She started her career as a psychologist researching how we learn to communicate. This interest led her to train teachers and business people, write books, run a global chain of schools and finally set up her own highly successful language school in Oxford.
Then in 2001 she moved with her husband and daughter to New York just in time to watch the twin towers come down. Living in central Manhattan, at the top of a skyscraper, gave her a bird’s eye view that day. It also made her realise that life is fragile and that we must use every precious moment wisely. Under these unusually stressful circumstances she and her husband decided to part company. Joni moved to their chateau near Toulouse and spent several years writing (unpublished….so far!) novels whilst setting up social networking for Brits in SW France.

Moving back to Oxford in 2009 she developed a corporate income stream for a national women’s charity. This work opened her eyes to the multiple disadvantages of many women. She saw that they had almost no resilience to life’s knocks yet encountered them so often. She knew then that she wanted to put together a programme that would help all women, and men, develop this resilience – so that sadness or emotional upset does not develop into clinical depression. She wrote The Happiness Programme as a step by step practical approach to restructuring one’s life to make it much happier. Today she is starting out to market her innovative work as a ‘happiness coach’.

She first came to Athena to learn how this work could be furthered by networking in Oxford. But she loved the Athena model and knew immediately she wanted to run a group herself. And so was born Athena Bristol.
‘I’ve lived in London, Paris, Rome and New York – just like the Chanel bottle! When you find yourself somewhere new, networking skills are essential. Just as they are when you set up a new business. And a major aspect of The Happiness Programme is the importance of building strong networks. Without these we don’t take risks and we easily get dejected and isolated. Networks are key to living life to the full and to achieving success in business.’

A natural ‘people person’, Rachel’s career started off in the hospitality sector – she was the UK’s youngest pub landlady at The Grapes in Pease Pottage, West Sussex at just 19 years old before she moved into the field of Human Resources in her early twenties. After 8 years with a large multi-national company, gaining a great deal of corporate experience and capability in generalist HR as well as writing and delivering training workshops both in the UK and abroad, she decided she wanted to work with smaller businesses. Following a move to Oxfordshire, the ideal opportunity presented itself with Business Link MKOB, part of the government’s initiative to support small to medium sized businesses. Rachel worked with more than 300 SME’s of many different business types, helping them with their HR challenges, Investors in People accreditation and delivering both business and personal development. Changes in the Business Link model offered a natural transition into running her own HR and training consultancy where she was able to fulfil her passion of working with SME’s and she was able to add business mentoring and coaching to her portfolio of services.

After becoming a mum in 2006, Rachel continued to juggle her career and motherhood, remaining in the HR, recruitment and development field until she and her husband set up Goddard & Son www.goddardandson.co.uk, a bespoke kitchen design, manufacturing and installation business in 2010. Despite the challenging trading conditions, the company is going from strength to strength and much of its success can be attributed to the opportunities, relationships and support delivered by the Athena network.

“Now Goddard & Son is established, it just seemed like the logical next step to become part of the Athena team and I’m very excited at the opportunity to bring this wonderful business network to a new area. I’m so looking forward to meeting the fabulous women I know will be drawn to Athena and helping them with both their personal growth and business journeys. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a woman realise her potential and her dreams and knowing that in some way you’ve been able to play a part.”

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.

A huge success in the UK since 2005, The Athena Network was founded by Jacqueline Rogers to provide business women with opportunities to meet like-minded women from a wide range of industry sectors. The network has now grown to 26 franchisees, 2600 networking members across 30 regions already throughout the UK.

Spearheading the Singapore/Asia Pacific Athena Network launch is “rock chick entrepreneur” Gina Romero, who previously served as Athena Operations Director and Regional Director of the North London area. Now based in Singapore with her family, Gina is poised to launch the Athena Network in the Asia Pacific Region, alongside her brand “Business Rocks!”.

Gina is excited to bring resources, training, events and expertise to start ups and small business owners in Singapore. “Singapore has a thriving community of small businesses and entrepreneurs. I am very excited about the opportunity to bring the Athena brand here to APAC. My vision is to create a dynamic community of inspired women who come together for personal and professional development, fun and of course to open the door to bigger and better business opportunities for all. I believe the key to success in business is collaboration and Athena is a wonderful platform for women to learn, grow and connect.”

Along with the Athena brand, Gina brings with her 6 intense years of IT experience, creativity, logic, boundless energy and savvy business ideas, much of which she attributes to Athena. “Joining the Athena Network was one of the best business decisions I ever made. I had amazing success as a member and I put this down to the support I have received from other members and the founder of Athena Jacqueline Rogers over the years. Being part of the Athena head office team, was a phenomenal experience and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with so many outstanding business women. I am extremely proud to be an Athena woman and I am delighted to be an ambassador for the Athena Brand here in Singapore and Asia Pacific.”

As part of the team supporting Gina with The Athena Network launch is Claire Kidd, a fellow UK expat and associate of Gina in Singapore. Claire has over seven years experience in the corporate world as a facilitator and trainer and is looking forward to assisting The Athena Network launch. Claire is a published magazine writer and is excited about extending her professional network through Athena by helping others with their written content requirements. A certified NLP practitioner, Claire is passionate about empowering people to define and achieve their goals by using innovative techniques.

Gina and her team, along with all the women of The Athena Network look forward to bringing the opportunity to attend fun, focused networking events, trainings and coaching in business and personal development to the dynamic business community of women in the region.

For more details of the Athena launch and/or to reserve your place, please contact:

Gina Romero
Email: gina.romero@theathenanetwork.com.au
Tel: + 65 8511 6912
Twitter: @gina_romero

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

Members – some who have been with the group for 3, 4 or even 5 years, and some who joined more recently – and visitors gathered at Badgemore Park Golf Club to celebrate this special event.

Everyone wore a splash of pink, and there was pink fizz and cakes to help the celebrations.  Networking was still the focus of the meeting, and there were lots of connections being made.

The group meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month.  For further details please contact Penny Stephens, Regional Director penny.stephens@theathenanetwork.com.au

Members took the opportunity to donate bras to the Bra Bank  for recycling in aid of Against Breast Cancer, an Oxford-based charity.

This group of keen networkers meets at The Oxford Centre in Summertown and attracts businesswomen from a wide range of professions from Accountant to Change Agent to Pilates Coach and just about everything in between.

For more information contact Penny Stephens, Regional Director, on 07729 555474 penny.stephens@theathenanetwork.com.au

You attend the meeting every month and deliver your ‘monthly minute’.

You visit Cappuccino Connections.and various other business networking events You have met many women in business.

Do people really understand what you do and more specifically, what you can do for them and their contacts?

Is your business networking message clear? Does it grab the attention? Does it elicit the response – ‘tell me more’?

One of the best books I have read on the networking message is ‘The Jelly Effect’ by Andy Bounds.

Andy’s mother was blind so he spent his formative years explaining everything he saw in intricate detail to her. He also developed the almost total blindness his mother suffered from and has had to rely on others taking the time to describe everything they see to him.

He has therefore learnt to communicate with much greater clarity than sighted people and has some excellent tips to share.

It is so easy to assume that people understand what we do and to give just minimal information on our business offerings.

Because we ‘assume’ they understand, they can feel uneasy about asking us more questions and go away with only a vague idea of what we can do for them and their contacts.

It is important to give them just a little relevant information which will then entice them to say ‘tell me more’.

Look on your opening statement as an appetiser, something to tickle the taste buds and a precursor to the main message.

I am seeing more and more evidence of this from ‘serious’ business networkers. e.g. A PR Consultant will no longer just say ‘I am a PR Consultant’ – they will say something like – ‘I help people to raise their profile and get themselves and their business noticed’ -it immediately makes you ask – ‘how do you do that?’ ‘Tell me more.’

So think carefully about what you offer and how you can dangle the carrot that will elicit the golden question – ‘tell me more’.

There are some fabulous communication experts within the Athena Network, business women who can really help you to get your networking message clear. Look out for them on Athena Connect or ask your Athena Regional Director to introduce you to the best communicators in her region I would urge you to do this at the start of your business networking journey so that you are as effective as possible from day one.

Too many people waste their first months of networking by not thinking through their core message and therefore not attracting the connections that will secure their future success.

We all have only one chance to make that vital first impression so do make sure you are remembered for all the right reasons!

In the Athena Network, we are committed to helping business women to be as successful as they can possibly be. All our Regional Directors provide a half day FREE business networking training for every member.

One of the key elements of the training is your ‘monthly minute’ (your elevator pitch or 60 seconds) – whatever you choose to call it. We know how important it is to get your message right from the very start of your networking journey and you will leave the training with a carefully planned, prepared and practiced ‘monthly minute’ which will get you noticed and remembered.

This training has proved invaluable to the business women in our network, many of whom have experienced a considerable return on their investment within the first few months of joining Athena.

Testimonial from an Athena member–

‘My first ever networking meeting was with Athena and as a result of that meeting I gained enough business from one client to pay for the membership and monthly lunches for the whole year. One and a half years on and I am still working for that same client and have a contract with him for at least the next 3 years.’ – undisputed proof that networking works! S.H.

This informal networking event will be taking place monthly from Tuesday 7th June, on the 1st Tuesday of each month, 10am to midday.

Our new venue is Le Parisien Restaurant, 50 Bell Street, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 2BG.

Cappuccino Connections is free for Athena members (just buy your coffee). Visitors warmly welcomed: £5 plus coffee.

For further details please contact Penny Stephens on 07729 555474 penny.stephens@theathenanetwork.com.au

Members of The Athena Network in South Oxfordshire recently joined a group of supporters abseiling to raise money for SeeSaw, the child bereavement charity. They abseiled 100ft down The John Radcliffe Hospital building in Oxford. The weather on the day made the challenge even more difficult, with high winds which blew the abseilers about and made the challenge even more terrifying!

Penny Stephens, South Oxfordshire’s Regional Director, has a severe fear of heights but was helped to prepare for the abseil by Lysette Offley. Lysette, a Hypnotherapist, is a member of Athena’s Henley-on-Thames group.

The challenge came about when Jane Elliott, SeeSaw’s fundraiser, asked her fellow Athena members if they could help her find volunteers. “I’m absolutely delighted that we could help” says Penny. “Athena members have been generous with their support for SeeSaw, not just for the abseil, but with members volunteering their time at fundraising events such as the Wallingford Car Rally. Sponsorship for the abseil has also been very generous and greatly appreciated”.

Pictured is “Team Athena” with BBC Oxford’s Geraldine Peers, SeeSaw’s Patron. SeeSaw is an Oxfordshire based charity which supports children when someone they love dies or is going to die. SeeSaw aims to see that every bereaved child gets the support they need to move forward and face the future with hope. SeeSaw has helped over 2300 children during the past 10 years.