Scarlett V Clark is a prominent Female Inspirational speaker, best known as the founder and CEO of Smart Girl Tribe—widely recognised as the UK’s leading female empowerment organisation.
As the bestselling author of The Smart Girls Handbook, host of the Smart Girl Tribe podcast, and empowerment expert for Harvard University and UN Women UK, Scarlett uses her platform to help young women stand in their power and design lives they truly love.
In this exclusive interview with The Champions Speakers Agency, she discusses the core messages of her work—from combating self-doubt to encouraging boundary-setting—and offers creative, actionable insights for women’s voices to be heard in the workplace.
What are some key takeaways from your book, Smart Girls Handbook, that you expand upon at events?
Through the Smart Girls Handbook I really show women how to follow their passion, start a business, set boundaries, know their worth and advocate for themselves. I also talk a lot about mental health and managing anxiety and standing up for yourself in both personal and professional.
What advice do you have for women struggling to have their voices heard in the workplace?
To be honest, I would say a really tangible tip would be to contact the meeting organiser to get yourself on the agenda ahead of time, so then they’re aware that you want to say something and also you have time to write some notes beforehand.
And I would say actually in the meeting itself, be kind but be very direct in your delivery.
What are some of the most common challenges that women face in the workplace?
In my experience, women seek either validation or permission. We have been taught or more conditioned from a very early age to think of ourselves as others perceive us. We want to be seen as good so we people please. We want to be seen as capable, so we look for others to tell us that we’re making the right decision or that we’re doing the right thing.
So, we really have to stop looking at others to provide us with that praise and start looking within and telling ourselves, and even reminding ourselves, that we are fully capable and powerful.
One of the toughest challenges I would also say in the workplace is discrimination. Inappropriate vocabulary is still being used in language that stereotypes women. So, we need to be aware of these. Women are still being labelled in offices as dramatic, emotional or even sensitive. So, office environments do need to change and learn how to be less hostile.
Also, I do think there is an element that we really need to help women when they are returning to work—either after taking maternity leave or if they have taken a significant amount of time off to raise their babies.
How can businesses create a corporate culture that empowers female employees?
There really needs to be a culture change. I don’t think that a problem exists which cannot be alleviated through education. There needs to be training, mentorship as well should be easily available, and also appropriate repercussions if the boundaries set aren’t adhered to.
To fix the broken rung as well, I think everyone should be examining the company’s hiring and promotional process. That’s a start, and from there you can really understand if there are any biases which are holding women back.
What do you hope audiences take away from your public speeches?
Audiences attending my speeches are going to be feeling empowered and inspired, even motivated, because they’re going to be shown how to implement these strategies from someone who has done the work.
My speeches are transformative workshops which have the power to change lives.
This exclusive interview with Scarlett V Clark was conducted by Megan Lupton of The Motivational Speakers Agency.
