Our founder, Emma Tattersall, shares her thoughts on our next event on the 14th October: the third edition of Ladies-who-Brunch in collaboration with WE: Women Everywhere.
In March 2017 I was aimlessly wondering around Marylebone Lane in my lunch break. I feel like it was a Wednesday, that moment in the week where the rest of the weekend seems like so far away and the final two days of the week feel like they are too much before they have even started.
I was totally frazzled - work was getting busier by the day, my stress levels were bubbling over, I had just moved house and home felt like a mess of boxes and chaos, my Mum had just begun her first round of chemo and radiotherapy and I found myself spiralling at 100 mph in a desperate bid to keep everything afloat.
All of this was paired with a growing frustration that I wasn't the only one of my friends struggling with the idea of having-it-all. We were all trying to keep these battles under the surface and even in the safest of spaces struggling to lower our guards and worrying about whether we appeared to "have-it-all". Did we even want it all anyway? Each day there was a new obstacle we were all trying to confront, trying our hardest to project an image of calmness and control when under the surface things were more manic than ever.
I stumbled aimlessly into Oliver Bonas and my eyes fixed on a bright white book cover on the far shelf. "A Manifesto for Women Everywhere...9 Principles for a More Meaningful Life".
Leaping out from the back cover were words that seemed to answer the muddle of questions I was in..., "an unspoken agreement that we, as women, will support and encourage one another" and "create a life that has greater meaning and purpose". I grabbed a copy and headed for the door.
The book opens with a quote from Mary Oliver:
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
A call to action to do something, to make my own environment the best I could, to have an impact in some way and to put purpose at the very top of the to do list. How could I create a space where women could share their experiences and support one another rather than all of us trying to battle with the same frustrations alone?
As I devoured chapter after chapter, I followed the practical tips and was inspired by the personal experiences from the authors Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel. I scribbled ideas into the back of an old notebook, made lists and sat googling "how to code" and "what is an RSS feed" late into the night. A month later, Ladies-who-Launch was born.
I am hugely excited about our next event. Bringing the wonderful women of LWL into one room brings me so much joy. At each event there has been an energy, a spark, a sense of community that I have never experienced before. You can read more about why these brunch events are so important to the LWL community and to me here.
The third edition of Ladies-who-Brunch will consist of a reading and Q&A session with Jennifer Nadel followed by our networking brunch at the wonderful Carousel London. This event will give attendees a chance to hear the pages come to life and ask Jennifer about her own professional and personal journey, whilst in the company of other incredible women and men from the LWL community.
I hope it might light a spark for many of you like it did for me. This is a hugely personal event and I am so excited. I am so hugely grateful to Jennifer and Gillian for their support and for being a part of this event. It marks the beginning of next chapter for LWL and I can't wait to see you all there.
Emma
Our next Ladies-who-Brunch event is on Sunday 14th October, 11am-3pm at Carousel London. Please click here for tickets. Children under 14 attend for free. Please send us an email at ladieswholaunch@hotmail.com if you have any questions or dietary requirements.