The sessions were delivered by two exceptional trainers. Dr Vanessa Collingridge, an award‑winning broadcaster, journalist, best‑selling author, academic and leadership coach, brought a wealth of experience from her work across major UK TV channels and her global coaching practice. Alongside her was Deborah Gammell, whose background in recruitment, stakeholder engagement and strategic HR made her an invaluable guide. Deborah is also the WCorp Ambassador for Scotland, championing gender equity and inclusive hiring, while contributing to her family business — Conifox Adventure Park.

During the second session, the group was also joined by Jemma McLean, Communication Coordinator at Future Asset — an organisation dedicated to introducing high school girls to the world of investment and finance, showing them that gender should never be a barrier to ambition.

The sessions were partly funded by the £1,000 prize won by three of our PL students — Amy, Emma and Lucy Darling — who came first in the Future Asset competition two years ago. Their success continues to create opportunities for others.

Across the fortnight, the girls explored powerful ideas about confidence, communication and self‑belief. They examined research from Cambridge University (Alecia Carter, 2018), which found that men ask 2½ times more questions than women, even when the room is evenly split. This was reinforced by further findings from Shoshana Jarvice (University of California, Berkeley, 2022), showing that men asked 78% of all questions at academic conferences. These insights sparked important conversations about voice, visibility and the subtle barriers women can face in professional spaces.

The sessions also looked at how the brain responds to stress — and why a stressed brain can’t learn effectively. The girls learned practical strategies to stay calm, centred and in control, even in challenging situations. One of the most empowering messages was the idea that no one has the power to make you feel anything. Your reactions, your presence and your confidence belong to you. You can stay steady. You can take up space. You hold the power.

By the end of the two sessions the transformation was clear. The girls left not only with new skills, but with a stronger sense of themselves — their voices, their strengths and their potential.

And naturally, a few extra laps on the go‑karts didn’t hurt either.