Tell us about the journey that led you to launch your brand Ladies Life Lounge with your business partner Roxy…
We were both busy women running our businesses and families (I’m an Assertiveness/Executive Coach for women Roxy is a Mental Health Therapist) and felt we were spinning 27000 plates a day and not really taking care of ourselves. We wanted to be fit & healthy, feel less stressed/more calm, look & feel good, grow our businesses, be more confident, have better relationships etc but there just wasn’t the time or the money to do it all e.g. Get a PT, work with a personal stylist, have therapy, work with a sleep coach, get help with our hormones etc. So we decided to create it all under one roof and accessible to all women from the comfort of their sofa 24//7, 365 days a year!
We’re passionate about women not just being known and judged for what they look like and more for the value and contribution they make. We decided that we wanted to turn the notion of being ‘pretty’ on it’s head. So we have 7 secrets in the Lounge – Pretty Confident; Pretty Healthy (mind & body); Pretty Calm; Pretty Assertive; Pretty Ambitious; Pretty Stylist & Pretty Personal.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
We decided to take LLL out as a LIVE event and hosted the biggest female empowerment & lifestyle show outside of London, in Manchester over the weekend of International Woman’s Day 2020. It was called Womanifest. We brought together over 1000 women to experience an uplifting weekend of workshops, keynote speeches, fun, entertainment and a huge showcase of products & services that help women live a happy, fulfilling & successful life (and lots of prosecco!). Pulling that off was the hardest, and most stressful thing we’ve ever done, especially as it was the last weekend before lockdown hit in England. We delivered this with sheer determination and commitment to reaching more women with an empowering message and by the support we received form the female led businesses that exhibited. It was a true example of collaboration and what great things women can achieve when they pull together.
If you to were to describe your business mantra in three words, what would they be?
Empowering, Educational, Liberating
What advice would you offer anyone interested in venturing into the world of coaching?
Whilst it’s highly rewarding, it can take a lot out of you so being able to keep your own cup topped up is important. Being a coach doesn’t make you perfect either so don’t put it off if you’re being held back by thinking you having coaching needs yourself. Every coach should have a coach (or a few!). I’d also recommend doing some formal training and qualifications. The coaching industry is currently unregulated meaning there’s a lot of people out there marketing themselves as a coach without really having the skills – these people are really mentors as they’re sharing their experiences and learning to support others that are about to embark on a similar journey – that’s ok but it’s important to distinguish the difference.
Talk us through an average business day in your life…
I’m a relatively late riser at around 8am (Roxy is the opposite at 5am). A cup of tea is always first on my list, followed by walking the dog and then drop the kids at school. I start work at 9.30 ish. My day will involve a coaching client or two on zoom, maybe some LIVE’s on social media, creating some content for our members, a spot of lunch with a fellow business woman perhaps, a podcast interview in the afternoon then I stop and sort he family out between 3.30 and 6.30pm. I then might host a masterclass online in the evening. I love my sleep, a good 10 hours to for so I’m usually off to bed by 10pm with a bit of meditation to wind down. I never work on a Friday, that’s a commitment I made to myself when I became an entrepreneur. Friday mornings all about yoga.
Business can be an upward struggle at times, what do you do to stay positive?
Having a busines partner is everything to me. I would never want to do this alone. What keeps me motivated is having someone else to bounce off when the going gets tough. We have it down to a fine art in sensing when each other are ‘off’ and being able to support each other or take the load if we need a bit of space. We even synced menstrual cycles! And we live a 2-hour drive apart!
What is your go to quote when lacking motivation?
My fave quote of all time is “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun”.
I tend to lack motivation when I take things too seriously or the pressure is a bit intense. That’s my signal to lighten up and take some time out for a bit of fun. We have laughing as one of our KPI’s!
How much has social media played a role in the success of your brand?
It’s been EVERYTHING! Our business revolves around social media. It’s made it so easy for us to connect with the women who need us most, especially through a pandemic and numerous lockdowns.
How do you want people to feel when they first become a member of Ladies Life Lounge?
We want them to feel important, noticed, that they matter and they’re worth it!
Our readers love to travel, what destination is at the top of your bucket list?
I love to travel too. Top of my list is Hawaii. We get to make work out of travelling by running retreats twice a year. We’ve recently taken groups of women to Croatia; we’re off to Marrakech this October and in June 2022 we’re going to Santorini. I’d love for our next one following that to be in Hawaii.
What’s next for you and your brand?
Next for us, is to grow the membership so that we can positively impact more women like us. I’m also a mum to three daughters so it’s super important to me to create the right culture for the next generation and so I’d love to take what we do into secondary schools so they have the skills for life to set them up for success, not just be tested on knowledge to gain a qualification.
We’ve heard on the grapevine that you’ve got a book coming out soon; can you tell us more about it?
Yes! It’s called Woman Up. Its predominantly about helping women to be more assertive in life and work. It aims to liberate women to own their space, decide what they deeply desire, shamelessly declare it to the world and go out and get it. It’s out on 2nd September 2021.
Where can people find out more about Ladies Life Lounge and your forthcoming book launch?
If you want to be added to the waitlist for the book launch and be the first to hear of its release with exclusive access to goodies and freebies follow this link to Subscribe, alternatively check out any of the below options to find out more.
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Book – Woman Up
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