Why we launched The Lowdown

Founders Megan & Karmjit share more about why they have launched The Lowdown.

Throughout our diverse careers we have both faced challenges such as sexism, racism and unequal pay in the workplace that have, at times, questioned our potential, decisions, and made us feel isolated.

Where we have often felt most supported in our careers and in addressing some of these experiences is when we’ve had a strong network of women and mentors to listen to us, advise and support, while inspiring us to reach our potential.

We launched The Lowdown because we want women, particularly those early on in their careers, from diverse backgrounds to see themselves in a wide range of careers and diverse roles and to be able to see the routes women have taken to get to this point, what’s held them back and how they’ve overcome challenges - whether that’s taking direct action, seeking support, or opting for a more unconventional route in their career. We want the Lowdown to be a space where women feel inspired, empowered, and supported by other women when it comes to their careers and ambitions.

We have also both had our own experiences with mentoring and seen first-hand how a great mentor can increase your confidence, help you set and reach your goals and open up new opportunities. There have been times, however, where we’ve persevered with mentor relationships that may not have been the best fit for us, whether that’s because they could not really commit the time to the relationship, did have the most relevant experience, or there just wasn’t that chemistry.

There have been times where mentors from the same industry have helped us to grow in our current roles and secure promotions, whereas at other times, we’ve benefitted from an outside perspective from someone with no knowledge of the industry we work in, with a general focus on problem solving, leadership skills and confidence building.

That’s why our approach at The Lowdown we want to take a personal approach to matching our mentors and mentees – discussing mentees what support they’re looking for or what industry they currently or wish to work in. We then match this with a mentor who has the right experience to be able to provide high quality mentoring.

We believe no woman should be held back in their career because of their gender, particularly those from minority and marginalised backgrounds. While our mentoring service is open to all who identify as a woman, we want to focus on recruiting mentees who don’t have the privilege and cultural capital to benefit from the right mentoring support and career advice in a way that people from more advantaged backgrounds and positions do.

We are working hard to promote The Lowdown through organisations and networks that work with women from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds.

If you’re interested in becoming a mentor or mentee – or sharing your career insights with us and other women, get in touch we’d love to hear from you!