This is a special card. This is my little girl,
with her hair that she said kept growing out rather than down
which is how she wanted it to grow.
This is the princess card that was created
because I couldn’t find it in the stores.
Motherhood launched my life in many ways,
certainly launched my career.
I was looking for a card for my little girl who was seven
and going through this stage where she didn’t like her hair.
And I went looking for a greeting card
that would subtly reinforce her sense of self.
And I thought, "I'll find a brown-skinned princess"
and realised quickly that there was a complete absence
of anything that was representative.
And had one of those epiphany moments where I thought,
"Oh, why don't I do this?"
Rather than discarding the thought I stepped into it
and it changed my life
because it opened up this entire entrepreneurial journey
where I realised the power of doing something which is driven by meaning.
Color blind cards went on to be, really,
the first independent publisher to secure a presence for black cards
or multicultural cards in the British High Street.
We won lots of awards
and got distributed in America and South Africa.
And started this, or were certainly part of this
early conversation around why representation
and diversity and inclusion are so important in retail.
I'm very proud of that.
When I wake up, I pick up my pad and my pen
and I just let a stream of consciousness hit the page
before I start my day.
And it's an opportunity to check in with myself.
And sometimes it's ideas and sometimes it's just,
"Really tired, really tired. Need tea," you know.
I find by the end of this three pages of writing I'm centred.
And so I'm able to step into my day really knowing how I'm feeling
and sometimes I have answers to problems which is just brilliant.
So yeah, I highly recommend it.
I think it's very important to stop apologising.
And it can be difficult, it can be really difficult
because we live in a world where often we're programmed
to feel like there is a certain way we should be,
a certain way we should behave, a certain way we should look.
When actually, what we have to offer,
our unique point of difference is all about who we are.
Because I will always be a woman who grew up on a council estate,
who is very aware and has family and friends who are experiencing
or have experienced
the challenges which are a reality for people of colour,
are a reality for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds,
and I'm proud of that,
because all of it has contributed to my unique perspective.
And my unique experience of the world and that's what makes me who I am.
Two and a half years ago
my dad had been diagnosed with terminal cancer
and we were very close.
For the first time, really, in my professional life I stopped doing.
You know, those things that had felt so critical
and had held so much importance were put into perspective.
And I guess it just, sort of, drove home
how important it is for us to sometimes get off the treadmill.
So what I do is I go on a date with myself now.
Which is a two hour period where it's just me,
no distractions of phones or schedules.
And just a chance to be with myself and be present.
And I'm still ambitious, I'm still...
It's just driven by something that's much more healthy,
and that inspires me on a daily basis.