The First Female Serjeant At Arms in 600 Years on Overcoming Impostor Syndrome- With Jill Pay

On todays episode of the Empower Sounds podcast, we are joined by Jill Pay. Jill is a remarkable woman who has made significant contributions in various fields. She holds an impressive list of achievements, including being the first female to be appointed as Serjeant at Arms in the House of Commons In 600 years, developing the security strategy to ensure the personal safety of the 3,500 people who work in Parliament and the million visitors annually, and to protect the asset of the two Houses of Parliament. Additionally Jill serves as the Chair of the Savvitas Senate and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Coram Beanstalk, a children's literacy charity. Alongside these several impressive accomplishments, Jill chairs the Gender Index, an innovative initiative that aims to promote gender equality, by regularly publishing gender data across the UK. 

Jill’s details her ‘kaleidoscope career’ touching on her career path which ultimately led her to make history as the first ever female Serjeant At Arms in The House of Commons in 600 years, a role typically reserved for men in military positions. She shares the story of her first job in the House Of Commons and how her prior experience in the private sector aided her in managing her team and work. Discussing the importance of good planning, Jill shares the value of a team who works with aligned and clear goals, giving advice to other managers and leaders on how to unite team members under one mission.

She also emphasises how to combat the feeling of imposter syndrome and gives advice to those suffering with feelings of inadequacy giving her tips on how to challenge negative self belief. Whilst discussing confidence , Jill also talks about compartmentalising stress and anxiety in the work place and how to keep going when times feel tough.

Additionally,  Jill shares her passion for reading and literacy, recommending the books that have influenced her core philosophy and her motivations behind volunteering in a children’s literacy charity. She also shares what changes need to made to curriculums to promote young people learning key life skills.

In the spirit of learning, Jill educates us with the value of data, imparting the idea behind the Gender Index, an organisation that she chairs which focuses on supporting women and small businesses to create a more equal future through greater transparency of data. She delves into the importance of data and how the gender index has promoted female entrepreneurs in the UK with its work, sharing what more needs to be done to further progress.

Some of the key themes and takeaways of todays conversation include:

• The importance of enterprise
• How to overcome imposter syndrome
• The importance of literacy for children
• The value of data transparency
• The lonely realities of being at the top of a field
• The challenges of breaking the glass ceiling
• The reality of gender inequality in the economy 
• How progress is being made and will continue

Tune in to learn more and listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and all other major streaming platforms.

Follow Jill on Linkdn at Jill Pay, and to learn more about the gender index visit https://www.thegenderindex.co.uk/