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Women of the West Newsletter - May 2024

As Mother's Day approaches, we wanted to infuse some joy and positivity into your day by celebrating the remarkable wisdom passed down from our mothers and mother figures. We reached out to our community, inviting them to share the most cherished pieces of advice they have received.

My mother used to always say: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

This simple advice has guided me in many aspects of my life. However, I have had to adapt it in my role as a leader. There are times that having challenging conversations is necessary however, you can still deliver this feedback in a kind and considerate way.

As we celebrate Mother's Day, let us take a moment to reflect on the invaluable lessons passed down from the mother figures in our lives. Their wisdom continues to guide us, nurture us, and inspire us to be the best versions of ourselves.

Here are just a few gems of wisdom shared by our amazing members:

“Treat others as you would like to be treated" - Lyndahl
"Be careful what you wish for" - Urszula
"You can do anything you put your mind to" – Natalie
"Stand your ground. Face your fears." - Ankur
"If you've got nothing nice to say, say nothing"- Natalie
"Always iron EVERYTHING so you don't look like you're wearing clothes that have been chewed by a cow (this advice makes more sense when said in Croatian) - Leanne
"If you want something, make your husband think it's his idea "– Natalie

(the last 2 gave me a good belly laugh)

And here are some learnings from a few women we admire and the advice from their Mums.

Raise adults, not children. When it comes to parenting, Michelle Obama says she admires her mother Marian Robinson, who helped raise Sasha and Malia when they were in the White House.

"She always [said] I'm not raising children, I'm raising adults," says Obama

As we celebrate Mother's Day this Sunday, I want to honour all the diverse types of motherhood: from Mums, Mums-to-be, and Mums trying to conceive, to Grandmothers, Aunts, those who have lost their Mum, and those with complex relationships with their Mums.

We also honour Stepmothers, Mums who have lost a child, Mum’s who are battling illness, those who stand in as Mums, those with two Mums, those learning to forgive their Mums, and even the wonderful fur baby Mums.

Thank you for being part of our community, and happy Mother's Day to all the incredible women out there!

And now a special request from our Director, Urszula Lusk

I am hoping that our community can rally behind one of my trail running friends to assist in fundraising for an incredible cause that supports women and girls around the globe who don’t have the Freedom to run.

Leigh Hawkes, is gearing up for an incredible 525km run over 9 days through the Namibian desert. Completely nuts!! But so inspirational.

Leigh who has a mantra of #runtheracewithloveandgrace will be carrying all her necessities, including food, bedding, and survival gear, making this endeavour even more impressive.

You can follow her adventure from May 15^th-24th here https://www.facebook.com/CanalAventure

Leigh is fundraising for https://freetorun.org/in

“Free to Run supports young women and girls in areas of conflict to help them build leadership skills and improve their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing, through running. We provide the tools to help them become leaders who exercise self-determination, challenge negative norms, and boldly reclaim public spaces. Free to Run members are community leaders, advocates, and role models in their societies, bringing people together across cultural, ethnic, and religious lines. They change views about the roles that women can, and should, play in society”.

Here is the fundraising link if you or your organisation have the capacity to kindly donate.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/warrioressxfreetorunxnamibia2024

This charity is completely new to me, but I'm absolutely taken by it! What an amazing cause supporting women with such far-reaching impact.

We would love your feedback and input to future events, please complete this quick survey to advise on what topics you would like to see us cover in the future

Watch this space for the upcoming announcement of a LIVE EVENT in JUNE.

Keryn Drew
Associate Director

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