It was awesome!!
The wonderful Kayleigh Lloyd (who conceptualised and created our rebrand earlier this year) hosted an event on Thursday night which encouraged her clients to be the most vibrant and beautiful versions of themselves.
Katherine, Joanne, Katie and Maddy at the OYAA (Rosie Parsons)Kayleigh donned the evening “A night to celebrate women who lead with passion and authenticity.” We had a brilliant time, surrounded by women dressing up for the fun of it, for each other, for themselves, not a male gaze in sight… except the poor bartenders!
Joanne, Maddy and I drove up to Tortworth Court, a Victorian mansion in Gloucestershire, for the Own Your Awesome Awards (OYAA). The Orangery, a magical room on a normal day, had been transformed by Kayleigh and her friends and family into a glistening hub of creativity and beauty.
From wreaths to fairy lit trees, to diamanté heart shaped sunglasses, to a photo booth, to every single sparkly dress, the night was designed to shine a glimmering light on the amazing businesswomen in the room.
We all expected Kayleigh to create a beautiful event, but this wasn’t about networking in the traditional sense, it was a party. And that’s what Kayleigh said in her welcome speech: “This was never meant to be an awards thing; it was meant to be a party!”
So, party we did.
After some delicious food, the awards ceremony was underway, and we got to listen to, and celebrate, the amazing people who surrounded us.
Our category was for The Confident Brand. Whilst we didn’t win our category, the judge, Alefiya Khoraki, sent Joanne a beautiful message from India, about how we, and the other contenders are confident as a brand. That was such a kind thing to do for us, and we really appreciated the time Alefiya had put into judging our category.
During her acceptance speech, Dee Hutchinson wanted to thank all the amazing women who raised her and made her the woman she is today. “I’m vibrant because I have my mum here with me.” This epitomised the intention of the event: women uplifting women.
Kayleigh shared that “What’s important when starting your business is to find people that aren’t just like you, so you can learn from them and soak in their energy.”
No woman in that room was the same. All had different experiences, ideas, personalities. But what we all had in common, was that we grew up in a world where a woman becoming a business owner felt like a challenge. As we looked around the room full of successful women, Maddy and I felt endlessly motivated to get started.
We realised that ageing, having children, doesn’t do a single thing to a woman’s ability to succeed, to have opinions, to be inspiring. We were amazed by how many of the winners shared their love for their kids, their family, that everything they did was for them.
During the raffle, Joanne became the proud owner of a style refresh with Chantelle Znideric (which she is VERY excited for).
Towards the end of the night, Nicholè Mcgill-Higgins came to the front, to say a few words to us all. Her speech shocked us, uplifted us, moved us.
She said: “I am who I am who I am, and I’m not gonna change for anyone.”
“I adore the woman that I was, I love the person that I am, and I’m excited to meet the woman I’ll become.”
The most important thing she said though, was to “Remember who you are, change the game.”
On the way home, we suddenly felt all this creative inspiration, to take The Indispensary further. We spent the whole journey planning and getting excited about the future of the company.
That’s the beauty of an event like this, it makes us all want to be stronger, work harder, make a change, because we’re so lucky to be women, and we’re so lucky to stand where we do.
– Katie Matthews
