Gayle’s flair for communications and her entrepreneurial spirit were born very early in her working life when she realised that she would never be the ideal employee due to her lack of desire to conform. Gayle decided to blaze her own trail by collecting knowledge, experience and skills as a Sales & Marketing professional across several industries including media, PR, retail and finance that would help her to create and run her own business.

Through her career path, Gayle has been able to help large and small businesses to define their identities and develop their business beyond their existing horizons. It was here that Gayle developed her outstanding team building skills and learnt that she had a natural penchant for engaging and empowering the individual whilst never losing sight of the overall goal. Gayle now uses this expertise to facilitate change in her clients.

Gayle is an engaging and humorous speaker who is able to guide her audience through her personal roller coaster journey whilst leaving them inspired to take action in their lives and achieve new levels of success.

Gayle speaks on many topics to enhance her audiences personal and professional development including Increasing Confidence, Preparing for and Achieving Success and Enhancing your Wellbeing and Body Confidence.

Additional Information

Gayle is a British Board of NLP (BBNLP) & Global Organisation of NLP (GONLP) Certified Master Practitioner in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Hypnotherapy and Time Line Therapy® as well as being a Breakthrough Coach. Added to this Gayle is also a Certified City & Guilds Trainer and an honours graduate in common sense and empathy.

After leaving school, she went to the London College of Fashion to train in dress design, pattern-cutting and textiles. That wasn’t taxing enough so she then retrained in computer programming and analysis which kept her very happily employed until in 2001 she started planning her wedding and realised that there was nobody out there who could help with the finer details of the planning and then be there to help out on the day.

Following her wedding in 2002, Debbie decided to fill that gap in the market and Wedding Wonders was born. 2 years later, Debbie took the plunge and left the comfortable computing contract and realised that networking was a great way to build her business.

Being a people-person, Debbie thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to network with like-minded business women and having a chance to help others with their businesses.

Since joining Athena, she has never looked back and now, as well as being a Regional Manager for 4 Athena groups in the North West Hertfordshire and Middlesex regions, she is launching a new Harrow group in September and a new Watford group in October.

Debbie Diggle
Regional Director Watford & Harrow
The Athena Network
m : 07733 076775

She has enjoyed a successful corporate career which includes the pharmaceutical industry, head hunting in the investment banking field, and working in the airline industry, and has also ran a successful home-based business over the last 12 years in Network Marketing. She has a wealth of experience in networking and is currently a member and chairperson of the Esher Athena group.

Although a relatively new member of Athena, Claire was so impressed by the professionalism and great business connections that she has already made within the Athena Network that, when the opportunity arose to purchase the successful Borough of Richmond territory, she decided it was the right move for her as it fitted in with her fast-growing home-based business with Forever Living Products. (www.clairepelenc.com)

“Having started my Athena journey at a meeting in the Borough of Richmond and knowing already many of the current members, I am so excited at the opportunity to get to work more closely with everyone within this fantastic region and I look forward to helping them all continue making successful and profitable connections with like-minded and inspirational local business women”.

Claire runs both businesses around a very busy family life. She has 2 boys aged 4 and 6 years who are both diagnosed with Autism and has recently taken on the role of Parent Governor at their Special Needs School.

She’s also actively involved with various charities helping children with special needs and has recently raised over £600 for The New Victoria Medical Foundation by taking part in the Funny Women stand-up comedy challenge!

After graduating from The University of Leicester in French, German and Linguistics, Julia spent the next 16 years in the corporate world working for a London-based transport company.  Starting as a telephone receptionist, she rose through the company from Department Head, to Strategic Analyst and eventually to Finance Director, honing her communication, organisation and analytical skills in the relentless world of a 24-hour service industry.  After the company was sold in 2002, she took the opportunity to explore new creative avenues.

Mike, Julia’s Husband, an IT Consultant in the City and Europe, was growing more dissatisfied with the daily commute and extensive travelling.  Together, they hatched a plan to escape the city and decided to sell up, buy their own business and leave the rat race.  In 2006, partway through this plan, completely out of the blue, Mike was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  All plans then came to a grinding halt.  Suddenly jobless and facing an uncertain future, they completely turned their lives around.

In the absence of any treatment for Mike, desperation and an open mind led Julia to investigate alternative approaches.  Experiencing first hand their remarkable led Julia to take professional qualifications in Coaching, NLP, Hypnotherapy and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).  Julia uses her personal and career experience to practice as a Corporate and Life Coach in and around Hertfordshire.

In 2002 she went and worked for a Training Company where she worked with 16-25 year olds to help them gain qualifications within the leisure industry. Claire found this very rewarding as a lot of her learners had left school with no qualifications but with her help were able to achieve this and a successful career within the industry.

In 2007 Claire now with two children under three, found her career and family life a constant juggle. She wanted a better balance and the opportunity to spend more time at home. She decided to start up her own business ‘Body ReNewell’

Initially Claire found starting a business a daunting task and in September 2007 became one of the founder members of the North Oxfordshire Athena Network Bicester group. It was here that Claire really appreciated the power of ladies networking.

When her husband was made redundant in 2009 she had the skills to help him set up his own Plumbing & Heating Company. This is now a very successful business, and has put this down to building good relationships with not only clients but also other trades who are more than happy to refer the company via word of mouth. Claire was also able to pull on the support and advise from the members of Athena when she needed it.

At the end of 2010 having built up a successful client base, Claire was ready for another challenge and when the opportunity came up to buy the Athena Business she was a member of, she jumped at the chance.

Being self employed can be a lonely world, but when you become a member of Athena you will never be on your own.

By offering the chance to develop skills and to build a support system for other ladies Claire can see the opportunities of The Athena Network, and what that can bring to other like-minded business women.

“ I feel so inspired by the women I meet, and I thrive on seeing our members succeed in their business, and the relationships that are being built from ladies having met through The Athena Network”

Claire Newell

Regional Director for the North Oxfordshire Area

Joanne joined Athena in 2007 to promote her work as a trained coach, and therapist and teacher in yoga, meditation, Reiki and flower essences. She stayed because she found so much more than she bargained for.

Within just two meetings of her local Ealing group she began to see the value in the inspiration ~ connection ~ success formula that the Athena Network employs. Each meeting, Joanne found herself inspired to be a better business woman, uplifted by the company of other women seeking to improve their lot in life, delighting in the success stories, commiserating and helping with the difficulties.

Over the three and a half years that followed, Joanne has built lasting relationships, been amazed at the amount of business passed within and between Athena groups, and contributed to the growth of the network by being a ‘raving fan’! She is delighted therefore to take over as Regional Director of the West London region, covering Ealing, Acton, Chiswick, Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush, Barnes and Mortlake.

At The Joanne Sumner Studio (www.joannesumner.com) Joanne specialises in helping busy women rediscover their purpose, passion and peace. Her classes, workshops, and trainings are rooted in a practical philosophy that celebrates the strength of the human spirit, seeks simple solutions to life’s demands, and encourages and inspires those whom she teaches to go for their true heart’s desire. Joanne is most often described as serene, combining intellectual clarity with a sense of joy and fun that ensures that laughter is never far away. Indeed, in her meditation classes, if people aren’t laughing she thinks there’s something wrong!

One of Joanne’s talents is helping people realise and live up to their full potential, and as Athena RD she brings her total commitment to helping the business community to grow in West London through the natural networking strengths that most women have. Her favourite ‘networking success’ story is finding a NASA scientist who played a musical instrument to be part of a worldwide music charity event. By asking her network, and in just one connection, she had found a handsome guitar-playing young scientist who was up for helping out a charity that offers some of the poorest children in the developing world the opportunity to learn musical skills (www.musequality.com).

Joanne’s career started in medical ethics at the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King’s College London, and over a period of 9 years progressed to Senior Policy Adviser at The Wellcome Trust, specialising in ethics of advances in genetics, neuroscience and research in developing countries. Leaving the Trust she went back to her humanities roots and artistic interests and joined The Art Academy as Team Development Director, using large-scale sculptures, paintings and collage to help teams define and share their values and vision. And thus her love of coaching was born.

Over the following years Joanne retrained in yoga, meditation (which she originally learnt at school), reiki, flower essence therapy, and coaching; and in 2010 she launched the Joanne Sumner Studio to provide a haven for people to reconnect with themselves and restore their love of life. She launched two local networking events: Coffee with Jo, a monthly informal event for women in business, and Nutritious Networking, which puts the health of body and mind first in the search for business success and fulfilment.

Joanne supports the excellent Women of Action charity (http://www.womenofaction.co.uk/) dedicated to uniting and empowering women to overcome poverty and oppression.

Joanne Sumner

Regional Director, West London

020 8579 7659

07786 273 826

joanne.sumner@theathenanetwork.com.au

@AthenaWLondon

Now an energy medicine practitioner, Sam is personally qualified in 13 therapies.  Using the business expertise she teaches to others, Sam has built an expert team of 17 alternative practitioners at Newphoria, who together offer more than 35 therapies. The range extends from everyday complementary treatments, through innovative contemporary applications to lesser-known energetic and spiritual techniques.

Staying true to her beginnings, Sam still networks extensively to drive her own business forwards and also mentors other small business owners, helping them attain their sales goals through carefully honed marketing.  Until July 2010, Sam was a well-known Director with BNI, responsible for creating brand new networking chapters from scratch.  She gained great respect locally by breaking all previous networking records in the area, and in March 2010 she hosted the biggest launch party ever seen by any BNI group in the South East.  There were 140 people in the room, many of whom had to queue for 30 mins to enter!!

Passionate about word-of-mouth referral business, Sam is now the Surrey Area Co-ordinator for Business over Breakfast (BoB), where she is responsible for creating brand new early morning networking groups.  Surprisingly, Sam didn’t plan on joining Athena when she was invited to the launch party of the Hampton group – until she walked into a roomful of unknown ladies.  Her decision to became one of the group’s founder members and also the first chair of Athena Hampton was a good one, resulting in more than £5000 revenue during her first year of membership.  When given the opportunity to acquire a 50% share of the North Surrey region of Athena, working alongside Tricia Taylor, Sam simply couldn’t believe her luck!

Sam still treats clients daily at Newphoria, and she is also mum to 4 wonderful children, aged 20, 13, 6 and 1.  What a good job she specializes in energy medicine!!

Following many years of combining her full-time career in travel with a variety of voluntary roles, she turned her commitment to supporting others into her next profession and spent twelve years working in the not-for-profit sector for organisations such as The Prince’s Trust and Macmillan Cancer Care.   Her priorities in each organisation were raising money and increasing PR.  To do this she successfully enlisted the support of individuals and community groups by developing her ability to network.

Her last two roles in the sector were as part of the senior management team of a London Hospice and a National Cancer Charity, where she enjoyed the leadership and development of large and diverse teams.  Supporting others to grow and develop, together with her passion for her own personal and professional development then led her to her career as an Executive and Relationship Coach.

Juliette has now been coaching for over ten years and following the sale of her part of the successful Executive Coaching and Development company she had co-founded, she launched her own business as a Relationship Coach in 2009.

This is when Juliette joined Athena.   Being able to recoup her joining fee within the first month and more than ten times over in her first year, she knew the Athena Way would work for her and her business.   Since then she has made countless new friends and developed a support network of amazing fellow business-women through Athena.  She was so determined to help other women develop their businesses with the same success; she became the Regional Director for the Reading Athena territory.  What better way to further indulge her passion for helping others to be the best they can be.

Running her two businesses side by side keeps her busy enough but Juliette still manages to find time to coach local teenagers and support a variety of charities.   She loves to spend time with her precious family and friends, who, she says, have been her rock through the tough times and keep her feet on the ground through the great times.  “I feel very blessed”, she says “to be doing a job I love so much that it doesn’t feel like a job and to be surrounded by wonderful, supportive and inspirational people at every turn.  I want others to have that too.”

She loves the Marianne Williamson quote she has on her office wall and reminds herself of what it says daily “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

She began her career as a leathergoods designer, running her own business creating bespoke handbags and accessories.  A change in circumstances led to a change in career, and she then spent several years working for the Belgian Tourist Office, promoting Belgium as a tourist and business destination.

A move out of London led her to a new career as a corporate fundraiser, as Corporate Services Manager and subsequently Head of Corporate Services for the Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children. Her role involved developing and maintaining contracts with businesses to use Newlife’s secure recycling services which raise funds for the Charity.  These businesses ranged from major high street retail plcs to small businesses and everything in between.  Her commitment to the charity has stayed with her and she has since continued to fundraise for Newlife and to raise awareness of the Charity’s work.

She wanted to spend less time on the road and more time with her growing family, so in 2006 she started her own business under the umbrella of Forever Living Products. Since then she has been building a successful international business marketing health and beauty products, and teaching other people how to do the same.

While working with Forever, Penny discovered the power of business networking. Penny joined the Athena Network initially as a member, and is delighted to have become a Regional Director.   Penny is passionate about networking and is thoroughly enjoying being more involved in the Athena community.  “The Athena Network isn’t just about making contacts.  It’s about surrounding yourself with dynamic businesswomen from all walks of life who are generous with their support and advice; who share their expertise and experience.  It’s a fantastic business community and I’m proud to be part of it”.

Contact:

Tel: 07729 555474

penny.stephens@theathenanetwork.com.au

Twitter ID: AthenaOxford

It was also during this time that Rachel was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in SW London, and at 34 was one of the youngest magistrates on the bench.

However, not being one to turn down an exciting opportunity, in 1991 Rachel left all this behind and went with her partner when he was offered a 2-year contract in Thailand – and came back nine years later, married to him and with 2 children. Throughout that time, she had a wealth of diverse experiences and mixed with a vast cross-section of people from a variety of cultures. Rachel was keen to keep developing her career whilst there – no easy feat for an expat. wife in Asia. For a year she worked for the British Embassy, visiting all the British nationals in Thai prisons. During the same year, she joined a counselling organisation in Bangkok as a trainee, and stayed with them throughout the rest of her time I Thailand, working her way up to becoming a senior counsellor, offering one-to-one counselling and running various workshops.

On her return to England in 2000, Rachel’s priority was to find interesting work that was flexible enough to fit round the family, and to fit that bill, started her own business as a counsellor with Lighterlife offering group counselling as part of their weight management programme. By taking advantage of good training in business development, coupled with her sound counselling skills, Rachel built a successful business, always managing to keep sight of her priority of maintaining a work/life balance.

In 2008, Rachel added a second business to her portfolio, becoming a consultant with the Captain Tortue Group, a French designer fashion company, requiring her to adapt to a completely different style of product but again relying on her ability to work to her own goals and to communicate well.

As Rachel’s professional inclination gradually move towards coaching and moving forward rather than counselling and making sense of the past, she closed the weight management business and set about establishing up her own coaching business, Empower Life Coaching. Part of her marketing plan was to attend local networking groups and it was whilst researching these that she came across the franchise opportunity on the Athena website. After her initial enquiry, Rachel just knew this was something she had to do. ‘I couldn’t believe that such a job existed! It brings together the range of skills I have developed to a high level over the years, including excellent communication skills, an ability for good organisation, adaptability and a talent for giving people the confidence to allow themselves to move forward.’

As Regional Director for Athena covering Haslemere, Petersfield, Bordon and Alton, Rachel is a strong believer in the power of networking with regard to business and personal development.

‘I am passionate about helping people achieve their aims, however big or small, and in particular extending a hand to those who have not yet found the confidence to move towards their goals. A group of like-minded women is wonderfully dynamic, but can also be a bit overwhelming for anyone not used to it, so it is really important to me to make everyone at my groups feel welcome and valued. I love the platform that Athena gives me to help women make the best of their businesses – and of themselves. We owe ourselves this opportunity.’

Rachel Maunder
Regional Director – The Athena Network
Telephone: 07905 101169 / 01428 722193
Email: rachel.maunder@theathenanetwork.com.au