Jo's Journal - June

May seems to have flown by here at Mantra, with two Bank Holidays and a lot of exciting things happening.

Events were a big theme for us in May, with a day at ‘Balance’ in London, and four days at ‘This Morning Live’ in Birmingham.

Balance is a wonderful event for the body, packed full of taster fitness classes and new ideas for exercise and energy. We are taking Mantra there next year, so I wanted to go and experience it for myself first. What pleasantly surprised me, is that it is also a great event for the mind.

I attended a session on Vedic Meditation, which has always fascinated me, run by Gillian from the London Meditation Centre, and caught up with Michael J Wong, whose brilliant ‘Just Breathe’ organisation runs mass meditations.

The opposite extreme, in a way, was the ‘This Morning Live’ Show, which we exhibited at for the second year running. Principally a fashion, lifestyle and shopping event, with Holly Willoughby, Philip Schofield, Rylan and the whole This Morning crew on stage, you might think it was an odd event for Mantra to be at. Other brands there included Dorothy Perkins and various nail bars, teeth whitening services and make-up suppliers. 

But it was a great example of how mindfulness, positivity, and care of our mental health are now becoming mainstream conversations, so Mantra fitted in very well.

Nik and Eva Speakman - the hugely popular husband and wife team, who are a core part of This Morning - ran a great session on thinking positively, overcoming fears and phobias, and stepping out of your comfort zone. Eva came to see us on the stand, and went away with a ‘Believe’ necklace in Gold, with the mantra, ‘Believe in yourself. We do’.

Dunelm Mill held a session on creating a more mindful home environment, and there were talks on decluttering your home to free up your mind. Overall, it was a lovely event with a lot of mindful and positive content, and we met some great customers, many of whom were discovering Mantra for the first time.

Excitingly, we had our first Mantra Team Baby – with Sinade giving birth to Theodore (Teddy) James. Sinade has worked with me for 11 years, at Fabulous initially, and then at Mantra, and is integral to our team, being our Creative and Brand Manager. We are thrilled for her and Darren, as they set out on the next stage of their journey together as parents.

It might seem like I am always on holiday, as every Journal of mine contains a trip somewhere! And the reality is – I definitely prioritise travel. I was lucky enough to spend one of the May bank holidays in Cornwall, enjoying a wonderful long weekend of sunshine and long walks; and the other in Vence in France, enjoying a few days of great food and relaxed time with my husband.

Art featured high on both trips, with a visit to Barbara Hepworth’s amazing studio and sculpture garden in St Ives being an absolute highlight of my visit to Cornwall; and dinner at La Colombe d’Or, my favourite restaurant in France – where they have a priceless collection of paintings from Matisse, Dufy, Picasso and more, left in payment for board and lodgings over the years. Art is a passion of mine, and one of the ways I fill my soul with joy.

Lastly, this month, I have been enjoying reading a great book called ‘The Athlete’s Way’, by Christopher Bergland. I can’t pretend that I am an athlete, but I am trying to do some meaningful exercise every day. Bergland’s book takes you through the psychology of positive motivation and positive thinking, to get yourself into the mindset of an athlete, as well as the physical and technical suggestions of what exercise to do. As someone who used 26 positive mantras to get me through the London Marathon, I fully get the importance of going into exercise with the right mindset, so I am loving the book.

The mantra I am using most when I exercise is, ‘My body achieves what my mind believes’, as this reminds me of the importance of self-belief in completing the exercise goal that I have set for that session. I’ll let you know how I go on through June!

I hope your May was equally exciting and inspiring, and I look forward to catching up with you again next month.

Jo xx