We Are Power Podcast
The We Are PoWEr podcast spotlights voices and perspectives that need to be heard. Our weekly podcast, with listeners in over 60 countries, delivers PoWErful conversations that inspire, challenge, and empower... from personal life stories to business insights and leadership lessons.
We share diverse experiences, bold discussions, and real solutions. Whether you're looking for career advice, topical themes, or stories of resilience and success - this is where voices spark change.
We Are Power Podcast
The PoWEr of Being Nominated: Ann Stonehouse on Visibility & Voice
Empowerment champion and four-time finalist, Ann Stonehouse, joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast to share the journey behind her well-earned recognition at the 2026 Northern PoWEr Women Awards.
From starting a podcast club in lockdown to launching a book club to hold herself accountable, Ann reveals how community, creativity, and connection fuel her drive. She opens up about what it meant to be nominated, how mentoring through Northern PoWEr Women helped her grow, and — yes — the time she met the Queen (who was taller than expected!).
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 – Welcome to the We Are PoWEr Podcast
01:02 – Ann Stonehouse: NPWAwards finalist
06:22 – Creating the Assist Network
10:49 – The Sisterwood: Honouring women's achievements
13:35 – Walk and Talk: Accountability in motion
17:33 – Project Visibility: Stepping out of comfort
24:40 – The value of being nominated
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
Hello, hello and welcome to the we Are Power podcast. If this is your first time here, the we Are Power podcast is the podcast for you, your career and your life. We release an episode every single Monday with listeners in over 60 countries worldwide, where you'll hear personal life stories, top-notch industry advice and key leadership insight from amazing role models. As we Are Power is the umbrella brand to Northern Power Women Awards, which celebrates hundreds of female role models and advocates every year. This is where you can hear stories from all of our awards alumni and stay up to date with everything MPW Awards and we Are Power. Well, hello, hello and welcome to the podcast. This week, I am honoured to be joined by Anne Stonehouse, the winner of the 2025 Empowerment Champion Award at the Northern Power Women Awards. Welcome, anne. Thank you, honoured. Well, you know they say everything comes to she who waits because you were shortlisted in. Was it four years in a row? Four years in a row?
Speaker 2:yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, what do you know what? We always talk about the awards not being for one night. We always say you know that is 1600 nominations, but there's something around that receiving that nomination or and I know you equally you make nominations. What made you still want to be part of it, Because it's not just a case of being nominated. When you get nominated, right, you get an email that says fill in these questions and you've been nominated for different categories. What made you think, oh, I'm going to keep going. I feel I'm an expert now.
Speaker 2:Fill in these forms and even worse, doing them. Horrible videos, doing them three minutes videos that I just can't get to three minutes, because I've always got too much to say.
Speaker 1:It's impossible, isn't it? It is impossible, but there's something that's endeared you, isn't it? Into the MPW Northern Power Women community.
Speaker 2:I think the honour is and the recognition is when your peers are filling them forms in and putting you forward. And I think obviously winning is amazing, shortlisted and being a finalist is amazing, but the recognition at the beginning starts with somebody actually doing that nomination for you.
Speaker 1:And it's great that you get that, because that, in essence, is the sole reason why I created the awards well, coming up to 10 years now ago we're going to the 10th anniversary next year but it was done with the total intention of encouraging people to high-five their achievements. And I remember I don't know whether I think we talk about it when we go through the nomination process but I remember in that very first year, there was me on my own I think we talk about it when we go through the nomination process but I remember in that very first year there was me on my own. I think we'd received 680 nominations or something like that in that year, one from all over in and across the North.
Speaker 1:And you're reading about these spectacular humans like yourself, and I just thought, actually, it's really good if we could hear from the individual. Now, whilst I can't interview 580 or 680 people, I wonder what would happen if we asked them to fill in the questions. You know, I didn't want to go to a voting or anything like that. I wanted to hear from that individual. So this was as close as we could get. And then the follow on video, the cringe video, which I know everyone hates, but people do it and for me it's always been that opportunity to hear direct from the individual.
Speaker 2:I think your system works as well. So we've actually adopted that a little bit in one of our sister ward nominations because we plant trees. We plant one tree a year for one of our Two's Valley women. So we've adopted some of your streamlined systems into ours because it makes sense. I've done award nominations for women across the Tees Valley for years and years and years and years and it's really time consuming. You don't have all the information, you don't know the tiny bits, the nuggets sometimes, or even miss an award that somebody's got. So I think your system just makes sense because that just means that somebody can nominate quick, um, but then you actually, as you say, you get the the key information and the nuggets from the individuals themselves and I think as a nominator you just can't.
Speaker 1:You just can't share that information and it is great to hear. It's great because I think and it because I think one of the reasons I did it is ask for that sort of secondary information is because actually, like you say, you can't know everything and sometimes these awards were literally created, like I say, for people to encourage and high-five their own achievements. So the fact that it opens the door for you to go, oh, that's really lovely of somebody to write that about me and it's that kind of oh, my shoulders are back a little bit, that's really nice. Actually, there's only three questions and I get to be.
Speaker 1:There's an amazing young woman called Advita Patel who's been part of our future list for many years now and we had her on the how to Ace nominations webinar last year and she goes. You know what? Let had her on the um how to waste um nominations webinar last year and she goes. You know what? Stop, let's stop humble bragging. Let's absolutely brag and go. You know what? Because we are proud of what we've done and we should be celebrating that success. So I am glad you have stayed in for the ride and and keep staying in yeah, yeah, absolutely, and keep nominating the most of the point, yeah and that's it.
Speaker 1:There are no nominations or there is no awards without nominators, and they always say you know, it is those individuals who take the time to either make that audio nomination or to put their fingers to that keyboard to think about someone else, and it's we. Well, emma, as you know, you've just been, it's great to have you in the office. Anne's just been to the office right now, met most of the team, which is brilliant, and our Emma, queen of the Awards, and, as you know what I think, sometimes people don't realise, emma, and I will chase people, you know. So, even though it's complete by this deadline, we will keep going and we will hunt you down somehow.
Speaker 1:Linkedin, I think I've had you on a few times and again, everyone's busy and Our priority is to try and shine a spotlight and I'm delighted that you're here joining us in the studio today and you are. There's so much that I want to talk to you about today and I think one of the things I loved is I heard you on another podcast and talking about how and why you created the Assist Network. You know, because you've been part of the like. We all have, over the years, been part of the different networks and clubs and gangs, and you know we all remember the days. I still think it goes on. Now Someone's trying to thrust a business card, aren't they? In your hand and almost looking around for the next person to speak to? And you wanted to create a different environment, didn't you? Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Well, I've been in business 25 years? Surely not, not, yeah. So I would never leave the house unless I was in a suit, because I'm an accountant, my day job's an accountant, so it was always. I was always walking into a professional space while I was networking.
Speaker 1:sometimes even I would carry a briefcase, which sounds absolutely ludicrous now, but that's what we did briefcases wow, 25 years ago that's what we did, and heels, well, well and, to be honest, 10 minutes prior this is probably had a big debate, because you were like driven over from the teas valley you know with, with your son, lovely alex, um, and it was like, shall I heels or no heels? And I'm like you, do you whichever way, and I'm like, but these are not heels for walking in. I'm just telling you that right now, carter bar.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so yeah, it was very much as you say. You walked into a space and it was just a business card swap space and then, and very quickly, if somebody knew that you weren't going to sell to them or there was no connection very much, people would just move on to the next person and it just wasn't suited to women. It's just not. Women are about relationships. Women are about connections. We like to lay foundations, we like to build trust trust, don't we? And get to know each other and family and everybody else that comes with it. So so yeah, um, I started getting involved in women, into the network and into their award ceremony and I was part of their team as it come out of um Durham Business School and we turned it into a limited by guarantee organisation. So I was part of that team that did that and then around that time I inherited Assist. It wasn't called Assist at the time.
Speaker 2:I answered an email to a couple of ladies that were running a really small network and just said we're going to close it. Does anybody want to take it over? So I was one of three ladies that answered that email, didn't know the other ladies. We turned up a really short meeting, we were told I think it was something like £125 was in the bank account. Get a name, we'll transfer this over Off you go. So that's how we founded it. So we created a brand, got a constitution, and here we are now, 16 years on this month Wow. And what are you most proud of?
Speaker 1:There's too much to say.
Speaker 2:I mean, obviously, the culture and the connections that are made to every event. It is really relaxed, comfortable. We're very much about being inclusive. We give focus to women who are neurodivergent. So we want, you know, we want, we want the environment to be comfortable for for all. So so I suppose the network as a whole and the connection, but we're, we're I was told to, I was told about a month ago that we're classed as a um, an brand archetype, uh, who are an activist. Oh, so we have projects. Uh, we're really deep into now. We're seated at the table so we're trying to make impact on getting Tees Valley Women into the boardroom, in corporate charity, entrepreneurship, female founders and into politics as well. So we're deep in that project. That's an 18 month project. We've got targets, um, and we really want to make a difference.
Speaker 2:And, uh, we're actively bringing male allies into the room because, we know the door's not going to open easily or as quick as we want without, without male allies. So we've got, uh, all of our panels across this project, uh, two, two males, two females. Um, so at the end of the project, visually it's equality. That was it. That's the idea. Beyond that, uh, sister, what is the most that I'm proud of? Uh, so we plant a tree each year for a woman that's nominated by the network, and Sharon Sinclair is our Goodwill Ambassador this year. Sharon is our sixth Goodwill Ambassador.
Speaker 2:So back in 2020, january 2020, myself and one of the committee knocked on our Middlesbrough Mayor's door and said we're not going to get a statue of a woman in Middlesbrough. Clearly, can we plant a tree each year for one in particular that's nominated from the network, loved the idea, found the space. It's in one of our local parks. Originally, I had an idea that it want it would be an avenue of trees, but they've offered us a woodland, so one of the team then rightly named it the sister wood. So we were given 10 trees by middlesbrough council 2020, which were, which arrived, uh, two days into covid, so the park had rang and said I've got trees in buckets, please plant them. We got 10 trees that the council paid for the following year. So we ended up with 20 trees and I only wanted two. Don't ask, don't get. So we then got in touch with Teesside Archives and now the extra trees that we got are representing women of history as well, hidden women of history that have made a difference to the Tees Valley area.
Speaker 1:So you literally, are storytelling, your region, right, you're storytelling and you're amplifying, and I think for me there can just never be enough of it. You know, the more that we can tell those stories, stories, the more that we can create seats on the couch, seats on the table. Bring a beanbag, it doesn't matter, does it? We've just got to be intentional about this, and I think you, you know that we're really really keen that it's always around advocacy as well, because otherwise slows down the process. It's also not our problem to solve.
Speaker 2:Well, absolutely, absolutely. I mean. The bigger vision is, that is, to bring primary school children to come to the Sisterwood so they can see role models doing it present day and learn about the history as well, of women that have done it before.
Speaker 1:It's such an intentional way to do it and it literally has life and growth in it, doesn't? It's fantastic? Talk to me. One of the things I loved, uh, was about the, the walk and talk. So, and this became so you created a another club because obviously, you've got nothing else to do and really, um, but you created this because you were struggling to finish a book, right? So therefore, yeah, I'm going to hold myself to account and I'm going to create this club, but it's got. It's got really good like kind of intentions, hasn't it as well? Tell us about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so there's. So. So I was very aware me and my family, since my kids were sort of about that high I would get a little cubie post-it note out for the three of us and it was G1, g2, g3. And each of us wrote our goals for the year and I've got them all in, like really rough handwriting, from when they're much younger and they still do it now. We still do it every January. We set our goals.
Speaker 2:So for about three years my goal was to read, read. I think I said 12 books the first year and I thought, come on, let's be realistic. And each year it got less and I and I just couldn't do it. I just I would. I would read a book this is before Audible and I would fall asleep. So, uh, so I just thought, right, okay, pattern, yeah, so, so, so it was the case of right, okay, I'm gonna create a book club, um, and that means that I've got no choice because I've got to come back. I was realistic. So we only read. We do it quarterly, so we only read like one book every every three months, um, but it meant that I had no choice but to get that book finished and it won't be the first time when I'm still reading the book like on the way the night before before I can go to sleep.
Speaker 2:Oh, listen, to be honest, I'm very audible now so yeah um, so, so, so, yeah, and we're actually really pleased to say we're relaunching that as well, uh, in July. So we sort of paused it because we put our attention elsewhere, but we're relaunching it with a meet the author in the very beginning of July. So that's exciting. So, yeah, very, very much about accountability. Then, um, I was very aware that I sit at a desk all day and I really needed, from a health angle, I needed to do some exercise. So I thought, come on, okay, how can I get walking? So we created a walk and talk. Yeah, so we do. We do five walk and talks a year in hidden places right across the Tees Valley. Um, and again, it just makes me, me get out, do the walks, but but I also have to do the recces as well and we have to time it and things like that. So it definitely gets me out from from my, from my desk.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and have you got a favourite book? Have I got a favourite? Atomic Habits, probably. Visible Women, the book club. We don't do fiction, it's all about self-development, storytelling, biographies, that sort of thing. And actually during COVID we had a podcast club as well for a short time, because I found lots of us recommending different podcasts and that, so we would have a during COVID, we would have an online book club and then, two weeks later, we would have an online podcast club as well, and it was a lifeline for so many during that, during them, pandemic days, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:just, you know and I love, I've always wanted a book club, an MPW, or we are power book club, and so I live vicariously through you. Now, you know, or I'll come over to the sisterhood and we'll walk through. But there's something around, especially with a non-fiction and that self-developmental, there's something, not just only if you. You've had to be held to account, you personally, anne, but you've got that motivation amongst the other members. But equally, it's how we read things, especially nonfiction, can interpret in different ways. So you've got that knowledge exchange. That goes as well. So you're growing as you go and walk and talk, aren't you? Well, talking about growing. One of the things that made me chuckle a little bit and also made me super proud was back.
Speaker 1:You were awarded the Lifetime Ach lifetime achievement queen's award for enterprise and promotion yeah like wow, yeah, right, but one of the things, you met the queen, met the queen like amazing. Um, his and hers right, you met them both, but the queen was taller than you, yeah. So what did you not do that day? You didn't put your high boots on, did you you?
Speaker 2:I didn't do it. I did, simone. I had my heels on, was it?
Speaker 1:because of the crown.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was. It was the big hair. I was like stood there thinking, oh no, you are bigger than me. How can the Queen be bigger than me?
Speaker 1:What did it mean? I mean it's overwhelming right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very much. Yeah, yeah, the whole. If I tell you the story, when I got the email, I didn't. I was out that evening. It was a Thursday evening, so this was 2014. So again, we're sort of we're backtracking on tech and things like that Phones. We didn't have emails on phones or anything like that then.
Speaker 2:So I got in I think it was about half past 11, quarter 12, and I thought just stupidly, I don't do this, now check my emails. So I went into my office, checked my, checked my emails and then there was this email saying you've won a queen's award. And I thought somebody's winding me up here, but I couldn't do anything about it because it was like stupid o'clock at night. So I'd done a little bit of reading Somebody's pranking me, without a doubt. But the next morning I'd obviously picked it up, spoke to the yeah, absolutely missed. But I didn't know that the my nominators had even even done that.
Speaker 1:So wow, yeah, amazing. And this is really interesting because you are, I always think, the the unlikely seeker of visibility. Right, that's, that's not you, isn't it? You want to connect other people. I want to be in the background, I want to push people forward. That's you. So it? It made me? It made me sort of smile somewhat to hear about your new project, which is called project visibility project, which is literally this is you constantly coming out your comfort zone? I'm not going to read a book, going to create a club, going to make myself read a book. You know, it's just that. Now us about Project Visibility, because it's got some clear goals and tasks, hasn't it? Nothing's missing easy with you, is it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, not at all, and I will say so as a finalist. Obviously, we get offered a mentor. So I am working with one of your wonderful mentors, dawn, and she's been absolutely fabulous helping me figure this out, and again from a humble angle. Wonderful mentors, dawn, and she's been absolutely fabulous helping me figure this out, and again from a humble angle. So, uh, speaking to Emma and filling the, the forms in of, like, what do I want to do as a, as a mentee? Um, because I'm, I'm a mentor more most of the time. So it's like I'm really comfortable going into that mentee role and it was a case of I really need help to get over my fears and become visible, to make the difference that I would like to make.
Speaker 2:I'm very, yes, I'm in my own circles. People know my opinions, know what my drive is, um, and things like that, but beyond the Tees Valley, at like, I'm just not out there because I put very little on social media. I'm just not present. I'm just not present, like, on an online space in any way personally, so, um, so, yeah, the idea was I need to make myself, uh, visible. So started working with Dawn, um, and then, obviously, when, um, when I won the award, I thought I'd come back and within within a couple of days I thought I really need to make some difference with this um, and this is an opportunity that I would be foolish to stay in the background, but you know which is why I'm doing this completely pushing myself out of the comfort zone doing something like this.
Speaker 2:So I thought, right, okay, I will do my usual trick because I. So I've wrote my own strategy and put it on the shelf, and I thought I won't do that unless I'm accountable to somebody. Project Visibility, amazing. So with that, I am going to bring a few ladies, just a handful. This is nothing big, because I want it to be an intimate small group of women who feel exactly like me, who are frightened of doing things like this, who, uh, right, it takes two to three hours to write a linkedin post which is crackers, um and uh, yeah, just to be an equal in that group and take them on a journey with me, but me with them as well. So I'm accountable to them and them to me.
Speaker 1:That is amazing. Oh, do you know what? And for those of you who might not be aware, if you are a finalist in the awards. And so this year we had 1,600 nominations and we were down to I think 200 and something like 200 or so sort of in our shortlist and game changers, and we offer everyone part of a 12 week mentoring program and the whole idea is it's. You know, we said earlier, we're not just about one night, it is about that wider. How can we wider support? And it is interesting, we often get you know many of our founders who are senior, accomplished as you are in business, and so have been used to being the mentor. What have you learned most about being a mentee? Is it part of that accountability piece?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and it's asking for help as well, isn't it? It's like it's taking it the other way and we all can't know everything at any stage of life or career. So, like I've had a number of virtual meetings with Dawn and Dawn, you know she's saying I don't know what you need me for. You know, and I'm going through, this is my thought process, this is, but she's really added different angles to it for me. What about this? Have you thought about this and the things that my thought process just didn't? So it's nice to have somebody else walking by your side. Really, that's what she's doing. She's walking the walk with me, do?
Speaker 1:you know what? And I love it when I hear these stories. I absolutely love it. And Dawn big high five out to Dawn, one of our amazing mentors up in Sellafield and again might not have come across Dawn, she's up in.
Speaker 1:Whitehaven, you know so for me that's always one of the the I always think it's one of the secrets that we can offer is we can try and you know, sort of create, create those relationships, and it's only 12 weeks, only three meetings, but often they will go off in other direction. So I love the fact of what the awards and the whole kind of process has kind of sparked with this and I'm really excited um to to hear what happens with that. That first group. Please keep us connected on that. What advice would you give you're someone who you think of? When was it let me go back to 21, I think your first sort of nominated stroke, shortlisted? And what advice would you give to someone out there who thinks, oh, you know I'm not going to win, so I'm not bothered, or I don't want the spotlight, it's not me, um, it's just one night.
Speaker 2:I think, just be part of it. You, just, you just need to be part of it. Um, value, who's the? The nomination? Most importantly, because that that's worth more than anything else. So you've got actually got one of your peers putting you forward and and that's that. That's that recognition, um, it the route, really, um, but go with it. You, you've just, you've got to go with it. You might win eventually. Maybe that's the way to go, but even just chatting to Emma about your brochure, I go through that brochure and I connect to people. One of the other things that I love that you do is the breakout rooms with your category, because you were actually which I find is quite clever, because you're putting like-minded people together in the same virtual room and I've connected to people. So then you've got the share of best practice because it's right across the region. These people would never have met but were doing similar things in different areas, so they're so much more value in different areas.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's so great for me to learn that I'm doing that.
Speaker 2:You know, sometimes you think are we doing the right?
Speaker 1:thing. Are we over-engineering this? Are we doing too much? You know, and so it's amazing that you are benefiting from this and I think empowerment champion that's the first year we've done that award this year. That's a new category for us this year, so I'm absolutely delighted. I'm delighted you've benefited from that. I'm delighted you've built your wider networking.
Speaker 1:A massive high five to Dawn Watson. High five to Dawn to you and for being such an amazing supporter for you, for coming out of your comfort zone, for you, for like leaning into it, creating more spaces, more seats at tables, more opportunities, more trees, more nature, more healthy. You're the queen and thank you so much for joining us. You are absolutely amazing and I look forward to kind of watching your adventures as you go, because it's just a joy. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you. Subscribe on YouTube, apple, amazon Music, spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review or follow us on socials. We are power underscore net on insta, tiktok and twitter, or we are power on linkedin, facebook, and we are underscore power on youtube.
