Is fear stopping you run?

Since I started Fe-line a year and a bit ago I have become fascinated by the notion of fear. As humans we fear a lot. When I resigned from my job in December 2011 it unleashed a whole lot of fear in people: “What about your maturnity leave”, “what about your mortgage.” ARGGHHHHHH, but hang on a minute, I don’t have kids and I don’t have a house. Resigning was the best thing I ever did for me but it was so scary for so many.

I have also found that this fear happens a lot in sport. So many people get in touch with me about the WOW joggers group but tell me they are scared. Scared of running outside, scared of not being good enough for the group, scared that they might fail, and these are just the ones that get in touch with me. Let me tell you something, no one that has been along to the group has failed. Yes some people run faster than others but no one fails, no one is called rubbish and no one looks and judges. We all support each other.

The other day I was at the farm shop with my six year old stepson. There were lots of options for kids: stroke the ponies, stroke the lambs or hold a fulcan. He was scared of all three, I tried gentle persuasion tactics to get him to face his fears but he faltered everytime at the last minute. Eventually we had to get into the car and get going. About five minutes later, he said: “I want to go back and stroke the lambs.” Unfortunately by then it was too late we were already on our way.

A tough lesson for a six year old to learn, but a lot of times in life we only get one shot and you can’t let opportunities pass you by because you are scared. The feeling of fear is temporary and will pass. So many women who come along to WOW joggers tell me afterwards it was so much better than they thought it was going to be and they were fitter than they thought. It is all about getting over what your head is telling you and getting started!

So go on do something that scares you today, you might like it. If you want to face your fear tonight and join the WOW joggers we meet at 6pm at the West Oxford Community centre on Botley Road, it is a mixed ability group and all women are welcome. Visit the WOW joggers page for more information.

Love and jogging groups,

Fe-line is back!

It may seem that Fe-line has gone a little quiet recently but whilst you have been enjoying the summer sunshine, well rain, I have been a busy little bee working on the Fe-line website and setting up the new Fe-line Women schedule for the Autumn and it is looking great if I do say so myself!

So what’s new??

The website: I have given the website a well needed makeover! I wanted it to look clean and fresh and each event now has a dedicated page. Check out the new event calendar, I love it! You can also now buy tickets for Fe-line events online using Paypal! Modern eh?

The logo: Obviously the cat has stayed but the logo has had a bit of a face-lift, it’s funkier and I have to say a massive thank you to my friend Holly at E Design for doing such a great job.

The tagline: Music, Fashion, Inspiration. It’s simple really, this is what Fe-line Women will be focusing on and the types of events we will be running.

The events: A couple of really exciting new events that I hope you will enjoy:

The Fe-line/Fringe Frock Swap. I am really happy to announce that Fe-line has joined forces with the Oxford International Women’s Festival. We will be bringing you an afternoon of clothes swapping as part of their Fringe festival on Saturday 27th October. We all have clothes in our wardrobes that don’t fit or we bought on a whim and never wear. Why not bring them along and exchange them for something new. Find out more on the events page!

The Fe-line Sessions. I couldn’t be more excited about this! Music is a massive passion of mine. The Fe-line Sessions will bring together some of the areas feistiest female artists who will perform acoustically just for you. The very first Fe-line Sessions will take place at the Jericho Tavern on Friday 23rd November. Visit the event page to find out what amazing acts we have playing!

Returning by popular demand:

Word of Mouth is back from 25th September, we are still bringing you inspiring stories from amazing women but now only once a month on the last Tuesday of the month. All Word of Mouth events will take place in the upstairs room of the Port Mahon on St Clements Street. The reason for changing to only once a month is so I can put on  bigger and better Word of Mouth events and I am pleased with what we have on offer! We have three great events happening before Christmas, have a look on the website.

Frock ‘N’ Roll will also be happening again just before Christmas. Some of the best local clothes, jewellery and accessory sellers will be joining us. This will be the perfect opportunity for you to get your Christmas presents and enjoy some Christmas fun and frolics with me and the other Fe-line Women of Oxford!

Phew it’s been a busy summer but we can’t wait to get the new Fe-line schedule rolling with Word of Mouth on the 25th September, To Blog or Not to Blog that is the question!!