Summary

Sandra Garlick, MBE, shares her journey from leaving her marriage to becoming a successful business leader and founder of the Women Who Achieves Academy. She emphasizes the pivotal moment of walking out of her marriage, which ignited her drive and determination to create a better future for herself and her children. Sandra discusses the evolution of her business, Woman Who, from a one-off event to a thriving platform that includes collaboration books, awards, an academy, and speaker boot camps. She also highlights the challenges she faced, including the impact of COVID-19 and the need to innovate and pivot her business online. In this conversation, Sandra Garlick MBE discusses the impact of the pandemic on face-to-face events and the growing appetite for personal development and business growth. She emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive and welcoming environment at events, particularly for women. Sandra also shares her personal experience of reaching a breaking point and wanting to quit, but ultimately finding renewed passion and purpose in her business. She highlights the power of storytelling in public speaking and the ability to empower and inspire others through sharing personal stories. Sandra also shares the story of how she received her MBE and the positive impact it had on her business.

Keywords

Sandra Garlick, Women Who Achieves Academy, business journey, empowerment, determination, innovation, pivoting, COVID-19, pandemic, face-to-face events, personal development, business growth, supportive environment, women, breaking point, passion, purpose, storytelling, public speaking, MBE

Takeaways

A personal pivotal moment can ignite the drive and determination to create a better future.
Innovation and the ability to pivot are crucial for business success, especially during challenging times.
Building a business around face-to-face events can be risky, and diversifying into online platforms can open up new opportunities.
Learning from mistakes and embracing learning curves is essential for personal and professional growth.
Finding the right balance between work and personal life is crucial for overall well-being and success. The appetite for face-to-face events has reduced since the pandemic, but there are still people who are willing to travel for events that offer personal development and business growth opportunities.
Creating a supportive and welcoming environment at events, particularly for women, can make attendees feel more comfortable attending on their own and encourage networking and business development.
Public speaking can be a powerful tool for personal and business growth, as it allows individuals to share their stories and inspire others. The fear of public speaking can be overcome with practice and by focusing on the message being shared.
Reaching a breaking point and wanting to quit is a common experience, but it is important to take a step back, reflect, and find ways to reignite passion and purpose in the business.
Receiving recognition, such as an MBE, can provide a boost to a business and open up new opportunities for PR and storytelling.

Sound Bites

"Walking out of my marriage with two young boys and having to start again was my defining and pivotal moment."
"When it's just you and you're so driven because of that provider nature as a mom, you want to create opportunities for your children in the future."
"I woke up one day and thought, I'm going to do this."
"They see that as a whole experience in itself"
"I try and find the positive from every negative throughout my fan business"
"It's easy, just break a bone it makes you stop"

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Sandra’s social links:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SandraGarlickMBE

Website https://womanwho.co.uk/

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