On January 29th, the Women’s Irish Network kicked off 2026 in the best possible way: with a sold-out room, electric energy, meaningful connections, and honest conversations at WIN Presents: Female Founders.

Hosted at the beautiful Bankside Hotel, the morning brought together founders, leaders, and future entrepreneurs to explore what it really takes to build a business – from kitchen-table ideas to international brands – and to celebrate the grit, resilience, and ambition of Irish women doing just that.

Meet the Panel

Niamh Ryan — Co-Founder, Ella & Jo
Lorraine Corcoran — Founder, Nyrah Beauty
Annemarie Enright — Founder, The Brow Specialists

Moderated by Trish Halpin — Co-host of Postcards From Midlife

Three brilliant Irish women. Three unique journeys. One shared mission: championing women’s wellness.

From Leaving Home to Making Their Place

A powerful theme throughout the discussion was the Irish story itself. Historically, the Irish had to leave home to find opportunity – and today, Irish women are not just moving abroad, but making their mark on the global stage.

Ireland now leads strongly in e-commerce and digital business, giving founders unprecedented access to international markets. As the panel reflected, the world feels closer than ever – and that access brings both opportunity and responsibility.

The Reality of Building a Business

The panel didn’t sugar-coat the journey. Setting up and sustaining a business is hard. It requires:

Grit to keep going
Permission to rest when needed
Resilience through uncertainty

One key insight resonated deeply: you can’t control the uncontrollables. But what you can control is how you respond, your values, and how you protect the things that truly matter.

“Family and health are the only things we really need to keep on track.”

As businesses mature, founders learn to focus on what they can influence – staying aligned with their values, letting go of perfection, and moving forward without regret.

Vulnerability, Values & Human Connection

Another recurring message was the importance of being vulnerable. When founders share their real stories – the wins and the wobbles – people connect.

The panel highlighted a striking insight:

1 in 8 men inspires another man to take action
1 in 4 women inspires another woman

That difference matters. Representation, honesty, and visibility are powerful tools for change.

Science, Innovation & The Power of Irish Expertise

Lorraine from Nyrah brought a brilliant perspective to the conversation as a multi-business entrepreneur whose background as an engineer makes her uniquely placed to create high-performance skincare and beauty products. Her approach highlighted how deep technical understanding, problem-solving, and precision can translate into products that truly work.

While Korean beauty often leads with experimental science and rapid-fire innovation, the panel reflected on Ireland’s distinctive role as the big sister of the beauty world — refining, grounding, and humanising those breakthroughs into products that fit real lives and genuinely solve skin concerns.

There was also pride in the fact that these founders hail from the West of Ireland, a region fast emerging as a hotbed for beauty and wellness innovation — combining scientific thinking, natural ingredients, and a deeply human approach to care.

Ireland’s long-standing strengths in STEM, pharma, and medical science were highlighted as a natural foundation for this growth. Rather than chasing fast trends, Irish-founded brands often build with longevity in mind — creating solutions that are thoughtful, effective, and grounded in real expertise.

The West, in particular, was described as a place of quiet confidence and craft: where founders take a long-term view, build resilient businesses, and allow ideas to mature into brands with depth, integrity, and global relevance.

Partnership & Trust: The Ella & Jo Story

The story of Ella & Jo captured the room. A beauty brand built by two women who didn’t even know each other at the start, their partnership has grown into a strong, values-led business.

At the time Ella & Jo launched, not a single beauty partnership from their peer group is still together. Their success is rooted in:

True collaboration
Mutual respect
Shared decision-making

As they shared, obstacles are inevitable – but when challenges arise, founders must learn to assess risk, adapt, and move forward together.

Social Media: Tool, Not the Whole Story

The panel offered refreshingly honest takes on social media:

Do you really need it?
How do you show up in a more human way?
How do you stay real while still being strategic?

For some, social media came naturally; for others, it was a steep learning curve. Instagram was described as a strong industry tool, while TikTok? “The Wild West.”

“It’s your voice, your personality – your showcase.”

The key takeaway: share knowledge, stay authentic, and be intentional about what you put out into the world.

From Kitchen Table Ideas to Real Businesses

One of the most energising calls to action of the morning:

Get those kitchen-table ideas out of your head and into the world.

Women don’t lack ideas – they often lack confidence. The message from the panel was clear: believe in yourself, bring the idea to life, and trust that you’ll learn as you go.

Thank You

A heartfelt thank you to:

The Bankside Hotel for hosting us so beautifully
Our incredible panelists for their honesty and generosity
Everyone who attended, shared, connected, and showed up as themselves

This felt like collective wisdom in action – Irish women supporting Irish women, sharing openly, and reminding each other that success doesn’t have to be lonely.

Here’s to more conversations like this, more courage, and more women bringing their ideas to life.

Be yourself. Share what you know. And take up space.

WIN Presents: Female Founders – A Powerful Start to 2026