Why do mothers need yet another book?

Did you know that there are 82,791 books available when you search ‘mothers’ on Amazon? An incredible number of books. So why do mothers need yet another book?

The Confident Mother is written for all mothers everywhere. It sets out my philosophy on life, on being a mother and especially a working mother. I am not the perfect mother. Let’s get that clear. Perfection is impossible to attain so let’s not even try. As a reformed perfectionist, a few years ago, that statement would have been heresy!

Today I am happy to be the good enough mother. If I am happy and my children are happy, that for me really is good enough. The realisation that happiness is more important than perfection helped me become a Confident Mother. I want other mothers to know that too.

I came to motherhood late in life after a successful high-flying corporate career. I continued my career after my children though today I run my own business, working very much to my core purpose. Life has not been easy. I have had some big ups and some very big downs. I share my personal journey in the book to demonstrate that no matter what happens in life, you can learn and develop from those experiences, to become stronger.

A large part of the book is dedicated to sharing highlights from the successful online conference that I ran in January 2015. Over three weeks, I interviewed more than 20 inspirational mothers and experts, including Dame Sarah Storey, Baby Geek Miriam McCaleb and former Minister Jo Swinson.

The problem with society today

The problem with the society that we live in today is that too many of us can no longer hear our instincts telling us what to do. We do all know instinctively how to be The Confident Mother. We all know that when your baby cries, you pick her up and cuddle her or put her to the breast, or rock her, or shhh, shhh, shhh to her. We all know that instinctively. But our instincts have been smothered, covered in a thick fog, a blanket of ‘don’t spoil your baby’, ‘don’t make a rod for your own back’, ‘children should be seen not heard’ or ‘babies need to cry to exercise their lungs’. Do you think there is any other creature in the world that ‘needs to exercise its lungs’ in order to survive?

I want all women, all mothers to feel powerful. I believe you gain power through confidence; through knowledge; through self-understanding. Being powerful is about taking control of your life.

Working mums get a raw deal

I have always felt very strongly that working mums get a raw deal. Motherhood, parenthood, is not valued in our society. Even before becoming a mum, many women lack confidence compared to their male peers and do not put themselves forward for promotion; or they apply for roles which do not stretch and challenge them.

I created The Confident Mother conference to share inspirational stories and practical tips from the frontline, actionable stories, so that mums everywhere, take confidence that good enough really is good enough; you don’t need to be the perfect mother. I wanted mums to feel inspired, motivated, lifted… I want mums to raise their self-esteem and boost their confidence so that they can take control of their lives.

Why do you need another book?

The Confident Mother is a unique collection of learnings. The feedback during the conference was overwhelming – mindblowing. So many lightbulb moments for the participants. To me, the quickest and easiest way to spread my message that good enough really is good enough, is to gather these learnings into a book and share it with the world.

Today is an exciting day – the final manuscript has just been submitted to the publisher. You can read more about the book’s journey here.

The book is published on 17 September 2015. Read an excerpt from the book here. You can order your copy here.