An entrepreneur who has helped hundreds of women to find their voice is now creating a documentary aimed at inspiring others into public speaking.

Beckie Taylor is the exited founder of Tech Returners, which helped people to resume their careers following a break. She is also the driving force behind Empower events, which give people a safe space to learn and collaborate accessibly, while encouraging vulnerability to inspire courage in others.

Now, as part of her Voices in Tech speaker platform, she is self-funding ‘The Sound Barrier’ – a six-part series profiling the highs and lows experienced by 10 women as they journey into public speaking for the first time.

She is seeking the 10 subjects for the documentary now, with the deadline for applications at the end of this month. There is no cost for involvement.

Only 25% of tech speakers globally are women, according to Taylor, who was recently chosen from almost 500 nominees as one of Computer Weekly’s UKtech50 for 2025 – the most influential people in UK tech.

“It’s time to make a change – that’s why I’m creating this documentary,” she says. “It isn’t just about stories of success: it’s about the moments of vulnerability, the times we feel fear, and the courage it takes to keep moving forward. 

“I want to show that it’s okay to be afraid, and that real strength comes from facing those fears together.”

Taylor told our recent Northern Leaders Futures event: “I found my own voice in 2014. I never thought I could do public speaking. 

“I remember my first time: I followed Lucy Adams, the ex-HR director for the BBC [and CEO of Disruptive HR since 2014].  I was clinging onto the lectern like you wouldn’t believe! 

“My knees were knocking. I couldn’t even tell you what I said. But when I came off and saw the response from sharing my own story, knowing that it connected with people, it gave me that passion to do it more.”

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Taylor says she “went through a whole journey of highs and lows” before helping hundreds of women along that same path.

“What people don’t see is what happens behind the scenes around that transformation: how the confidence eventually just clicks in people that never thought they could ever venture onto a stage.

“However many LinkedIn posts and reviews you get, you can’t actually capture that transformation [in any other way].”

The message is that women must recognise they have a story worth sharing – “a value in their voice”.

“It’s so important… especially with the narrative that’s going on in the wider world now,” she adds.

You can apply to take part in The Sound Barrier here. The deadline for entries is 31st July.