Women working on hard problems don’t always have a room of their own. On a cold, windy evening in London, a small group of us found one. We came together this Women’s Day to share what we’re building and discuss what it really takes to build it.

I’m Naomi, a member of the Hard Problems community, a space that makes hard problems feel a little less hard.

I helped bring this evening together with a simple idea: no performative networking, just a space to sit, share, and be honest about our wins and struggles. So we designed the evening with care, to create enough warmth for women to show up fully.

That intention showed up everywhere. Elyce brought incredible food. Rachel opened the evening with a single prompt: “What are you working on, and where do you need help?” Soon after, the conversations went deeper than you’d expect a room full of near-strangers. There is a certain ease that comes from being in a room full of women, it’s hard to name, but you feel it when it’s there.

Work on public health, climate, education, and other hard problems is often lonely. For women, that loneliness can often come with the extra weight: fewer spaces to feel fully at home, less access to capital, and the cost of being the only one in the room. Evenings like this remind us how much lighter work feels when we don’t do it alone.

A few reflections from the room:

We want to keep that going. We have set up a Slack space for Wxmen Working on Hard Problems to continue sharing and supporting each other. If that sounds like you, join us!

Naomi Owolabi, Member of Hard Problems

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