"Meanwhile, I’ve ended up dressing ‘jaga jaga’. . . my butt is jiggling and sticking out of the pantsuit I’m wearing, the spare pounds showing! I had to leave home in a rush as train cancellations mean a longer journey to the venue - phew! I’m going to have to go into my head space to pull my brilliance out! Will do this!”
Yikes - that’s the message I sent out to my brand Strategist, Alex Okoroji at 15.48 on Friday 27th July 2018! It was barely two hours to the launch of Shine Happy Hour and I was having a minor panic attack!
Her response: “Don’t worry sis; you got this.”
I messaged Anita Quansah: “How do you plan for weeks and weeks and still feel like you’re not quite ready! My butt is jiggling, spare pounds are showing…”
Her response: “Sis, you rock. I’m sure you look lovely. This is nerves kicking in, its normally the case. Not to worry, it will be lovely.”
Both women were right: I knew they were right, but it helped me to hear their reassuring words just then – sometimes all we need is someone to remind us of our own brilliance.
SHINE HAPPY HOUR was successfully launched on Friday 27th July 2018, with a lot of truth-bombs and value-bombs being set off in a roomful of amazing Shine-Stars!
BUT IT NEARLY DIDN’T HAPPEN!
Have you ever planned something for so long, and yet when the day came along, you still didn’t feel like you were ready?! You can talk to me about that one, ‘cos I know the feeling too well! Hahaha!
The initial date for Shine Happy Hour launch was last Friday in April 2018, but it didn’t get launched until last Friday in July. Maybe it was nerves, or the fact that I felt stretched beyond words, with so many other demands on my time. I was tempted to cancel, but my Strategist - Alex Okoroji was having none of it! She pushed and pushed me to ‘Just Do It’ - no more shifting the goal post!
On the day itself, quite a few things failed to go according to plan, even though I swear I had pre-planned them – yikes! From missing my makeup appointment, to leaving home later than planned, to wearing a pantsuit I was uncomfortable in, to train being delayed . . .
Eventually, I got off at Victoria Station to discover it was raining (in summer!), I didn’t have an umbrella, so even though I was behind time, I had to wait out the rain or risk getting drenched on the 5-minute walk from station to venue! I had managed to still my nerves on the train ride but it kicked in again when my first guest called me to say they’d arrived at the venue! I had no choice than to head out in the rain. I got to the venue with hair and pant suit wet (thank goodness I had taken a spare dress with me!) I now had less than 1 hour to set up the projector, surface pro, zoom call, livestream, banner, get changed out of my wet clothes etc – a classic race against time!
Guess what though - Shine Happy Hour went exactly as planned. It was an intimate dining experience with like minds – the right people were in the room, and EVERYONE PACKED A PUNCH! This event offered an opportunity to network with real women, chasing their dreams and living their lives with courage and grace. It was all about connections, conversations and communication.
What was really SPECIAL was the fact that it was a HYBRID experience. Shine Happy Hour was experienced not by the Shine-Stars dining in the room, but also by the Shine-Stars who joined us LIVE, ONLINE as we livestreamed into the private SHINE HAPPY HOUR CLUB. I’m so grateful for the brilliance in the room as well as online!
SPECIAL THANKS to the four amazing influencers who joined us ONLINE to shine their brilliance in support the SHH VISION even though they could not be physically present in the room.
VANEESE JOHNSON, known as the Boldness Coach - Certified Personal Brand Strategist, Speaker and Executive Coach (you can check out her new book BOLDISMS here: www.boldismsthebook.com
ALEX OKOROJI, (my secret sauce) the Queen of Expression, founder of The Naked Philosophy and Creative Director at The BRAG Media Company (check out Alex’s new book UNCOVERED here -> www.UncoveredTheBook.com
COACHKEMI, global Thought Transformation Expert (you can connect with her here: http://how2think.coachkemi.com/
JANE OMA, The Mother Eagle, Author, Speaker and Executive Coach, whose organisation Upside Africa (http://upsideafrica.org) empowers African women, professionals and entrepreneurs. Although based in Madrid, she joined us from us from Nigeria, where this week, she’s training executives in the city of Lagos. This feisty Shine-Star still showed up and brought her brilliance with her despite suffering a burnt hand in a minor accident. According to her: “No burnt hand can stop me!” No ‘jiggling bits’ can stop me either!
ANITA QUANSAH (www.anitaquansahlondon.com), award-winning jeweller to the stars, was in attendance, and donated the TOP PRIZE for the lucky dip, which was a pair of handmade designer earrings. By the end of the evening, the earrings found a new home with 20-year old Miss Teen Africa, Monique Narh!
GRACE OGGUDAH of Women Let’s Rock was in attendance also. Grace, a.k.a ‘Encourager of Women’ was engaging and stayed true to her style of using her powerful story to inspire, empower and encourage. Find out more about her here: www.graceoggudah.com
The amazing Sherry Ann Dixon - Multi Award winning International Speaker, Lecturer, Journalist and Founder of Women On The Crossroads also joined us – her story never ceases to empower and inspire! Find out more about her here: www.sherrydixon.co.uk
Sonia Poleon, bubbly Journalist, Author, Radio & TV Host & Award-Winning Business Woman also joined us. She got busy capturing the experience in photos and videos – that touched my heart. Catch more of Sonia’s vibrant personality by joining her on air (Colourful Radio) Wednesday mornings at 10am. Discover what makes Sonia’s radio show so popular: www.colourfulradio.com/presenter/soniapoleon
Elsie Anakwue (https://anakwuewaycoach.com), Chika Omoruyi (https://www.trinitaslifestyle.com), Patricia Chinelo Eriken Nkwonta, Marcia Eneda, Diana Richards, Michele Narh, Valerie Muzelenga, Grace Chaka-Pupe, Monique Narh, Yemi Durosinmi-Etti - every Shine-Star online or in-person, brought their sparkle and helped make SHINE HAPPY HOUR.
I’ve been reminded of some lessons, which I’d like to share:
- LESSON 1: There’s no such thing as the perfect time or the perfect set of circumstances – JUST DO IT!
- LESSON 2: You cannot get better until you GET STARTED – that’s like putting the cart before the horse!
- LESSON 3: Find your human angels and HARNESS yourself to them; they’ll help you S.H.I.N.E – (S)oar (H)igher (I)nto (N)ew (E)xpressions!
- LESSON 4: To operate in your BRILLIANCE, there are STEPS to follow: (S)tart, (H)arness, (I)dentify (N)etwork & (E)xpress!
- LESSON 5: Plan ahead – diarise to join the Shine Happy Hour train.
NEXT STOP, Friday 26th October 2018, same venue, same time, a new experience.
Join ME & Other Shine-Stars for Another Evening of Brilliance & Networking in October. Get a Physical or Virtual Pass to SHINE HAPPY HOUR...
