Behind the Her Turn programme are women who believe deeply in the power of leadership, community, and sport to create lasting change. Meet the trainer and a mentor Annika Arras.
What inspired you to become involved in the “Her Turn” program?
I founded the “The Alliance of Her” (AOH), an empowerment program for women in politics, back in 2016. I invited Taavi Linnamäe from President Kaljulaid Foundation, to speak at AOH few years ago, which inspired him to create something similar for women in sportswith the President Kaljulaid Foundation. Fast forward – idea of “Her Turn” was born and I was asked to be involved – it took me a second to say yes.
What then inspired you to create a program that supports women in leadership and politics?
It wasn’t inspiration at first, but a real problem that needed to be solved. Two colleagues from my former political life, with whom I was doing several projects for liberal parties across Europe, pointed out that most parties have the same problem—they lack women in their ranks. When we asked the parties what they needed help with, the response was often the same: “Help us get more women into politics. It’s not that they are not wanted, but for some reason they are not coming.”
Since I had long experience in political campaigning, political communication, and training politicians, and I also had a problem with not having enough women in my party, it seemed like the right thing to do and an important problem to solve. That’s how the idea of creating AOH started, that we called the European Women’s Academy (EWA) during its first five years.
After the first session of the program, hearing women share their real struggles and wins, I was deeply inspired and sensed the importance of continuing this work. What I also realized was that I went out to do something for others, but what came out of it was a real inspiration for myself. I’m still part of AOH — it’s the 11th year now.
What I’m happy about is that it has inspired other women to start similar programs in other countries as well. For example, we recently launched the same type of program in Turkey. So for me, personally, “Her Turn” is like the next chapter of AOH and I want to see more chapters in different areas of life and regions of the world.
“Our goal is to build women’s confidence so they can move beyond their fear zone. Once that confidence is there, nothing will stop them!”
What are the main obstacles women face in becoming leaders?
For anyone, growth requires stepping out of their comfort zone. And usually when you come out of that zone, the next zone is not innovation or celebration, but fear.
Women struggle with the “fear zone” more than men and need more positive nudging than men do – we hesitate more, we are more risk-averse and think things more through. Also, the lack of female role models makes it harder for us to step in those shoes.
Another aspect is the environment and support system. I do believe that women can do most of the work that men can, if the load of growing a family is equally divided between the partners. Unfortunately, we still hold these old traditions that having a family is a women’s job and men do the professional work. These traditional stereotypes about family roles and work-life balance also hold women back.
None of the issues I’ve mentioned will be solved unless people first acknowledge them as real problems and recognize that women need more support to overcome these fears. I believe this is one of the main obstacles today. I often hear organizations, leaders, and even women in leadership positions say, “But we already have equal opportunities for men and women.” What’s missing from that statement is an understanding of the difference between equality and equity. They are not the same. Before we can truly talk about equality, we need to make sure everyone is starting from the same level. Right now, that starting point is lower for women. We first need to raise that level so that we can honestly say opportunities are equal for both men and women.
This is exactly why we now do this work in sports as well. Our goal is to build women’s confidence so they can move beyond their fear zone. Once that confidence is there, nothing will stop them!
How do stereotypes and societal expectations shape the leadership paths women end up taking?
Women are often guided toward so‑called “women’s issues.” This is very typical. If you look at politics, for example, even in countries or institutions where women do hold leadership positions, they are most often responsible for social or welfare-related portfolios. It is rarely finance, industry, energy, or other traditionally “hard” sectors. Unnoticeably it is sending a message that certain fields are simply not women’s work. The pattern often starts early. In school, girls are encouraged toward activities like ballet rather than robotics or technology or girls knit and boys play football. Ultimately, it comes back to deeply rooted stereotypical behavior in daily life. This is one of the hardest things to change because it is generational.
That said, I do believe the younger generation carries fewer of these inherited limitations. Only one look at women’s football will give you the proof that change is not only coming, but also already happening. It just takes time to reach all arenas of life and regions of the world.
Leadership often requires making tough decisions that not everyone will like. Is it more difficult for women?
I don’t believe that women leaders need to act like men in order to make hard decisions. Hard decisions are part of leadership, and how those decisions are made and communicated can differ. This is not really about gender, but more about the leadership styles we’ve grown used to. Women don’t need to copy traditional, often masculine models of leadership to be effective. We can lead differently and that difference can be a strength.
Let’s take an example of sports, coming back to football again. Women’s football has grown a lot in recent years. I’ve watched it, I think it’s cool, and these women really rock! But many people still say it’s “not real football” if women are playing simply because for the last 100 years, we’ve mostly watched men play. We’re just not used to seeing it.
Now imagine if leadership in football had been shaped by women instead of men for the last 100 years. Would it look different? Probably. I often play this game in my head: what if, for example, Estonia’s parliament had been made up of 75 women and 26 men for the past 30 years (not the other way around, as it has been)? No one would question whether women belong in parliament today, but men would most likely feel underrepresented. We question it only because we’re not used to seeing it. Nothing pushes me more than being told “that’s the way it’s always been” and getting no real answer to “why?”.
How did you become a leader, and when did you first feel like one?
For me, leadership isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you grow into. It was not something I aimed for. I’ve just always liked moving forward and taking on new challenges, otherwise things get really boring for me. And I think that’s honestly how it all started.
I really began to think about myself as a leader recently, when my team nominated me for the CEO of the Year competition. That nomination was actually a very important moment for me. Before that, I was just doing things – titles have never motivated me. Suddenly, I was forced to stop and really think about it, because I was doing interviews and people were asking questions like, “So who are you as a leader?” I remember thinking, oh wow, I actually have to think about this now.
So, I guess I was leading before, but I didn’t consciously identify myself as a leader.
Has it changed anything now when you think of yourself as a leader?
Yes, very much so. It’s the same with everything: once you start analyzing yourself, you’re forced to look at both the good and the bad. And that’s when you start growing consciously—to polish the things you’re already good at and to face the things you’re not good at and work on them.
I also think timing matters. First, you need experience. There’s nothing to analyze if you don’t have experience. There’s nothing in the mirror looking back at you that would take you forward. So, in that sense, this realization came at exactly the right time. I probably wouldhave reached that point on my own eventually, but this was the moment I clearly remember starting to think about it.
Was there someone or something that played a big role in your leadership journey?
Definitely. When I look back, the first ten years of my professional career were incredibly important, especially the time when I was doing political campaigns. That’s when I developed my professional skills the most, working closely with top leaders and highly intelligent people. That experience shaped me more than I probably realized at the time.
One of the most valuable parts of that period was watching other people grow into leaders. Seeing it firsthand helped me really understand the difference between a leader and a manager. I saw how leaders evolved over time, and how for some people it took years to truly grow into that role.
At the same time, I started learning a lot about myself. I was a mid-level manager leading a small team, but with huge responsibility—including the largest campaign budget in the country. In those early years, I realized I was terrible at delegating. Everyone kept telling me, “You don’t have to do everything yourself,” and I didn’t understand it at first. I had to learn it the hard way. Over time, things started to click—I realized I didn’t have to do everything myself. I could, and should, ask others to do things. This was all 20 years ago, much haschanged since.
“Sometimes it only takes one person to say, “Yes, you can.” If more people did that more often, change would happen much faster.”
In your experience, what changes have you seen in participants in programs like “Her Turn”?
I’ve seen a huge growth in confidence, and it usually comes from a few simple things: realizing you’re not alone and that you are told that you’re good. Sharing experiences and having open discussions is incredibly empowering.
I’ve seen women form friendships for life through programs like this. Many continue mentoring each other long after it ends, becoming a real support network. Sometimes it shows up in very small, practical ways. Someone launches a campaign, asks for help, and everyone shows up. These may seem like small things, but they matter a lot.
Another important factor is knowledge. Many women like to study, collect degrees, and build expertise – and confidence often grows alongside that knowledge. In this program, we give women new knowledge, and confidence grows with it. The two go hand in hand.
And then there’s inspiration. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you, “Go do it. You’re good. You can do this.” A few months ago, at a women’s conference in Tallinn, I shared a story from one of the women I’ve trained and mentored.
She used to be the type of woman who did all the hard work and never took the credit for it, she simply always chose to sit in the last row believing that her place is not to sit in the first row. Nobody noticed her hard work; nobody invited her to sit in the first row. I gave her a task back then, that next time do not wait for the invitation, just go and sit in the first row. She did it, and this is how she crossed her fear zone; she never sat in the back again to hide her accomplishments. It’s not bragging; it’s taking the credit that each person who does good work deserves to.
I shared this story with the conference audience and said, “You all belong in the first row. If you don’t want to sit there, that’s fine too. But if there’s a feeling inside you that you’re doing the work while others take the glory, then just come and sit in the first row.” I also gave them a small task (that at a time I never thought they would take that seriously). “Next time you hesitate and want to say no to an opportunity, call me—and I’ll tell you to sit in the front row.” What really mattered happened afterward – some women really called me with their hesitations, and some others probably will in the future. Sometimes it only takes one person to say, “Yes, you can.” If more people did that more often, change would happen much faster.