It started with a random magazine and all kind of discoveries. Then we got physical got sweaty. And last week we all had a go at making that call.

This week, we're after some entrepreneurial inspiration.

One of the reasons we started More To Life Than Shoes was to create an inspiration hub where we could share cool discoveries, helping us fuel our own fire and maybe even inspiring a new business idea.  

I am lucky enough to meet some amazing female entrepreneurs doing all kinds of cool things. For example, the other day I met Genevieve Murphy, co-founder of Trinket Women - a great new way to buy high quality tampons.



Simply sign up, enter your dates and details and receive a neat and stylish present from mother nature's helpers each month. Simple and genius.

I love the fact someone has taken on the big boys and given a much needed feminine touch (not to mention style upgrade) to the most feminine of products. Plus, never again will I get caught short. I'm a real fan of getting letters and packages- just imagine if getting your monthly supply became a joy!

(And if you'd like to try Trinket out, Genevieve has kindly offered us a 2nd box free when we enter code T1005 on www.trinketwomen.com.)

We'd love you to join in this week's mini mission and dig up some of your own entrepreneurial inspiration. 

We wanna hear about amazing business ideas that get you going. If nothing springs to mind, panic not - check out www.trendwatching.com and www.springwise.com. They are both rammed with amazing ideas and concepts - sure to give you as much buzz as a triple espresso.

Wouldn't it be great if we all shared our discoveries - to help each other on the way to success.

Tell us - what's the big idea, why you like it, key things we can learn and give us a link to the website so we can check it out.

And tell your friends about the More To Life Than Shoes mini missions too! Blog, tweet, retweet, text, Facebook, do real talking, whatever floats your boat. Tell everyone!

Nadia x

MINI-MISSION: GET SWEATY!

When we moved house recently my husband tried to get me to slim down my shoe collection and suggested I might not need my football boots anymore. I resisted. Something told me there might be an opportunity sometime in the distant future for some footie antics, and then I’d need to look the part. After all, a girl needs the right shoes for every occasion.
 

GET SWEATY!
Hot flushes don't count, but other than that, anything goes. From taking the stairs, trying a crazy new sport, doing hot yoga or running like a loony down a hill, this week let's get all sweaty.

I've just finished reading my copy of DIVA magazine for our More To Life Than Shoes Mini Mission (try saying that with a mouth full of Maltesers). It's clearly not aimed at me, being a lesbian mag, but I've always wondered what it was like. Not lesbianism as such, but how a gay magazine aimed at women would differ from my old faithful Red or Marie Claire.

It’s funny, reading DIVA is really refreshing. I’ve been trying to work out what it is that makes me feel this way. It’s not the full page ads for dildos or sperm banks, but there’s a real strength that oozes off the page. The women in this mag are icons – think Cyndi Lauper, Jodi Picoult and KD Lang. They’re intelligent, feisty and interesting. They’re real women.

With no men around, this feels much more womanly and empowering than the usual phwoarh features or moaning monologues about moronic men.

What’s more, the fashion shoots don’t seem so airbrushed and the models come in all shapes and sizes. Ahh- so this is how women who love women want to celebrate the female form. It’s a far cry from the usual super skinny super photoshopped images we’re used to, and at first I’m actually a bit shocked. How sad is that?!

Aren’t all women’s mags supposed to make us feel strong and confident? I wonder, do the usual women’s mags actually love us at all? Or are they so focussed on making money from advertisers selling us stuff we can’t afford that won’t actually fit or suit us– because I certainly felt better about myself reading this, than I usually do post Red or Marie Claire.

It’s been an eye opener. I’m not sure I’ll become a regular reader, but thank you DIVA for making me realise that we women rock – just the way we are.

I’m not a creature of habit. Except that I always sit on the same spot on the sofa. I read the same magazine every month (even though sometimes it really gets on my nerves) I have a favourite cafe I always go to where I drink the same drink and I walk the same way into town. Hmmm, maybe I’m not as out there as I thought!

As Carrie Bradshaw would say, “I got to wondering,” what if we’re all a little bit entrenched in our daily routines. We need to mix it up.

So, as we’re the hottest women’s network out there, we’ve created the More To Life Than Shoes mini missions each week for us to have a bash at and to jazz up our lives.

Each week there will be a new fun, fresh and inspiring challenge for us to do together.

Challenge 1: Read a random magazine. And see what inspires/ interests/provokes you. Simple.

So, if you’re in need of inspiration, energy and ideas join us. And get you friends to join in too. Blog, tweet, retweet, text, Facebook, do real talking, whatever floats your boat. Tell everyone!

And don't forget to tell us how you get on. The more people get involved, the more interesting it gets.

Just imagine, if millions of us girls do the MTLTS mini mission every week ... well it might not lead to world peace, but we reckon amazing things will start to happen. New businesses, blogs, books, jobs, adventures; who knows?!

We’ll be posting challenges here on the site so watch this space. We can’t wait to hear what you get up to.  After all, women inspiring women is what it’s all about.

Nadia x

Today's Guardian features an article calling for more female role models (check it out here http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/31/role-models-for-young-women)

It is definitely messed up that politician's wives are seen as the most inspirational women in politics, wives of footballers are held up as role models, and aspiring actresses are required to get their kit off in mags to get ahead.

We do definitely need more positive role models - but is just creating lists the way forward?

Surely the interesting bit is to understand how people made it happen and what they learned along the way. And then it's what you do with that insight that matters.

There are so many organisations out there that claim to inspire women with a couple of articles or a networking event here and there, but unless there is an ongoing support, it doesn't amount to much. You kind of leave people hanging. I'm inspired now, (well for the next five minutes or so) but so what?!

Imagine if we could support women everywhere to make great things happen in their own lives. A new kind of inspiration revolution. (And it might just help boost the economy too)

So, we came up with a big plan - More To Life Than Shoes is a new kind of club for women of all ages with all kinds of aspirations. We get together to bounce ideas around, share skills and help each other make stuff happen. Groups are popping up all over the country, in universities, schools and businesses.

We hope that by bringing women together to support, encourage and motivate each other we'll be creating the wonderwomen of the future.

Yesterday I pootled along to the Women of the Year Lunch. I hadn't really heard of it until a rather swanky invite plopped onto my doormat. I don't get out much these days, especially not to London town and not often to hob nob with the rich and famous, so I after thinking about it for all of 2 seconds, I said yes. 

As I arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel on Park Lane, I had a spring in my step (I wasn't wearing trainers unfortunately)- until I entered the room and saw literally hundreds of women knocking back the champers and chatting away. What a din! Amongs the guest were so many amazing women, it was ridiculous. Annie Lennox, Dame Vera Lynn, Sheila Hancock, Dot from Eastenders, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Jacqueline Gold, Nicky Kinnaird founder of Space NK, Tessa Jowell, Pru Leith, Maureen Lipman, a few politicians I recognised a bit, Julie Walters. Whoah! Now, that's what I call a power lunch.

I don't often lose the power of speech. But luckily the champagne helped steady my nerves. I don't think I've ever felt such a fraud in my life. What on earth was I doing there?!

Over lunch I was sitting next to Cath Kidston. She was really lovely, friendly and encouraging. I'm sure she must go to this kind of thing all the time. I resisted the urge to go on about my spotty bags and tried to ask intelligent questions. I didn't tell her we'd tried to persuade her to be in our book a while back and her people had told us to talk to the hand!

I couldn't help thinking how funny it was to have so many of the incredible women we've interviewed for our book in one room. If only it had been so easy to track people down when we were first starting out. It made me realise how far we've come over the past few years and how as you become a little established in your field, opportunities start to come your way.

Awards were presented to Shara Brice for the incredible success of her community project and champion cheerleading team in Newham, the Ascension Eagles - her inspirational story is going to be made into a Hollywood film soon - amazing.

Then there was Susie Hart who was celebrated who set up a craft workshop, shop and cafe NEEMA Crafts where previously shunned disable people can work in peace and harmony. Her project has really help change really negative attitudes to people with disabilities in Tanzania.

Zaha Hadid is the feisty Iran born architect who causes a stir wherever she goes. She's won loads of awards and is world famous for her incredible buildings. She was amazing - telling the hosts she could redesign the trophy for them! Hilarious. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Annie Lennox won the Women of The Year award for her work helping people in Africa with AIDS. Her speech was really moving. It was amazing to be listening to someone who has changed the lives of so many. Annie talked about sisterhood and the power of feminism. She said it was something we should embrace and be proud of, rather than shy away from. I think many of the women in the room yesterday will certainly do that.  

Inspiration is a powerful thing. I left the lunch literally buzzing and I still am. It feels like anything is possible.

Nadia x