126: Gain Skills and Visibility By Serving on a Board with Shireen Motara

Serving on a corporate or non-profit board is an excellent opportunity for you to gain skills and visibility and broaden your network.

Plus, representation matters: not only to the performance of the companies and organizations who have more women on their boards, but to women who see other women on boards and can then imagine it for themselves (“If you can see it, you can be it”).

I’ve served on several boards over the years and the relationships I’ve made have been such an important part of building Speaking Your Brand.

My guest is Shireen Motara, who consults with companies and agencies like the United Nations on gender equality and women’s rights, including board diversity.

This is a deep conversation about:

• How Shireen became interested in gender equality at a young age
• Why companies benefit from having more women on their boards
• Why there are so few women on boards
• What it looks like to serve on a board
• How to let organizations know you’re interested
• The skills you gain by serving on a board

Download the free PDF guide “What You Need to Know to be Board Ready”: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dfq02mxqoeq8fnl/Woman%20Board%20Leader_Shireen%20Motara_eBook_2019.pdf?dl=0

About My Guest: Shireen Motara is deeply passionate about the potential of Women, Entrepreneurs and Africa, and has a lifelong commitment to social change. For over two decades, Shireen has been working and volunteering for social justice. She’s held roles in management, coaching, executive leadership and consulting in South Africa, SADC and the United Kingdom. She volunteers her time to serve as a non-executive director on various boards and as a mentor to entrepreneurs. Her background qualifications include coaching, law, HR and business administration.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs and workshops at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/126

Shireen’s website: https://taratransform.com/

Download the free PDF guide “What You Need to Know to be Board Ready”: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dfq02mxqoeq8fnl/Woman%20Board%20Leader_Shireen%20Motara_eBook_2019.pdf?dl=0

Connect with Shireen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireenmotara/

Connect with Carol on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox/

Authors/books mentioned:

• bell hooks
• Toni Morrison
• Maya Angelou
• Dr. Tererai Trent
• Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

Catalyst research on women on boards: https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-on-corporate-boards/

Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999.

Create your signature talk or TEDx talk. Get all the details and apply online at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/coaching.

Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review!

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 45: Your Visibility Roadmap: Build Your Business, Brand, and Influence
• Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power
• Episode 94: Speaking and Showing Up Powerfully as Women with Molly Baker McPherson
• Episode 97: Thinking Bigger – I Get Coached On-Air by Geraldine Carter

Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.

A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.

As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable