International Women’s Day is celebrated in March and here’s a list of women who have inspired our Founder Shoned Owen over the past year:
Beth Sandland @bethsandland
I have followed Beth’s Instagram path since her university days and watched her graduate in in Law & Anthropology from her little squares. I have seen her progress to run her own successful business in blogging and social media and in 2018 she was nominated for, and won, numerous blogging awards including Cosmopolitan Influencer’s Best Newcomer. In late 2018 she left her home in London to travel the globe and took us along by updating her travel blogs and dreamy Instagram feed.
Her travels have spanned Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia – a total of 14 countries and it’s been one hell of an adventure. No sooner than she was back in London nearly a year later, she was off to New York for a PR trip. This girl certainly packs in her work schedule. And then came Christmas 2019 followed by a sudden silence. 3 weeks into January 2020 came a heart-breaking and exceptionally brave announcement from Beth. Sadly, she had suffered a miscarriage on Christmas eve and she became a member of the horrid 1 in 4 club that nobody wants to be a part of.
A UK study suggests one in six women who lose a baby in early pregnancy experiences long-term symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Researchers say women need more sensitive and specific care after a miscarriage, termination for medical reasons or ectopic pregnancy.
It is very early days for Beth and losing a baby is devastating. Beth is a warrior woman and is one of my top inspirational women. Her honest blogs are refreshing and so relatable. She’s an intelligent nugget and always stays true to herself. Her account and blogs are well balanced, and her appeal is vast. I hope she gets all the love support and care she needs following her baby loss.
Candice Braithwaite @candicebraithwaite
You may have already heard of Candice as the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse, an honest voice beloved by her 54,000 Instagram followers. This woman brings a fresh perspective to the mumfluencer world.
Candice started blogging about motherhood in 2016 after making the simple but powerful observation that the way motherhood is portrayed in the British media is wholly unrepresentative of our society at large.
Leafing through the piles of prenatal paraphernalia, she found herself wondering: “Where are all the black mothers?” On 28 May 2020 she will be releasing her first book “I am not your baby mother.” Candice is the first ever black British parenting type-voice.
She has worked with brands such as Pampers, Ella’s Kitchen and Specsavers, and has appeared on countless panels to discuss modern motherhood. Her writing has appeared in Stylist, the Metro and the Huffington Post.
Nicky Newman @nicknacklou
Nicky Newman was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer to the bone on Friday 13th April 2018 – yes, unlucky for some.
It was during her first ever round of IVF, after trying for children for a couple of years, she noticed her right boob wasn’t too happy, growing lump, skin dimple, and nipple inversion. At the time she says she was so focused on becoming a mother she didn’t take notice of what was going on.
She was also being treated for a prolapsed disc, so fast forward to bloods, mammograms and many biopsies and scans, she was told her IVF had failed, she had breast cancer on every bone which was incurable, giving her a much shorter life span. He world fell apart.
Everything from that moment has been a whirlwind and she has achieved more in the last 23 months than she ever thought possible. She has a whole new outlook on life, she grabs it, she doesn’t hold back, and you see this from her Instagram page.
She exclaims why does it have to take something that shakes your core to wake you up? She shouts about boobs a lot, it’s the classic early detection saves lives, it’s not just a saying it’s true. She is the co-founder of secondary sisters and has compiled a life list. Niki reminds us all to coppa feel every month and is living her best life. She is a trooper and an inspiration to us all.
I could write a whole thesis on other inspirational women whom I adore, but I’ll leave you with these awesome bunch for today.
S x
