International Women’s Day is on March 8th and for those of you who read my blog in Cheshire, the Wirral or North Wales and, of course, anywhere else with easy access to Manchester there will be an event for 500 women at the Monastery in Gorton which I hear is a fantastic place. Have a look on www.themonastery.co.uk. It sounds like an amazing event which will be part personal development and part looking at how and what, as a group of women, we can contribute to the world. So no tall order! I am very excited about being a part of it. For more information go to the events page on Linked In.

I have to admit to not knowing too much about International Women’s Day. So I looked it up and discovered that in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen a woman named Clara Zetkin tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day to press for women’s demands. Issues for women were very different than they are now. Women wanted the vote, they wanted better pay and working conditions. The issue of pay remains but 100 years later things are different and maybe I want to be a little controversial. Women are different from men and long for different things. But society, indeed politics, suggests we should be the same and we try to compete with men on the same level to our detriment. Women bring an energy to the world that adds value to what men bring, it is not the same.

As I said there are different issues now and women’s issues are still being interpreted through “male” eyes. I have been reading Paula Nicolson’s research “Postnatal depression facing the paradox of loss, happiness and motherhood”. Fascinating stuff and reinforcing my view that postnatal depression is often about loss but is medicalised into there being something wrong with the woman. Paula calls it a paradox because this undoubtedly joyful occasion is offset by a range of losses ranging from sleep through body shape through confidence through career and a range of other losses. It is probably the biggest transition that a woman ever has to make. My conclusion is that many women are experiencing a normal grief reaction when they are given a diagnosis of postnatal depression.

But to return to March 8th there will be a fantastic buzz because the day will reverberate with female energy. For me it is a great opportunity to celebrate what women bring to the world. I hope to meet lots of you there.

Many people think that mental health and entrepreneurship can not go hand in hand. I think it says more about how we understand both concepts as what is in fact true. Let’s start with poor mental health. The truth here is that 1 in 4 of us will suffer from a mental health issue at some point in our lives. What is also true is that we may find ourselves with poor mental health because we lack meaning and purpose in our lives, because we are unfulfilled. In fact Stephen Wright in his book “Reflections on Spirituality and Health” refers to burn out as a spiritual crisis. He suggests we see that experience as an opportunity. Let me explain by quoting some lines from a poem called “All Pain is Sacred” by Mary Elizabeth Anderson:-

“Pain points us
In the direction of healing.

And sets us on the sacred path
Toward wisdom, strength, and wholeness.”

This is where working with a coach can make so much difference. A coach will help you focus on what will bring meaning and purpose to your life and maybe that will be to take that step to do the work you’ve always dreamed of.

So what about entrepreneurship? What does that mean? Does it mean having to work all hours God sends? I don’t think so. But you know, when you’re working in your passion it doesn’t feel like work. You’re the boss, you make the choices and there are so many people out there to help you. I went into self employment whilst recovering from stress related depression and it was the best thing I ever did. But the self awareness I gained from the experience has helped me no end. I now recognize when I am getting stressed and do something about it. And I know that I am not alone in making that choice. Two people come to mind immediately and I will be interviewing someone else for a future blog. And because I feel passionately about this I am collaborating with a Lisa Rossetti to develop a programme for women to become leaders in their own lives Q2Lead

Since first posting this blog I have been reminded that I haven't distinguished between being self employed and entrepreneurship. I accept that there is a big difference which I have learnt myself the hard way. But i still maintain that entrepreneurship and mental health can go hand in hand!

So if there is anyone reading this particularly if you live in Chester, Cheshire, North Wales or the Wirral and you suffer from a mental health problem such as postnatal or any other depression and you have a dream of being an entrepreneur I would love to talk to you. If you are interested in buying the Stephen Wright’s book you can view it via the Recommended Reading Page of my website.

And if you are affected by any of the issues in any of my blogs please do not hesitate to get in touch.