International Women's Day - Meet the STORIES Team

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the resilience, talent, and achievements of women worldwide. At STORIES Parfums, our team is powered by incredible women who bring innovation, creativity, and leadership to everything we do. From storytelling to strategy, design to development, their passion and expertise shape our success every day. In this special feature, we’re shining a spotlight on the inspiring women of the STORIES team—sharing their journeys, insights, and what International Women’s Day means to them. Join us as we celebrate their contributions and voices that make STORIES truly exceptional.

One woman who really inspires me is Joeli Brearley, the founder of charity and campaign group Pregnant, Then Screwed. She is a brave advocate for women’s rights and has been influential in changes to government funded childcare and workplace policies. I think women like her are changing the shape of the workforce our children will one day enter, and it’s truly inspirational to be watching from the sidelines as they campaign for the rest of us! 

I am also surrounded by incredible women like my mum, my colleagues, Tonya and in particular my sisters. They are both amazing women and mothers, who are raising their sons to have strong morals and to respect women. They stand up for what they believe in, both professionally and in the world around them. They lift up other women, advocate for others, are fiercely loyal, and they inspire me every day.

The women who inspire me every day are my mother, Karen Lagdon who is so hard-working, courageous and kind. She has such gratitude for life and brightens up every morning for me with her calls each morning. Secondly my Auntie, Jacqueline Baker, who empowers me to have a positive response to any situation, encourages self-reflection and tackles every challenge with pride. I am so very lucky to be surrounded by like-minded, powerful women who support me through life.

For much of my life, my grandmother, Caroline Amelia, was a great source of inspiration to me. My husband and I named our eldest daughter Amelia in her honour. The name Amelia, meaning "industrious," was a perfect fit for her. My grandmother could turn her hand to most things, she had a vast array of talents, including baking and sewing. She worked with dedication and was always eager to spend time with me passing on her skills. A woman of noble character, she instilled many values in me that I still carry with me today.

Not just for International Women’s Day, but everyday, I want to celebrate the strongest, most selfless woman I know - my Mum. Her unwavering support, guidance and love have shaped me into the person I am today. Thank you Mum for being my rock, my inspiration, and my forever role model.

I am blessed to be surrounded by so many powerful, resilient women in my life. My twin daughters inspire and bring me joy daily - among a circle of dear family, friends and fellow female-founders - who have been a consistent source of love, support and kindness.

One particular woman unknowingly had a profound impact on my life, influencing how I look at things as I do, despite us sadly never meeting.

My grandmother. An outstanding business woman of her time, my grandmother was a Northern Ireland hotelier who broke a lot of glass ceilings for women in her day, an aspiration that I aim to pass on to my teenage daughters. Like me, she was a girl's girl and loved to lift others up. My grandmother really believed in supporting women to succeed and I feel that she has passed her entrepreneurial gift on to me. She is in fact the one who inspired STORIES Parfums.