Tracey
Tracey is an older single mom, former High School Chemistry Teacher.
She told us that, “I gained my BSc (Hons) in Equine Science after gaining entry using my Horse Riding Instructor Qualifications. I separated from my daughter’s father in 2016 at the age of 50, he is an abusive narcissist and made us homeless and in debt. After teaching Chemistry in a physical school I pivoted to online after an undisclosed medical condition made working full-time difficult. During the pandemic I became anxious and stressed and put my symptoms down to that, not realising at the time that they were perimenopause symptoms and that they would be quite extreme and debilitating. When I finally due to my symptoms preventing me from being able to perform normal daily tasks I was told that I should have been ‘out the other side’.”
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
As I stated I am a single parent, my daughter is Type 1 Diabetic. She was diagnosed not long after I had to pivot to teaching online, so I was able to care for her from home and still continue to work until the school was remodeled. Due to her age and the fact that we are quite rural, returning back to working in a school would have been a logistical nightmare. I was offered other teaching positions but due to my daughter’s age and care needs I decided that the more beneficial for her care and development needs would be to work from home around our needs. As I have a background in teaching the obvious path was to follow a teaching/mentoring/coaching path. During the pandemic I started with MLM companies, with varied success. I learned a lot about myself and presenting offers online through the training these companies provided, some of it valuable, some of it not. Through this I started to feel I could offer more and something more personalised. This coincided with me beginning my own menopause transformation. Talking to friends and colleagues I began to realise that the menopause can be a time of segregation, something that women don’t want to talk about or deal with openly. I began to talk to my friends about the possibilities of putting together a support package to help women going through similar circumstances to myself. Finding the correct avenue was not straightforward and as with most services and coaching programs those packages are still evolving. I sort my own support and now work with a mentor I am happy and more aligned with, she is not my first coach or mentor. I believe that all of us need some guidance with any transition so I sort coaches to support me. Like many who pivot to working online, my first coaches didn’t quite align with me and my values. I am an older parent, my daughter is still a teenager and she has been my inspiration to achieve. I wanted to create a legacy for her, not giving up and not necessarily following a set path. She is very independent now, I am so proud of how she carries herself and presents herself to those around her.
Tell us something about your initiative/business. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
I am a menopause strategist, I have a low ticket membership which has a monthly ‘teaching‘ session and Q&A where members can gain and give support. This is for women who need to feel part of a community and be supported in their journey. I have a 12 week program, tha also has a community and more contact with myself, with the added bonus of requesting 1:1 support. The main focus is dealing with menopause symptoms and their fall out using self mastery.
While the global pandemic of COVID-19 is associated primarily with adversities, it has also brought about a true boom in startups, with successful entrepreneurship in many countries. The pandemic has impacted all of us in one way or another. Would you like to share your experience on a personal and professional level?
I was already working online prior to the pandemic. When talking to people many assumed that because I was working online it was a scam, since the pandemic has become slightly less, although as I am from the UK many are still skeptical about the online world. The pandemic was quite pivotal in my journey as I had thought, due to my age that I had managed to swerve all menopause symptoms, so when they began at first I put them down to the stress of the pandemic. Having a child with Type 1 Diabetes made me more vigilant about who we saw and what we did during the pandemic. My daughter also has high functioning anxiety, brought on mainly by her father. Prior to the pandemic she was having horse riding lessons and regularly helped out at the center she rode at, so when the pandemic began we bought a horse. This kept us busy and active throughout the pandemic and beyond. The pandemic allowed many to look at different ways to work and still be productive. I think it changed many perspectives on how to earn money because so many spent a lot of time online but it also highlighted how easy it is for us to become isolated.
What has been the response of the users/consumers towards your venture?
Most have benefited from the community aspect and having easy to implement strategies that they usually already knew about but didn’t employ for the best required purpose.
How has your life changed because of your initiative/venture?
Prior to starting this venture I had lost a lot of confidence due to a number of reasons, separation, losing everything, the pandemic. Since starting the venture I have a new passion as I want to help others, I see how I can support others through this difficult stage with a community based program and easy manageable strategies. Having a renewed purpose has improved my own confidence and self-esteem and I’m looking to bring this to other women.
Do you have anyone who is the biggest support system in your life? Please let us know.
My daughter is probably my biggest support, reason and critic, often at the same time.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity? OR Share a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
I would like to see women being enabled to deal with the menopause transformation without the taboo and embarrassment.
Get in touch with her.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4zqXJOJbznE4IONFyDjVZw
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/tmontgomery5/_created/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-montgomery/
Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/traceymontgomery2/
Website: https://www.traceymontgomery.org