Show up and support the women in your life. After all, we're stronger as a sisterhood.

If the past few years have shown us anything, it’s that we women can achieve amazing things. You may have been inspired by Kamala Harris’s VP status, and 82-year-old Jane Fonda’s on-going activism, and we’re more than sure that they had some kick-ass females in their corner.

With this in mind, it’s incredibly important that we start to dismantle the old narrative that women should be competing with one another. So, here’s a guide to all the ways you can support and empower the amazing women in your life.

Buy From Female-Owned Businesses

Whether it's women you know or women you don’t, putting your money where your mouth is and supporting women financially will make all the difference in lifting up the sisterhood. "Money is a powerful tool in female empowerment and progression - and often we need to go beyond words alone," believes Angelica Malin, award-winning entrepreneur and author of She Made It.

Malin encourages women to "take the time to research the founders behind brands, and support small, female-owned businesses - especially BAME-owned ones where possible - as this is a great way to encourage female empowerment and equality."

You can start by shopping at female-only brands and ask for all your gifts to be bought from all the amazing female-owned companies you’re sure to discover (you can find some inspiration in our guide to the best gifts from female-founded small businesses here). "Going forward, when looking for service-based businesses, get interested in the company's diversity and ethics – and try to hire businesses that put female empowerment top of their agenda too," urges Malin.

Compete With Kindness

There’s plenty of debate regarding whether competition is truly healthy, and whether this drive for ‘success’ can actually do more harm than good. However, there's no denying the effect competition has on the brain, says Natalia Ramsden, cognitive expert, business psychologist and founder of SOFOS Associates - the UK’s only specialist brain optimisation clinic.

"Competition, especially the sensation of winning, is often associated with a release of feel-good hormones dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin," explains Ramsden. Little wonder then that competition is both glorified and engaged in. Outside of work, this could look like whose child got into the best school, who has the biggest house, the newest IT bag or the most social media followers. While in the workplace you might find yourself undermining female colleagues you feel are a threat to your development or being rather icy to your female (and male) counterparts.

"Feelings of envy and jealousy often act as the motivational factor that drives us to compete with others, and we tend to feel a sense of competitive drive against those who are similar to us in ability, traits or position, or those who we perceive as possessing something that we desire on a psychological or emotional level," shares psychotherapist and psychologist, Charlotte Armitage.

In general, a level of competition is healthy. It is motivational and drives us to succeed. However, envy can lead us to act in uncharacteristic, unkind and unhealthy ways. So, rather than letting your envy turn you into a green-eyed monster "it’s worth reminding yourself that the perceptions you have of the competitor you’ve put on a pedestal (that you’d like to knock off) stem from our own imagination and biases rather than being grounded in fact. The reality of their situation is likely to be very different from what you perceive it to be.

Humanising them and understanding that they, like you, require the same psychological and emotional nurturing should help you have more empathy for them and yourself. This will allow you to let go of the negative elements of our natural competitive nature and enable you to recognise that there is space for all women to succeed," adds Armitage.

You might just find that competing with kindness and ditching your lone wolf status, will lead to more collaboration and more success than you could have imagined.

Be A Cheerleader

People make it a point to praise children constantly, even for rather unimpressive achievements, and "this praise not only enhances their motivation but also boosts their self-esteem and overall confidence," shares Ramsden. Yet despite research illustrating how beneficial praise can be on our everyday success, adults generally praise one another very little.

"Praise positively affects our behaviour, which in turn boosts confidence and as a result boosts our cognitive abilities. So the more you can show your support to others and praise their work, and the more they do the same, the more we can all collectively do better," explains Ramsden.

There are many ways you can be a cheerleader to the women in your life. "It could be liking, commenting and sharing their work-related social media posts, or something as quick and easy as a confidence boosting voice note," says Catherine Bolado, founder of PR and marketing agency, Jurassic Creative. 

"Whether it’s a friend who is having a tough day or a colleague having issues with a client, I won’t hesitate to record a voice note to tell them they are talented, capable, worthy and incredible. Sometimes we just need to hear it to believe it,’ she adds.

Receiving a personalised positive mantra can actually help rebuild the recipient’s neural pathways and aid in their ability to think positively about themselves, explains Ramsden. "What’s more, the likelihood of them cheering you on when you need it will increase too," she adds.

Swap Skills

"In today's world, knowledge is a more valuable currency than cash alone - and sharing knowledge is crucial to the ongoing mission of women's empowerment and liberation," says Malin. Sharing your knowledge is an inexpensive way to show support, so "if you have a unique skill, insight or expertise, then perhaps offer a skill-swap with another woman who has something they can teach you too," adds Malin.

While Malin advocates supporting and empowering the female founders’ community by sharing your knowledge with fellow businesswomen, you can also use this concept of skill swapping both in and outside of work. Swapping could consist of anything from learning to build a website for a new venture, and sharing financial advice in return, to teaching a girlfriend your famous Bolognese recipe and them helping you finally acquire a green thumb.

Pass On Opportunities

Take competing with kindness one step further and start being generous with your network and opportunities. In terms of work, you may find that "you've been approached for something that isn't quite right for you, or you realise there's another woman who is a better fit for a project, job or speaking event, so share it with them!" says Malin. "If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that everyone's businesses, careers and finances are potentially vulnerable - and no career is without its own challenges - so we have to be as kind, supportive and generous as possible to other women" she adds.

By opening up opportunities and experiences to other women, especially those who have less access to networks such as the AllBright Sisterhood, you will encourage the spirit of collaboration over competition and inspire others to do the same. This will have a domino effect that positively impacts more women than you could reach alone. Plus, the next time that person finds themselves in the same position you’ll most likely be top of their pay it forward list.

Be An Ally

Whether it’s in the workplace or the supermarket, do your best to be an ally to your fellow females. "If you see anything unjust occurring or being said, step up and be an ally," says Scarlett V Clark, CEO and Founder of Smart Girl Tribe and author of The Smart Girls Handbook. "Rather than approaching the victim later to console them, you need to acknowledge people’s bad behaviour in public and as it is happening. Call them out and hold them accountable in an appropriate manner. If something occurs in the workplace explain why their conduct or words are incongruous or demeaning but always keep your tone professional."

Being an ally is not always easy, as you may well feel like you are opening yourself up to being a target. But Clark believes that "we need to take the onus to create a better (working) environment for our diverse, trans and specially-abled colleagues. Frequently, individuals make mistakes because they haven’t been educated on these topics, and this has led to our sisters carrying around hurt and internalised pain, that we are required to help them unpack.

"Make sure appropriate reading material is readily accessible and if you are in a position to, advocate for more inclusive company training. If you are not, find someone who can make the above happen. Suggest training sessions and presentations on implicit bias. If you are not fighting for all women, you are not fighting for any women."While discrimination of all kinds is commonplace in and outside of work, you may find that you don’t work in a diverse office setting. However, there are still ways in which you can support your female counterparts, says Clark.

"Recent studies reveal that there is a universal phenomenon that persists: that a woman’s point of view is more likely to be glossed over than a man's. How can you tackle this? Next time a woman makes a key point, repeat it and give her credit. Try something along the lines of: I really loved [colleague’s name] idea to [summary of point] and maybe we could explore that further."