So the last time I blogged I was mid all the feel good february festivities and moving towards attending the small business Sunday event in Birmingham (where I was getting to meet Theo Paphitis) and also towards launching my book.
It's now a month on from Birmingham and the book launch and after a bit of time to draw breath, recharge and reflect (whilst still doing day to day butterfly room stuff) I thought I'd better pop up a little recap of everything ( if you follow my socials you'll have heard/seen some of this already....and if you're NOT following my socials why not???? 🤣)
Feel good february had kept me mega busy and with the Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday conference being towards the end of the month it could have been a step too far in terms of energy and whilst a little nervous I had time to plan for it and, having been part of the SBS community since April of 2023, I knew I just HAD to go to Birmingham.
The community Theo has brought together is just packed with supportive, encouraging fellow business people ready to share knowledge and ideas and there were so many people going to the event that I considered friends even though we'd never met physically
The event day was jam packed (I actually started networking before I left the hotel as I arranged to walk to the venue with Sylvia, a lovely fellow sbs member) and there was SO much to learn and take in.
One of the highlights was listening to Stacey Solomon's fireside chat with Theo. I very much value people with an authentic persona and branding and she was very much in that mould with a what you see is what you get authenticity about her and a great business head that she played down through a lovely self deprecating nature. (I also joined in with a bit of a scamble/melee to get a copy of my book to her after chickening out of asking "can I give you a copy of my book during the Q&A!!)
The other highlight was obviously meeting Theo himself to be presented with my SBS winners certificate. I had taken him a gift set copy of the book and he was really kind and genuinely interested in it despite the very long queue of fellow winners waiting to meet him ( I had been fortunate to get in the "fast track" queue, which does sound very theme park esque, due to the meet and greet being at the end of the day and my concern about energy levels leading to the preemptive action of sending an "I might need help" email)
On the "I might need help" front I have to say a special thanks at this point to my lovely friend susie (of susie Rodgers Millinery ) who not only made the awesome floral headband I'm wearing in my pic with theo but who was an excellent "fussing mammy" during our travels and our time at the conference and who, along with her equally lovely hubby Michael, made sure I had the option of assistance when needed (and also had to put up with my flustered fussing when I managed to leave a holdall back at the hotel and not realise until the train was pulling out of new st station!! Note the bag has since retrieved by a kind samaritan and being returned to me soon!)
After the Birmingham trip I took a couple of days out to rest and recharge before the book launch event but then on the 27th February, in the cosy and very familiar surroundings of my favourite coffee shop kettle black, with a chai latte in hand and surrounded by family and friends "how I became a butterfly" officially came out of its cocoon!
The book initially came from a spur of the moment thing during a friend's vision board workshop, then it went through being pitched to Hay House after I attended one of their writers workshop weekends (I didn't get accepted but I did get feedback and they didn't hate it and could see what I was trying to do so I took that as a win!), and then a few years of being put down and picked up due to a combination of life happening, procrastination and imposter syndrome.
Finally, with a bit of accountability/ gentle prodding from my good friend Catherine, it got done, on schedule (the launch event was booked when i still had 3 chapters of the book to write!!!) and is now out in the world.
The initial feedback has been lovely with people share how they enjoyed the book themselves or how they bought it to gift to someone i
I do sometimes, in fact very often, wince and me and inspiring being in the same sentence but, on reflection, it IS what I want to do....to inspire people to go on their own health journey, to believe that there IS hope and there are paths forward from the spot they are currently stuck in.
So that's why my next step is being more public about sharing my story. I already got a local bookshop to stock a copy, this morning I was recording a podcast with 3 awesome fellow "spoonie" businesswomen, (I've also paid for some advertising on their platform too, have set up some potential other podcast and chat stuff AND on Wednesday I'll be meeting with someone at Paisley Central Library about hosting an event ther
That kind of suggests that's there's going to be a fair amount of stuff happening so it might be another month before you get another blog!! (Although I've possibly waffled so much in this it'll take you a month to read it!! 😆)
If you have read to this point then thank you!!! As always I appreciate every bit of support, encouragement, recommendation given and for the opportunity to continue to do what I love in so many different ways.