Guest blog from Sarah Crowhurst, Co-Founder and Director, Hynt
Last week, I took to the stage at the Pizza for Losers. It’s a safe space where we strip away polished LinkedIn updates and shiny results decks at conferences, to talk about the messy, and sometimes painful, realities of failure.
I shared a story about burning out in a role, a time defined by 60 hour weeks, office bathroom panic attacks and the erosion of my self-belief. When I finally made the decision to resign with no backup plan, a director handed me a parting gift. He told me he’d never liked me, weaponised the time off I’d taken during my time at the company, and told me I’d never make it as a freelancer.
I did make it. It took me a long time to build my confidence and self-belief, but I’ve now co-founded a thriving digital fundraising agency, Hynt.
But when I stepped off that stage, the conversation shifted from a personal story to a systemic one.
I was approached by people across our sector, all women, some younger, some older, sharing the exact same thing had happened to them. I’ve since received numerous messages on LinkedIn, all sharing leadership egos that had affected their confidence.
As one person wrote to me:
“Your talk resonated in such a huge way it had me slightly choked. Back in 2014 I was in a similar position. It’s taken years of work to overcome that self-doubt… This is why we need days like today, bravery like yours to share your story, so we have better leadership and change in cultures.”
Another shared what they observed in the crowd:
“Several people told me how important your talk was, and started sharing their similar stories. All women. All said they’d had the same experience and never heard anyone talk about it in front of the sector.”
Hearing these stories made me realise that this isn’t an isolated issue, and it is something we are not talking about nearly enough.
We work in a sector that talks constantly about equity, but our internal workplace cultures often tell a different story. You do not need to pull others down to get ahead, and you don’t need to attack someone’s character to assert authority.
I didn’t build my business to prove someone else wrong. I did it to prove myself right.
The fault lies in culture, not in your capability. Let’s start talking about this openly, and build a sector where leadership actually matches our values.
Pizza for Losers back is back for 2027 – add June 29th to your diary!
This post was written by a guest contributor. The views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect the positions of Fundraising Everywhere. Content from guest authors may reflect different approaches, experiences, or perspectives to those covered in other events and training.