Taking care of business....and a baby

Wearing Nike High Tops from the kids section. Oh yeeeaaaaah!

A few months ago I drew out a huge brain map of all the things to consider when going on maternity leave from The Wardrobe Angel: networking memberships, tax and my accountants, my monthly column in Sew Now magazine and my radio show at Phoenix FM. Now the bump is just shy of 6 months old all this planning has come swiftly into real-life reality.

This month I stepped away from my radio show for the rest of the year. Producing, writing and presenting my show each Tuesday morning on Phoenix FM for the past year has been an absolute pleasure. I honed skills which had lay dormant since my university radio days: driving the desk, choosing the playlist, back-timing songs and writing jingles. I've even added to my skill base by learning how to use Cool Edit (yep, that's a real thing) and after having an hour long interview with a business guest each week my interviewing skills are pretty damn sharp now. As a side note I have felt extremely honoured that members of the local business community in the Leeds City Region have gotten up early and trekked over to Halifax to join me in the studio each week.

My actual WORDS IN PRINT!

Having an actual print column YOU CAN HOLD IN YOUR HANDS in Sew Now magazine has been a dream come true this past year. Each month I have been taking the trends and translating them into ways-to-wear which has fed into the sustainable aspect of my business. I have also upskilled myself in the world of sewing, fabrics and print journalism.

This year has been chock-full of business opportunities and I am grateful for each and every email and phone call that came my way heralding the sound of my professional dreams coming true. So naturally I have felt anxious that when I take my foot off The Wardrobe Angel pedal in June that things will change. Well, of course they will - I'll be a mum and have a completely new focus and love of my life. But I take heart in women like Annie Mac who was back at work on her flagship Friday night Radio 1 show after the birth of her first child and I thank my lucky stars that I have such a wonderful network of awesome women who have answered my emails and sat face-to-face with me over a brew to re-assure me that my business will be intact when I return in 2018.

If you look closely you can see my finger marks on the mirror in this pic!

So for now I have my Wardrobe Angel pedal to the metal and I am fully booked until mid-May. Absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder for my wonderful clients!

Take care ...x

The Wardrobe Angel