For Any Woman © - No.8 (13)

Inspirational stories about women!

The lifestyle magazine for HERAugust, 2014 #8 (13)

www.foranywoman.com

HOW TO LIVE SMART: SAVE MONEY ON FOOD AND EAT HEALTHIER

TOP 5 PICNICFOOD TIPS

ForAnyWoman - Brings women together!

SPACE FOR STORAGE, OR IS IT STORAGEFOR SPACE?

FASHION HISTORY’SINTERESTING AND

FUNNY FINGERPRINTS

HAZEL COTTRELL– Owner of The Cre-ative Content Compa-ny

This young woman knows exactly what she wants in life, striving for her goals with great dedication. Read more about Hazel on page 32

NIKKI PEPPER – Business owner re-tailing magnotherapy products

She is a mother of two girls. Selfishness is not in her dictionary, so she is always there for her co-workers and friends, regardless of what is going on in her life. Read more about Nikki on page 8

LOUISERAVENSCROFT - Trustee for The Par-ents Forum for Peter-borough Louise has used her time to further her education through The Open University, where she gained a Masters of Education, in which she focused on Special Educational Needs. Read more about Louise on page 52

NATALJA SUMICHINA- Retention Assistant at Bauer Media Natalja works across a portfolio of over 40 magazine titles that cover men’s and women’s lifestyle, hobbies, sports, fashion, celebrity gossip and many other areas. Read more about Natalja on page 64

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party in your garden, local park or by the coast. Finally we would just like to mention that we were delighted to have been select-ed and featured this month in The Guard-ian as Marketing and PR excellence 2014. And we believe that this 2nd year will bring us many more achievements. Thank you to all of you for reading and en-joying our magazine, please share with

your friends and family , that will help us to keep going and broadcast the positive message all over the UK. Enjoy this month ladies as the Autumn is nearly at our door step! With love,Datsa

AUGUST – Ladies, summer this year is nearly gone. I think we have been spoilt with absolutely fabulous weather. I can’t remember having a summer as fantastic as this for years.

In this edition I would like to introduce you to our four wonderful models from Peterborough, Nikki Pepper, Louise Ra-venscroft, Hazel Cottrell and Natalja Su-michina.

As you know, each month we go to a different town or city and look for four inspiring ladies who spread a positive message in their local communities. Peterborough is a Cathedral City and Unitary Authority Area in the East of En-gland. For ceremonial purposes it falls within the county of Cambridgeshire. It is the largest city in Cambridgeshire and the 27th largest in the United King-dom, excluding urban zones. Situated 75 miles (121 km) north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the north-east. The rail-way station is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line between London

and Edinburgh. For this month’s theme we chose an-other very feminine orientated feature, The Ladies Picnic. Have a look and enjoy this unashamedly indulgent article. As August still looks promisingly warm, you still have time to get your friends togeth-er for a wonderful summer ending picnic

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Editor-in-ChefDatsa Gaile / [email protected]

Content EditorMonika Sproge

ContributorsLorita IvbuleArnis UsackisChristina TylerDace PomazanovaSintija DombrovskaChristopher Claudio SkierkaAiva GeveleMerritt Steidl, www.lundsandbyerlys.com

Magazine DesignerErvins Elins / [email protected]

Cover shootPhotographer Arnis Usackis / facebook.com/ArnisUsackisPhotographyHairstylist: Liene HofmaneMUA: Axa make upVidoe: Tony Smith, TS Photography

Cover girls: Nikki Pepper, Louise Ravenscroft, Hazel Cottrell and Natalja Sumichina.

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Interview with Naomi Liston

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content8Interview with Nikki Pepper

16Fashion history’s interesting and funny fingerprints

24Little fashionista

52Interview with Louise Ravenscroft

58How to plan your time?

64Interview with Natalja Sumichina

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32Interview with Hazel Cottrell

38Save money on food and eat healthier

44#HUSBANDTAG

68Win your battle cravings

74Space for storage, or is it storage for space?

88Top 5 picnic food tips

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NIKKI PEPPER“This defi nitely motivatedme to want to help people to help themselves in a supportive way.”

Favourite technologies and devices

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There is hardly a more reli-able and respected business woman in Peterborough than Nikki Pepper. She is a mother of two girls. Selfish-ness is not in her dictionary, so she is always there for her co-workers and friends, regardless of what is go-ing on in her life. Nikki is a business owner retailing magnotherapy products, and for the last two years, heav-ily involved with helping to grow a national communi-ty networking organisation, Link4Growth. She enjoys her job, always working to-wards new goals. Everyone enjoys working with her as she lights up the entire place with her great spirit and pos-itivity.

What motivates you to do this kind of work?In 1997 I started a small business from home selling magnotherapy products. I loved the flexibility of working my own hours, working independently and seeing how I could use my creativity to build a business from scratch. I loved the concept of talking about a product which could help people, which was non-invasive, effective and could reduce their aches and pains. This definitely motivated me to want to help people to help themselves in a supportive way. I think this very much sits alongside my more recent passion for help-ing others through Link4Growth. To help people grow, learn, de-velop and connect with others. I’m also motivated by the contin-ued challenge of needing to keep adapting, as technology, and ways to engage with people, are ever

Author: Datsa Gaile

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Interview with Nikki Pepper

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changing.

What are your strengths?

Some would say I can be very pa-tient, some would say I have a strong eye for detail, however I would also say that, although I can work quietly on my own, putting together content for newsletters or websites, my strengths are be-ing an all-rounder… I can be huge-

ly passionate about some proj-ects and can work well in top gear, however I’m also capable of trust-ing my gut and knowing when to drop down a gear or two because I know I need to find out more in-formation. I will listen both to my head and my heart with many business decisions and I know I have very strong ethics and val-ues, which have sometimes taken me by surprise with how strong they are.

How do you explain your job success?Probably as a result of not giving up despite setbacks or when car-rying on seems illogical. I under-stand the importance of taking a moment to pause when obstacles appear in my path and then de-ciding the best approach to get past them. Being surrounded with like-minded people also helps.

I have always loved that, being self-employed, to a large extent I can choose the people who I work with. My ‘business family’ have al-ways been there for me when I’ve needed help, but that works both ways… That comes with investing the time building those relation-ships in the first place and this has been made much easier as a re-sult of social media and technol-ogy.

“I understand the importance of taking a moment to pause when obstacles appear in my path and then deciding the best approach to get past them.”

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Do you prefer continuity in structure or frequent change in your daily work?

I enjoy the flexibility that if I am feel-ing creative, I can write or design things, or if I’m in the right frame of mind, I can dive into my book keeping and admin work. With link4growth the speed of change is much faster than with my mag-

notherapy business but that’s just as well as I spent 10 years of that with a pre-schooler at home, so my own business was able to change and evolve at a pace I could cope with. If I am part of a change, I can move much more easily with it. If I have no control over it, I can find that a little more challenging!

What type of people do you work with most effectively?

I have always gravitated to other business owners and my closest

friends typically have a ‘can do’ and entrepreneurial attitude. For me, work is mostly an enjoyable part of life. I work mainly because I love what I am doing and it’s rarely a chore. I think that I work best with like-minded people who also enjoy a similar flexibility and freedom to get things done in the way that they see fit. My closest colleagues have always been my closest friends, so with trust and respect thrown into the mix, they are the people I work most effec-tively with.

When you aren’t at work, do you prefer to stick to a schedule, or do you prefer to be spontaneous? Why?When my first daughter was born 12 years ago, I learned to be very flexible with my time and that try-ing to work to set times was unre-alistic, so I got into a routine of go-

“I work mainly becauseI love what I am doing and it’srarely a chore.“

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Interview with Nikki Pepper

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“However, when the kids are offschool or my husband is off work,I’ll also take time out from workto enjoy some spontaneous timewith them.’’

ing with the flow and recognising when I was going to be at my most productive. I have got so used to mixing up work time and personal time that the two are still all mixed in together. If I have an urge to do something work related while on a family holiday, I’ll do it as long as it doesn’t impact on anyone else. However, when the kids are off school or my husband is off work,

I’ll also take time out from work to enjoy some spontaneous time with them.

Which is more important to you, the money or type of job?

For me, it’s always about being able to spend at least 80% of my work time enjoying what I do. Life is too short to spend half of it in a job you hate unless something re-ally worthwhile needs money, and what this could be will be different for everyone. I think that some-times people confuse money with happiness and, although we all need a certain amount of mon-ey to be comfortable at whatever level that may be, I can’t see me saying at the end of my life, I wish I had earned more money.

What are my hobbies? Reading social media and busi-ness information, listening to mu-sic, watching Doctor Who with my family, working with two youth music related committees in Pe-terborough.

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Interview with Naomi Liston THINGS THAT INSPIRE YOU?

Honesty and doing the right thingFairness and equalityMother NatureFamily and friendsLove

FASHIONHISTORY’SINTERESTING

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Interview with Naomi Liston FASHIONHISTORY’SINTERESTING

FUNNYFINGERPRINTS

Author: Lorita Ivbule

FASHION

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Fashion comes and goes, sometimes stays and some-times returns. How have some fashion finger prints become so visible in our wardrobes and in our dai-ly routine? How have but-tons become such an inte-gral component on jacket sleeves? Find out what kind of models designers used for their “fashion shows” in the 15th century and some even more inter-esting facts about fashion!

Hollywood actress and fashion rebel Marlene Dietrich is cred-ited with breaking barriers in fashion by wearing men’s cloth-ing, specifically trousers, in an era where women only wore skirts and dresses.

Hair gels, hairsprays, pomades and wax are what we currently use to style and keep our hair

in place, but did you know that in the 18th century beef fat was used instead?

Boots were only worn by men, but this changed when the first pair of women’s boots were made for Queen Victoria of En-gland in 1840.

There was a period, when Chris-tian Louboutin shoes were avail-able with baby blue soles. These were made with the intention of enabling “something blue” for brides-to-be and were very short-lived.

Salvador Dali is not only a fa-mous artist who pioneered the Surrealism movement, but he also collaborated with the fa-mous designer Elsa Schiaparelli (she had a bitter rivalry with Chanel) in making the famous

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Interesting and funny facts about fashion history

FASHION

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“Lobster Dress”. Dali even want-ed to smear the dress with real mayonnaise, but was stopped by Schiaparelli! He also came up with different designs for wom-en’s hats including one that was shaped like a shoe, and a hat inspired by a mountain peak.

In China, small feet in women were very attractive to men who were looking for marriage. Many women who wanted to marry practiced foot-binding, and in the process broke all of their toes except for the big one, and were left maimed for life. Thank-fully this practice is now prohib-ited.

Low-waist baggy pants originat-ed in the prisons of Los Angeles, as inmates were not allowed to wear belts.

False eyelashes were first in-vented in 1916 when Hollywood producer D.W. Griffith wanted to enhance his actresses’ eyes for one of his films. These were made out of human hair.

Can you believe being pregnant was in fashion during the 15th century? Pregnancy was so in-credibly fashionable in those days, that girls who weren’t pregnant used to stuff pillows under their clothing to create an illusion of baby bumps.

The crocodile of Lacoste was the first brand name ever to appear as a logo on any gar-ment.

During World World II, there was a scarcity of nylon stock-ings, as nylon was exclusively used for parachutes. So, women

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painted their legs with a paint made up of instant gravy pow-der solution and then drew a line down the back of their legs with eye make-up to recreate the look of stockings.

During the 15th century, design-ers used little dolls instead of females as models to showcase their creations to their clients.

The invention of the automo-bile had a significant influence on women’s fashion. During the late 19th century, skirts became shorter to enable women to step into automobiles conve-niently.

Napoleon Bonaparte ordered bottoms to be attached to jack-et sleeves so as to prevent sol-diers from wiping their noses on their sleeves.

In 1922, a Washington DC law required bathing suits to be no shorter than 6 inches above the knee, you could be arrested if your skirt was shorter.

The bra was created by a young New York socialite named Mary Phelps who grew weary of hav-ing her camisole show when she wore a lace blouse. Using

handkerchiefs, she designed the first rudimentary bra which she had patented in 1914. Women everywhere loved Mary’s new design and the first bra took off in a big way. It was later that a woman named Ida Rosenthal designed bras with different cup sizes.

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FASHION


LITTLE FASHIONISTA

LITTLE FASHIONISTA

Stylist and PhotographerSintija Dombrovska

FASHION

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FASHION

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FASHION

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FASHION

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“xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx’’HAZEL COTTRELL“I create most of the content for our clients; this includes contentfor websites, blog posts...”


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She never misses a chance to improve herself in ev-ery way, both, on a profes-sional and a personal level. This young woman knows exactly what she wants in life, striving for her goals with great dedication. Ha-zel Cottrell is an owner of Creative Content Company which was set up in 2013, the company offers smaller companies the chance to do what they are good at.

What do you do?

I create content for our clients; this includes content for web-sites, blog posts for businesses and the creation of posts and updates for social media plat-forms. My team includes writers, designers and a small admin team to keep the ship steady

and sailing in the right direction.

Who are Your clients? Most of my clients have come through networking and social media. The clients we work with are small and medium sized businesses and they often go to networking events to meet new clients. However some busi-nesses go networking because they have come from large com-

Author: Monika Sproge

foranywoman.com

Interview with Hazel Cottrell

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panies with lots of staff and are now working alone or with a small team and they want to talk with people in the same boat as them.

From this experience we decid-ed to set up our own network-ing events called Creative Net-working, it’s a networking event for any people in business. We have breakfast events with guest speakers and lunchtime events for speed networking. The events have been designed as not for profit, they are events we wanted to attend but there weren’t any with this structure.

What Motivates You To Do This Work? My biggest motivation is my cli-ents; I work with small and me-dium sized businesses that I can make a real difference for. Many

business owners don’t have time for social media or for keeping their websites up to date so I am able to help them out and they are grateful for my help.

How Do You Explain Your Success? Most of my success has been through networking and social media. It’s all about remember-

“Most of my success has beenthrough networking and socialmedia.”


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ing that you may not get a sale at every networking event, instead

you need to build up a relation-ship and get to know other peo-ple. You never know who knows who, and the contact you are speaking to could be the next door neighbour or best mate of your ideal client.I think the success of Creative Content Company is also based on my service, I spend time

talking to clients, understand-ing what they are aiming for and suggesting the best things for them. If I don’t think a service I supply is right for them I will tell them. I am not in business to make a fast buck, but instead I want to support my clients and help them grow.

Where do you see yourself in next five years?In five years time I see myself still managing the company but with more staff and a larger office.

What Are Your Strengths? I am a happy, bubbly and engag-ing person in general and this has become my strength. I am able to write in a friendly and engaging style that helps poten-tial clients of my clients relate with the company and it gives the company a personality.

How Do You Stop Yourself From Burning Out?

As a business owner it is some-times hard to step away from work, especially when the work is done on a laptop! I ensure I do three social things a week with friends. I don’t want to be the person that only has work to talk about, so I make sure I do fun things so I have something fun to talk about outside of work. Having a life outside of work helps you relax and get away from things, reducing stress and reducing the risk of burn out.

“I create most of the content forour clients; this includes contentfor websites, blog posts’’

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THE FIVE THINGS THAT INSPIRE YOU?

I am inspired by my family; My Grandparents, my Aun-tie Angela and my Auntie Eileen are a big part of my life. They offer continuous support, love and care, and I honestly feel I would not be half the person I am to-day, without them.I am inspired and motivated by my friends, when peo-ple go through hard times I am always amazed at the strong people they have become by going through it. That has taught me to never give up on your dreams, you will always get what you want if you want it hard enough and you work hard enough for it.

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Author: Lorita Ivbule

SAVE MONEY

ANDON FOOD

EAT HEALTHIER

foranywoman.com

Interview with Naomi Liston SAVE MONEY

ANDON FOOD

How to live smart

EAT HEALTHIER

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Can you imagine that by sav-ing money on food you can also eat healthier? Sounds a little bit illogical? The main idea is to focus on a healthier lifestyle, plan weekly menus and control your eating hab-its.

Plan ahead

Take an inventory of what you have on hand so you don’t over-buy. Create a detailed shopping list based on your needs and your weekly menu plan, and take into account how you plan on using leftovers.

Before you plan your weekly menu, check the ads to see what

is on sale and use coupons to take advantage of sales. You can even sign up online to receive coupons and email alerts from your favor-ite grocers.

Shopping rules

Have a light snack before you go shopping otherwise your “eyes will be hungry” and you will make impulse purchases. Be steadfast and stick to your grocery list! When

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you pass by the store shelves, look not only to the left and right, but also up and down- there you can find the not so popular, but definitely same quality products, moreover the price can be much more pleasant.

Make healthy choices- they are cheaper

The first lesson on eating health-

ier and cheaper- drink more liq-uids! The best choices are water, natural juices, herbal tea and cof-fee (not much and without sugar). Drink a glass of water before every meal and you won’t feel so hun-gry- you will eat less. Nowadays people eat too much and exercise too little. Actually, our body would have enough with an amount of food that can fit into your palms. Eat slowly and stop before you feel satiety. People tend to spend a lot on “extras” - foods that add calories but little nutritional val-ue, like sodas, bakery items, and chips. Love your body and think how you treat it- food is your fuel. The ideal food is nutrient-dense not calorie-dense, and the least expensive may be fresh, frozen, or canned.

Buy products in seasonChoose local vegetables and fruits,

they will be healthier and cheaper than “foreign strangers”. Buy sea-sonal goodies and don’t forget to put some of them in the freezer- come winter you will be proud of yourself.

Take lunch with youMaking lunch and taking it with you is a great money-saver and an ex-cellent use of leftovers for meals

Save money on food and eat healthier

How to live smart

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at work, school, or wherever your destination. Packing your lunch not only saves you money, but you can control all the ingredients, so they are healthy and low in calo-ries. Pack a simple sandwich, sal-ad, soup, wrap, or a hearty snack of cheese. Make a list of quick and easy recipes- it will be like a life-belt in situations when you don’t have time to think what to cook, and will also stop you from buying

junk food (because you will always have some healthy alternative in your mind).

Frozen, canned or dried

Next time you’re gathering ingredi-ents for a recipe, try using frozen, canned, or dried foods. They may be less expensive than fresh, yet they are equally nutritious. Pro-duce is typically frozen, canned,

or dried at the peak of ripeness, when nutrients are plentiful. Fish and poultry are often flash-fro-zen to minimize freezer damage and retain freshness. With frozen foods, you use only the amount you need, reseal the package, and return it to the freezer. If it’s properly stored, there’s no waste. Canned foods often sit in a bath of juice, syrup, or salty water and usually require rinsing. Dried fruits are concentrated in flavour and are a great substitute for fresh fruit.

Save on proteinWhen possible, substitute inex-pensive vegetarian sources such as beans, eggs, tofu, and legumes for more expensive meat, fish, or poultry. Eat vegetarian once a week or more to increase your consumption of healthy plant foods, while saving money. Eggs

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are an excellent, inexpensive source of protein that can be eat-en for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You could also try using smaller portions of meat, fish, or poultry and extending the dish with whole grains, beans, eggs, or vegetables.When you buy meat, choose small-er portions of lean cuts. You can also buy a whole chicken and cut it up instead of paying the butcher

to do it for you or buy the cheap-er “family pack” and portion it into airtight freezer bags.

Plan a gardenFor benefits that go beyond cost savings, plant your own produce. There’s nothing better than a summer-fresh tomato from the garden. Tomatoes even grow well

in containers if you don’t have space for a garden, and some neighbourhoods offer commu-nity gardening spaces. You can even start with your own balcony. Start small, and see how easy it is to grow fresh herbs or a few sim-ple vegetables. And if you invest a little time in freezing or canning your harvest, you can enjoy sum-mer’s bounty all year long.

Save money on food and eat healthier

How to live smart

#HUSBANDTAG

Author: Monika Sproge

#HUSBANDTAG

HUSBANDTAG

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Nicolette started out in her family’s business, selling menswear in North London. She then went on to univer-sity, where she studied busi-ness and finance. From there she landed herself a job at a prestigious solicitor’s of-fice in Central London, as a legal clerk. Years later, she became a divorced mother of four. By coincidence she met her true soul mate Daniel Mehme, they are happily to-gether now and involved in a joint business.

How did you meet each oth-er?

Nicolette and I met when her el-dest daughter came to my place of work for a few days’ work expe-rience. We got chatting when she collected her daughter, after work, and we both discovered that our paths had crossed several times, about 20 years earlier. It turned out that her cousin and many of

her friends went to the same sec-ondary school as I had, and were, in fact in the same classes as me! As we continued chatting, we found out that we had so many things in common, so we decided to meet up later that evening. By the end of that night, we knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.

Can you tell us what attract-ed you to Nicolette ...when you got to know her?I knew I’d found my soul mate as soon as we started to talk. We connected immediately. We had the same likes, similar personal-ities, and the same sense of hu-mour. We both had the same out-look on life and we both had the same family values, which is very important to me. She also wanted the same future as I did and had it mapped out, just like myself! Final-

“I knew I’d found my soul mate assoon as we started to talk.’’

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ly she had an amazing smile, which also made me smile constantly. When did you start your family life?

We started our lives togeth-er, within a month of meet-ing, in 2012. We thought, why wait? We were adults and both knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together!

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We had both realised that we were not going to be able to have children together, from early on in our relationship, but agreed that we would raise her four children and my two daughters together and be one large happy family! How did your business start?I could no longer take on the pres-sures of being in a nine to five job. I knew that this day would

come, and had been planning a new business venture since I found out that I was suffering from M.E. I had to plan a future, where I could provide for myself and my daughters, but not make myself ill and tired, to the point where I could work no longer. Nicolette was aware of my M.E from day one of our relationship, and I think another thing which attracted me to her was her idea of going back to work, but starting out in her own business. She had ambition and so did I. I told Nico-lette about my plans for my new business venture and when I had finished she was gushing forth with lots of ideas and plans to help drive my new business forward. I was so taken aback that I invited her to join my new venture and work together as a team. Nico-lette now does all the background

work, including my social media and running my website, and or-ganising my diary.

Who organizes the house-hold?

So, being that we work together and raise our children together, we organise our household together too. We look after and maintain our home as a family. Nicolette

HUSBANDTAG

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“Love, trust, respect and honesty.When one of these are missing,then that makes me unhappy.’’

likes to cook and clean, I like to do the washing and manage our accounts, and the kids have their own chores too and they especial-ly like doing the washing and dry-ing up after dinner every evening!

Your thoughts about women in business nowadays?To be honest, for a long time, I have believed that women are great leaders in the workplace. They are organised, reliable and less emotional, yet surprisingly empathetic.

What upsets you most in a relationship and what makes you the happiest?Love, trust, respect and honesty. When one of these are missing, then that makes me unhappy. Teamwork is also important to me and if my partner was not putting in as much effort as I do, then that would upset me too. How do you refresh your re-lationship?We keep our relationship fresh by having time to ourselves on the weekends when the children are spending time with their other parents. We both love watching films and so, if we are not at the cinema, we are cuddled up on the sofa watching a blu ray. We also love going for walks around where we live and, when we can afford it, go out for a little bit of shop-

ping and a bite to eat! We enjoy the simple things in life, but only when we are together or with our family. We also like to unwind with the kids. They too enjoy watching films with us and they like it when we make an evening of it by mak-ing popcorn and all sitting togeth-er to watch the movie. Nicolette also likes to cook and to try new recipes, so every now and then, she’ll make a themed night! We had a Mediterranean night a cou-ple of weeks ago and before that an Asian themed dinner! The kids love it and so do Nicolette and I!

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ADVERTISE HERE FROM


MONTH PLUS VAT!

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LOUISE RAVENSCROFT“More recently I have utilised my experiences and qualificationswhilst volunteering in the field of parent participation.”


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Our next cover girl Louise Ravenscroft has used her time to further her educa-tion through The Open Uni-versity, where she gained a Masters of Education, in which she focused on Special Educational Needs, in part through her experiences with her own children. She has spent the past 20 years out of employment due to being the parent carer of a son who has profound and multiple learning disabil-ities and a daughter who has complex mental health needs.

Tell us a bit more about yourself, what do you do?More recently I have utilised my experiences and qualifications whilst volunteering in the field of parent participation. I was the Chair Person and a Trustee for The Parents Forum for Peterbor-ough which is also a registered charity from 2010 to 2012. From 2012 I held the position of Trust-ee and Participation/ PR and Me-dia Lead. From April 2014 I have worked as Participation Lead in a paid capacity.

The move in to paid employment and away from working complete-ly voluntarily has coincided with the changing needs of my chil-dren. My son is moving towards supported living where he will live in his own home with carers and my daughter is currently in hos-pital receiving specialist support.

Author: Monika Sproge Interview with Louise Ravenscroft

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The work I do also allows for still meeting the needs of my children when required.

How do you spend your free time?I spend my free time, if I have any that is, volunteering for the char-ity and reading, in between vising my daughter. Reading is a great way to unwind and clear my mind

especially on the car journey to and from where she is in hospital

Describe your ideal career.I want to work in the field of par-ent participation due to the vari-ety it affords in terms of work and also because I enjoy it. Any form of community development work enables connections to be made with people who have similar in-terests, differences to be made at a local level and changes in a variety of ways. All of this fits well with my interest, person and pro-fessional, in special educational needs and disability.

What motivates you to do the work?I am motivated to do the work I do because I can see the impact it has on the lives of other families who care for children and young people with disabilities and addi-

tional needs; other parent carers I work alongside report feeling empowered and better equipped to support their children and work to get them the services they need.

How do you regroup when things haven’t gone as planned?Due to the care I give to my daugh-

“I am motivated to do the work Ido because I can see the impact ithas on the lives of other familieswho care for children and youngpeople with disabilities and addition-al needs’’

Interview with Jo Burns

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ter, in particular, I have learned that planning doesn’t always work and I very much go with the flow now. It is better to just get on with whatever life throws my way rather than stressing about things not going to plan.I relish change and variety which is why I enjoy my work so much. Structure helps to make sure tar-gets are met and deadlines ad-hered to but I am not the best at

the mornings. I am something of a lark and definitely at my best first thing.

Are you satisfied with what you do?The job I do is important to me and it is made all the better be-cause I get paid to do it. I am lucky to be paid for something I really enjoy doing. Having mon-ey is necessary and I have done jobs before such as cleaning which had no job satisfaction and I would do this again if necessary. I am very lucky to be in the posi-tion I am.

Do you have any hobbies?My life is so busy with work, volun-teering and my children I do not really have time to have hobbies as such. I like walking and reading if you can call them hobbies, as for me they are ways to unwind.

working this way and often leave things to the last minute when working to deadlines.

Do you prefer teamwork or working individually?I work well in a group but can be easily distracted easily as I like to

talk to people; this leads to be me being most productive when working alone. I have learnt to balance this by allowing myself time to work alone especially in

“I am lucky to be paid for something I really enjoy doing.”

foranywoman.com

Interview with Claire Nana Seddon

Interview with Helena Jane Gomez

THE TOP 5 THINGS THAT INSPIRE YOU?

Five things that in inspire me are my daughter, my husband, my son, other parent carers and children and young people with disabilities. Why my daughter first? Because she is going through so much yet is such a fighter who has real de-termination and when motivated can achieve so much.

58 ////

HOW TO PLAN

YOUR TIME?

foranywoman.com

Author: Dace Pomazanova

HOW TO PLAN

YOUR TIME?

CAREER

It seems so simple, to plan every-

thing and complete it all on time.

84% of people admit that, to get

everything done in time at work

is difficult for them. However to

manage everything in your profes-

sional life is one of the most im-

portant parts of your job.

If you want to be professional and

well-informed, here are some sug-

gestions to help you on your way!

60 ////

Set time limits! Determine in your planner, when the task has to be finished. Try and set your deadlines a day early, as a result you will have less stress and worry about not finishing in time. In setting your time limits, remember that you may have some extra calls or longer lunches- so the time re-served for this task may change. Remember- try to complete ev-erything on time, thus you can affirm you professionalism.

Make a daily plan! This advice won’t be news to you, but it is very important. By mak-ing entries on a planner, you will not only follow your to-do list, but you will also always have your notes with you. By using the planner you will maintain important phone numbers and names, which is a much bet-ter way than using sticky notes. Your daily planner will help you not only to plan your work tasks, but also to remember when your colleagues have a birthday; or when one of them leaves. You will be first not only at work, but also socially!

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How to plan your time?

First do the most im-portant things! Don’t be ashamed to ask your boss, to prioritize the tasks giv-en to you. Sometimes your su-perior may ask you to do a task, which does not match your job specification. If that happens, don’t be ashamed to send the work to the appropriate depart-ment or to your secretary for them to deal with.

CAREER

62 ////


Don’t put it off till later! Don’t be afraid of an unsuccess-ful outcome- that is not a rea-son, to put an off a task until later. Forget about prolonging your lunch and chatting in work-ing time. If you feel that you have too many tasks, ask your boss for help, maybe even to hire more employees.

Do not check e-mails first!You may plan your day well, but your plans will change, if you start the day checking e-mails. First do the most important things! Don’t forget about check-ing your personal e-mails and replying to personal messages.

Plan a free hour for un-foreseen occurrences!The best way is to plan such an hour at the end of the working day. The result will be a more peaceful end to the day for you. Any of us can exceed the time limit for a task due to external factors, so if you have an hour of free time, you can easily man-age the task.

foranywoman.com

Interview with Naomi Liston How to plan your time?

Divide your responsibil-ity! When you start your job, you should ask if there is extra help available to you, should you need it. This won’t be a prob-lem, if there is more than one of you doing a job, but you defi-nitely should know who there is to help you if you are the only person doing a specific job.

CAREER

NATALJA SUMICHINA“My working environment is extremely dynamic and fast-paced, where things change and happen every hour, but I love it.”


foranywoman.com

Interview with Natalja Sumichina

Natalja Sumichina is a Re-tention Assistant within the Direct Marketing de-partment at Bauer Media. She works across a port-folio of over 40 magazine titles that cover men’s and women’s lifestyle, hobbies, sports, fashion, celebrity gossip and many other ar-eas. In short, her job is to ensure they provide exist-ing magazine subscribers with enough reasons to stay with them.

Describe a major goal you’ve set for yourself re-cently.I am determined to get over my phobia of heights which will probably take a while. However, next time I am at Thorpe Park, not a single scary ride is being missed.

How do you manage stress in your daily work? I take a deep breath and maybe a short time-out and I get back to the task. My working envi-ronment is extremely dynamic and fast-paced, where things change and happen every hour, but I love it. Snickers bar is also always a good idea.

What type of people do you work with most effective-ly?People who know how to com-

Author: Datsa Gaile

66 ////

municate efficiently. When someone tells me excatly what they need from me (and when), I feel I can move on to the next stage and start working togeth-er.

FAW: What things impress you in colleagues?Determination and endless en-ergy. Whenever I feel slightly burnt out, I look at the dozens of people around me in the of-fice all working hard and buzz-ing and it gives me a boost of energy.

Do you live a balanced life-style?I try to... I do think that too much of anything (apart from Nutella, of course) can make you dislike it in the end, so I try to balance good and bad. Doing things that I know are

good and healthy make me feel good, but you can’t go through life without having fun and un-fortunately, fun doesn’t always mean healthy.

If you found yourself get-ting burned out, what would you do to revitalize your energy?

Massive tub of caramel ice-cream and watching some bad cheesy TV usually sort me right out.

When you aren’t at work, do you prefer to stick to a schedule, or do you prefer to be spontaneous? A little bit of both. I am the calm-est and most content when I’m organized, but the most amaz-ing things have happened to me when least expected...

What are your hobbies?I love how good being active and living healthy makes you feel, so fitness is my main hobby at the moment. I spent over 10 years of my life ballroom dancing and competing and participating in various events, however, these days an occasional salsa class is all I can find time for.

“I try to... I do think that toomuch of anything (apart fromNutella, of course) can makeyou dislike it in the end, so Itry to balance good and bad.”

foranywoman.com

THE THINGS THAT INSPIRE ME: Successful happy people

Planning the future

Travelling and learning

about different cultures

New experiences

Healthy lifestyle

Author: Aiva Gavele

WIN YOUR

BATTLE

CRAVINGSWITH

WIN YOUR

BATTLE

CRAVINGS

FITNESS

WITH

One of the best ways to beat your craving of unhealthy foods is to have your meals planned fre-quently throughout the day. It is a lot easier to spare some time in the evening to prepare your meals for the following day, than to wor-ry about what to get quickly in the supermarket that is still reasonably healthy and tasty. Preparation is the key to success, when you have your healthy meals ready you cannot go wrong, once your body is fueled your brain won’t send you signals of cravings.

Nowadays entering a super-market, it is extremely hard not to experience cravings over unhealthy foods and snacks, when passing shelves full with colourful wrappers promising us fulfillment of our desires. Often we just fall for the latest chocolate adver-tisement on the supermarket shelf instead of heading down to the healthy snack section, convincing ourselves that to-morrow we will stick to the plan.

Having a busy day schedule can turn healthy eating attempts into a real nightmare, for example when you are late for a meal, your body drives into starvation mode asking for a quick fix, which often can be anything from crisps to chocolates and burgers.

70 ////

Win your battle with cravings

foranywoman.com

FITNESS

YOU ARE CRAVING WHAT YOU NEED WHAT TO EAT

Chocolate magnesium nuts, seeds, veggies

Sugary foods chromium broccoli, grapes, chicken

carbon fresh fruit

phosphorus beef, fatty fish, eggs,

sulphur cranberries, cabbage

tryptophan raisins, spinach, cheese

Bread, pasta nitrogen meat, fatty fish, nuts,beans

Oily foods calcium organic milk, cheese,

Salty foods chloride silicon goat milk, cashews, seeds,nuts

72 ////

FOOD CRAVING TABLE

Win your battle with cravings

foranywoman.com

FITNESS

ORSPACE FOR STORAGE,

IS IT STORAGEFOR SPACE?

Author: Christopher Claudio SkierkaPhotos by Minimal Group Ltd

ORSPACE FOR STORAGE,

IS IT STORAGEFOR SPACE?

INTERIOR DESIGN

76 ////

Most of us wonder “where are we going to put all of our be-longings?” This article is just a small taster for you to con-sider other issues, such as the storage creating free space. Some of these ideas you will have seen before, some are not so obvious and some of you will like them and others not.

foranywoman.com

The message here is: use the ver-tical. Why? Well the alternative is using the floor space along its hor-izontal. If your room is small, this option may be suited to you. You will have more floor space, an airy not a bulky look and it will be easy to see the contents. Non Conceal-ing is the idea; it creates a feature of the room. Is it ugly? I would say no because of the curved fancy towel rail. Take that away and then I might agree that it would look too ‘office’ like. Its look is enhanced by the dif-ference in the use of materials and colour. Adding ‘curve’ by having the rail at right angles is the most im-portant aspect of it. This is the fem-inine addition, without it, it would probably be too masculine. Change the colour to blue, and it would be less prominent, or less of an ascent of the room. Is that what you would prefer? This is the choice for you to make and use in your design.

INTERIOR DESIGN

Space for storage, or is it storage for space?


78 ////

On to a similar idea on attrac-tiveness, if this kitchen island was also white, the kitchen area would look too ‘cupboardy’ if there such a word, or you could say ‘concealed aesthet-ically’. The silver island with its storage breaks this look up and is thus more aesthetically pleasing, if you want to add ex-tra cupboard space to the wall by reducing the bulky look.

The floor space of your child’s room tends to be used more, hence create this floor space by using the walls. This concept is pretty and can be whatever colour you want. It is also prac-tical and simple, the items are all visible. The repetitive shape gives it an orderly look. Imagine if it was say, all in white, would it be less attractive? Maybe, colour makes it attractive and

foranywoman.com

Space for storage, or is it storage for space?

INTERIOR DESIGN

foranywoman.com

this alternation of colour drags your eyes horizontal-ly which is good otherwise it would look uneasy and uncomfortable, horizon-tals create calm. The large squares are great since kids grow up and grow out of smaller furniture items. It will save you money too. This concept can be used in other rooms such as the family room. The arrange-ment and colour scheme aesthetically conceals what would be a bunch of stor-age boxes. The natural light is maximised in a room with this type of storage.

The bedroom has been ex-tended into the ensuite, do I hear you say multifunc-tional? The visible space storage is wonderful for


those on and off items, such as handbags and shoes. The storage to the right is en-closed making the space look bigger and more in-teresting. Space is both practically and aesthetically increased in the bedroom, and from the view from the ensuite. It is important to have different size shelving to lessen the vertical hold of the room. Do not be afraid to mix functions of rooms that have relationships, like these two. Mix concealed and shelving design to break a space up and think of the practical issues, such as what you want in sight and also how frequently the items are used.

The bookshelf, to me it’s the chicken and egg thing, which

came first? Was it the storage space or was it the room divid-er? It really does not matter, but what does matter is that it has a very effective multi-function-al use. It gives you the option to put something on one side without it being ugly. It is after all a pseudo- wall. The room can be re styled if you should get bored or its function chang-es, just move it. Colours can be added to the room by the items it holds.

You need to think of the practi-cal matter of light. If not enough is going through, it might be better to opt for a lower version, reduce the amount of items on it or the addition of artificial lighting. It can be used not only for books but other items, such as jumpers, crockery, collec-tions etc.

80 ////


MAKING YOUR ROOM LOOK BIGGER

INTERIOR DESIGN

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www.foranywoman.com

ADVERTISE HERE FROM


MONTH PLUS VAT!

Author: Sanda WoolnerFounder

[email protected]

“GREEN” GLASSWARE

TO TURN ANY PICNIC INTO

STYLISH PARTY!

84 ////

The very ‘green’ glassware products range by Code Na-turel includes also several items we would recommend for your stylish and “green” picnic or barbeque. These products made by a team of highly skilled glass designers who create miracles with all types of used bottles in their workshop. And you will be surprised how delicate and stylish the end products are. They definitely have gained a new life and are adding a lot of value to any stylish party.

Upcycled Soft Drinks Tum-blers “Sophie” are carefully hand-crafted and stylish, durable and designed to a high standard. A must for any ‘eco-friendly’ home. Easy to hold. Can be used for any type of cocktails and spirits. Avail-able in clear, brown, green and yellow.

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“Green” glassware to turn any picnic into stylish party!

86 ////

Medieval Glass Goblets „Gen-evieve” have been hand-craft-ed using upcycled glass. These beautiful glasses are traditional and classic yet modern and styl-ish at the same time. Uniquely, these glasses fill from the stem upwards, giving each glass a little more volume. Finished with stylish patterned foot. Available in clear, green and brown.

Our upcycled glassware collec-tion also includes different type of service platters, large dishes and candleholders which will compli-ment any of these tumblers or wine glasses.

All our products are available on-line www.codenaturel.com and posted only in eco-friendly natural board packaging.

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Code Naturel Scotland Ltd. is as a retailer of environmentally sustainable and environmentally friendly products for your home and fashion accessories of high quality for competitive prices. We are a family run business from North East of Scotland.

Sign up for our latest news in our e-newsletters, follow us on Face-book and twitter to help spread the Code Naturel word!

Enjoy your shopping with us and we do hope that Code Naturel inspires you to shop with a con-science!

“Green” glassware to turn any picnic into stylish party!

88 ////


Author: Merritt SteidlSource: www.lundsandbyerlys.com

TOPPICNIC

FOODTIPS

FOOD

90 ////


One of my favourite things to do on a quiet summer eve-ning is to head outside for a picnic. It’s a fun change from the normal dinner routine and a great excuse to stay out of the kitchen!

For me, the two keys to a great picnic are a beautiful location, and of course, deli-cious food. I’m always drawn toward water, so I usually choose somewhere near a lake. I find a flat grassy area and spread out a big blan-ket because I usually think that’s more fun than sitting at a table.

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A picnic would be nothing without the delicious as-sortment of foods you bring. Here are my tips for picking the perfect dishes to accom-pany your time in the sum-mer sun.

1. My picnics are usually a spur-of-the-moment plan, so I like things that don’t require much prep. To start, cheese, olives and nuts always make a great appetizer. Plus, they don’t need refrigerat-ing, which makes packing simple. If you’re feeling like a light dinner, add a nice piece of bread along with some hummus and sliced meat, and you’re set!

2. If you’re looking for a more tradi-tional meal, head to our deli for centre-of the-plate options like rotisserie chicken, fried chicken or a variety of chicken salads. Anoth-er option is bringing a baguette, artisan cheese and sliced meat to assemble sandwiches al fresco at the picnic location.

3. You’ll want a side item of some sort. There are so many wonder-ful summer salad options – it’s just a matter of deciding what fits with your meal. Lately, one of my favourite salads to make at home is a Mediterranean quinoa. I just cook quinoa and mix in sundried tomatoes, olives, cucumber and

Top 5 picnic food tips

FOOD

92 ////

foranywoman.com

94 ////

feta (along with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste).

4. Here are a few menu ideas to help you get started. Or, mix and match items to make your own spread.

• Cheese + Prosciutto + Italian Cracker Knots

• Rotisserie Chicken + Salad + Artisan Bread

• 2 Salad Samplers + Artisan Bread

• Fried Chicken + Potato Salad + Fruit Salad

• Tabouli + Pita Bread + Hum-mus + Olives

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• Baguette + Brie + Italian Ham + Olives

• Selection of Deli Slicing Meats and Cheeses + Wrap or Flat-bread + Salad

5. Don’t forget beverages! A bottle of wine or craft beer is always nice, but many parks don’t allow alco-hol. Here are some non-alcoholic options that still feel festive.

• Twelve – a sparkling fruit juice and tea blend that’s available in two flavours: Blanc and Rouge. Blanc is a citrus-ginger blend. Rouge is a pomegranate-black current blend.

• Val De France – organic spar-kling fruit juices imported from

France.

• Izzes Sparkling Juices – all-nat-ural sparkling juices from Boul-der, CO. The beverages are made with 70% pure fruit juice and finished with a dash of sparkling water.

• Fentiman’s Soda – all-natural, botanically-brewed sodas.

• Joia Sodas –these all-natu-ral sodas are made in St. Paul using a combination of fruits, herbs and spices.

Overall, just remember - the sim-pler, the better. A picnic should be low stress and enjoyable!

Top 5 picnic food tips

FOOD

96 ////

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98 ////

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