It’s just over three weeks until our first GRACE TALKS event on July 28th in Sydney. Excited? Just a little. Will there be coffee? Yes. Will it be strong? Yes. Will there be wine? No (10am is too early for wine, even for me). Will I have porridge down my top? Probably...
You’re going to love it and we are so excited to meet you. For many years, you’ve been asking us to run an event to bring the community of GRACE mamas together. I’ve wanted to it for a long time and here it is. I’m incredibly proud of our line-up of phenomenal speakers: Courtney Adamo, Prue Gilbert, Bianca Monley and Lauren Sams. They’ll be sharing their insights on everything from business to babies – you’re going to learn so much from them. A huge thank you to everyone who has bought tickets – I can’t believe we’ve almost sold out! So what inspired GRACE TALKS? Well, I’m four years into motherhood (I know – this journey is only just beginning) and one thing I’ve learnt over the past few years is that speaking (laughing, crying, whinging – whatever) to other mothers keeps me sane. I love hearing how other mothers make it work. Of course, we all know that it never works all the time, and the best kind of conversations are those honest ones where no one is pretending everything is perfect. We all have good days and bad days and we’d all agree that we wouldn’t change being mothers for the world – it’s the most extraordinary thing in the world. So get ready for some real, honest conversations and the opportunity to connect with likeminded mothers. Our team has also been busy planning a bumper goodie bag for you. Get excited – it’s filled with amazing things and you’ll feel totally spoilt. So let’s get to know the speakers a little better. To buy tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com
Courtney Adamo
Mother-of-five Courtney was raised on a tulip farm in the northwestern corner of America. She studied journalism in Chicago, started her career in Los Angeles and then moved to London with her future husband where they lived for 12 years and welcomed four children: two boys and two girls. Last year they sold their house, packed their bags and set off on a year-long travel adventure around the world. Courtney is the co-founder of parenting site Babyccino Kids, founder of travel blog Somewhere Slower and has also recently co-authored her first book 9 Months: A month by month guide to pregnancy for the family to share. Courtney recently relocated from London to Byron Bay. Her fifth child Wilkie was born in April. Follow @courtneyadamo
Prue Gilbert
Get ready to get to know Melbourne mum of three Prue Gilbert a little better. She’s smart, savvy and stylish and not afraid to speak her mind about the issues women face when they fall pregnant. “We grow up being told that, as women, we can be whatever we want to be. And it’s often not until we get to pregnancy that we look up and think about our career future and wonder where are all the women at the top? Where are the role models? For even the most progressive couples, there is a strong tendency to revert to the traditional stereotypes of mother/carer and father/breadwinner.” She’s right and she’s on a mission to empower women. The former lawyer and mother of three launched her human rights award winning digital platform Grace Papers to help working parents navigate career and family with confidence. Grace Papers is an online career coaching platform for pregnant women, developed and supported by an expert team of lawyers, human resource professionals, psychologists, coaches and of importantly, working parents. Through Gilbert’s comprehensive platform, women (and men) can arm themselves with the right tools to return to work. She’s a super mum who will make you feel totally empowered. You’ll love her. Follow @gracepapers
Bianca Monley
Mother of three Bianca Monley Started Eat Fit Food in 2002. It was started from a great passion for healthy food which quickly became her mission to help and educate people on how easy it really can be to improve your life through healthy eating. From weekly trips to the fruit and vegetable markets, designing outstanding menus and providing meals to high profile clients and celebrities, Eat Fit Food has now become the number one choice for home delivered food (Gwyneth Paltrow’s website GOOP mentioned Eat Fit Food as one of her top home delivery services in the world). She is currently learning to be an organic gardener at her very own Eat Fit Farm where they grow vegetables for Eat Fit Food. Bianca was awarded the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award in March 2016. Follow @eatfitfood @biancamonley
Lauren Sams
There’s nothing more endearing than someone with great wit and wisdom. Enter the brilliant Sydney-based mother of two Lauren Sams. She’s the author of two books She’s Having Her Baby and Crazy, Busy, Guilty. The latter is a hilarious read about the parenting/work juggle (haven’t read it? Put it on your list). It delves into one of the things that so many of us grapple with: being torn between devoting time to our careers and to parenting. Lauren has explored this push-pull through her main character, who returns to the fast-paced world of magazines shortly after having her baby. She quickly discovers that while she’s giving herself willingly to work, her workplace is not quite ready to share her with family obligations. Sound familiar? This sense of being torn is one of the reasons so many well-educated women drop out of the workforce: they are willing to work, but not supported. We need all the support we can get (it takes a village…). The novel is a very funny take on parenthood. If you’re in the mood to laugh, put it on your bedside table. Lauren is also a freelance writer and her work has appeared in ELLE, marie claire, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Style, thegracetales.com, GRACE and more. She lives with her husband, children and two dogs in Sydney. Follow @laurenssams
