am I ENOUGH?

The  8th of March  is International Women's Day, a global day where we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.  A day when we raise awareness against bias and take action for equality.

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Although, a day like this is proof that conscious shifts are starting to evolve, the truth is, we still have a long way to go.

 

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As a female that has grown up in a patriarchal social system, I am luckily that most of the challenges I have faced have been in a work and business environment.  

There are many societies around the world where women aren’t even allowed to be educated or go to work, so I write this from a place of privilege.  

 

At the age of 23, I was promoted as manager within a large health club organisation and my career looked a lot like this:

Male: “I would like to speak to the manager about this?”  

Me: “I am the manager”

Male: “But, you’re a girl?”

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As a woman in a position of power, I felt like I was constantly fighting much harder than my male counterparts. I became so tired of the sexist comments and unconscious bias that surrounded me constantly, that eventually I decided to walk away from management with the motivation to become my own boss. I wanted to create a working environment, where I wasn’t penalised for being a female and where my voice was equally respected.  

However, this was not as easy as it seemed, because in order to treat myself with respect, I had to genuinely believe it!

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The ideas phase of  my business lingered for a couple of years, while I questioned all the socially constructed expectations that had been projected upon me.  Was I meant to run a family, not a business? Was I meant to invest time into a man, rather than work? And the main circling question; as a female, was I actually enough? Was I strong enough, was I tough enough and would I even succeed in starting business in a patriarchal society?

 

In refection, although many of my doubts had stemmed from the stereotypical role of a female, I personally think this is everyone’s million dollar question and possibly, everyone’s billion dollar blockage.  

But, the reality is, if we are questioning our worth, how can we expect others not to do the same?  If we don’t believe ourselves to be equal, how can we expect others to treat us as such?

The answers, rationally, are easy, but somehow the ingrained stories we tell our self are not so easy to shift.  

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In my search for, enough, I travelled to many countries and embraced many therapies.  The journey to find the answer to my worth, eventually led me to create a balanced lifestyle, which inspired me to establish a balanced business that I was passionate about.  

I combined my masculine energy of exercise and fitness, with my feminine energy of art and painting, to create a balanced sustainable activewear and swimwear range of clothing called Trevena & Co.  I sourced natural fibres and  eco-friendly fabrics made  from recycled plastic bottles and found ethical businesses owned and run by women, to work with.   

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The question ‘am I enough’ still circles my mind, but the kindness and compassion I now have for myself makes “YES” a more effortless answer.  

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So I leave you with one question, “what would you do if you were enough?” 

And what would you create if ‘enough’ didn’t stand in your way? 

 

Shop online www.trevenaco.com for the latest women’s active and artistic fashion collection. 

A brand designed and made by women, for women. Because Trevena & Co believe everyone deserves to feel like they are enough!