Another Woman Shining Never Dims Your Light

I've never watched a single episode of Strictly Come Dancing.

Not one. Even though I know it's a national institution. But even from the outside, I can see something remarkable happening on that stage every Saturday night. Something most workplaces still haven't figured out.

Two women. Same stage. Same show. Same spotlight.

And not a talon in sight.

The Myth of the Single Slot

We've been fed a story for decades. The story goes like this: there's only room for one woman at the top. One seat at the table. One female partner. One woman on the leadership team. One slot, and you'd better fight for it.

This narrative pits women against each other. It teaches us to see other women as competition rather than allies. It creates the "queen bee" phenomenon, where women who make it to the top pull the ladder up behind them. Not because they're bad people, but because they've internalised the scarcity.

If there's only one slot, and she takes it, there's none left for you.

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have been quietly dismantling this myth for years.

What They Get Right

Watch them together and you'll see something unusual: genuine warmth. No undermining. No subtle digs dressed up as jokes. No jockeying for the better camera angle or the bigger moment.

They share the stage. They share the laughs. They build each other up.

And here's the thing: neither of them is diminished by it. The show isn't weaker for having two women at the helm. It's stronger.

Why This Is So Rare

Think about how many TV shows, boards, and leadership teams have two women in equally senior roles. Actually equally senior. Not one woman and her deputy. Not one woman in the big job and another in a support function. Two women, side by side, sharing power.

It's rare. And that rarity tells us something about how we've structured workplaces and opportunities.

When there's only ever one woman in the room, every woman becomes a threat to every other woman. That's not a reflection of women's nature. It's a reflection of artificial scarcity.

The problem isn't that women don't support each other. The problem is that we've built systems where supporting another woman can feel like giving away your only shot.

The Abundance Mindset

What Tess and Claudia model is abundance. The belief that another woman's success doesn't diminish yours. That there's enough spotlight for everyone. That you can celebrate her win without it being your loss.

This is easy to say and hard to live. Especially when you've spent your career being the only woman in rooms full of men. Especially when you've watched other women get the opportunities you wanted. Especially when the scarcity feels real because, in many organisations, it still is.

But here's what I've learned: the scarcity is a choice. Organisations choose to have one woman on the board. They choose to promote one female partner. They choose to frame it as a zero sum game.

And we can choose differently.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Supporting other women isn't just a nice idea. It's a practice. It looks like:

Recommending a woman for an opportunity, even when you wanted it yourself.

Celebrating publicly when a female colleague gets promoted.

Mentoring and sponsoring women coming up behind you.

Refusing to participate in gossip that tears other women down.

Advocating for more seats at the table, not just fighting for your own.

Recognising that her success is evidence that women like you can succeed. Not a threat to your own chances.

The Room Gets Brighter

I think about this a lot as I've built my career. There were times when I saw other women as competition. Times when I felt threatened by their success. I'm not proud of it, but I understand where it came from. I'd absorbed the scarcity narrative without even realising it.

But the more senior I've become, the more I've seen the truth: another woman shining never diminished my light. Not once. If anything, it made the room brighter. It opened doors. It shifted perceptions. It proved that women belonged in spaces we'd been excluded from.

Every woman who succeeds makes it easier for the next one.

Tess and Claudia probably didn't set out to be a masterclass in female collaboration. They just showed up, did their jobs, and treated each other with respect.

But in a world that still tells women there's only room for one, that's quietly revolutionary.

The Challenge

So here's my challenge, to myself and to anyone reading this:

Look at the women around you. The ones in your industry, your company, your field. Are you seeing them as competition or as allies? Are you hoarding opportunities or sharing them? Are you pulling up the ladder or reaching back to help someone else climb?

The scarcity is a lie. There's room for all of us.

Another woman shining doesn't dim your light.

It just makes the room brighter.

Keep dancing. 💃