Beyond the Bubble in 2026
The start of the year is a time for planning, goal-setting and challenging oursleves. We asked Bloom members how they are planning on pushing Beyond the Bubble in 2026
“Moving beyond your bubble isn’t about being louder. It’s about being deliberate.”
I’m Kelly Cuesta, a Latina living in London and working in tech, marketing, and communications. For much of my career, I found myself in places where leadership meant having a title, not making an impact. Women, especially immigrant women, were often expected to contribute without being noticed.
I moved beyond my bubble when I stopped waiting for formal authority to validate my voice.
Early in my career, I realized that influence doesn’t come from a promotion. It begins with being visible, building credibility, and acting with intention. I was getting results and helping shape strategy, but my own experiences—like navigating systems, building communities, and leading without a formal role—were left out of the conversation. I decided to change that.
I began proactively engaging with brands and communities through speaking engagements, panels, and knowledge-sharing. Not to “build a profile,” but to lead without a title. To translate experience into insight. To show that leadership in marcom and tech isn’t about hierarchy — it’s about who shapes thinking, challenges norms, and opens doors for others.
Moving beyond your bubble isn’t about being louder. It’s about being deliberate. Sharing what you know before you feel perfectly prepared. Using your experience as leverage, not something to minimise. Choosing influence over invisibility.
In 2026, my goal is to help more women in marketing communications (marcom) do the same: move from silent expertise to visible influence. Not louder — clearer. Not performative — purposeful.
Because if we want more women shaping culture, careers, and decision-making, we can’t wait to be invited.
We must step forward — and make space for others to step forward as too.
Kelly Cuesta
“It’s about doing what matters”
Hi! I’m Yas, Digital Business Director at Mediaplus and Neurodiversity Co-Lead at Bloom!
I’ve actually thought a lot about this, with the idea of the dreaded New Year’s resolutions looming over my head. But I’ve decided to step away from the usual feelings of wanting to do more, to push harder and magically reinvent myself (as I often try, and fail, to each New Year) and instead focus on bringing the “how” and “why” to what I do in and out of work.
My comfort zone is being reliable, proactive and a bit of an overachiever. For 2026, however, I want to stretch beyond that bubble and show up with more intention which looks like using my voice earlier, sharing ideas before they’re fully formed, and leaning into collaboration beyond my immediate remit. This also means not having all the answers and instead creating space for better conversations.
Going beyond my bubble also means being more deliberate about balance. I’ve learned that protecting time for focus, learning, and reflection isn’t a luxury but it’s what enables consistent and thoughtful contribution. So, this year, I want to build routines that support both ambition and sustainability, making sure that clarity trumps urgency.
Through my continued work with Bloom, I’ve already met such wonderful women and I hope to keep learning from perspectives outside of my “actual job” and contribute to environments where more people feel able to do their best work.
So, really going beyond my bubble this year isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters – with confidence, curiosity, and a willingness to step slightly outside what feels comfortable in order to grow and support others to do the same!
Yas Frasso
“Look for the different, the weird, the interesting”
Hi! I’m Lauren, Head of Client Marketing at WPP Media and Co-Deputy Head of Marketing at Bloom. This year I’m thinking less about resolutions and more about mindset shifts. As we become more established in our careers, it’s incredibly easy to fall into a comfortable routine, running the same types of activations year after year.
It takes effort to discover fresh, innovative approaches; to give yourself the time needed to learn and be creative. So in 2026, I’m challenging myself to nurture my curiosity in lots of different ways – look for the different, the weird, the interesting. Go to events, read more books, meet more people, try something new. A few weeks in and I feel I have more energy and enthusiasm, so I’m excited to see what this year brings!
Lauren Bigland
“Reshape my thought processes, think more positively, reframe situations, and better understand both my own perceptions and those of others”.
Hi, I’m Mandy Arora, Business Director at Mediaplus. In 2025, I attended a talk by the fabulous Emma Harris, who spoke passionately about NLP and the benefits of understanding our minds, perceptions, and how we can actively shape our outcomes.
Mediaplus were incredibly supportive, giving me the opportunity to find a course that suited my needs and funding it. I was convinced I’d complete it within six months… fast forward nearly ten months, and I’m about a third of the way through, because, as we all know, work and life get busy (especially in Q4!).
That said, the work I’ve completed so far has been genuinely valuable. It’s helped me reshape my thought processes, think more positively, reframe situations, and better understand both my own perceptions and those of others.
I’m very excited and determined to complete the course in the coming months and to be able to share this knowledge with both teams, clients and of course the Bloom network!
Mandy Arora
