Today is International Women’s Day, for me it’s a day for women to celebrate who they are, and what they have achieved.
So, as I sit and type, surrounded by research papers and books, I want to take a minute to say thank you to my mum, no Oscar speech here, for she didn’t send me to drama school (you missed trick there mum if you ask me!), but a heartfelt thank you.
She brought me, my older brother and younger sister up on her own and she still found the time to read me a bedtime story every night until I was eleven years old, sparking my love of literature, of reading and telling stories.
Despite having to leave school herself at 15 because her father died, she instilled a love of learning in me, hence the research papers and books, my Masters dissertation is being submitted tomorrow!
When I’m not doing my day job I work with a local university as an Associate Lecturer, because not only do I love learning, I love teaching too. There is something wonderful about a room full of people ready to soak up new information and helping students who are starting out in their journey is something that makes me feel really proud.
My mum worked, when she could, at evenings and weekends to make sure that we got to go on those school trips along with our friends and despite us having very little money we laughed a lot. She taught me to be able to laugh at myself and to find the funny in any situation.
Most of all she taught me to believe in myself and raised me to be independent. My gender was never an issue, and because of that I knew that if I worked hard I could do what I wanted to do.
With 18 years in the PR industry behind me I made the big leap to setting up my own agency with two great female friends, Kirstie and Eve.
Storytelling is at the heart of what of what we do. We pride ourselves in working in this great profession. We work with clients to deliver objective based results and show the value of PR as a management function. We work hard and we laugh lots.
I feel lucky to be doing the things that I’m doing and enjoying my work so much, but I know it’s not down to luck, it’s down to the belief that I could do it.
So thanks mum, thanks for walking by my side from the day I was born to walking me down the aisle, and thanks for all the free childcare you provide that enables to me do the job I love. On International Women’s Day you are my inspirational woman.
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