Welcome

My last manager was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Twice. Her manager was diagnosed with mouth cancer. Her manager was diagnosed with multiple myloma. Thankfully these friends and mentors are still with us despite a rocky few years for all of them, but I don't fancy going through those announcements again or wish to see the devastating effect they have on the organization.

When I heard that cancer rates are now 1 in 3 for women and 1 in 2 for men, I decided there had to be something I could do that was proactive. This mission has developed over the last 18 months as I've investigated various wellness options. Welcome to the latest addition to my Health Highway business: a blog on wellness for working women.

Someone said to me recently: look at the people ten years ahead of you in your chosen career and you can expect to be fairly the same in terms of pay, career progression and health when you are ten years older. Well, that option didn't look good considering the history I've just shared with you.

I've been a Librarian for most of the last 15 years and I'm now passionate about helping people with their health and wellness. Why? Because the people ten years ahead of me in this business are incredibly well, wealthy and excited about a future I couldn't even dream of having if I stayed where I was. Can I help the people in my former profession? Maybe. Its up to them!

This blog will hopefully help the millions of women who lead demanding, busy lives working, raising families and caring for others. The working women who tend to leave their health to last in their list of priorities and commitments.

We so blithely say that our health is our greatest assett and yet working women do not tend to honour this. Someone or something always seems to come first. At 30 I had Glandular Fever and post-viral fatigue which took me out of the workforce for six months. I learned the hard way that when we fall by the wayside for health reasons, the world quickly moves on and the road back to health is long, hard and often lonely.

When was the last time you stopped to take a (deep) breath and think about what it is all for?

Does your health come first? Or do you need some help in finding some reasons to be full of the vitality you'd forgotten even existed?