not affirmations, not motivational speaking, not “believe in yourself and it’ll happen.” Evidence-based tools women can use in their next meeting. This matters especially for high-achieving women who are (rightly) sceptical of self-help framing.
- Multi-session pricing is favourable. Networks booking a full-year programme get significantly better per-session pricing than one-off bookings. We’d rather build a lasting partnership than sell you a single session and disappear.
- We know how to speak to your leadership sponsor. Every women’s network has a leadership sponsor whose confidence in the programme matters. We’re used to briefing sponsors, showing measurable impact, and helping network chairs make the case for the following year’s budget.</p>
- Family business, no aggressive sales. Stretching the City is founded and run by sisters — Sally and Katy Lovett. Every scoping conversation is directly with one of us or a senior facilitator. No cold-calling, no “have you had a chance to review the proposal” chase emails. If we’re the right fit, we’ll say so. If we’re not, we’ll say that too.
Some of the women’s networks and organisations we’ve supported
Sally delivered a brilliant session as part of our International Women’s Day activities. Sally made women’s progression in the workplace feel realistic and achievable. I’d highly recommend her sessions.
Lucie Warne, Chair of Women’s Network | TotalEnergies
I just found the whole thing very enlightening. The Women’s Mental Health session felt welcoming, safe and was absolutely wonderful.
It was a great, thought-provoking session for IWD and we really like that the trainer included everyone, not just women.
FAQs: For Women’s Network Chairs and ERG Leads
How far in advance should we book?
Booking windows for women’s network programmes
IWD (March) and Menopause Day (October) are our two busiest moments. IWD content is typically scoped from October the year before. Menopause Day content is typically scoped in June-August. For quarterly or year-long programmes, we recommend scoping 2-3 months before the first session so we can align facilitators, format and content across the full year.
Do you deliver virtually?
In-person UK and virtual worldwide
Yes. Every workshop is available in-person (UK) or virtually (worldwide). Many of our women’s network clients run hybrid programmes — some sessions in-person for community, some virtual for accessibility across international offices.
Do you offer content specifically for ERGs beyond women’s networks?
Yes — for LGBTQ+, parents, neurodiversity, men’s and multicultural networks
We support employee resource groups across multiple identity dimensions. Alongside women’s networks, we regularly deliver content for LGBTQ+ networks, parent networks, neurodiversity ERGs, men’s mental health groups and multicultural networks. Get in touch and we’ll scope what’s most relevant.
Can you build a bespoke programme rather than off-the-shelf workshops?
Yes — most of our women’s network work is bespoke
Most of the workshops listed here have a standard framework, but the framing, examples and emphasis get tailored to your network’s specific context, industry, demographics and moment. Bespoke keynote content (particularly for IWD) is also possible — Sally frequently develops keynote material specifically for the sponsoring organisation.
How do we measure impact so we can justify the budget next year?
Pre/post pulse, attendance, testimonial capture
Every workshop can include a short pre- and post-session pulse survey capturing confidence, intent-to-apply, and satisfaction. We hand you the anonymised data so you have concrete evidence for your annual budget conversation. For signature programmes, we can also design a lightweight impact framework tracking behaviour change over 3-6 months.
Can we combine women’s network content with our broader wellbeing programme?
Yes — most clients do
Most of our women’s network work sits inside a broader annual wellbeing programme with the same organisation. That means consistent facilitators, aligned content, and typically a better commercial arrangement across the whole engagement. Our 2027 UK Wellbeing Awareness Days Calendar is a good starting point for scoping the whole year.
Ready to scope your women’s network programme?
The best next step is a 20-minute call or drop us a line at the form below. You’ll leave with a clear view of which workshops fit your network, how the year could look, what the pricing would be, and whether we’re the right partner. No pitch, no follow-up chase emails. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll say so.
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