Sandra’s Pink Dynasty Journey
Hear and read impact stories directly from Pink Dynasty Alumni
Sandra Addai – Pink Dynasty alumna 2013 cohort
Backstory
Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Who are you? When did you join Pink Dynasty?
I’m Sandra Addai, and I joined Pink Dynasty in the very first cohort, about 10–11 years ago when the programme had just started.
What were you doing or going through at the time?
At the time, I had just restarted my A-levels. I wasn’t too sure about my career path and felt that any decision I made would have a big impact on my future. I literally just restarted my A levels because I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do career wise… I felt like whatever choice I made was going to make a big impact.
What made you join Pink Dynasty? How did you find out about it?
I heard about Pink Dynasty through my economics teacher at St. Charles. What made me join was the opportunity to be supported, to have access to mentors, and to learn skills I knew I would need for the future.
Career and Life now
What are you doing now, professionally and personally?
I’m currently studying for a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at UCL. The lectures and experience so far have shown me I made the right choice, and I’m excited about my degree. One of my proudest achievements before this was a summer internship in China with a tech firm, just before COVID-19. That experience taught me how to adapt and live in a completely different environment.
Impact of Pink Dynasty
How did Pink Dynasty shape your journey?
Pink Dynasty helped me build confidence and gave me mentors who understood my ambitions. The financial literacy sessions, especially with Experian, taught me about credit at 18 — lessons that shaped my financial habits and personal journey over the last decade. With Pink Dynasty, I feel like I was listened to and appreciated… I’ve gained tidbits that have shaped my last 10 years.
Hear Sandra's memory of the PD programme that stayed with her
Pink Dynasty: What moment or memory from your time on Pink Dynasty and as the first cohort, has stayed with you?
Sandra: I think it's probably your continued desire for helping us, because it's not easy to, one to be a woman,
to be a black woman in predominantly male and white spaces
and to not have the same privileges as certain backgrounds would have.
And then to maintain that fire for 10 going on 11 years,
there's not many programmes that are like this,
or there are not many programmes that are like this
where they have people who carry that deep desire.
Financial Empowerment
How have your views around money and business changed since completing the programme?
I now see money as something that can make or break you if you don’t manage it properly. Poor financial decisions, like bad credit, can affect you for years. Thanks to Pink Dynasty, I built better habits early and that’s put me in a stronger position today.
Hear Sandra's thoughts on financial empowerment
Pink Dynasty: Having what views around money, business or self-worth change since completing the programme?
Sandra: I would say it has, in the sense of making me realise that you don't necessarily have to be ruled by your spending habits, and the power in stewarding your money right.
That's something that I think everyone should have the access to, because money can make or break if you don't have the right understanding or the right, I guess, foresight in the implications, because some people don't realise that if your credit is not up to scratch or if your spending habits are not up to scratch, it can prevent you from being in part of certain career fields and it's kind of devastating when some people realise it too late.
Check out our top 10 financial resources for women:
Personal Growth & Reflection
Hear how Sandra's definition of success evolved
Pink Dynasty: How has your definition of success evolved?
Sandra: I've definitely been able to get to a point where success isn't defined by like monetary success,
because even with being on the masters programme for a week and a bit, even though they kept hammering home that oh, it's not a financially glamorous degree, but I'm like, but there's something about the degree that just speaks to my heart that makes sense,
that whether I'm not making hundreds of thousands, I'm still content because it's something that is using all my thinking skills and my abilities.
What would you say to your younger self starting the programme?
Don’t hesitate too much. I used to hold myself back with overthinking, but Pink Dynasty helped me see how to manage that and present myself confidently. Success isn’t only about money, it’s about doing work that uses your skills and feels meaningful.
What would you say to a young woman thinking of joining or someone considering supporting Pink Dynasty?
To a young woman, I’d say: don’t hesitate, joining is like being offered a pot of gold and saying no. To those considering supporting, I’d say it’s a wasted opportunity not to. Even small contributions have a long-term impact, like the Experian workshops did for me. It’s a wasted opportunity not to support in any way… every little helps
What Sandra would say to an organisation thinking of supporting Pink Dynasty
Pink Dynasty: What would you say to a corporate organisation to get them to consider supporting Pink Dynasty?
Sandra: For corporate organisations, I would personally say they also play a big, big role in helping keep these kind of programmes going.
Because like if it wasn't for Experian coming in helping with the financial literacy, then I wouldn't have had that aspect and look at how big of an impact that they've had 10 years later.
And you've run the programme and that particular workshop pretty much every year. So it's like how many other people have been positively impacted?
So I think it's a wasted opportunity to not try and support in any way, shape or form.
Final words
Sandra expressed gratitude for the programme’s impact and for its founder’s consistent drive. “Thank you for making Pink Dynasty… I hope for many, many more years of Pink Dynasty!”
Sandra’s journey is a testament to how confidence, financial literacy, and the right support can shape not just a career, but a definition of success rooted in purpose and fulfillment.
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