International Women’s Day - If I Wasn’t So Humble…
Keystone Women was founded by Dani Trudeau who has collaborated with experts in their fields and leading facilitators and educators to create programmes to support women in their working lives while finding meaningful communities to nurture their growth. The new online Keystone Programme has been created to make this accessible to all. Here we meet Trudeau and two of the programme’s alumni.
Dani Trudeau
Founder of Tribe Porty & Keystone Women
If you weren’t so humble, what would you tell us about yourself?
That I started my first enterprise at 14 years old and started my second company at 24 after moving to Scotland from the USA.
I managed to get a Highly Skilled Migrant Working Visa to stay in the UK after my work permit. This visa was based on the work I was doing with children on the autism spectrum. I used one of my clients as my case study for my visa. He was just 5 at that time and has just graduated university! He has done so well and I have been lucky to work with so many amazing families over the years.
Tell us about a big challenge you have overcome and what you learned from it.
For the past two years, I have been suffering from chronic pain and fatigue. Something I didn't even want to say out loud until recently. I have always defined myself by achievements and learning to slow down and separate my work from my worth has been a huge challenge. Having been a dancer for over 25 years and done loads of somatic work and study, I thought I knew my body well. I have now learned to listen to my body in a much deeper way, not because it was easy but because I was the only one who could. With the help of some trusted practitioners (of the body, mind and soul varieties), I am learning to be more patient with myself. I have also learned a new level of empathy for others and a more gentle approach to this body of mine. Without wellness, everything suffers.
What are your favourite ways to learn now? Any top recommendations?
I find a podcast in the morning when I am getting ready my preferred way of learning. On Being is my soul food, go-to podcast. I have a few different favourites for wellness, marketing, speaking and good stories. My regulars tend to be This American Life, RoadioLab, Hidden Brain, Design Matters, Tim Ferris Show and Unlocking Us.
What does success mean to you?
A bit like happiness, success is fleeting and not really the goal. I am winning when I can celebrate moments of success and feel inspired to keep striving and learning. Right now, I am on a mission to build a community of women, driven by their values, resilient and thriving in all aspects of their working lives. Success would be working with a further 100 or more women through the programme AND keeping myself well at the same time.
What is your go to ritual or habit when you need to give yourself some TLC?
I book in regular massages and every time I get my reminder text, I thank myself for doing it even before I go. It sorts out my head and my body. It is like all the emotions stored in my cells get worked out as well as any muscular tension.
Mary Cotter, Founder of Stellar Health
If you weren’t so humble, what would you tell us about yourself?
Way back, I used to be an interior designer but my life and career changed dramatically when I ran into health issues in my 20s. It’s what lead me to retrain as a nutritional therapist 7+ years ago and I now specialise in helping people identify what’s at the heart of their gut health issues quickly and effectively so that they can find the freedom to love life again too! So far as a nutritional therapist, I have worked in TV and radio, created bespoke retreats for a cancer charity, and I’m a published co-author of an academic paper (in the BMC Public Health) evaluating the effectiveness of different weight loss programmes.
Tell us about a big challenge you have overcome and what you learned from it.
The biggest challenge for me has been dealing with a painful bladder condition called interstitial cystitis in my 20s. This illness had a devastating effect on my life – I needed to pee every 20 minutes, I couldn’t walk to the shop or carry a shopping bag without having to lie down and sitting on a chair for more than a few minutes was agony due to pelvic pain, my abdomen was swollen, wearing trousers or anything tight fitting was impossible; I was in chronic pain and felt really miserable.
Desperate for a solution, I tried healing with conventional medicine but it had no effect on my symptoms. I began researching the role of nutrition on health which is how I ended up retraining as a nutritional therapist and starting my own business, Stellar Health.
What are your favourite ways to learn now? Any top recommendations?
There’s a number of podcasts I listen to frequently – Amy Porterfield and Janet Murray for marketing and social media tips, and for more wellbeing and
personal development stuff I enjoy listening to Dr. Chatterjee and the Curable podcast, which is about helping people get out of chronic pain.
What does success mean to you?
As a nutritional therapist, success to me is knowing that my contributions positively impact people’s quality of life.
What is your go to ritual or habit when you need to give yourself some TLC?
My go to ritual right now is journaling. I discovered journaling during lockdown and now I journal every morning for 30 minutes. It helps me process a lot of “stuff” floating around in my head, allows for reflection and brings clarity. It gives structure to my day too which is helpful as I work from home.
@stellar_health_mary www.stellarhealth.co.uk
Ailsa Lochhead, Founder of Move to Feel
If you weren’t so humble, what would you tell us about yourself?
My quirks and cracks are now my superpowers! On the back of a period of grief, mental health struggles and physical symptoms, the moment the pandemic started rippling around the globe was the point I stepped sideways on a journey inward not expecting to pop out the other side with a business, Move To Feel. A business grounded in my values and purpose, where I get the absolute pleasure of facilitating movement classes and somatic coaching, whilst at the same time it feeds my own body and soul!
Tell us about a big challenge you have overcome and what you learned from it.
For a long time, my difficult mind and shattered nervous system was running me. My physical body was screaming for me to listen and connect with it. There were a couple of years where I was fainting almost daily. During one collapse, when I couldn’t feel my limbs, I remember a paramedic asking me to breathe slowly, but I felt so disconnected to my body I couldn’t locate the control of even doing that. Thank goodness at this point Nia, a mindful movement practice, showed up in my world. While consciously moving to music, I found that I started connecting to my physical body, I could process genuine emotions and move through fears. I went on to train in Nia and coupled this movement practice with training in transformational coaching. I relearned and felt my way back into my intuition, started to break down conditioned habits and reignited my passion for creating space to play and create. My ability to now feel and regulate my thinking body before my thinking mind has literally saved me. That is why I created Move To Feel; a safe space for others to drop out of their head and into their whole body.
What are your favourite ways to learn now?
I am a self-confessed courseaholic and love learning in action with theory and practice fed at the same time. The collective focus and energy of a live community (whether online or in person) is what I enjoy most and need for myself to show up fully.
What does success mean to you?
Tricky question, the answer has changed so many times in the past decade. At one point I thought the answer was ‘busy’, then it became ‘survive today’, then changed to ‘vulnerably authentic’. Now success is also hearing how my offerings are supporting others!
How can people find out more?
Move To Feel is a mindful movement and coaching practice which invites you to move, sense, play and connect.
Instagram @move.tofeel www.movetofeel.co.uk