Back Yourself: What My MSc Research Taught Me About Women Entrepreneurs, Networks, and Navigating Work–Life Balance.

Laura's Bio

Laura Foot is the founder of Footstep Training and an experienced educator with over two decades of experience working across the training and education sectors. A qualified teacher and quality assurance specialist, she is currently completing an MSc in Business Psychology to further integrate psychological insight into professional learning and leadership development.

At Footstep Training, Laura leads the design and delivery of accredited qualifications in education, leadership, coaching and management. She is committed to supporting learners at all stages of their careers and helping organisations strengthen their training capability. Her core interests include leadership, learner well-being, entrepreneurship, and the application of psychology to teaching and organisational development. She is passionate about creating accessible, meaningful learning environments where people can thrive and make a lasting impact.

Laura's Blog

Submitting my MSc dissertation still doesn’t feel quite real. If you’d told 18-year-old me, who couldn’t wait to get into the working world, that I’d one day be completing a postgraduate degree in Business Psychology while running a company and raising two children, I’d probably have laughed. Back then, university didn’t seem necessary for the career I wanted, so I took the vocational route, built my qualifications through work, and became a lifelong learner almost without realising it.

But somewhere along the way, analysing human behaviour became more than an interest, it became a fascination and that pull led me to complete a BSc in Psychology a few years ago. It was a long, demanding journey (especially with parenting and running a business), but I absolutely loved learning at that level again and achieving a First (yes I am shouting about my achievement) felt like I had finally proved to myself I was capable.

Then came the opportunity to take on a fully funded MSc in Business Psychology and I nearly didn’t do it because timing wasn’t perfect and life was full. But my stubborn commitment to finishing what I start won the argument and I’m so glad it did.

Now, as I prepare to submit my dissertation, I feel an enormous sense of achievement. I am nervous about the result obviously, but one thing this journey has taught me is to back yourself. There is no perfect time to return to study when you have a business, a career, a family, or all three, but do it anyway.

Below is a summary of my research, an exploration of how women entrepreneurs use networks to navigate work–life balance, followed by a personal reflection on what studying as an adult really means.

What My MSc Research Explored

My study investigated how women entrepreneurs experience and use networks, both online and in-person, to support work–life balance. Through interviews and thematic analysis, five core themes were created:

1. Catalysts for Change: Entrepreneurial Motivation and Critical Incidents

2. Integrating Work and Life: Strategies and Challenges in Entrepreneurship

3. Shifting Self-Doubt to Self-Trust: Identity and Confidence

4. Authenticity Under Pressure: Gendered Challenges and Work–Life Balance

5. Changing Isolation to Community: Support Through Entrepreneurial Networks

Below is a summary of how these themes help to understand the lived experiences of

women business owners.

1. Catalysts for Change

The women in my study didn’t typically set out to become entrepreneurs, they were

prompted by critical incidents: redundancy, illness, divorce, or family crises. These events disrupted the status quo but also created space for reflection and the desire for autonomy, flexibility, and meaning.

This aligns with Cope’s (2011) work on entrepreneurial learning, showing how adversity triggers deep reflection and the re evaluation of life priorities. Networks strengthened this process by offering emotional reassurance and spaces for reflective learning, supporting both resilience and decision-making.

Notably, online networks were shown to be just as powerful as in-person ones, a finding that extends previous research and highlights the value of digital communities for modern entrepreneurs.

2. Integrating Work and Life

Participants didn’t view work–life balance as defined boundaries. Instead, they described a blended, integrated existence where work is often meaningful enough to feel like part of life, not separate from it.

But this integration comes with challenges: blurred lines, emotional overload, and competing responsibilities. Women used a range of strategies to cope such as values-based prioritisation, boundary setting, intentional downtime, and conscious energy allocation.

Networks supported this by offering advice, validation, and reassurance, helping women maintain both well-being and performance. Through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017), networks supported autonomy, competence, and relatedness, all of which sustain intrinsic motivation.

3. Shifting Self-Doubt to Self-Trust

Many participants experienced imposter feelings, particularly during the start-up phase.

These weren’t due to lack of ability, they were shaped by gendered expectations and

societal norms around entrepreneurship.

But networks played a crucial role in transforming self-doubt into self-trust. Discussions with peers helped women reframe their experiences, feel validated, and recognise themselves as legitimate entrepreneurs. This process, built autonomy and confidence while reducing emotional exhaustion, as seen in Conservation of Resource theory (Hobfoll, 1989).

Ultimately, identity formation was socially shaped, not something women developed alone, but through community.

4. Authenticity Under Pressure

Women described facing gender bias, underestimated competence, and unequal domestic responsibilities, all of which made maintaining authenticity challenging. Some felt pressure to adapt to masculine norms of success; others resisted this and leaned into their own authentic style.

This negotiation was continuous and emotionally demanding. Yet authenticity emerged as a resource in itself, reducing the need for impression management and conserving emotional energy. Trusted networks created psychologically safe spaces where women could be authentic without judgement.

5. Changing Isolation to Community

Perhaps the most powerful theme was how networks transformed isolation into connection. Women valued emotional support above all, companionship, empathy, and reassurance that they weren’t alone.

Networks operated as communities of practice, where women: shared knowledge, co-constructed coping strategies, developed their entrepreneurial identity, accessed new opportunities through weak ties and replenished emotional resources.

This sense of belonging helped participants maintain well-being, navigate daily challenges, and feel empowered in their roles.

A Personal Reflection: What It Means to Study as an Adult

Studying later in life, alongside work, business, and parenting, brings a different kind of challenge, but also a different kind of pride.

I’ve never resonated with the term “mature student” as it suggests getting older with age and doesn’t capture the experience. Instead, what studying as an “adult learner” has felt like is choice and intentionality, with a deep desire to learn because it matters, not because it’s expected.

There were evenings I opened my laptop after a full day of running my business, followed by dinner, homework, and bedtime routines. Plus times when deadlines collided with family commitments and moments, I questioned what I was doing, but I kept going, not because it was easy, but because it felt important.

Adult learning requires juggling roles constantly, negotiating personal and professional

priorities, working through fatigue, trusting that the long-term reward is worth the short-term strain. However, it also brings richer insights, a stronger sense of purpose, greater appreciation for achievement and the satisfaction of modelling perseverance to your family or colleagues.

Studying psychology again, first at BSc, then MSc level, rekindled my love of learning and reminded me that personal growth isn’t linear and doesn’t have an expiry date. You can build a career, raise a family, and still reinvent what learning looks like for you.

Final Thoughts: Back Yourself

If there’s one message, I want to leave for anyone considering returning to study, changing direction, or taking on something that feels “too big,” it’s this:

Don’t wait for the perfect time. It doesn’t exist. Back yourself anyway.

There will always be work pressures, family needs, financial considerations, or life events that make it feel impractical. But you can combine ambition with real life, you just need support, determination, and the belief that you’re capable.

Networks help. Community helps. Self-trust helps.

And step by step, you will get there as I did.

References

Cope, J., 2011. Entrepreneurial learning from failure: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Business Venturing, 26(6), 604–623.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2010.06.002

Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. TheAmerican Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. The Guilford Press.

PBI Take

Laura’s work beautifully reflects what we believe at PBI: that research emerges from lived experience, community creates resilience, and confidence grows through connection. Her study shows how women entrepreneurs transform isolation into belonging and her journey reminds us there’s no perfect time to learn, lead, or grow, only the decision to back yourself anyway, supported by networks that make achievement truly sustainable and shared.