I am excited to have Lisa Woodley from the Yummy Mummy Club join us today. Lisa is a motivated and passionate mother of two young children, and the mastermind behind the Yummy Mummy Club. She puts together special events which allow mothers to have some “me time” and meet other mothers in the area (all this, while juggling her own family!)
I have asked her to talk about her experience at the New Zealand Women’s Conference held in Wellington recently.
Take it away Lisa!
I have tried to sum up my day spent at the NZ Womens Conference but I really can’t, so I won’t. Instead, I’ll take you for a short walk through my day and tell you what I learnt.
Upon arrival, we lined up to register and were given a goody bag laden with treats and a programme for the day. The 1st Floor of the InterContinental Hotel had been taken over by 300 women from all walks of life and every one of them was eager to learn, yearning to be inspired and all supporting each other. It was an electrifying vibe. Once registered, we sought out the free coffee – after all it was 8:30 on a Saturday morning!
As well as amazing speakers to listen to throughout the day, there were stalls and stands dotted around the 1st Floor, all displaying different types of products and services from financial advisors to shoes, from jewellery to cosmetic surgery. Every womens’ need seem to be taken care of, including a relaxation room which hosted a nail bar to get your nails done. There were plenty of raffles on offer with some amazing prizes – of course, I had to enter them all!
Andrea Stewart, the woman behind it all had a dream. She had a dream to run a conference for women which encouraged them to be the best that they can be, learn from her journey and to dream big. She told us her story; which took us through motherhood, to finding out she had melanoma. She spoke with passion, integrity and at the same time she spoke from the heart. As well as her courageous story, she offered three lessons which she shared with us all:
- Your health is your wealth,
- Show kindness to others, and
- Do it now!
The keynote speaker was Trelise Cooper. She told us her story of struggles, from a working mother raising a young child to her billion dollar internationally renowned fashion label she has today. Her advice to everyone was ‘if you can dream it, you can believe it, you can achieve it’. She also said that ‘everything happens for your highest good’ and to always let your ‘desire to dream be bigger than your fear’.
She told us about her late father and his love of clothes and fashion and during one of her fashion shows turned to her mother and said “You know, if it wasn’t for us, none of these people would be sitting here!”.
Over the course of the day we had to choose between 6 different sessions; all delivered something different. I learnt about setting and achieving goals, strategies on how to manifest my dreams, how to balance work and family life and I even learnt about “anti-aging” tips from a cosmetic surgeon. Every speaker brought something wonderful and something different to share and every one of them had a story to tell.
However, if I had to pick a speaker that inspired me the most – it would have to be Sarah Laurie and Changing your Life from Good to Gorgeous!
You could feel the room leaning forward wanting to know more as she told us her story. Unfortunately, I didn’t write much down as I was truly captivated and didn’t want to miss a word.
Sarah spoke about how before you can follow your dreams and reach your goals, you need to know who you want to BE. What are your true values? What are your underlying beliefs? Only then, when you are clear on who you want to BE, will you know what you’re going to DO and you will HAVE the gains. She explains that too much of today’s society are caught up in the DO and HAVE cycle, and forget about the BE part that they are never truly fulfilled.
She talked about order and told us a funny story about her cluttered house and recruiting in the ‘Orderly Angels’ in to help get her sorted. She made us smile when she spoke of Marianne Williamsons’ take on 1800s Victorian women “So vogue on the outside, so vague on the inside”; and she summed it up beautifully by saying “that when you follow your bliss, doors will open up, where there was just walls”.
I am very excited to tell you that she has agreed to speak at a Yummy Mummy Club event later in the year which you just can’t afford to miss.
I came home full of grace and full of gratitude for what life has already brought me. I kissed and hugged my husband and thanked him for allowing me to have a day to myself, because what he gave me was a gift. I kissed and hugged my children because of the amazing promise and unconditional love they hold in their eyes; they too are a gift.
I had a long hot bath and did a full skin routine, because lets face it, I’m not getting any younger.
And yet, I am still a Mum with lots of ideas but I know I will succeed. I have a dream and I will tell my story. I have already achieved more than I ever thought I could and today made me realise that with careful planning and patience, I too, can reach my goals. So as I tucked my 4 year old daughter into bed tonight, I asked her “What kind of person do you want to BE?” and do you know what she said?
“Just like you Mummy, just like you”.
The Yummy Mummy Club is a club for women who are mums and aims to inspire, motivate and support Mums by allowing them to have some ME time through the specially organised events and workshops.
As Mums, we tend to put everyone and everything before ourselves.
Being a Yummy Mummy ISN’T about what you look like, what you wear or what you drive. It’s about how your feel as a woman and your attitude towards motherhood.
Take some time out. Make yourself a priority (even, if it’s just for a little while).
Events that we have done to date include pistol shooting, pole dancing, movie nights, Zumba classes, to name a few. Upcoming events include a Glamour Photo Shoot and a Wardrobe workshop.
It’s totally voluntary and not-for-profit.
More information can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/yummymummynz
