Hello, gorgeous! How is 2023 treating you so far? I’m officially back and settled in the UK again after 5 glorious weeks in Japan. (Geisha content to follow soon, I promise!) It may have taken me an entire week, but I have finally managed to catch up with all the excitement and joy that you’d left in my inbox over the festive break, including some personal news that I’ve been named “one of the UK’s most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs” by the f:Entrepreneur ‘#ialso100’ campaign!

The f:Entrepreneur campaign was launched by Michelle Ovens CBE (who is also the director of the well-known Small Business Saturday UK campaign) in 2017 to raise greater awareness of the impact of incredible female business owners across the UK, as well as to provide an inspirational list of role models to the wider small business community. Delivered by Small Business Britain – the leading champion of small businesses in the UK –  the campaign’s aim is to showcase trailblazing female founders who lead purpose-driven businesses alongside a roster of other responsibilities, such as volunteering, mentoring and community support. 

From adaptive fashion designers to female-run private security companies, social enterprise leaders and ethical product manufactures, this year’s f:Entrepreneur ‘#ialso100’ campaign celebrates inspiring and resilient female entrepreneurs that have flourished despite the challenges of the past years, with many still growing or starting new ventures. Many of the businesses featured in this year’s campaign also demonstrate a huge commitment to championing diversity and inclusion, as well as promoting sustainability. As a plant-powered human that does everything I can think of to make my photoshoot experience a safe and inclusive space for all, it’s a genuine honour to be included in this year’s list.

This year, I’ve chosen ‘visibility’ as my focus word, so this is definitely a strong start to 2023. As part of the campaign, I’ve also been invited to the House Of Lords in March and I cannot tell you how excited I am for that day to come around. Do you reckon I’ll get to meet Black Rod herself? I hope so! Keep an eye out for updates as I’ll definitely be blogging about my trip in a couple of weeks!