The FoundHer Behind the FoundHers: Why I Created STYLISA FoundHers

Lisa Maynard-Atem
Jul 26
5 min read

STYLISA FoundHers wasn’t just born from passion. It was born from personal experience. Before I ever told anyone else’s story, I was quietly living my own: full of ambition and the determination to build something from nothing. I didn’t create STYLISA FoundHers to be a passive observer. I created it because I know what it means to build in the dark. And one question kept rising to the surface: what if we stopped waiting for permission and started building platforms that reflect who we really are?

That question, what if, stayed with me. Because like the women I feature, I know what it means to have big ideas but limited access. To build something meaningful without a safety net. To be ambitious, resourceful, and underestimated all at once. I returned to self-employment in 2023 with no guarantees, just a clear sense of purpose and the belief that I could shape a different kind of success. One rooted in impact, not illusion.

Lisa Maynard-Atem smiling and seated at the Good Morning Britain studio desk, wearing a yellow floral shirt with heart graphics displayed on the screen behind her. — Beaming in the *Good Morning Britain* studio, because when purpose meets passion, the glow is real.

That belief became my compass. But belief alone doesn’t pay bills, open doors, or land funding. So, like many underrepresented founders, I started with what I had: my voice, my story, and a deep understanding of the power of visibility.

STYLISA FoundHers began as an instinct, a response to the silence I was experiencing and the gaps I kept seeing. I knew I wasn’t the only one trying to build something meaningful without access to finance, networks, or mainstream validation. I knew there were other women, just like me, quietly making magic behind the scenes. The kind of women who don’t fit the usual narrative, but who are rewriting it anyway.

So I decided to create a platform that made space for our stories. Not as side notes. Not as exceptions. But as blueprints. STYLISA FoundHers became a way to spotlight what so often goes unseen: the grind behind the gloss, the vision behind the venture, and the courage it takes to keep going when no one’s clapping yet.

Building While Spotlighting

When I launched STYLISA FoundHers, the intention was clear: to amplify women who are building something powerful with little access to capital, visibility, or safety nets. Women who don’t have the privilege of simply “going viral” or calling in favours from old networks. But here’s the truth: this isn’t a detached journalism project. This is personal.

Like the women I feature, I’m building a business from the ground up. I returned to self-employment in 2023 with no cushion, no funding, and no promise that it would work. Just a gut-deep belief that I could build something that mattered. Something that helped others while helping me build a sustainable, purpose-driven career.

I’ve pitched. I’ve been ghosted. I’ve applied for funding and been told I’m “not quite what they’re looking for.” Sound familiar?

That’s why STYLISA FoundHers exists. It’s not a content series. It’s a reflection of real life for women like me.

Why Representation Isn’t Enough

There’s a lot of talk these days about representation, and rightly so. But I’ve always believed that representation alone isn’t enough. Visibility without value - without investment, support, or opportunity, can feel performative. It can feel like a box ticked, not a door opened.

STYLISA FoundHers was born from that frustration. I didn’t want to wait for the world to catch up. I wanted to create something now, on my terms, that shows the real face of entrepreneurship: scrappy, strategic, soft, and strong all at once. And I wanted to do it through storytelling. Because stories stick. Stories cut through. Stories make you feel.

The Power of Parallel Journeys

Each woman I feature teaches me something. Each interview is a mirror, reflecting parts of my own journey back at me. There is Giovannie, who’s creating a new future for healthcare and research access, while being shut out of traditional funding routes herself. There's Marina, who turned burnout into blueprint, building a haircare app for all hair types, rooted in healing, community, and lived experience

They are living proof that the system isn’t broken - it was never built for us in the first place. And yet we build anyway.

A Platform With Purpose

Let me be very clear: I’m not just the curator of these stories. I’m the architect of the platform.

I choose the women. I shape the narratives. I connect the dots. That’s not ego, it’s ownership. And women, especially Black women, are so often taught to downplay the very things we’ve built. Not anymore. I’m building this platform on purpose, and with purpose. It’s part storytelling, part strategy, part rebellion. And I’m proud of that.

I Am the Brand Before the Business

There’s a line I often say to clients:

“You are the brand before the business is born.”

STYLISA FoundHers is my proof of that. It started before I had a fully-formed consultancy. Before I had systems, sponsors, or a proper income stream. But I had clarity of purpose. I had a story. I had something to say, and a reason to say it. Now, people are paying attention. Not just to the series, but to what it represents: a shift. A challenge. A new way of doing business. One where who you are matters as much as what you sell.

A Living Case Study

If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: I am a living case study of everything I teach.

I’m building a brand while building a business. I’m advocating for visibility while trying to stay seen myself. I’m talking about access while applying for grants, pitching sponsors, and bootstrapping what I can. And I’ll keep doing it.

Because I believe in the power of showing up. I believe in creating before you’re ready. And I believe that every time a woman tells her story on STYLISA FoundHers, she chips away at a system that was never made with her in mind. Including me.

So What’s Next?

More stories. More visibility. More truth. And more of me - boldly, openly, and unapologetically sharing what it really takes to build something from scratch. I’ll continue spotlighting the FoundHers. But you’ll also be seeing more of the FoundHer behind the FoundHers.