Two well-known, powerful women are joining forces this month to help uplift and empower other women as they deal with the struggles of current daily life.
Life is full of challenges at the moment. Especially for women. Between juggling home schooling and remote working to worrying about the economy and trying to keep everyone healthy … we all need a little motivation! Enter Jane and Cindy!
Well-known radio personality and inspirational speaker Jane Linley-Thomas and award-winning businesswoman, motivational speaker and coach Cindy Norcott are currently hosting a selection of talks, aimed specifically at women in the workplace.
These talks, entitled ‘Conversations with Jane and Cindy’ (either online or in your office) are their way of showing women that it’s okay to not ‘have it all together’ by sharing their personal stories and experiences.
“We are just two women chatting about real issues. We come from quite different backgrounds, but have the same values and goals,” says Cindy, who is the CEO of an award-winning recruitment agency and founder and chairperson of the well-known charity, the Robin Hood Foundation.
While Cindy comes from a strong, business-focussed background, mother of three and co-founder of the Kindness Can podcast and workshops, Jane brings a softer, more vulnerable voice to the conversation.
Both women believe that their willingness to be open, honest and vulnerable in these conversations gives other women permission to do so too, allowing them to admit that it’s okay not to have it all together all the time.
“Life is pretty hard at the moment and people are looking for connection. We reveal some of our own challenges in our conversations with each other. There are no slides, it’s not a presentation. We are talking about the real things which real women are struggling with right now,” says Jane.
There are four different one-hour talks to choose from, each covering a relevant and impactful topic affecting women both in and out of the workplace. Jane says they also leave the women with some practical, implementable takeaways with each talk. “We really want to lift the veil on the this ‘smoke and mirrors’ perceived perfection that we are all striving to achieve, because it simply doesn’t exist. In fact, if you’re just managing to just put one foot in front of the other right now, you’re doing okay. It’s all about progress, not perfection!”
THE FOUR DIFFERENT TALK TOPICS ARE:
Your Relationship with Yourself: This is an important one at the moment, says Jane. “I’ve seen this with the work I do with Kindness Can. It’s easy to be kind to others in the community, but very hard to be kind to yourself. This talk is about how to foster a kinder relationship with yourself. It’s not easy and often sees us having to confront some of our own, core beliefs and rewiring our brains to think differently.”
Progress not Perfection: Life is a journey and it’s not all about the end result. We often set unnecessarily high standards for ourselves, while forgetting to actually enjoy the journey of life. “We are not born to make money and lose weight,” laughs Jane. “Covid has shown us all how hard and uncomfortable life can be, but we need to liberate ourselves from what others think, lean into the unknown and trust the process. That might mean dropping those very high standards sometimes, and that is okay. We need to be gentler – to ourselves and other women – along this journey of life. It’s not a race and it’s important to remember to stay in your own lane.”
How to be more productive and positive at work: Cindy says this is more of a practical talk, slightly less deep and vulnerable. “We address things that women often do in the workplace, like taking on too much, thinking they are required to ‘multi-task’ and not being able to say no. We also talk about how we are responsible for our own motivation and positive outlook at work and why it’s important to remember your ‘why’.
Finding a work-life balance. “This is my nemesis,” laughs Cindy, “because even I still struggle to find that balance, all these years later! The key though is to keep trying and if you can’t find balance, find harmony.”
While each talk has its own angle and topic, Jane and Cindy also tailor them to suit different workplaces and environments and those particular women’s needs. “We try to make the conversations energetic and fun and allow the women to enjoy a bit of an escape from work, a little entertainment and also gain some useful education.”
The Conversations with Jane and Cindy talks launch this month, but are not restricted to only this month and can be booked for later in the year. The online talk is R6 000 ex vat and it’s R10 000 ex vat to have Jane and Cindy come and visit your office in person (within an hour’s drive of Durban).
Details: Email: [email protected]
