Neo, my bionic boy
It’s been a very busy Summer for me, both in business and in my personal life.
I cannot believe 3 months have gone by so quickly since I sent my last newsletter. So much has happened both in my personal and business life but in this newsletter let me share a few things.
In my personal life, our older dog Neo suddenly found that he could not use his back 2 legs as his knee ligaments ruptured. We had to take him to numerous vet appointments before finally he had his surgery. He now has metal plates and screws in both of his back legs, our very own bionic boy. He is doing well and is now able to walk on a lead but there is still a long journey ahead with hydrotherapy, physio, lots of love and cuddles.
Our other baby Ri, who is a rescue, has had to learn to live each day playing and chasing squirrels on her own. It was hard at first, but she is a confident girl who is showing us each day that she is a survivor, (sounds just like me), but will make sure that she checks in on Neo a few times a day. Her maternal instincts have definitely kicked in. It has been so great to see just how resilient our children are, just like human children.
I also tested positive with Covid again and some of my Long Covid symptoms that I had learned to manage have come back again. So, if you do hear my dry cough again – sorry……
Now, having had 3 vaccinations, the support of Royal Brompton Hospital and my GP, I have the tools and processes to help me through. You know what, I really do hope that scientists find a cure for Long Covid soon, as so many of us struggle everyday although, if I am honest with myself, I don’t think we are a priority for the Government right now.
July is always a fun month for me, as the sun comes out and I get to celebrate another birthday even with the Long Covid. What I have learnt this year from all the wonderful birthday messages I received is that I have so much love and support across the globe. I just wanted to take a moment and share a big heartfelt Thank you to all of you.
Who is Justine Maher?
Hi, I am Justine, I live on the sunny east coast of Lowestoft (the most easterly point in England). I have lived here all my life, it’s such a lovely part of the country and the beach is beautiful!I live with my husband and my two young boys aged 7 and 2.
I have been working within the marketing industry for nearly 14 years now and I set up my own Marketing Agency 8 years ago as a result of being made redundant. My intention was not to go into Marketing but to work in a science lab in research. I always enjoyed Science and I did a degree in Biological Sciences back in 2005 but when the course ended I soon realised that working in the lab was not for me.
I joined a local marketing agency as an account manager and realised how much I enjoyed it, and as they say the rest is history!
In my spare time (when I manage to get some) I run a charity called Angels and Rainbows. The charity is to help support families that have suffered pregnancy and baby loss. Unfortunately I lost my little boy in 2014 and there was no help locally, I felt very isolated and in 2018 I decided to set up my own local support group to help other families in my situation.
As a marketing and social media strategist/manager, I have helped 100’s of businesses with their marketing to get seen online and run a successful business using the power of marketing, especially social media. I deliver local workshops and online training sessions and I also manage and run people’s social media accounts for them.
I have been working with Sonal for a few months now and I have enjoyed getting to know her and supporting her with running her business. It’s great to be working with someone who is passionate about what they do and who is also very inspirational in her field of work. I look forward to building more on our business relationship and getting to know her business even more.
Life Events
In my business, there has been so much happening with Life Events. In my Celebrant role, I am now specialising in Multicultural weddings which is honestly just wonderful and allows me to use my knowledge, and experience to create the most beautiful ceremonies. Each couple comes with their own journey, experiences and vision for their wedding and I get to create, personalise and deliver it for them both in the uk and abroad. I’ll share more about the destination weddings another time, but I feel so blessed to be able to do them.
As a funeral Celebrant, I have been working with families to create ceremonies for some wonderful individuals who have passed away. I include live music, poetry, extracts from religious books and ensure that the family are part of the journey creating the ceremony.
In my Toastmaster role, there have been weddings in grand hotels in London, barn weddings, both indoor and outdoor. I really am so lucky, not only because of the wonderful couples I get to work with but also the beautiful venues I get to work at.
Exciting New Product Launching Soon
A few years ago I knew that with my Public Speaking and Communication Work, I wanted to find a way to be able to help both children and adults from the neurodiverse community.
I am so so so excited to say that very soon, I do mean very soon, I will be launching a product for them. The process to get here has been interesting. It started with research, then finding the individual who would be able to help me with this and then with the support of a number of key individuals in my focus group, it is in the design phase. I cannot even start to tell you how excited I am as I know it is going to be so helpful and useful. I genuinely feel so proud that I have achieved this as it will be my first physical product. To be one of the first to know what it is, please sign up for the waiting list HERE.
I can’t wait for the launch in a few weeks’ time, so please keep your eyes open!
Sonal.
