In anticipation of The Village\’s highly awaited Motherhood Moment event on Saturday, September 30th, we had the privilege of interviewing Holly, the founder of this remarkable platform. The Village is dedicated to empowering women by providing them with the essential resources, information, services, and a supportive community to help them flourish in their journey through motherhood. In this interview, we delve into Holly\’s inspiring journey as she shares her vision for creating this platform.
What made you set up The Village?
At the end of 2021 I was signed-off from work suffering with stress & burnout. My kids were 4 & 2 at the time and I was working remotely in a job where I had never met my colleagues (Covid & travel restrictions – I was the only one in the UK), working 5 days squashed into 4 (to get 100% pay but have a day at home with my kids), juggling career, mumming, keeping the house in order, maintaining friendships, keeping fit, being a good wife, daughter, sister, friend etc…. and I felt pulled in a million directions, \’working\’ overtime, my candle rapidly melting from both ends…. it was too much! During my time away from paid work I started to think about all that i\’d been through since having my first child – postnatal anxiety, pelvic health issues, immune disorders, career & identity questions, and ultimately the burnout i was now going through. And how there hadn\’t been a huge amount of obvious support for me as a mum – there was no one place to go to that was dedicated to my needs as a mum – that was holistic and brought together support & resources across my physical, mental, emotional & practical needs. I considered myself well supported by family & peers- and yet I still struggled to recognise & accept the challenges I was going through and felt overwhelmed trying to find the support & resources I needed. I started speaking to other women and heard so many accounts of similar struggles – and reinforcement of the fact there was not sufficient support in the postpartum period with a dedicated focus on mums.
And so the idea of The Village was born – a dedicated resource to help bridge the gap in the postpartum support that’s available for mums, supporting more women with access to the information, services, and community they need to thrive in motherhood. The Village is a space dedicated to fostering community amongst women (both peers & experts) to share their expertise, experiences & stories. To help spread knowledge, break down stigma, build confidence & empower. To grow a community that encourages women to prioritise and seek support for their own mental and physical wellbeing, at a stage of life when they too often put themselves last. To bring to more women ‘the village’ of support they need to thrive in motherhood.
Please tell us more about the brilliant network you\’ve created:
One of the things that came across loudly in the research we conducted with mothers was the need for something \’in person\’. Mums shared that while online & digital resources were very helpful in many ways, the thing they felt was most valuable through their postpartum experiences was to be able to go and meet with someone/connect with people in real life. And so we set out to create our \’Motherhood Moments\’ – community events where women can take some time for themselves, to come and hear from experts working across different pillars of maternal health & wellbeing to help educate & empower mums; to be able to access trusted practitioners to have their questions answered or to be signposted to resources and follow-up support; and to be connected with other women – to share their experiences and to help normalise the realities of motherhood so women feel less alone & more confident. And the idea is that they are fun and energising events – with opportunity for good coffee, food, and friendship. In setting up these events I\’ve been really keen to work with other small & local businesses who also offer services & products for mums – bringing together that \’village\’ in more ways than one! From provision of food & drink, to photography, pop-up stalls, contributions to goody bags, marketing support and more we\’re really fortunate to be collaborating with so many amazing entrepreneurs and small businesses who buy-in to our vision and are keen to support mothers.Our next Motherhood Moment is on Saturday 30th September (10am – 12.30pm) in Earlsfield, SW18.
Where can you buy tickets?
You can find out more information and buy tickets either via the \’Events\’ page on our website www.thevillagehub.co.uk or direct through Ticket Tailor at the following link: https://buytickets.at/thevillage/983573
HAVE YOU GOT ANY FUTURE EVENTS PLANNED?
We\’re plotting away over our next event – we\’ll be sharing more information soon but tentatively looking at the next event in November – watch this space!
A SURPRISING COMMENT OR TAKEAWAY?
We all laugh-off \’baby brain\’ blaming our forgetfulness or inability to concentrate on problems as before on lack of sleep etc. But \’baby brain\’ is a real thing – research shows that during pregnancy women undergo significant brain remodeling that persists for at least two years after birth. We experience reductions in gray matter – hence feeling less \’sharp\’ than before- but this is not necessarily a bad thing! Our brains are likely becoming more specialised in ways that will help us adapt to motherhood and respond to the needs of our babies. Many of us feel different in motherhood – and it\’s likely because we ARE different!
Holly, we appreciate your time. At this event, our curated collection of preloved children\’s autumn clothing will be on display, offering you a sustainable option for your little ones\’ wardrobe needs.
Warm wishes,
our little wardrobe xxx
