Jo’s Journal – February 2021

Who knew, when I wrote my January Journal in late December, that we would be heading into another National Lockdown? I guess many of us thought we might be – but it still came as a bit of a shock.

It has meant that January has seemed an even longer month than usual, with fewer places to go and things to do.

For me, therefore, it has been a month to focus on healthy food, and on my fitness and wellbeing. With no external distractions, I have had no excuse not to do regular workouts, quit drinking for 2 weeks, and try out new recipes. From chicken noodle, to spicy squash, to Winter root vegetable – January has been a month to discover the joy of making soups from scratch!

It has also been a month of reading the many books I received for Christmas; a month of planning – diary planning for when the world opens up again; and a month of continued sorting and decluttering at home – this time, paperwork and digital folders, having already done physical items like books and clothes last year.

I have enjoyed this forced peace and tranquillity. For many of my friends with children at home, it has been a completely different experience – so I am fully aware that I have had it very easy these past few weeks. And I have felt grateful every day that my family and I have stayed safe and well, managing to avoid the horrors of Covid.

The office has been busy but quiet - very few phone calls, but a steady stream of online orders going out every day. Our new ‘Sun’ and ‘Angel Wing’ bracelets have arrived, in our new delicate Charm Bracelet style; along with samples of our updated Bumble Bee and Apple. And keep an eye out for our new ‘Moon’ earrings, which will also be here soon…

It is hard to plan ahead for the year, as we would normally be getting ready for a stream of face-to-face events with Mantra – from Fearne Cotton’s wonderful ‘Happy Place’ festivals, to yoga, wellbeing and fitness events. But who knows, this year, if any of them will go ahead?

We have provisionally booked ‘Life Lessons’, a brilliant event that we went to last year, packed full of fascinating talks and discussions on living a more inspired life. This has been moved to Chiswick House in May – an outdoor setting, with marquees and covered areas – and we really hope it goes ahead. Do come and see us there, if you are feeling ready for face-to-face events by then. We loved meeting many of you there last year, and had great chats about the inspiring talks on offer, from Bill Bryson, to Marie Forleo.

And we are hoping ‘Live Well London’ goes ahead in June – another interesting event of talks and wellness sessions, aimed at living a fuller and healthier life. We love meeting our Mantra customers at these kind of events, as we get to find out what prompted you to buy a particular piece, or get your feedback on our designs and meanings.

Let’s hope we get to be face-to-face again at some point this year!

In the meantime, we are hunkering down to plan new product releases for Spring onwards, and looking at which designs or cards need updating or refreshing.  

We are also working on ways of boosting awareness of our charity initiative, ‘Mantra Changes Lives’, as this is something which is very close to our hearts. We now work with 11 amazing charities – from MIND, to Trees for Cities, to NHS Charities Together - donating 25% of the sales of each specific charity necklace to that charity.

The only way we can give more to our charities is by selling more of each necklace. With every charity purchase, we take 25% of the selling price and give it directly to the charity, and use the rest to cover the cost of making the piece, and as a contribution towards running our business. If we can get the word out to more people, we will be able to sell more of them, and increase our donations.

So – we are putting our heads together this month to see how we can raise even more awareness of our charity collection. Any ideas you have – drop them on an email to us at enquiries@mantrajewellery.co.uk

As this month draws towards its close, we have had a burst of snowy weather here where we are based. I have loved walking from my village, through the snow, and loved seeing kids with sledges and snowballs; but hated the slippery roads that make driving so challenging. As I sit here now, with a bright blue sky and Winter sun shining across the snow, it all looks so calm and beautiful…  

I assume that the Lockdown will continue throughout February, so I wish everyone a peaceful month ahead, and hope that we can all start looking forward with optimism to a brighter year soon.

Jo xx