A 13 hour live marathon day, interviewing inspiring women, spreading some midlife positivity.
Wow what a day to remember!
Where the idea came from
When I first had the idea to celebrate the launch of the new Liberte Free to Be podcast series I never imagined it would grow into such a big event. During the last 14 months my modelling work had obviously dwindled due to the pandemic, so having the podcast to keep working provided me with a sense of purpose.
I knew I wanted to create an event where I could give something back, as women supporting other women, is at the heart of my personal brand, so creating a fundraising event seemed like the perfect fit.
What is a Midlife Inspirathon?
The Midlife Inspirathon is a full day of live interviews. over on my Instagram page , interviewing 22 women all with inspiring stories to tell, whilst raising money for two women's charities to support.
Women Supporting Women
The Motherwell Cheshire charity, CEO Kate Blakemore has become a familiar face on the podcast. I am constantly blown away by Kate and her teams dedication to help girls and women from all ages and backgrounds offering a wide range of services.
Last year I started to build a relationship with the Smart Works Leeds charity after joining them as a guest on body confidence panel so I was delighted to have the chair Helen Oldham join me for an interview.
Who joined me?
What a pleasure to interview 22 women all with inspiring stories, live on Instagram starting at 8.30am and finishing at 9.30pm. From midlife body confidence activists, authors, midlife mavericks and every day women all with amazing stories to tell. The message that age is not a barrier to following our dreams, reinventing ourselves and finding new passion and purpose was loud and clear. I was left feeling inspired for the next decade and motivated to keep stepping up and removing my self made barriers to make sure I achieve so much more.
A celebrity line up-
When women support one another incredible things can happen.
I was so grateful to have everyone join me and for celebrities , including BAFTA winning television and radio presenter Katy Hill who is now stepping in to a new arena after training as a personal development and empowerment coach supporting the event.
Well known Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton who has also had a successful solo career, along with actress, singer, presenter, podcaster and founder of the lifestyle community The Capsule Natalie Anderson.
Sally Carman interrupted her busy Coronation Street schedule to talk to me about her role as an ambassador for the Motherwell Cheshire's Believe project. A project that supports women who find themselves in a vulnerable position, often homeless, with children whom are taking way from them into care or placed for adoption. Sally took up the ambassador role after her character Abi Franklin had a very similar story line.
All the interviews are now available to watch on IGTV here
Thank You!
The event has raised £1380 so far and I have say a huge thank you to all the sponsors as without them it wouldn't have been possible.
In no particular order-
Bridge models, Clair Mackenzie, The Business Revolution, Clockface Beauty, Copper & White, Susan Esco, Dye2befree, Mandy Taylor- founder of Charity Angels, Cloud9, Nima marketing, ChocolatePR, Jacynth Bassett, Jo Cusden, Audrey, Annie Stirk, Wear My Freedom, Yourbody.love
Final Thoughts
We can not allow our fear of failure stop us from pursuing our dreams in this next chapter of life.
All the women I interviewed are grabbing hold of midlife and making sure that they are certainly not invisible.
There's a real sense of midlife community, women who are supporting one another and reaching down to others who may need a hand up. I only hope we can build on this and hope that the media , fashion and advertising companies start to truly reflect the real power of women over 40 who are shining brightly later in life.
Don't forget you can also find lots more inspiration over on the Liberte Free to Be podcast.
I'm just getting started!
Keep being fabulous x
