159. From Ambitious to Influential: A Real Visibility Career Story | Lucy Ndlovu

From Ambitious to Influential: A Real Visibility Career Story | Lucy Ndlovu I am so excited about today's episode. As part of celebrating 10 years of working with incredible women on their visibility, I knew there was one woman I absolutely had to bring back to the podcast — Lucy Ndlovu. Lucy is a strategic communications and engagement specialist, passionate about connecting policy, people and lived experience to drive meaningful change. She currently works at Vico Homes, where she has held Communications and PR roles. She is the Founder of Progressive Talent C.I.C. social enterprise, and is passionate about volunteering and mentoring initiatives that empower under represented communities. She holds an MA in Public Relations & Strategic Communication and is currently undertaking a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy, deepening her focus on equity, representation and social change. Lucy first came on the podcast back in 2021 — episode 88, if you want to go back and listen — where we talked about her dreams, her goals, and what stepping into visibility really meant for her at that point in her career. And let me tell you… what has happened since is exactly why I do this work. In this episode, Lucy shares how being visible — consistently, authentically, and without overthinking it — has opened doors she couldn't have predicted. We talk about how one post can lead to opportunity. How sharing your story builds credibility. And how growth can sometimes feel… unintentional. You don't even realise it's happening until you look back. We also talk about something so many women struggle with — overthinking what to post, worrying about what people will say, feeling like it has to be "serious" or perfect. Lucy is such a brilliant example of showing up as a whole human being — professional, yes — but also warm, relatable, and real. And for organisations listening in, this is why visibility matters. When women are supported to share their stories, to speak up, to build their presence — confidence grows. Credibility grows. Influence grows. And that impacts not just the individual, but your culture and your leadership pipeline too. Lucy says it best in this episode: Just go for it. You'll be amazed at the doors that open. So if you're sitting on the fence about putting yourself out there… or about investing in coaching to help you do it strategically… this conversation is going to give you the nudge you need.   I want to hear from YOU so get in touch with me: Book a chat with Gemma - This is the place to book a call to see how Gemma can help you or your company support female leaders to raise their profile, increase performance and visibility and build more allies. Get the White Paper > 'Visibility at Work: The Importance of Self Promotion for Women's Career Progression Connect with your host Gemma Stow: Website: https://www.gemmastow.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmastow/ LinkedIn: Business Page https://www.linkedin.com/company/no-more-hiding/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomorehidingco Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/gemmastow.bsky.social