On Wednesday 25th August 20 business women from Essex and Suffolk gathered in the Boardroom at Suffolk New College for the Athena Essex Suffolk Borders summer event. The morning event was an innovative workshop called ‘Taming your Time Management’ delivered by Jackie Clifford (Athena RD and Director of Clarity Learning and Development) and Jan Goulding of Open Door IT Consultancy and Training. Over the course of a morning the group of busy business women had the chance to explore a range of ways of making the best use of the time that they have available and consider how technology might help them to do this. The event finished with lunch and open networking which was appreciated by everyone. It’s amazing what you can fit into a morning! The workshop was a huge success with feedback such as;

Thank-you for inviting me along today. It was FANTASTIC…

and …

Just wanted to say thank you for this morning.  I found it both interesting and entertaining.  We had a very good group in the room which really helped and both you and Jan gave me a lot of food for thought.

or …

I particularly liked / enjoyed… the tips and feedback from others. Meeting people. How everyone interacted, networked and shared ideas.

For further information about groups in the Essex and Suffolk Borders and how you can join the The Athena Network contact:

Jackie Clifford
Regional Director
jackie@theathenanetwork.com
Tel: 08458 335204
Tel: 07812 573204

On Friday 11th June we made Athena history!

The Launch of Athena North London Groups was a  phenomenal and unprecedented success. Three fabulous new groups were launched, each with a wonderful and diverse mix of professions bringing the Athena Central London area to 12 groups!

A warm welcome to all the Members of the new groups, Marilena Narbona is looking forward to working with each one of you and to help you achieve success!

Welcome To:

Athena Regents Park

Date & Time

2nd Friday of the month from 12 – 2pm

Venue

Melia White House Hotel
Albany Street, Regents Park
London NW1 3UP

Athena Maida Vale/St Johns Wood

Date & Time

2nd Wednesday of the month from 12 – 2pm

Venue

Melia White House Hotel
Albany Street, Regents Park
London NW1 3UP

Athena Islington

Date & Time

3rd Friday of the month from 12 – 2pm

Venue

Hilton London Islington Hotel
53 Upper Street, Islington
London N1 0UY

London Central London is a hive of activity, with 12 vibrant groups with inspirational business ladies hwo are committed to helping each other grow their businesses and are welcoming towards new members.

All group members also come together twice a year to share experiences and to enhance business contacts at events hosted by Marilena Narbona the Regional Director.

Marilena Narbona
Regional Director
marilena@theathenanetwork.com
Tel: 07880 616937

On Friday 8th October women throughout the UK will be gathering for what is probably the Largest Networking Event for Women This Year! Join these Athena members and visitors at the Inaugural Athena International Conference to revive your business and you ‘Joie de Vivre’.  Changes are afoot in the business world, shifts are taking place and female entrepreneurs are poised to create more opportunities for themselves and others.  See our site www.AthenaInternationalConference.com for detailed information about the event

Jump start your success and get ahead for 2011.  The conference that is being hosted in the sumptuous surrounds of Millennium Mayfair will deliver education, training, inspiration, and exciting networking opportunities.  Anticipate a gathering of Business Goddesses all with a primary aim to connect, inspire and motivate each other.

Date: Friday 8th October, 2010

Time: 9.30am to 5pm

Venue: Millennium Hotel Mayfair, 44 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London, WK12 2HP

Member: £90 includes VAT, includes lunch and refreshments Click to book

Visitor: £120 includes VAT, includes lunch and refreshments Click to book

Why Would Attending Be Valuable To You?

This is an opportunity to invest in yourself and your business; connect with other Athena members (we have created so many networking opportunities you will be dizzy … with excitement!), enjoy inspiration and advice from our speakers … many who have overcome obstacles to build their business and careers.  The event is designed for both experienced and new business owners alike and will deliver, in addition to the networking opportunities, education, training and inspiration.

We have scheduled several excellent speakers who will deliver motivational and educational presentations, sharing their expertise and knowledge to help you develop and grow your business. You are invited to join us to spend a day working ON your business and, of course, in true Athena-style, network with like-minded business women.

We shall be facilitating the networking to ensure that you maximize on the opportunities and you will leave with a list of the contact details of all the delegates who attended.  We guarantee that you will leave with new contacts in hand and longstanding friendships worthy of your registration.

Are you now willing to take your business by the hand and lead it through the streets of London to the Millenium Mayfair so that you, and it, can benefit from learning strategies that will enable you to increase your profits, revive your business and discover new ways to maximize opportunities in 2011

Join us on Friday 8^th October if you are now willing to make that commitment to yourself

What Will Be Happening At The Event

The conference will give you:

• a new perspective of your business and life that you want to create, and includes strategies to reach them
• techniques to help you attract more clients and customers — online and offline
• new skills to help you get more of the right things done… in less time and with less energy
• methods for adding passive income to your current business (or create one from scratch)
• hundreds of valuable new networking contacts for possible strategic alliances and resources, to include the delegate list
• increased confidence, inspiration and ‘Jour de Vivre’ to fuel your success!
• improved body confidence in the most feminine way!

The event will provide excellent opportunities for you and deliver the next steps you need to generate the income, impact, and life you desire, whilst having fun and making a contribution.

How Is The Day Structured?

We’ve created this event for you to ensure that there is sufficient time in the agenda for you to be able to expand your business ventures, network,  bringing you the education, strategies, tools, inspiration, and resources you need to design your best future.

The event will run from 9.30am (for registration and open networking) to 5pm.   The main event takes place in the ballroom and lunch is also provided where we would expect you to continue networking.

For women who have not launched a business yet this is the perfect opportunity to mingle with those who have walked the path before you!

What If You Attend

Just suppose you make connections that enabled you to take you and your business into new and exciting directions, and you knew how to maintain that for the future.

Imagine creating joint ventures, building strategic alliances and developing a team of trusted advisors and sales people.

Imagine the potential of connecting with extraordinary women like you who are serious about growing their business and making a contribution then your registration at this event will pay for itself more times over than you might even be anticipating now.

Ask anyone who’s been to an Athena event and you’ll hear them share that not only did they receive excellent business-building advice, they also enjoyed some of the best business networking anywhere. Nothing compares to meeting new contacts in person, and it’s fabulous when the surrounds are so luxurious aswell!

The rest is up to you, what would you go for? How much happier and fulfilled would you be? How much more would you expect of yourself? Only you can know!

Visit our website for the conference CLICK HERE for detailed information

Book Now!

Member: £90 includes VAT, includes lunch and refreshments Click to book

Visitor: £120 includes VAT, includes lunch and refreshments Click to book

It was also during this time that Rachel was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in SW London, and at 34 was one of the youngest magistrates on the bench.

However, not being one to turn down an exciting opportunity, in 1991 Rachel left all this behind and went with her partner when he was offered a 2-year contract in Thailand – and came back nine years later, married to him and with 2 children. Throughout that time, she had a wealth of diverse experiences and mixed with a vast cross-section of people from a variety of cultures. Rachel was keen to keep developing her career whilst there – no easy feat for an expat. wife in Asia. For a year she worked for the British Embassy, visiting all the British nationals in Thai prisons. During the same year, she joined a counselling organisation in Bangkok as a trainee, and stayed with them throughout the rest of her time I Thailand, working her way up to becoming a senior counsellor, offering one-to-one counselling and running various workshops.

On her return to England in 2000, Rachel’s priority was to find interesting work that was flexible enough to fit round the family, and to fit that bill, started her own business as a counsellor with Lighterlife offering group counselling as part of their weight management programme. By taking advantage of good training in business development, coupled with her sound counselling skills, Rachel built a successful business, always managing to keep sight of her priority of maintaining a work/life balance.

In 2008, Rachel added a second business to her portfolio, becoming a consultant with the Captain Tortue Group, a French designer fashion company, requiring her to adapt to a completely different style of product but again relying on her ability to work to her own goals and to communicate well.

As Rachel’s professional inclination gradually move towards coaching and moving forward rather than counselling and making sense of the past, she closed the weight management business and set about establishing up her own coaching business, Empower Life Coaching. Part of her marketing plan was to attend local networking groups and it was whilst researching these that she came across the franchise opportunity on the Athena website. After her initial enquiry, Rachel just knew this was something she had to do. ‘I couldn’t believe that such a job existed! It brings together the range of skills I have developed to a high level over the years, including excellent communication skills, an ability for good organisation, adaptability and a talent for giving people the confidence to allow themselves to move forward.’

As Regional Director for Athena covering Haslemere, Petersfield, Bordon and Alton, Rachel is a strong believer in the power of networking with regard to business and personal development.

‘I am passionate about helping people achieve their aims, however big or small, and in particular extending a hand to those who have not yet found the confidence to move towards their goals. A group of like-minded women is wonderfully dynamic, but can also be a bit overwhelming for anyone not used to it, so it is really important to me to make everyone at my groups feel welcome and valued. I love the platform that Athena gives me to help women make the best of their businesses – and of themselves. We owe ourselves this opportunity.’

Rachel Maunder
Regional Director – The Athena Network
Telephone: 07905 101169 / 01428 722193
Email: rachel.maunder@theathenanetwork.com

In summer 2009, Susan decided to set up her own accountancy practice Brook Hill Chartered Certified Accountants in her home town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire www.brookhill.co.uk “This has been a huge challenge but I have enjoyed it enormously. I love running my own business and helping my clients”.

One of the biggest challenges that Susan has faced since setting up her own business has been finding new clients to build her client base. Having decided what services her business would provide and to whom, she then started networking in her local area.

This was when she discovered that she really enjoyed networking.  Susan loves talking to people and is passionate about what she does so she has found networking to be a great way to make useful contacts and to find new customers.

Susan was a member of the Bicester Athena group for 5 months before the opportunity arose to become Regional Director for North Oxford. “I have really enjoyed being Athena Regional Director. It has been great to meet so many like minded and inspirational business women”.

SMILE - we may get fed sooner

See how I can hang paper from my fingertips

Thatcham / Newbury East group launched on Tuesday April 20th at the Newbury Manor Hotel, with a great turn out of local professional women – all experts in their own right, and looking to make new connections.  A beautiful setting,  cordon bleu  food and excellent company, made the day a success. Visitors of course are always welcome!

Dawn and Lynne check diaries

Have you done this sort of thing before?

I hear you are an experienced networker

Having a laugh

Getting to know you.....

The ladies ‘glammed up’ to look their best whilst listening to our excellent speaker – Helen Wilson talking appropriately about ‘How to Dress to Impress’

The group has gone from strength to strength over the last 3 years with many new members joining up and visibly changing before our eyes in terms of their appearance, their confidence and self esteem and their business and personal growth.

Excellent connections have been made, firm relationships formed and a huge amount of business is being done.

Here’s to another great year

Photography byAthena member Alex Beck  www.alexbeckphotography.com

Members of the Marlow and Gerrards Cross groups combined forces to raise over £1100 for this worthy cause.

The ‘Babylicious Babes’ took to the Thames at Windsor on a glorious sunny day and raced against some very powerful male teams in the annual Dragon Boat race.

Unable to defeat their very fit competitors – they did of course shine in the styles stakes drawing many admiring glances and comments from onlookers and carrying off the ‘Best Dressed Team’ prize.

A great day out was had by all, some excellent connections were made and plans are afoot for a repeat effort later this year.

Debbie is Regional Director for West Berkshire , and currently  manages several groups in the area encompassing, Hungerford, Newbury, Thatcham, Aldermaston, Theale and Pangbourne. She discovered the power of networking in 2008 and was committed to helping others realise the benefits, from that moment on.

After qualifying as a Management Accountant while working for the John Lewis Partnership, Debbie worked in a variety of financial roles for companies such as Price Waterhouse , IBM and HP.  While at IBM she  qualified in Sales, and then moved into  Marketing in Hewlett-Packard,  where  she worked in a variety of roles for the last 17 years.  Until recently Debbie worked for HP focussing on the Financial Services Industry, in international marketing.  Debbie has now left corporate life so she can focus on her Athena role, as she would like to become more  involved with supporting and working with small and medium sized businesses locally.  Following her qualification as an NLP practitioner she plans to develop further, her skills as a business and personal coach and expects them to enhance her skills as an Athena RD.

Debbie believes that Athena offers great inspiration and support to the women that join. The women she has met have such courage, knowledge and experience, it would be such a waste if they weren’t to share and learn from each other. She has witnessed the camaraderie and cooperation that has developed between the women in the groups, and is motivated to continue the good work.

Debbie is married with two children and enjoys sports and  travel. In the past she has done voluntary work abroad, which inspired her to quality as a TEFL teacher and to study foreign languages.  Her main spare time interest at the current time however, is to develop her NLP and coaching skills so she can fulfil her own potential and encourage her family and colleagues .

By working with Childreach International, a UK registered charity you will be helping to implement sustainable solutions to provide better and brighter education and clean sanitation; all important for breaking the poverty cycle for the next generation.

Have you ever wondered how much more you could than donating money? Or have you ever thought about where your money has gone? If you have, then this is the opportunity of a lifetime for you! In just ten days you could immerse yourself into helping on our projects you might be painting classrooms one day and helping to install a new playground the next day. You will get the opportunity to take in the local culture and see some of the world’s most naturally beautiful countries. The project is guaranteed to be rewarding not only for you but the thousands of children you will help.

No skills are required, just a desire to help is needed.

So far we have a full group of 14 ladies enrolled and now have ten spaces in the second group which is a mixed group departing on 25 September 2010.

All you need to do is fundraise £2,200 to cover flights, accommodation, food, transfers and the all important donation towards your project.

Interested?

Contact Ranjeet
Telephone: 0203 137 5500
Email: ranjeet@childreach.org.uk
Webiste: www.childreach.org.uk
Registered Charity No 1132203