For the longest time, goodwill has been measured in money - in donations raised, grants awarded, and cheques signed with the best of intentions. And while financial generosity remains vital, it is no longer the full story. In today’s world, shaped as much by narratives as by numbers, another form of currency has quietly risen in value. One that cannot be deposited in a bank, yet has the power to unlock doors, shape outcomes, and change lives.
The new currency is voice and visibility.
Who gets seen.
Who gets heard.
Whose voice is trusted enough to influence the room, and whose story actually gets to travel beyond the room.
I have spent much of my life working in multicultural systems across industries, and one truth has become increasingly clear to me: women are not lacking ideas or in brilliance. Whether in cities or smaller communities, I have met women doing amazing work, building solutions shaped as much by their local realities as by global awareness. What many still lack is access to platforms that allow their voices to be amplified with dignity, consistency, and reach. But without visibility, even the most powerful ideas will struggle to travel far enough to create lasting impact.
I remember sitting in a room years ago, with accomplished women gathered around the table, each carrying decades of experience, insight, and quiet brilliance. The conversation was rich, engaging, and alive. However, when the meeting ended, only a fraction of what was shared made it into the official document. The loudest voices were quoted. The familiar names were referenced. The rest seemed to dissolve into the air. It struck me then how easily wisdom can be lost when it is not witnessed, captured, and given visibility.
For generations, women - especially women of colour, immigrant women, and women outside traditional centres of power - have been doing extraordinary work quietly, building communities, and holding families and institutions together. Even where systems are non-existent, not sufficient, or have failed, women are often the ones standing in the gap, creating solutions, holding things up. Yet too often, their contributions remain unseen, undocumented, and undervalued.
This is not because their work lacks worth, but rather because visibility has never been equally distributed, and women have always ended up getting the short end of the stick.
Thankfully, we are starting to witness a subtle but significant shift. With more women stepping into spaces of influence - in media, leadership, technology, and culture - visibility is being seen and reframed as a form of social good. When a woman’s story is told in her own voice, and her work is recognised publicly, this positions her as credible and authoritative - something very powerful, with far-reaching impact.
At the centre of this shift is media - not as a megaphone, but as a gateway. It is through media - female-centered media - that a woman’s work is named, her voice trusted, and her story given space to unfold. When such media is used intentionally, it becomes the bridge between what a woman carries inside and what the world receives.
This is why I believe we are in a new era of media for the global woman, one in which visibility is not vanity. It is value.
When it comes to giving, women tend to give differently. We mentor as much as we donate. We build communities alongside institutions. We invest with our emotions, not just financially. That’s why we can no longer deny the truth that amplifying a woman’s voice can be as transformative as funding her project - sometimes even more so. A single woman-centric platform can open doors to networks, partnerships, and possibilities that a cheque never could.
Visibility multiplies impact.
When a woman is seen leading, others imagine themselves leading too.
When her story is heard, it validates experiences other women may have long held in silence.
When a woman’s voice is amplified, it becomes a bridge that connects personal purpose to collective progress.
Media, in this context, becomes more than just storytelling. It becomes mentorship at scale. Advocacy without borders. A way of saying, “You belong here. Your voice matters. Your work has value.”
And just as media can open doors, it can also widen rooms. When women are visible together - across cultures, generations, and disciplines, storytelling stops being individual and becomes collective. It creates ecosystems of recognition, where one woman’s light does not compete with another’s, but instead brightens and extends it.
Of course, visibility that’s not intentional can be hollow. But visibility rooted in shared purpose - visibility that honours truth, humanity and the cultural complexities - becomes an incentive for change. It challenges outdated narratives. It disrupts stereotypes. It invites more inclusive definitions of leadership, ownership, wealth, worth, and success.
Across continents and cultures, the details may differ, but the pattern is the same. When women are seen, communities are strengthened. When their voices are trusted, solutions sprout. And when their stories are allowed to circulate beyond borders, goodwill stops being confined to a location and becomes something shared – almost like a living exchange of insight, resilience, and hope.
I often say that SHINE is not about being the loudest in the room. It is about being able to fully express your truth - and having the space to do so without shrinking. When women are given that space through relevant platforms, they don’t just shine for themselves. They light the way for their communities and the world.
This is why the future of goodwill must include VOICE. Not as an afterthought, but as a strategy. Not as a bonus, but as a commitment. As women, we must not be shy to ask not only “who are we funding?” but also “who are we amplifying?” Whose stories are shaping the narrative that women are expected to live under?
Because when women’s voices are valued, protected, and shared, goodwill stops being transactional. It becomes transformational.
And in a world searching for more humane, inclusive solutions, Women’s voices may just be the most valuable currency of all.
