Find a group near you
We currently have several groups around the country meeting up each month – with loads more planned. Amazing women getting together in their local area to share ideas, skills, secrets and success. Join a group and get inspired, get motivated and make it happen.
Here's a bit about each of our group leaders:
ST ALBANS: Nadia Finer
Nadia is co-founder of More To Life Than Shoes and co-author of More To Life Than Shoes: How To Kick Start Your Career and Change Your Life.
"It’s taken me years to work out what I should be doing with my life. I started out as the world’s worst trainee accountant and got through jobs like new pairs of shoes. I knew there had to be more to life.
So we set up More To Life Than Shoes for all those women who want to make something happen in their lives; to energise and inspire them to fulfil their ambitions. It’s so exciting to see what can be achieved when we get together, share ideas and help each other out. I never thought I would end up meeting so many inspirational women!
Nowadays I’m mum to Jacob, 3, juggling running a business, writing and wrestling with a feisty toddler. It’s hard work, but it’s so much fun, (mostly!) and I’ve certainly taken multi-tasking to a new level.
I love running my St Albans group. I've met some amazing women and made some incredible friends. I really look forward to our meet ups each month - I come away buzzing with excitement, feeling like I can do anything. It's amazing to see everyone move forwards with their big plans. Our group really has changed lives. Sounds cheesy, but it's true!"
To find out more about the St Albans group email nadia@moretolifethanshoes.com.
CLAPHAM: Claire Habel
Claire Habel lives with her husband Raffi. She has spent 2 years out of the last 10 travelling the world and is now happily settled in Clapham and in the second year of running her business Inspiring Futures.
Through her work she helps other women navigate their journey of starting and running their own businesses. In her spare time, she still indulges her love for travel as well as enjoying tear jerking books and films, spending time with really good friends over a glass of wine and being in the great outdoors (which often includes going to muddy and sometimes sunny festivals). Claire is a huge fan of More To Life Than Shoes and says she has met some wonderful women through it.
To find out more about the Clapham group email claire@inspiringfutures.biz
Duda is the founder of Dudadoes -www.dudadoes.co.uk- a premium Private PA / Lifestyle service which supports overly busy people in doing things they don't have time for. From entrepreneurs running businesses, to helping with family organisation, planning trips and diaries, weekly shopping, errands or even moving home, Dudadoes helps you manage your time by jumping in where you need us most. Dudadoes the things you don't have time for and organises all that matters to you!
The MTLTS Mayfair group is launching this September. If you'd like to get involved, email duda@dudadoes.co.uk.
WANSTEAD (E11): Sandra Hale
"I was very fortunate to be able to stay at home with my young family and be the Mum I wanted to be all those years ago. However when the babies grow up, which they have all gone and done, you look in the mirror and have to decide what it is that you really want to spend your time doing. I’ve had several years working and looking for what I want to do, not always knowing what that was, but I believe everything takes you one step closer and is for a reason. I now LOVE what I do, which is working as a Personal Life Coach for mid life women, running my own coaching practice called Step Forward Coaching. I have met many fantastic women along the way, and that’s what has brought me to MTLTS.
I think that MTLTS is a brilliant concept bringing like minded women together in a genuinely supportive environment that’s fun and friendly. Its not like any other network group that I have been to and that’s a huge compliment to MTLTS. It’s for any woman with goals at whatever stage you are at, even if they are still only in your head. When you come to a MTLTS meeting we want you to feel comfortable enough to voice and explore those ideas or ask (what you had been thinking was) a stupid question, because there is no such thing at MTLTS! I hope that you will come and join us for a meeting in Wanstead sometime soon.
Drop me an email if you'd like to join us or if you have any questions Sandra@stepforwardcoaching.co.uk.
Zoe first got involved in journalism when she started writing gig reviews during her gap year. She then launched her own magazine, Acid Touch containing interviews with bands, gig reviews and EP reviews.
“I thought I knew a lot about journalism from my student experiences and work experience placements but working in national newsrooms was a complete shock to me, the best way of putting it is that is was character-forming! Working at the Oxford Journal enabled me to cover big local stories and was so grateful to get to interview MPs, cover court stories and regularly interview people in entertainment such as musicians, film stars and comedians.
Zoe also decided to get a better understanding of PR with a job at the Red Cross handling all internal and external communications for Hampshire, Surrey and Isle of Wight. “For six hectic months I have juggled two jobs, and learned a huge amount about PR and journalism simultaneously. It’s been so hectic but I’m glad I’ve done it because I now have the skills and confidence to start my own freelance PR consultancy.
My first experience of MTLTS totally exceeded my expectations. I had expected the women to be more guarded and more competitive, but everyone was really friendly and genuinely wanted to help each other. People in the group are not trying to show off or sell themselves as is often the case with conventional networking; they are just normal people at different stages of achieving their goals. I love the concept of each person creating action points at the end of each group. It is not just a bunch of women sitting around discussing men or clothes, but women actually taking control of their dreams. When I found out that the Oxford group was looking for a new leader, I just had to put myself forward.
I am really excited about Create Awareness, my PR consultancy and already have clients. I am hoping my business will go from strength-to-strength. My goal is to be doing it full-time this time next year. I feel that with the support of More to Life Than Shoes, I am much more likely to achieve this.
To get involved in the Oxford group email Zoe at zefstathiou@googlemail.com. To find out more about Zoe's business check out www.createawarenessukcom.
"After leaving my proper job in HR 10 years ago I set up People Potential, we specialise in Career Coaching, Training, Image and Impact. (Find out more about us here) www.peoplepotential.uk.com.
"I originally wanted to be a graphic designer, but 6 weeks into my course, my dad had a heart attack, and in hospital, grey and ill, he kept saying how he wished I’d become a lawyer or accountant – and so I changed courses.
I became an accountant and ended up working for KPMG for 13 years. I was never happy in the job (though company and people were fab, but the job itself was not!). The only bit of the job I loved was the people side – talking to and helping clients, or coaching and training junior team members, but I wasn’t brave enough yet to do anything else.
Then, the day after my 34th birthday, I found out I had cancer of the womb. I had four months of treatment, and it went away. But at my six-month check-up it came back. This time I was off work for six months, had an operation to remove part of my fallopian tubes. I also went on a self-development course, based on NLP, to help me cope. I loved it! And once I was better, I retrained in NLP, and in September 2009 I quit my job (with hardly any savings and no real plan), because I wanted to help other people who were stressed and struggling to cope. I’ve now completed my NLP Masters course, have been in remission for three years and am working on building my business. I’ve never had a more unstable financial situation, and yet I’ve never felt happier or more true to myself!
MTLTS has helped, because at those times when I have felt like giving up, I get an injection of inspiration and confidence, and meeting other women who are following their dreams too makes me want to push through and make a success of my new career. And there’s no better feeling than helping a client move from being stressed and depressed to happy and free!"
If you'd like more info about Heena's Luton group email heena@beyond-excellence.co.uk.
Caroline is a career counsellor and coach, specialising in supporting adults through career transition.
"After ten years teaching languages in the US and UK(multilingual crowd control), I decided to change career to do what I’d always wanted to do: help people fulfil their potential. I embarked upon 8 years of study and training, together with the crappy jobs to fund it, which culminated in a Master’s in Career Management and Counselling (Birkbeck, University of London). I now work in Yorkshire and London. You can check me out here www.careerswork.co.uk where you’ll learn about why I combine coaching and counselling in my practice.
I’m thrilled to be leading a MTLTS group. I think the approach is wonderful: having a safe forum where you can try out your ideas, receive constructive encouragement and get all the support you can eat. Much better than the pouty big shoulder pad scare-fests we so often find at so-called networking groups! Come along; be supported, be inspired, be successful.
CANTERBURY: Sally Smallwood (Launching March 2012)
"I've been very fortunate and lucky throughout my career and done things because I wanted to - a challenge, a dream, an adventure or a combination of all three. I always thought that money would follow my energy and enthusiasm. I know now that's not always the case. Many other things need to be in place besides.
From an art college background I spent many years in traditional illustrated book publishing, interspersed with teaching graphics in London art colleges.
After having children I was quickly faced with how to continue my career without either compromising myself or my family.
A keen photographer, I was fascinated by the way babies and children develop and started photographing and documenting them; building up a small photo library for reference publishers. This lead to an intense period of design and photographic work within childcare and early education and I went on to write a series of children's books.
Food has always been an important part of my life and increasingly so once I had a family. One summer I took a stall at a local farmers' market. This quickly developed into a successful artisan food buisness supplying small independent supemarkets,delis and mail order customers. A few years later I took on a community cafe in my local library running the two buisnesses side by side.
The time came for me to downsize and change direction. I decided to move out of London and go back to design, this time not paper pages but virtual ones. I now work as a web designer with a special interest in SME's.
I'm so pleased to be part of MTLTS - with a wealth of experience in setting up and running buisnesses I know too there's always more to learn! Drop me an email if you'd like to hear more at srsmallwood@hotmail.co.uk. Looking forward to hearing from you!"
GROUPS COMING SOON:
Leeds
Royston
If you'd like to start your own More To Life Than Shoes group, in your local area or at your work, please drop us a line- nadia@moretolifethanshoes.com
