Sometimes You Need To Look Back

By Tricia Scott.

As the leader of a global business, you’d think I had my ducks in a row when it comes to interviews, wouldn’t you? But there’s something oddly vulnerable about sitting in a podcast studio, a microphone in front of you and absolutely no idea what question is coming next… on your own show.  

A couple of weeks ago, I travelled halfway down the country to meet our podcast host, Mark Sephton, to record two very special episodes of The Female CEO Podcast.

One where Mark interviewed me as the founder.
One where I interviewed him as the host.

We laughed a lot.

But somewhere in between the coffee, stories and the questions, something else happened on the drive home.

It made me stop and really reflect.

Because when somebody asks you thoughtful questions about your journey, questions you weren’t expecting and haven’t rehearsed answers for, you realise just how much life you’ve lived inside the thing you’ve built.

How many risks you took.
How many pivots you survived.
How many moments nearly broke you.
How many tiny brave decisions changed everything.

When you’re building a business, especially one rooted in purpose and community, you spend so much time looking ahead that you rarely pause long enough to turn around and see the distance you’ve already travelled.

One of the biggest realisations from those conversations with Mark was that almost every good thing that happened after I started The Female CEO could be traced back to community.

To people, conversations, and support. To somebody believing in me before I fully believed in myself.

Sometimes that looked like encouragement. Sometimes it looked like opportunity or borrowed confidence on the days I didn’t have enough of my own. And sometimes it looked like a swift kick in the ass when I needed it.

Because let's face it, building something meaningful is hard enough already without trying to do it on your own.

Last week, I wrote about Brené Brown’s idea of being in the arena. This week, I keep thinking about how important it is to have people in the arena with you.

People who clap when you win.
People who remind you who you are when you forget.

People who are ready to answer questions or give advice when you need it, without gatekeeping.
People who understand the courage it takes to keep showing up.

Whenever this message finds you today, pause (just for a minute or two) and really look at how far you’ve already come.

What have you survived that once felt impossible?

What have you learned along the way?

Who helped shape the person and leader you are becoming?

I think we owe it to ourselves to honour those chapters more often because the version of you from five years ago would probably be completely blown away by the life you’re living now 

And that deserves a full on standing ovation. 

(Also, there is a reel from the day on Instagram, and you can catch the behind-the-scenes moments from the podcast there.)

I believe in you (always).

👉🏼If you want to receive a Biz Love Letter directly to your inbox every week in 2026, I email our Hello CEO mailing list every Monday. To join, head to The Homepage and sign up! 

 Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO — a global platform, magazine, and community dedicated to helping women build confident, aligned, powerful businesses.

A startup mentor and multi-company director, she’s spent the past decade helping women move from overwhelmed and isolated to empowered and intentional.

Most days, she’s juggling her MacBook, her next big idea, and a very necessary caffeine supply. Connect with her at thefemaleceo.com.