Tag Archives: motherhood

Frost Loves: ‘Things I Wish I’d Known’ by parenting influencer Emily Norris

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* The long-awaited book from the undisputed doyenne of mum-hacks, Emily Norris *

THINGS I WISH I’D KNOWN:

My hacks for a tidy home, happy kids and a calmer you

Things I Wish I’d Known is the go-to guide for easy and original mum hacks and habits. Packed with honest, gimmick-free and relatable advice to create a more harmonious family life from the much-loved influencer with over a million followers, Emily Norris, it’s the ultimate parenting guide.

Like Emily Morris I am a mum-of-three children. It is full-on and a happy chaos. Parenting is joyful and full of the highest of highs, but it is also hard and relentless. Anything that can make your life easier can make a huge difference. Emily Norris’s book is full of absolute gems I will be incorporating into my life. From slow cooker hot chocolate stations to rainy day hacks Emily Norris is a master of the lifestyle hack.

Things I Wish I’d Known is a fantastic resource to elevate your life and make parenting easier. Few people enjoy doing housework and there is plenty in this book to make it easier. The book is broken into sections and is easy-to-read and find whatever gem you loved again. This book is fantastic resource for parents and I can’t recommend it enough.

“Being a parent is hard. It can be boring and lonely and stressful and it’s OK to say that out loud. But I truly believe that even the mundane side of motherhood can actually be rather lovely: there is joy to be found even in the mundane.

My motherhood journey hasn’t always been plain-sailing. I’d gone from being a busy marketing director to just ‘mummy’. I loved being a full-time mum to my boys, but I missed the adult interaction I’d had at work and, as a result, my self-confidence took a knock. One thing I really enjoyed was getting tips and ideas from other mums on YouTube. Picking up simple tricks while juggling the ups and downs of motherhood saved me precious time, energy and money – they even saved my sanity on more than one occasion!

Every single hack and habit I’ve written about has been tried and tested on my own family and I hope make Things I Wish I’d Known the ultimate go-to resource for all things parenting – and I hope helps make your everyday a little easier.” – Emily Norris

Things I Wish I’d Known is separated into five sections. The first four – Home Sweet Home, Food, Glorious Food, Travel & Holidays, School Rules – are split into two parts: one for hacks (a quick, clever, and often fun solution to a parenting problem and something you can implement right away) and another for habits (a longer term, behavioural and routine-based remedy focussed on running your household as efficiently as possible).

·       Rainy day remedies including boredom beating activities such as mess-free painting, the painters’ tape assault course and learning ping-pong

·       Nifty ways to tackle that housework to-do list, from the ‘one touch method’ to the essential cleaning products you can make at home

·       Timesaving culinary tricks you’ll wish you’d known sooner including tips to make mealtimes easy, delicious easy-to-follow recipes for all the family and yummy snack ideas your kids will love

·       The must-read guide to managing the school holidays, from how to survive long journeys, beach hacks and the unexpected essentials you’ve got to take with you

·       Top hacks for the school routine, including time-saving tips for navigating the dash to the school gates, hassle-free homework and co-ordinating those extra-curricular activities 

In the fifth and final section, Emily looks at some of the ‘bigger picture’ issues around parenting, often discussed on her channel, such as sleep, boundary pushing and post-baby relationships with partners.

And sprinkled throughout the pages are Emily’s ‘Moment For You’ ideas to encourage busy mum’s to press pause on everything else and prioritise yourself for a little while.

Emily Norris, mum of 3 and YouTuber, has been creating positive, upbeat and sanity-saving content for mothers with young families around the world since 2014. She has created a space on the internet to support others in navigating the highs and lows of motherhood through sharing her infamous hacks and habits, all designed to create a more harmonious life for any family.

With over a decade of experience Emily has built a community of over a million followers cementing her reputation as a trusted voice within the industry. Emily is an ambassador for industry giants P&G and has partnered with household brands including, Disney, Microsoft, Sky,Dyson, Google, Tesco, EGO, KiwiCo and HelloFresh to name a few. Emily shares her raw and honest take on motherhood and is an advocate for ‘doing your best’ and is regularly praised by the mainstream media for her ‘mind-blowing’ and ‘genius’ hacks.

Emily’s community spirit was the inspiration behind her YouTube series ‘Hack your Home’. Putting her hacks and habits into practice, the series see’s Emily clean and re-organise the homes of those in need of a helping hand. Emily and her husband Matt have recently completed their dream home renovation which they documented across their home account @emilynorrishome.

Things I Wish I’d Known: My hacks for a tidy home, happy kids and a calmer you by Emily Norris will be published on 7 March 2024 (Ebury, Hardback, £16.99)

Almost half of new mums suffer from frightening thoughts or hallucinations

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By Gemma Francis

Almost half of new mums suffer from frightening thoughts or hallucinations – but two thirds of these hide how they feel for fear of being judged negatively or having their baby taken away, a study has found.

The images – which include thoughts of killing or harming their child – are still taboo among mums with just 37 per cent admitting to others how they feel.

The most common thought is a fear that ‘something dreadful will happen to my baby’, with 62 per cent vividly feeling this.

A further 44 per cent were plagued by the belief their baby might die, while 13 per cent have imagined killing or harming their own child.

The study by parenting site ChannelMum.com also found one in 50 even believed ‘my baby hated me’ while one per cent were convinced their mother-in-law was trying to take their baby,

Others had visions of their child being eaten by a crocodile or snatched by the Grim Reaper.

Two in five (39%) felt their child and partner would be ‘better off without me’ and 16 per cent considered suicide.

An additional 31 per cent admit to having an irrational fear that someone ‘will steal or harm my baby’, making it impossible for them to meet or talk to strangers.

Yet despite 43 per cent of mums suffering these extreme thoughts, 65 per cent of those were never told pregnancy and parenthood could affect their mental health.

As a result, one in five (19%) feared they were ‘going mad’ when they fell ill.

Half (49%) of the mums who suffered were also scared of being ‘judged negatively’.

Forty three per cent believed others will think they are a ‘bad parent’, while 26 per cent were ‘ashamed’ of being mentally ill.

The stigma is so great that a disturbing 17 per cent of mums who fall ill admitted they thought about self-harm to try to cope, with one in 20 going on to self-harm.

One of the biggest barriers to getting help is the fear your child will be taken into care.

One in five mums (19%) who suffered mental illness after birth reported refusing to access help in case their child was taken away.

Official NHS figures show just ten to 15 per cent of mums experience serious mental health issues.

But as a result, some experts now believe there could be a ‘hidden epidemic’ of maternal mental illness, as 64 per cent of mums who fall ill never try to get a formal diagnosis so are missed by official figures.

Overall, the survey showed the most common mental health ailment suffered by new mums is anxiety, experienced by 68 per cent of women after birth, alongside 48 per cent who undergo insomnia due to worry.

A further 35 per cent battle Post Natal Depression, a third (33%) become agoraphobic and 23 per cent are hit by panic attacks.

On average, women’s symptoms lasted three to six months, but 29 per cent felt mentally low for a year or longer.

Women were five times more likely to spot their own symptoms with 69 per cent realising themselves they were ill, compared to just 14 per cent whose partners detected they were unwell.

However, almost two in five mums who become ill (38%) never tell anybody how they feel and just a third confide in their GP (33%).

The most common way mums covered up their feelings was to pretend to be ‘fine’ when quizzed on how they felt, with 94 per cent admitting they lied about their feelings.

Lack of sleep was seen as the main trigger for mums falling ill, with 55 per cent believing this contributed to their condition.

A further 54 per cent said they felt ‘emotionally overwhelmed’ as a new parent, alongside 39 per cent who admitted they tried to ‘be the perfect parent’.

Two in five (41%) blamed hormonal changes while 14 per cent pinned the blame on ‘the pressure of living up to others on social media.

As a result, a resounding 80 per cent of mums want society to be more open about maternal mental health issues and the extreme thoughts mums can have.

Seven in ten (69%) want ‘society to realise it can happen to anyone’ while 55 per cent seek reassurances that their child will not automatically be taken into care if they come forward for treatment.

ChannelMum.com founder Siobhan Freegard said: “If your body is broken after birth, everyone understand and supports you.

“But when your mind is broken, mums still feel they have to keep it hidden.

“These thoughts are disturbing and terrifying – but very often they are part of becoming a mum.

“We need to talk about it, normalise it and make mums realise they are not alone. You are not different or ‘going mad’ just because you experience it – but you may need professional care and help.

“I suffered from post natal depression and visualised extreme images after the birth of my first child then tried to cover it up, so I know exactly what women are going through when they hide it.

“There is so much pressure to cope and be the perfect parent that when you are crying inside while everyone around you is smiling, it makes you feel you are failing your baby and your whole family.

“Mums need to know they will get the right support and their baby won’t be taken away.

“With care, compassion and the right treatment, you can get better quickly, bond with your baby and go on to be the parent you want to be.”

ChannelMum.com psychologist Emma Kenny added: “This research has highlighted the plight of large numbers of mums in the UK and evidences that even in 2018 post natal depression is still no closer to being effectively dealt with.

“Good maternal mental health is something that every woman deserves, but due to the lack of knowledge and support this simply isn’t the case, leaving women to deal with some of the most terrifying and debilitating feelings at a time when they should be enjoying their positive new beginnings.

“We need to address this subject openly, removing the shame and stigma so that mums no longer feel that they have to cope alone.”

EXTREME THOUGHTS MOTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED:
I believed my baby hated me and was trying to kill me
I planned jumping off the balcony with my baby
I thought my flat was haunted and would stay outside from dawn til dusk until my husband got home
I thought my baby would die if I didn’t wash up before my microwave pinged
I saw the Grim Reaper outside my bedroom door
I thought my twins weren’t mine
I thought that my mother in law was planning to take my baby
I thought that baby would die because of germs. So I made everyone disinfect themselves before they could touch him. Someone touched my pram in a supermarket once and I couldn’t move due to fear of contamination. I stood in the cleaning isle vigorously disinfecting my pram.
I believed if I went to sleep, someone would break in and smother us all to death
I wanted to throw my daughter out of the window
I thought a crocodile was trying to eat my baby
I wanted to drive the car into a wall and kill my baby and myself
I cut all my hair off as I thought my baby was eating it and making himself ill
I thought everyone would be better off without me
I imagined an iron melting into my baby’s face
Just blackness, despair like being trapped in thick mud.

 

Plus One is The Loneliest Number: On The Loneliness of Motherhood

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lonely, loneliness of motherhood, loneliness of parenthood. the loneliness of being a parent, parenting, There are many hard things about parenthood. Some are obvious: sleepless nights, exhaustion, lack of me time, endless nappies. But there is one that is not talked about as much and that should be, and that is the crippling loneliness of motherhood (or fatherhood if the man is the stay-at-home parent). Now some people may wonder how you can be lonely when you are looking after a baby but here is the thing: they cannot talk. Even when they do start to talk you still crave adult company. You yearn for a decent conversation. A moment to relate to another human being can feel like a life-saving moment.

Since I had my son almost two years ago I have had moments of loneliness that were so extreme I felt like they might suffocate me. I have worked from home for years but I also went to a lot of events and reviewed restaurants. I talked to people, I interviewed people. I was important. Now I am just someone’s mother and the only person I have proper conversations with for weeks on end is my husband. I have always been a social person and there were times when I thought the isolation might break me. My family live in Scotland which I have found hard since having a child. My friends mostly work normal working hours.

It is not that I have not tried to make friends with other parents. We moved when my son was a baby and by the time I found groups to take him to people had already formed cliques. I tried to join in and be friends but the mean girl vibe does not wane when (some) women grow up and become mothers. Other times I would connect with someone and think we were going to become friends, only to never see them again. It wasn’t that I did not try. I really put myself out there and the constant rejection only made it worse.

I believe we have to talk more about how lonely being a parent can be. There are thousands of parents struggling to just get through the day. They are isolated and can go for weeks without any other human contact. There are now apps for mothers to meet up like Mush which is a tinder style app for mothers to meet up with each other. It is growing in popularity and I hope every mother who needs someone to talk to joins up.

Now that my son is nearly two I feel I have come out the other side. I take him to numerous events. He has a better social life than I do. Recently I have found that I have become friends with the other mothers from one of the groups I take him to. The mean girls have fallen away, leaving only a hard core group who go at least once a week. Last week we all talked for hours as our children played. I could tell that it made these mothers happy to have someone to talk to. Some were shocked when I started talking to them properly but we quickly got into the swing of it. We even shared tips for making more mum friends. It was a wonderful moment and a long time coming. I hope it is only the start.

 

This article was originally published on Feb 21, 2017. We republished it because it was popular.

Illustrator Carmen Garcia Huerta on music, motherhood & Madame Bovary

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Illustrator Carmen Garcia Huerta on music, motherhood & Madame BovarySomewhere between photography, cinema and fiction comes illustration. Carmen García Huerta was selected by Taschen as one of the 100 best international illustrators. Her world is both unmistakable and surprising, with a unique attention to detail. Carmen’s work straddles two styles: the stylised and chic in her more commercial work, and a predilection for curved lines and the beauty of imperfection in her more personal projects.

In this interview, we hear from the artist herself on music, motherhood and Madame Bovary…

What is fashion illustration for you? 

It’s quite an evasive notion for me, something like the minimal unity of elegance. A subtle yet, at the same time, complex expression of the whole web of design, trend, fabric, texture, attitude, sociology. In my case, the object gains a force and loses volatility, as my drawings are very consistent.

What is happening beyond illustration in the world of Carmen García Huerta?  

Well, I am single, which I need – it is vital for my work. The only presence which does not change me or which even, at times, motivates and stimulates me is that of my daughter when she visits me in the studio, but only for a short time. I always have music on. I usually listen to intimate tracks by composers from classical to neo-folk, unless I have an urgent deadline. Then I put on power rock or epic soundtracks to speed me up a bit.

When you were little, what could keep your attention for hours?

I was a very quiet child, introverted and dreamy. I spent a lot of time immersed in my father’s graphics library, where he had lots of books by strip cartoonists from the ‘70s, clearly for adults as they were about politics or soft porn. Perhaps that wasn’t the most appropriate for a child, and I didn’t understand anything that I was reading about, but I am very grateful to have had access to those as that is how I learnt to draw and get engrossed in reading.

Leaving technology aside, what objects do you think are most representative of this era, which will be recognised when looking back from the future?

Now there is a return to the home-made and the artisanal, in perfect harmony with technology. But I don’t know what to say, everything that comes to mind is electronic.  So, if I can’t mention a smartphone, I would say a selfie. I can’t think of anything which better expresses here and now.

If you could create the image of a character from a novel or film in your illustrations, who would it be?

Madame Bovary. In fact, that’s what I’m about to do.

Full article as published on SPN by writer, translator and journalist, Silvia Terrón.
 

Sienna Miller: ‘Having a Baby Saved My Career’

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SiennaSienna Miller, Outhouse , NecklaceWhile some people say having a child ruins your career Sienna Miller has told the Observer magazine that having a child improved hers. A combination of showing up for meetings with executives underprepared and an affair with married actor Balthazar Getty in 2008, which was reported in the tabloids in excruciating detail, all affected her career.  “Quite chaotic,” is how Miller sums up her 20s. 

Studio decision-makers read papers and care about how actors come across to the public. The article says: ‘The thinking among certain casting agents, Miller once said, is that “People don’t want to see films with people they don’t approve of in them.” She took a break from screen work, performing in plays in London and New York.”

She was the heroine of hackgate and then hooked up with actor Tom Sturridge. In 2012 the couple had a daughter, Marlowe.

“And I think having a baby really changed everything, if I’m honest, I think that’s where it began.” Miller says. “The stakes are higher. You have someone that you want to be proud of you eventually.” And on the other hand she says: “You’re aware of your own mortality. For me, as soon as I had a baby I had a vision of my life – and what was left of it.”

Miller also says that executives and casting directors think differently of her now “I’m sure that factors. People who read the negative things [about me], the people who need persuading, are probably ignorant enough to assume, ‘Well she’s got a kid so she’s serious now.’ Which, of course, isn’t the case. I’m still whoever I was. Maybe more mature, but the same. So amongst that ignorant, ridiculous area of my industry, I’m sure opinions of me have changed because I’m a mother now.”

 

What do you think? Do you agree with Sienna Miller?

 

If you are an actor then check out my book How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon.

 

 

Why Yoga Makes Mummies Happy: The role of Yoga in creating the love hormone ‘Oxytocin’

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Why Yoga Makes Mummies Happy
The role of Yoga in creating the love hormone ‘Oxytocin’

By Cheryl MacDonald BA Hons CYT E-RPYT

The fact is that yoga actually makes you happier. The ‘love hormone’
Oxytocin helps you to relax and reduces blood pressure and cortisol levels.
Yoga is now well recognised as one of the ways to encourage the body to
release this amazing hormone and built in anti-stress mechanism.
When the various limbs of yoga are practised, oxytocin is released. Deep
breathing warms the body, and warmth is one of the key elements that allow
us to release Oxytocin. By taking the body through the practice of yoga
asana (postures) we warm the muscles and joints, make the physical body
more comfortable and relaxed. By then continuing the practice with
savasana (deep relaxation) and meditation, we encourage the production
of oxytocin even further.
Lululemon_Yellow_Yoga
What is Oxytocin?

Oxytocin is that magical hormone that rushes through the body when we first
fall in love. Oxytocin can take us to the dizzy heights of a love sickness that
makes food and sleep seem so much less important than looking into the
eyes of our new found love.

Some of oxytocin’s main functions are preparing the female body for
childbirth, stimulating milk production and ‘let down’ so that baby can nurse,
and encouraging the bond between mum and her newborn baby.

The hormone is also plays an important part in sexual arousal and is released
when you have an orgasm. Its important in nonsexual relationships too and
presence of the hormone has shown to increase trust, generosity, and
cooperation. It can also create a nurturing aspect within males and females
who are not parents.

Why does Yoga make you happy?

Yogic breathing (of course!) When the vagus nerve is inflamed your breathing
becomes more shallow. Your body has gone into fight or flight mode and you
have started to panic. Stop right here and allow yourself to breathe deeply.
Pranayama (or yogic breathing) encourages to take time to just stop, and
focus on the breath.

Pregnancy and motherhood can bring a lot of huge physical, emotional and
environmental changes that can be difficult to adapt to. Taking some time
each week to just BREATHE during yoga class, bringing your attention to the
breath, focusing on the breath alone, not worrying about anything else, can
allow oxytocin to be released and deepen that relaxation. Slow steady
breathing is all that you need. Sometimes we get so caught up in ‘getting the
posture’ that we forget to breathe. Check yourself and make sure you ARE
actually breathing (you’d be surprised.)

Warming the body through the practice of Asana

It is important to warm the body before undertaking the physical practice of
yoga (asana) so as not to damage any joints and to ease the body gently
into the postures. This is especially important for pregnant and post natal
women, whose bodies are and have undergone physical stress and growth
over a period of time. During the practice of asana and pranayama, the
body generates heat and warms the body inside and out. Extra bonus?
When we are warm and relaxed, the body releases more oxytocin…

Chilling in Savasana

At the end of class, don’t just jump up and run out of class. Savasana, deep
relaxation at the end of class is your reward for all of your hard effort earlier
on. Learn to enjoy the relaxation, be aware of any random thoughts that go
through your mind – and just let them go. This is known as ‘monkey mind’
(What will I have for dinner? What did she mean by that?) – acknowledge
these meaningless thoughts and really take time for yourself – just focus on
the life force – the breath. That’s all you need to do. And enjoy the scrummy
feeling of the copious oxytocin rushing through your body. Sigh.

Why is Oxytocin so important for mummies

In a study of 65 women with depression and anxiety, the 34 women who took
a yoga class twice a week for two months showed a significant decrease in
depression and anxiety symptoms, compared to the 31 women who were
not in the class.

During Birth

Oxytocin helps birthing women through labour encouraging surges or
contractions as well as providing pain relieving endorphins and an altered
state of consciousness or bliss (known as labour land) that makes most of
childbirth seems ‘dream like’ or surreal. As soon as baby is born, it makes
mum fall in love in the greatest way possible, with their newborn baby.
In the first few moments after giving birth, a mother receives the largest rush
of oxytocin that she will ever experience in her lifetime. Oxytocin flows
between mother and child every time baby is breastfed which encourages
bonding and attachment.

During birth we can encourage the release of oxytocin by making sure that
mum has privacy, feels safe and comfortable, has a dimmed room and is left
in peace. Yogic breathing and practice of adapted savasana during
childbirth can aid the release of this special hormone.
Antenatal and Postnatal Depression

Yoga helps to balance hormones and stabilizes the endocrine system. By
practising yogic relaxation techniques, we can balance cortical activities
and the nervous and endocrine systems, reducing the body`s reaction to
stress. As a result, the body produces less adrenaline, noradrenaline and
cortisol, (all stress hormones) and mum feels much more balanced and stress
free.

Also, prenatal depression studies indicate clinical depression alleviates by half
if only we can talk to a friend who listens to us and oxytocin is shown to
increase when we receive empathy. The social aspects of getting out to
perinatal yoga classes either before or with baby help mum and baby
socialize with other mums around them.
Baby Bonding

Remember oxytocin is about being personal in ways that give our time
together significance and shape moments of laughter and pleasure. Follow
the instinct to reach out and strengthen ties with invitations to share together
and enjoy your pregnancy and life.

There is ample evidence, that oxytocin and another hormone known as
vasopressin are critical for the bonding process, especially as it relates to
social and reproductive behaviour. Both chemicals help encourage bonding
and maternal behaviour.

Cheryl MacDonald is the founder of YogaBellies® which specializes in
perinatal yoga and natural birth preparation. She is the creator of the Birth
ROCKS® childbirth preparation method and has trained YogaBellies®
teachers across the world. Cheryl has been working with pregnant and
birthing women for almost ten years. She is mother of one lovely three year
old buy and lives with her husband in the west end of Glasgow.

Motherhood has given Alicia Keys a “reason in life”.

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The ‘Empire State of Mind’ hitmaker – who has an eight-month-old son, Egypt, with husband Swizz Beatz – says becoming a mum has changed her life in a “fun” way.

She explained: “Motherhood is heaven. It’s so purposeful and such fun. I feel much wiser in the choices I make. I have a reason in life I never had before.”

Alicia’s new outlook on life is a far cry from when the 30-year-old singer first found success and she admitted her fame was “scary” to begin with.

She told the Daily Mail newspaper: “I suddenly found myself doing tours, TV shows and flying every day.

“Everyone wanted a piece of me and that was scary. Being from New York, I covered that up.”

Now with a successful career and a happy personal life, Alicia is looking to the future and first on the agenda is a collaboration with Kings of Leon.

She said: “For a while I’ve wanted to do something with Kings of Leon. I definitely want to do it – I’m just waiting for the right moment.”

HIGH-FLYING FEMALES SHOULD NOT FEEL “GUILT” RETURNING TO WORK AFTER HAVING A BABY

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Successful women in business should not feel any guilt returning to work after having children.

They will have made the decision to return to work because it is in the best interests of their families and themselves.

Niamh O’Keeffe, MD of First100, a global company which aims to help senior women executives return to their roles after maternity leave.

Leadership performance acceleration company First100, which has offices in London, New York and Dublin, works with senior executives to put in place plans for their first 100 days in either a new role or the same role after returning from having a child.

First100 has issued a series of tips for maternity returners, including:

· Let go of the previous role as full-time mother
· Return to the work environment as a confident woman and leader
· Find the right balance between the roles of mother and senior business executive.
· Everything will have changed so prepare well in advance.

Niamh O’Keeffe said: “Once a woman has made the decision to return to work, they need to let go of their role as full-time mother and carry no guilt. Guilt is something brought on by the individual and no one else.

“The woman will have made this decision in the best interests of her and her family and they need to be pragmatic in making it work.

“Living in the moment is critical. When the woman is at home, they need to be fully at home and not juggling their laptop and BlackBerry while making the tea or reading a bedtime story. Equally, when they are at work, it is vital they are not constantly calling home to make sure everything is okay.”

Niamh added that finding the “right balance” was crucial in order to make a true success of combining being a successful woman in business with being a mother.

“The working mum needs to take time out regularly to check they have the balance right. Sometimes one area of your life can get very busy which makes it easy to lose focus in another part of your life. Taking time out to refuel and refocus is very important.

“It is also critical to set realistic expectations at work and at home as there are only so many hours in the day.”

The majority of First100’s clients are male, but the company is finding an increasing number of senior women executives asking it to help them navigate their vital first 100 days in a role or when returning from maternity leave.

First 100 days plans are becoming increasingly common-place within global organisations such as Vodafone, Accenture, Telefonica 02, BP, BT and Merck.

Niamh said: “From my own personal experience and the feedback I receive from our consultants working with clients in the UK, Ireland and United States, female business leaders often make far more willing clients.

“Women are often easier to coach than their male counterparts and more willing to listen and take on board new skills to help them succeed in challenging roles. Sometimes senior male executives are instinctively more defensive and cynical and need a little longer to be persuaded as to the merits of the coaching.

“Undoubtedly, one of the principal reasons why women are generally quicker to understand the benefits of working with companies such as First100 is that they face the added pressures of competing in a still male-dominated business world, many with the challenge of juggling huge responsibilities both at work and at home.

“Putting in place a sound strategic plan for your first 100 days whether you are taking on a new role or returning from having a baby can make all the difference between success and failure.”