People are incredible. Women are incredible. We are capable of so much. Mental strength paves the way for accomplishment. When women support each other and protect each other, we are unstoppable.
When I was training for Glifting Girls and Next Fitness Model, going to the gym was the easy bit; being on stage was delightful; getting the tan, the hair and makeup done was fabulous; the hardest bit was the mental strength required to stay on track with the diet regime. It takes a will power of steel. Other women who were competing got in touch and we supported each other by sharing our experiences, it helped us get through the difficult moments, such as when the biscuit tin doesn’t just whisper your name late at night, but unashamedly yells at you for hours on end until you finally go to bed.
Dropping my beautiful children off at school this morning after being away for three weeks and spending just one blissful day at home with them yesterday required some serious mental power too. I have only ever been away from my children for four nights before so this is a challenge, but one I can, am and will manage.
The women in my family are such inspiration, they are powerful, determined women and I am lucky to have them as role models. I know that one day, what I am doing is going to be as potent to my children as the experiences of my mother and grandmother are to me. When I was six years old and my brother was seven we went to live with my grandparents for a year so my pregnant mum could commute backwards and forwards to London easily in order to finish her law society finals and allow my dad to continue working his full time job back at home. Six days after giving birth to my younger sister my mum got back on the train and headed to London. Despite being in tears, exhausted to the point of collapse, mentally shattered, hormonally up the creek, she did it and is now a partner of a very successful law firm. I only have fond memories of that time too. Mum proved to us (even though I was unaware of it at the time) that supported, driven and determined women are incredible and unstoppable.
Sitting on the train heading back to my Hormonal Housewives family of impressive, capable and inspirational women fills me with excitement. We are out there bringing a night of silly fun to various locations all over the UK and what a wonderful and humbling feeling it is to have an entire audience on their feet, loving life and laughing so hard we almost wonder whether we should have paramedics on stand by!
I feel blessed to be working alongside such powerful, fascinating women sharing experiences with auditoriums full of (mostly) women about women's issues. There is a real sense of girl-power and support (not just the underwire kind!) and being surrounded by that makes it all worthwhile.
I cannot ignore the incredible support from the men in my life too though. My husband is busy holding fort at home (and doing an astounding job!) for that I am eternally grateful and think he singlehandedly reverses any negativity that the male species often receive!