#0022 Winning despite the challenges

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Hey loved ones,

How's your week been? Honestly, I've felt in a bit of a funk and despondent. Whilst my personal life has taken a rapid and unexpected turn for the better - thank you for the encouragement - I'll be truthful, the day-to -day has been slightly more challenging. In my line work, which is mainly PR and Communications, that's not always easy to admit.

When you've spent an extended period of time building a business, there can come a time where things are just generally tough. As someone who always has a vision board and a plan ready to action, I admit the last 12 months have been hard, uncertain and plain scary. Especially when your responsibilities remain the same and involve children.

Though not a Black British woman I've really appreciated the speaker, content creator and multi best selling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones recently. Season five of her podcast, Professional Troublemaker has been a massive tonic. Having built a seven figure business, Luvvie is doing something I don't see a lot Black business owners do, which is really get under the skin of the business and also be vulnerable enough to share the mistakes. Mainly because I don't think we're afforded the space to make them publicly. Luvvie is a fellow Marketeer and we're always told to sell the upside no matter how bad the messaging is but she truly and authentically gets into the nuts and bolts of these things. So it's nice not feeling so alone.

I'm hopeful that a better outcome is on the horizon and that this is simply a moment in time that will soon be a distant memory. In the meantime, I've been doing more to feed my needs, clearing space for when things feel better. I'll be powering through it all whilst taking solace in leaning into my feminine energy and letting someone else be in charge for once…well…some of the time.

SISTAS IN THE HOUSE

All eyes are back on Labour MP and now ‘Mother of the House’, Diane Abbott. Did you know this was a thing? As the longest-serving female MP she has now officially been given the title and imagine just a few short weeks ago, we were wondering if Miss Diane would even be allowed to stand in this election.

Miss Diane leads several Black British women who now represent us in the House of Commons, in what some are calling the most diverse parliament ever. Whilst I’m breathing a sigh of relief that we’re not going through a repetition of the Brexit/Trump outcomes, I’m also under no illusions that the journey has just begun and Starmar’s true position for me remains to be seen.

What I would like to do though is to celebrate women like Dawn Butler, Abena Oppong-Asare and Bell Ribeiro-Addy who I met whilst she was assistant to Dawn Butler. To see her growth in particular has been heartening as she becomes the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill. It’s a true example of Black women building and supporting each other, creating a long-lasting legacy and example for all of us not just our girls.

UN Women (United Kingdom) put out a piece discussing the historic strides that women made during this General Election.

OUR BOYS SURVIVE ANOTHER ROUND

I’m not a football fan but I have always watched the international games since I was a teen. Though I was at a farm with my littlest feeding sheep on Saturday, I didn’t miss the highlights - nor the relief - of hearing that England had successfully made it through to the next round and in no small part to four players of colour: Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

It’s always interesting to me how people underestimate how many layers of trauma ‘the beautiful game’ comes with for us as spectators and the young men commanding the pitch. As I read many a post about people holding their breaths and bracing themselves for the potential backlash should any of these young men miss a vital penalty, former player Rio Ferdinand took to social media to ask “Where are the racists now?” after they successfully secured the bag 5 to 2. It’s a topic he discussed as far back as two years ago with Guardian journalist, Donald McRae . I think the only player who can say that they have somewhat of an idea of the vitrol that these men could have potentially faced is David Beckham after his own public crucifiction after getting a red card at the 1998 World Cup.

And it’s not just Black men that suffer. Research from the National Centre for Domestic Violence reveals that domestic abuse incidents increase by 26% when England plays, 38% if they lose, and 11% the day after, regardless of the outcome. So this could impact Black British women even more. If you or someone you know needs help please reach out to organisations like Sistah Space who are there to help Black women.

SENDING SUPPORT TO OUR FRIENDS IN THE CARIBBEAN

I wanted to end by sharing my support for those who are affected by Hurricane Beryl which recently hit the Caribbean with a vengeance. With numerous people displaced, the community has come together to collect donations for those affected. Our friends at Humble Kind Wise have been working with partners in their network to get vital support to those who need it. A special shout out to Humble Kind Wise founder Zena Collins, an entrepreneur, coach and all-out badass from the UK.

OTHER STORIES TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEK

• ‘Like an island separate from England’: Black joy at Glastonbury – photo essay - The Guardian

• A new documentary explores why the first ‘Black Barbie’ was much more than just a doll - CNN

• Black British writers face inequality in publishing - Black Enterprise