In 2008, Fenella Holt and her husband Ed, a well-known yacht photographer, moved to Antibes from Mallorca. “Ed’s job meant we needed to be where the boats were,” explains Fenella. “At that time there was an exodus from Mallorca due to increased berthing fees and my kids had just finished school, so it was a good time to make a move. The boats were moving here, so we did too.”
Fenella eventually started working as a sales assistant at Heidi’s English Bookshop in the old town when, three years later, owner Heidi Lee made the decision to close down after 25 years. “I was therefore made redundant,” explains Fenella. “I realised that there was an opportunity to fill the gap left behind, and I’d learnt enough during my time there to risk it. I reckoned that if I could find the right location, I could make a successful business, and that’s what happened!”
She took on the locale of the defunct Catholic bookshop, La Procure, at 13 rue Georges Clemenceau and it could not have been better placed. “Everyone goes up and down this street, no matter where they are headed.”
And so, on Valentine’s Day 2015, Fenella officially opened the new Antibes Books with Merde! author Stephen Clarke on hand for a book signing. At time Fenella commented, “I can’t imagine ever wanting to go back to London.”
Of course, there have been unexpected ups and unexpected downs over the years. “The low point of the decade was definitely Brexit; it was much worse than Covid. Covid was, in a weird way, a joy! To begin with, I had to close, like everyone else. Then, one evening a couple of weeks into lockdown, I read that stationery shops were allowed to open, so the next day, I got my accountant to change my business licence to include papeterie, I bought some pencil sharpeners, sellotape and Tipp-Ex online and in no time we were open again.
“The shop then became a hub for those on their short daily walks, with many popping in for a chat, a quick (illegal) coffee or sometimes a cry. I think we provided a haven for many lonely people during that time. I’m really glad about that. As for Brexit, don’t get me started. My blood pressure couldn’t take it.”
Fenella says she has hosted some wonderful authors for events at Antibes Books. “We laughed ourselves silly with Celia Imrie – twice. Stephen Clark was a hoot, and the late, lovely, (normally grumpy) Henning Mankell gave me the biggest bouquet of roses you ever saw on opening day.”
There have been visits and impromptu signings with Rick Stein (pictured), Rod Stewart, Hugh Grant, Sharon Stone –and Fenella’s favourite regular – Pete Townshend.
And now, most unfortunately, Fenella is suffering from a chronic health disorder and the time has come to sell the beloved shop. “I want Antibes Books to continue to thrive. I won’t divulge stuff about the business itself here, anyone interested can contact me directly. Suffice to say that it’s very healthy, I am earning an excellent living and that I am willing to train a new owner in every aspect of the business, if needed.
“Also we are just about to launch our new home delivery service. We trialled this during Covid and it was a hit, as I expect it will be again. Thanks to this new legislation, we can be truly competitive when compared to the big online stores.”
Fenella assures that the family, which includes Athos (pictured), her tiny Jack Russell puppy who grew and grew into a 28kg Bernese Mountain Dog – “He was meant to fit in my bicycle basket!” – will definitely stay in the country.
“France is our permanent home, but away from the Med and hopefully away from the mosquitos! I love to swim in lakes and rivers, as does Athos with me, so once I have time, we are going to take off in our camper van, tour the country and find our idyll.”
Fenella Holt is happy to speak with potential bookshop owners and can be reached on 04 93 61 96 47 or by email.
The first ten days of motherhood for Johanna Damar Flores were not what she imagined. “While breastfeeding my 10-day-old son, I discovered a huge ball on his neck. I was alone and at home. At first, I was quite anxious. I didn’mut know what it was or who to contact.”
Thanks to Johanna’s network in Monaco, her son was quickly diagnosed and, after a year of reeducation, his neck completely healed. “During this unexpected experience, I realised that when we become parents – and not only for the first time – we all feel isolated and uninformed.”
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Anna Campbell and Clémence Perrin give the scoop on Entreparents and their Global Day of Parents huge all-day party at Larvotto.
With her mum friends Emilie Sabatié and Swiss-born Clémence Perrin, Johanna put out an online survey and the answers showed that new parents can struggle to find the information they need from one central source. “We were never meant to raise children alone,” says Emilie, who, like Johanna, was born in France and grew up in Monaco. “It takes a village, and when you don’t have the psychological and physical support of others life is more challenging.”
This was the start of the Entreparents network and their mission “to help at least one family,” says Johanna.
Entreparents cofounders Emilie Sabatié, Johanna Damar Anna Campbell and Clémence Perrin.
Brit Anna Campbell, who has lived in Monaco for 12 years, joined the French-speaking trio and Entreparents became an official Monaco association in May 2021. Their goal? To put parenthood back into the heart of the community. They have almost 2,000 authentic followers on Instagram.
“The whole journey is a new challenge, something you haven’t experienced before and is unique for everyone,” says Clémence. “You realise at each stage that things in your life will change – your body, your moods, thoughts, relationships – but you don’t know to what extent until you’re living it. And the not knowing is stressful, so the care and support of those who do know is invaluable.”
Emilie adds, “We really believe that Monaco is an exceptional environment and offers many great services to parents. With Entreparents, we always want to value the existing services – like the Espaces Parents at the mairie managed by Maryline Soldano and the ateliers of the CHPG Maternity – and connect parents to them.”
The association is not only for parents and future parents in Monaco and the surrounding area, but also for family members, childcare providers, professionals and institutions within the family-child environment. And it’s not just for mothers either. “Our aim to include dads and their role in raising a baby,” shares Johanna. “It’s same for them when it comes to isolation and lack of information, and having the opportunity to meet people at the same life stage.
Anna, a mum of three who has lived in Monaco for twelve years has limited French. “There are added difficulties if you’re an expat, don’t speak French and you’re potentially living in a new place without knowing many people or where to get the information you need, like finding a doctor or baby formula. When you don’t have family nearby you really rely on the community and support of others in your situation or others who can offer guidance, they become your family, your tribe, your village.”
Entreparents is the needle threading together Monaco’s community and services. Johanna describes, “In collaboration with Radio Monaco, we have launched their first on-air series dedicated to parenting called Come, Let’s Chat. Once a month on the Feel Good Morning Show with Giulia Testaverde, you will find our experts and parents of our network chatting about all things parenthood. We also have an agreement with the CHPG Maternity Department to be part of their multi-disciplinary team working together to develop the available services.”
It was Anna who had the idea of a free and easy-to-use app, as she knew someone who started a similar concept in the UK. “Facebook groups are very useful but can be difficult to find the information you’re looking for scrolling through previous questions and answers,” Anna explains. “The app has instant chat and dedicated group chats to help find information more easily. Our aim is to help make the pathway into parenthood more supported and serene.”
Anna Campbell, Johanna Damar and Clémence Perrin at the Maison des Associations.
The Entreparents app in English and French was launched in fall 2023 and has more than 880 users, mostly French-speaking parents in Monaco. Johanna, Anna, Clémence and Emilie are hoping more English-speaking mums and dads will download it.
The app is a super resourceful tool with a 24/7 chat feature. Users’ questions range from helping babies sleep and toddler behaviour to doctor contact information and where to buy certain products. The dedicated chat groups deal with topics including post-partum, childcare, nutrition and infertility. The chat is mediated by Agnès Guénin, a psychomotor therapist specialising in perinatal care and parenting support.
There’s also an information feature to guide new and future parents each step of the way with helpful general information and hospital appointment reminders, from pre-pregnancy through the child’s first three years.
The app’s calendar informs parents of local events for families to enjoy together. “Our most recent event was Let’s Meet Infertility: an invisible pain,” says Anna. “It was a big gathering of local experts with mums sharing their infertility journey. It helped to show the network that is available to anyone struggling and to create a conversation and support in the community.”
Their next event is Global Day of Parents on Saturday June 1, at Neptune Monaco Beach (reservations a must by email). The family-friend celebration starts with breakfast from 9:30 am. There will be a kids’ corner, activities, a bouncy castle (till 11:30 am offered by My Sweet Birthday) and mini massage sessions for little ones in partnership with the Maman Bulle, and a massage area for parents.
With the help of Kids & Co Monaco, the beach restaurant will become dedicated to families, equipped with changing table, high-chairs, stroller parking, placemat colouring, children’s menu, and a festive lunch (paid per family), bubble machines and a baby-friendly photo booth. A DJ will play until 5 pm. The event will also launch “The Monaco Parenthood Support Committee” to give parents of the local community “an opportunity to have their voices heard”.
This will be the last in-person event before summer but the Entreparents team is already working on “Let’s Meet Halloween”. “This is our next biggest meet up with approximately 900 people usually joining us for trick or treat fun at Larvotto,” says Clémence.
As mums and wives in their late thirties and early forties, Johanna, Anna, Clémence and Emilie say their involvement depends first and foremost on availability outside family and work commitments. “We trust and respect each other enormously, and completely understand the daily challenges we each face as mothers and women,” says Anna. “We are carrying out this project together by sharing the same values and, above all, sharing the love for our children which is our real motivation.”
As Johanna puts it, “We’ve started a long-term movement to lay the foundations in our community for the years ahead, and for children like my daughter.”
Bon App!
The Entreparents app has financial support from Monaco Telecom, the Monaco government and the Monaco-registered Cuomo Foundation, which was set up in 2001 by Alfredo and Maria Elena Cuomo.
The Italian couple had one simple vision: to help vulnerable children in India with access to education and a chance at a better life. Other initiatives expanded in Europe and gradually to other regions of the world. After Alfredo’s passing in 2009, Maria challenged herself and the Foundation to evolve and broaden its goals, achievements and partnerships. Today, the Foundation remains active globally in the fields of education, social assistance, environmental research and culture.
Article first published May 30, 2024. Video and feature photo copyright Good News Monaco.
Rachel Burns remembers the exact moment she knew she wanted to be a pilot. “I was 8 years old, and I had seen a disaster movie about the plight of a 747.”
Rachel, who was a guest speaker at the Air League Monaco on June 21, was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, and describes herself as an energetic kid, playing netball, the piano and joining the Air Training Corps run by the Royal Air Force.
As a captain for British Airways, she is the first in her family to enter the aviation field. “There are scholarships out there that require zero flight experience, and you only need English and Maths at GCSE or brevet level to get into those courses. But higher educational qualifications help to make you stand out amongst the applicants for very few places.” Rachel graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Durham University and went to get her Airline Transport Pilots Licence (ATPL), which you need in order to become a commercial pilot.
The mother of two started working for BA in 1998 and has remained with the airline ever since. “In 1997, BA footed the cost for my cadetship. I spent around 18 months training before I joined the company. BA paid for my training, and I was bonded to the company for the first 5 years of employment.”
Rachel recalls her first passenger flight as surreal. “Everything is exactly the same as the simulator until you see the passengers. Then the terror sets in!”
She credits her most beautiful in-flight moment to the day she passed her command check. “At the end of the flight, the training captain gave me my captain’s stripes and told me to go and say goodbye to the passengers. Then he made an announcement to the passengers that they were saying goodbye and thank you to British Airways’ newest captain. After the huge amount of work and effort to achieve the rank, it was such a touching moment, and the passengers all congratulated me as they disembarked.”
Captain Rachel Burns with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou at Air League Monaco event on June 21, 2024.
And with so many hours in her logbook, she is sympathetic to passengers who have a fear of flying. “It’s an unknown to many people. In a car you can see out of the windscreen the world ahead of you but in a plane, you see very little through the window so it’s hard to get that sense of what’s going on and it causes a feeling of loss of control and panic. It’s a shame people can’t come to the flight deck any more during the flight because in the days before 9/11 frightened passengers could come and see what’s actually going on and with was the full horizon rather than the partial view of either land or sky that you see through a window.
“We cured many a nervous flier back then. Also, you should think of turbulence as a potholed or cobbled street. The car bounces as it goes over it and may dip into a pothole but you’re still supported by the road. It’s the same in the air. The unsettled air causes bumps under the wings and that feels like the bumpy road.”
Over the years, her nerves of steel have served her well. Once she operated a flight from Heathrow to Denver with one of the air conditioning packs not working. Normally two packs working at a higher flow rate was equal to all three working in the basic mode. It was hot on the plane, and she expected it to cool once the engines were running and the aircraft airborne. It never cooled. “It was 29°C throughout the plane. The crew took off their ties and unbuttoned the tops of the shirts. I had to walk through the cabin to explain to people the situation. It was fantastic to see the turnaround in the passengers’ attitude when they spoke to the pilot. Initially they were largely angry and frustrated but by the end they were all having a fun bonding experience laughing about having cocktails and suggesting new crew uniforms including grass skirts or shorts. We landed in Denver and got off the plane to 30°C weather!”
Since the birth of her children, Rachel has worked 50% part time, taking work trips during a 14-day period then having 14 days off. She explains that a full-time roster will be around six 3- or 4-day trips or four to five longer trips. “When you’re on ‘home standby’ you need to be able to reach the airport within two hours. As I live abroad – outside of Nice – this means on home standby I have to be in a hotel near Heathrow. For short-haul crews there is also ‘airport standby’ where pilots have to wait at the airport to fill in for uncrewed flights immediately.”
By law, pilots can only be at the controls of an aircraft for a certain number of hours. “On long flights we have a spare pilot who takes over from one of the operating pilots to enable them to have a break. The break is taken in a bunk. On the 777 the flight crew (pilot) bunk is above the first few rows of seats. The cabin crew have bunks at the back of the plane in the roof above the last few rows of seats.”
According to the British Airways Gender Pay Gap Report 2023, the UK’s flag carrier has approximately 6.6% female pilots, which is above the national average of 5%. In 2023, the airline introduced the Speedbird Academy, a fully-funded pilot programme, to support our drive to improve representation in the pilot community. “When I joined in 1998, there were less than 50 females out of about 2,800 total pilots, which equates to just over 1%. As a women pilot, I do think I have to work harder and be better in order to be taken seriously although whether that is my perception or genuinely required is up for debate,” says Rachel.
“It is a male dominated environment but I have always been a bit of a tomboy, so I fit in anyway. I only ever once experienced offensive sexism at my time at BA. It was from a male captain who later lost his command due to incompetence. Karma is sweet!”
Rachel adds that the sexism she encountered came from outside the industry. “Before I became a pilot, people used to say it was an impossible job for me. At school or talking to people in general, there was a lot of opposition.”
And if she had listened to the naysayers? “I would have been a primary school teacher. I’m glad I never had to be though!”
Article first published June 23, 2024. Photos courtesy of Vanessa Ilsley.
Joyce Carol Oates (centre) at the 2024 Prix Fitzgerald event at Hôtel Belles Rives. Photo: Grégoire Bernardi/AP Content Services for Hôtel Belles Rives)
The 2024 Prix Fitzgerald literary award was presented to Joyce Carol Oates on June 7 at the Hôtel Belles Rives, the iconic hotel in Juan-les-Pins where F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote Tender is the Night.
Oates was on hand Friday to accept the accolade for her novel, 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister(October 2023; Philippe Rey), “the story of a woman named Georgina Fulmer, who is searching for her missing sister, Marguerite Fulmer. The narrative explores themes of sibling rivalry and the mysteries surrounding Marguerite’s disappearance through a series of clues and emotional revelations.”
In her acceptance speech the American writer thanked the jurors, and Marianne Estène-Chauvin for “the privilege of being a guest at this fabled place, so commemorated by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the very site in which the 1926, nearly a century ago, Fitzgerald spoke of experiencing ‘strange, precious, and all too transitory moments, when everything in one’s life seems to be going well,’ so I think I will end on that note. Transitory moments when everything in life seems to be going well.”
Oates, who was first published in 1963 for a short-story collection By the North Gate and has since written 70 novels, was up against some of the year’s biggest works of literature – Ian McEwan’s Lessons (October 2023, Gallimard); Irene Manuel’s Villas (January 2024; Du Sous-Sol); Christian Kracht’s Eurotrash (January 2024, Denoël); and Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident, published January 2024 Mercure de France). The five titles were French-language editions.
Marianne Estène-Chauvin created the French literary award in 2011 to honour a novel or short story that embodies “the elegance, wit, taste for style, and art of living of the American writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald.” At yesterday’s award ceremony, she commented, “Joyce Carol Oates’ ability to weave intricate and compelling narratives is unmatched. Her exploration of the human psyche and relationships, particularly in 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister, exemplifies the elegance and depth that the Fitzgerald Prize seeks to honour.” Estène-Chauvin is also President of the Francis Scott Fitzgerald Academy and owner of the Belles Rives.
Recent winners have included Quentin Tarantino (#1 New York Times bestselling Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), who personally accepted the Prix Fitzgerald in 2023 for his work Cinema Speculation, as well as Jonathan Dee, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jay McInerney, Christopher Bollen and William Boyd.
Members of the jury selected the nominees in March. The French jury was led by journalist Bertrand de Saint Vincent, deputy director of Le Figaro and literary columnist. Members were radio journalist Daphné Roulier-De Caunes; author of the unauthorized biography Le N°5 de Chanel, Marie-Dominique Lelièvre; Figaro film critic Eric Neuhoff; L’Obs editor-in-chief, François Armane; literary critic Fréderic Beigbeder; Le Point deputy editorChristophe Ono; and actress Hélène Fillières.
The ceremony wrapped up with a Writers’ Dinner held in the exclusive Cap d’Antibes setting.
Article first published June 8, 2024. Photos: Gregoire Bernardi/AP Content Services for Hôtel Belles Rives.
Jess Rad wanted to be a music teacher. Instead, the 2024 National Diversity Award nominee founded The WomenHood to tackle the unspoken challenges of womanhood, menopause and gender equity.
“The world needs more women in all the positions that decisions are being made. It isn’t just about getting women into leadership but we need to be powerful in our lives and all those places in order to have a trickle-down effect and change the world for the next gen,” says Jess, who is half Persian and grew up in Suffolk in the east of England.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: The WomenHood founder Jess Rad talks about the unspoken challenges of womanhood and menopause, and her 2024 National Diversity Award nomination.
The older sister to five siblings says she has always been an advocate of equality even though she had limited beliefs about building her own business. “My dissertation was on the ‘Deconstruction of the Working Woman’ because it perplexed me. I wanted to know how I could be a full-time mother, much like my mom, and the ambitious entrepreneurial person that I was, like my dad. I interviewed 20 senior leadership women at Disney where I worked and, fundamentally, the more they made, the more they outsourced.”
The 42-year-old says that, like most women, she is juggling a lot. “It’s extremely easy to continue to put the needs of everyone else above our own and most of us are pretty expert at that.”
When UK-based Jess became a mom in 2013, she had only been living in Brighton for a year and was keen to be part of her local community. On “one cold December evening” she brought together nine women, all strangers, at the local pub. The next time they were 15. Fast forward a few years and this group was nearly 250. “My conversations with dozens of women were clearly showing me how often we were struggling with a similar challenge, yet due to society shrouding it in shame or secrecy; or perhaps due to the time-poor nature of our lives, we were failing to have the time and space to explore these challenges that were impacting our daily quality of life and often our long-term health.”
Photo: Hayley Samartin
After quitting her job, “and with the help of seven amazing women”, Jess set up The WomenHood in 2019. “I advocate for 1% change because I know how inaccessible change can feel to many women today. The first Unspoken Session was held in November, connecting women with amazing female experts to help them stop, listen, learn, share and reflect on their own lives. It was a huge success and since then every guest of every session has said they would recommend us to a friend.”
Through live virtual experiences called The Unspoken Sessions (like Unspoken Women Lives on Instagram), The WomenHood platform connects and supports women on everything from women’s health issues and financial wellbeing to perfectionism and people pleasing. It tackles the hidden realities of relationships, undiagnosed neurodiversities, the confidence gap, burn out and boundaries.
The social entrepreneur also launched The WomenHood at Work “to enable employers to unite their teams and collectively find new ways to support women, while increasing compassion, solidarity and empathy amongst all staff via unspoken conversations.”
But the subject she regularly returns to is the menopause “because it is the one unspoken challenge that every woman will encounter”. This led to the creation of The Menopause Collection. “I was diagnosed with premature menopause at 38 in 2020, so I know first-hand how destructive yet transformative this transition can be in a woman’s life,” emphasises Jess, who is a UK Delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
“It’s a crying shame that women are benchmarked against the male characteristics. Women are going through their lives without fully understanding their own neurobiology, their own physiology … and I think women are suffering needlessly.’
Jess points out the most common thread is a lack of education and awareness of perimenopause. “There are 34 symptoms, many of which are not known, and with the cognitive ones often beginning first – such as anxiety, insomnia, memory loss –– it’s very difficult to disentangle what feels like unsurprising experiences that many women feel while juggling work/life/children/relationships/and the many demands on them. So the most regular conversation I have with women is helping them understand how to identify it in themselves and find help from a GP or nutritional therapist.”
The Amaze Charity Ambassador adds, “I feel fortunate to have been a part of this menopause revolution from the beginning and to now be very connected to many founders and talented experts in this area. So much so that, in addition to the Menopause Collection on the website there is also Menopause at Work, for businesses to enable organisations to support their female staff.”
Jess Rad with The WomenHood advisor Lisa Ardley-Price. Photo: Hayley Samartin
Jess admits she is also fortunate to have “an extremely loving and supportive family who have been my rocks” especially over the past few tumultuous years, which included divorce and discovering neurodivergent traits last year. “My Mum, always at the end of the phone to listen and reassure. My sister Victoria immediately shining a light on the opportunity to become ‘the architect of my own life’. And my Dad who forced me to think five years ahead. Very difficult, when you can barely see past the day in front of you.”
She decided to start open water swimming. “I really don’t like the cold, I’m not a strong swimmer and generally wasn’t really an outdoorsy kind of person. However, I got in and absolutely loved it! Of course, I had chosen the right month to start, September is the warmest month of the year.”
She met some other women via the Salty Seabirds community and as autumn began “not only did the cold water undoubtedly and immediately increase my stress resilience and totally change my mood but the connections I’d made with the regulars in our little group became deep and important friendships, too.” They formed their own group, the Early Birds and they’d meet at 6:30 am to swim, regardless of the weather, waves or darkness.
“These early morning winter swims really did change my life. Having also never been a morning person, I found myself getting up at 6 am several times a week, at times having to de-ice the car or wear two coats due to the bitter cold, to go and meet these amazing women in the pitch black and strip down to a swimsuit and face the waves, and our fears, lit only by the moonlight.
“There was something quite magical under these circumstances. So early in the morning. No time or need for make up or to do your hair. No clothes to identify, define or separate us. Just a swimsuit and some gloves and boots. United by our courage and resilience to keep going in despite the height of the waves, despite our fears of the cold, or what may lay beneath. Time again, we showed ourselves and each other how capable we were. My mantra in my head each time was: ‘If I can do this, I can do anything. If I can do this, I can do anything.’ And with those women by my side, I did.” Jess and some of the Early Birds went on to become swimrunners and crossed the Finish Line at the 2022 ÖtillÖ Isles of Scilly Experience Swimrun.
Public speaker Jess has been nominated for the 2024 National Diversity Awards as a Positive Role Model for Gender, in association with ITV (you can vote here.) “I’ve learned you shouldn’t try to do it all. A founder has the idea but you can’t be great at everything so you have to find other people. Recruit for your weaknesses.”
Article first published May 4, 2024. Photos copyright Hayley Samartin.
Jo Salter never set out to be a jet fighter pilot. Nor could she ever have imagined one day being named one of the 50 Most Inspiring Women in the World, and by two media outlets, the BBC and Harpers & Queen (now Harper’s Bazaar).
No siree. In 1981, 13-year-old Jo Salter wanted to be a hairdresser and hung out at her local salon in Croydon. Why would she dream of flying 25 tonnes of screaming metal at 800 miles an hour at the height of a tree when legally women were not allowed to fly in the military at the time?
Speaking to the Air League of Monaco on April 4 at the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation HQ, the British pilot said she never set out to become the first operational female Royal Air Force combat fighter pilot. It was her mom who encouraged her to study chemistry, physics and biology, and French “because it will buy you opportunity”.
Jo loved math and entertained the idea of becoming an accountant until the day a WISE (Women in Science and Education) Bus stopped by her school. One of the visitors told her,
“If you study accountancy, you can just be an account. If you study engineering, you can be whatever you want in the world.”
As Jo described it, “I went home and told mom I wanted to be whatever I could in the world. She said I needed to find sponsorship.”
Guest speaker Jo Salter with Monaco Air League president Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou on April 4, 2024.
Jo did not come from a military background but that year was the first time the Royal Air Force (RAF) was offering scholarships to women, and it was worth more than the others she applied for. At 18 she joined the RAF and embarked on a 3-year Electronic Systems Engineering degree.
“The year I graduated in 1989 was the first year the British government allowed women to fly in the military but not fast jets,” she stated. Was that the moment she chose to become a pilot? She laughs and says she chose to do the required aptitude tests because “they were close to where my mom lived.” As a result, she was relaxed for the tests, and having fenced from the age of seven, she had highly developed hand-eye coordination and scored well.
21-year-old Jo, who is 163 cm (5’ 3”) tall, was offered the chance to become a pilot. She started in a De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk – a 2-seat, single engine primary trainer aircraft. “People said I was too short but airplanes have been designed around men not human beings. In the Chipmunk, I sat on a few cushions.” And it was love at first flight. “That first flight I fell in love with the peace I get up high up above the earth.”
After 66 hours and 5 minutes controlling the Chipmunk, she moved on to the side-by-side trainer aircraft, the Jet Provost (JP5) with injection seat. She waited in line to practice the manoeuvre on a rig but when her turn arrived, she was told she couldn’t go on it. “We don’t know what might happen to you,” she was told. “You do realise your womb might pop up.”
Jo recalled, “When you are trying to be similar, you end up being set apart when they don’t allow you to do what all the guys are doing.”
Half way through the year, the RAF trainees are streamlined into fast jet, multi-engine or rotary (helicopter) flying training. If Jo had been a man, she would have been a fighter pilot with her scores but instead she was pointed toward multi-engine. Her flight commander stepped and challenged the decision. “What if I covered her face? Where would you send a pilot with these scores?” The response from the decision makers was: “Okay, as long as she promises not to make any trouble.”
Her fighter pilot training is in the Hawk T2 – “a transonic, 2-seat training aircraft used by the RAF to train pilots to fly fast jet combat aircraft.” Her first flight was at 420 knots low level (below 500 feet) around Wales but she also remembers flying at 45,000 feet. “I saw the curvature of the earth for the first time and it was most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
By the time Jo’s pilot training comes to an end in 1993, the Royal Navy had allowed women on ships. This again changed the law for women’s rights in the military and she can now go on to be a fast jet pilot flying the Tornado Panavia. (At that point she was one of only five women fighter pilots in the world). “Flying is easy – you go left, right, up, down and forward. But a fast jet pilot is all about capacity to think and situational awareness. It is the only thing harder than being an F1 driver.”
Flight Lieutenant Salter is posted to Squadron 617, “The Dambusters,” (known for their precision bombing of German dams during the Second World War). Seven out of eight squadrons said no when asked if the would take a woman. No. 617 asked, “Is she a good pilot?”
“I was 24 years old, and nervous. When I arrived, a senior navigator meets me to say, ‘Jo you are not welcome here and we are going to get rid of you.’ He enabled me to do the job.”
As part of crew cooperation, the co-pilots are taught to do have a capture conversation about what they’d do if they get shot down. The senior navigator informed Jo, “Whichever way you go, I will be going the opposite direction.”
As Jo described, “Why are you saying that? What was it about the dynamic that wasn’t working. I needed to be the best crew that we could be while we were making decisions together. You’ve got burning jet crashing down beside you, you have a parachute landing in hostiles … You are not going to leave the only person you know.”
Jo found the only way she could connect with him was to offer to caddy for him during a golf game, which he readily accepted. She admits this is not something she would do today.
You can become a member of the Air League of Monaco for an annual fee of €150. Founded in November 2013 with a mission to promote “air-mindedness in the young”, today the Monaco charity counts 230 members including 135 junior members.
“There are difficulties being the first in anything. You feel like you are being watched all the time.” Jo cited the expression, “There are old pilots, bold pilots but not old bold pilots.” And admits that she, like all fighter pilots with heathy egos, became over-confident at times and made mistakes. But she always took responsibility.
Jo completed several NATO exercises in a “no-fly zone” over Iraq and went on to become an Honorary Group Captain training thousands of air cadets. “I believe in service and for 12 years have been flying air cadets,” said the author of two books, Energy – 52 ways to fire up your life and Become an Energy Angel”and Energize: Spring Clean Your Mind And Body To Get Your Bounce Back Today And Every Day.
After leaving the military, Jo went to become “an advocate for women in the military, inspiring female pilots around the world to continue to obliterate glass ceilings.” But it has only been in the last seven years or so that the RAF has truly embraced her as a spokesperson. She is now a sought-after public speaker and Director of Global Transformative Leadership at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
She met Queen Elizabeth in October 2018 when she showed Her Majesty, who was Patron of the Royal Air Force Club, a new stained-glass window commemorating the role of women in the RAF. Jo was awarded an MBE for services to aviation in the 2022 New Year Honours, the final New Year’s Honours appointed by the Queen.
In June of that same year, she met Tom Cruise on the red carpet for the premier of Top Gun: Maverick in London’s West End. “Tom Cruise asked to meet me,” Jo told me. “We discussed G-force and flying. He then spent the day at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford and I hosted him for the day.” (While Jo has flown 7-G, Tom has flown 9-G, the highest the human body is able to withstand.) By the way, Jo’s pet peeve is watching movies with fast jet pilots when their oxygen masks are hanging down and they are speaking. “Just crazy!”
Looking back to those early years of training, Jo Salter emphasised that there were good people in the RAF. “I was told it must have been my sense of humour but they didn’t see me go to the officer’s mess and calling my mom up and crying my heart out saying, ‘It doesn’t matter that I am a good pilot, they are not ready for me to do that.’
“But they are now,” she smiled.
The latest UK Armed Forces Biannual Diversity Statistics reports women make up 11.7% of UK Regular Forces and are best represented in the RAF, where they make up 15% of regular personnel. A 2021 study by the International Society of Women Airline Pilots revealed less than 6% of pilots worldwide are women. In France, according to the Association of Female Pilots the proportion of licensed female aviators is 10%.
Angelica Fuentes Garcia had a very happy childhood growing up in Mexico. Along with her three siblings, she was always encouraged to follow her passion. “The smell of petrol has been around since birth,” Angelica expresses. “My grandfather raced, and my father raced rally cars back in the Sixties.
WATCH VIDEO above with Angelica talking about the Monte 100 Touristique. (Apologies for the sound issues.)
She is the second of four children following in their paternal footsteps (at one point, three of them were rallying). “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a chef. I am still passionate about cooking but my passion for cars was greater and I started navigating for my father at age 13 and drove my first rally that same year.”
Angelica and her two sisters were “fortunate enough” to attend the Maddox Academy, one of the best girls’ schools in Mexico, where she had a bilingual education in English and Spanish from the age of four. A “generally sporty” kid, she played on the basketball and volleyball teams at school.
As a co-driver, Angelica was the first woman to win the Mexican Rally Championship in 2002, as well as having several successful seasons of rallying in England, where she ended up living. “Marriage was the reason I went to London in 2003 after I met my Scottish husband on my favourite motorsport events, La Carrera Panamericana in Mexico, which I’ve competed in 29 times.”
Having started driving in rallies more than 40 years ago, Angelica has competed in over 300 national and international events, including 13 times in the Chihuahua Express in Mexico, four times at the American rally Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, the Modena Cento Ore in Italy, which includes a leg in Florence, and Australia’s Targa Tasmania.
VIDEO: Angelica and Keith arrive in Monaco as part of the Monte 100 Touristique.
The 54-year-old has done the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique four times. This year she is here for the Monte 100 Touristique.
The Monte 100 Touristique marks the 100th anniversary of the first Glasgow Start of the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. Cars left from Blythswood Square on Wednesday, January 31, and took in many of the famous Cols and Passes in the French Alps before reaching Monte Carlo on February 3 at 3 pm.
Angelica arrived with her husband, Keith Mainland (WATCH VIDEO above). It was the longest rally they have driven in a rally together. “In my experience, as a co-driver having done four historic Monte Carlo rallies, there is a lot of preparation before and during the race. Team work and concentration are crucial to have a successful event as maintaining the speed and not getting lost on the regularity section is so important. With the added atmosphere of competing at night, it is a unique event.”
For Angelica, there is more to a rally than cars and competition. She uses motorsport to help raise awareness and money for Lyme disease (see box below). “I was diagnosed in 2016 after seven months of struggling, not knowing what was wrong with me but watching my health deteriorate. It has taken 22 doctors in two different continents to get a proper diagnosis.”
Eight years into her battle against Lyme disease Angelica points out, “The main impact for many people with Lyme disease, including myself, is that because there is no cure we have to learn how to live with symptoms and still function at the same time.”
The illness has quality-of-life impairing symptoms, which can leave sufferers with chronic fatigue and a diminished ability to concentrate. For Angelica, this means getting proper rest before events like the Monte-Carlo Historic Rally.
“Motorsport has been my biggest anchor to fight back and, at the same time, to raise awareness for this horrible illness to help others get a diagnosis. The disease is under the radar for doctors, yet more and more people suffer from it around the world.”
Angelica Fuentes Garcia and Keith Mainland.
Article first published February 3, 2024.
Do You Have Lyme Disease? Many of the celebrities diagnosed with Lyme disease – Alec Baldwin, Justin Bieber, Ben Stiller, Shania Twain, Bella Hadid and Amy Schumer – have been outspoken about the debilitating symptoms suffered from the tick-borne zoonotic disease.
According to a study published in 2022 by BMJ Global Health, nearly 14.5% of the world’s population “probably has, or has had, tick-borne Lyme disease, as indicated by the presence of antibodies in the blood.”
Early symptoms of Lyme disease, typically appearing within 3 to 30 days after a tick bite, can include a skin rash, fever, headache, and fatigue. Long-term chronic Lyme disease can lead to damage to the joints, nervous system and heart.
Monte Carlo Rally co-driver Hannah McKillop Davison grew up in Northern Ireland. The 29-year-old (who turns 30 on March 23) wouldn’t describe herself as a particularly sporty child but says she always went to rally events with her dad. “I attended my first rally at just two weeks old with my dad. He is a mechanic and I spent my childhood in the garage with him watching and learning – in between ballet lessons! I have always loved the sport and have become more involved in it over the years, from the organisation to competing.”
The Scotland-based driver admits she had always wanted to compete in motorsport but only started after she met Josh, her now husband, 10 years ago at the age of 19. “Josh is also a co-driver and taught me a lot from his experience. It helped me to get started.”
Hannah typically competes in around 20 events a year, from small national races to European level. She co-pilots with both her husband and father-in-law Michael Davison. “The two dynamics are interesting!” she laughs. “Josh and I have attempted some small navigational events together but maybe two co-drivers in one car doesn’t work so well. I have also competed with Josh’s dad and really enjoyed that, it’s always a lot of fun.”
For the 92nd Monte Carlo Rally, put on by the Automobile Club de Monaco, Hannah is teaming up with Monaco resident Chris Ingram, the first British Rally Driver in 52 years to become an FIA European Rally Champion in 2019. It is her first World Rally Championship (WRC) and she follows in the footsteps of legends like Michele Mouton, the first and only woman to ever win a round of the WRC who began her career at the first ever WRC event, the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, as a co-driver for Jean Taibi. Hannah admits, “Of course, there is always pressure with such a prestigious event and with such a competitive driver but I try to turn that feeling of pressure to focusing on the goal. I have worked hard to be here and it’s important to also enjoy the experience.”
Hannah and Chris are driving car No. 26, a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 sponsored by Suisscourtage, which was unveiled with Prince Albert on January 21 at Port Hercules. “The Skoda is a fantastic car,” Hannah describes. “It’s stable and balanced, everything in the car is purposeful and thought about for the job it needs to do. It’s a pleasure to be in, and we are thrilled to have Suisscourtage onboard. They are enthusiastic about our journey and it’s great to have a Monaco-based company backing us.”
The Rallye Monte-Carlo, which was inaugurated in 1911 by Prince Albert I, officially kicks off Thursday, January 25. “I’m most excited for the iconic stages, like the Col de Turini. As someone who grew up watching this event on television every year, it is very special to be here experiencing it as a competitor. The biggest challenge is the length of the event but we have worked very hard on our pre-event preparations and we both feel confident and determined ahead of the race.”
Hannah says her key word is “organised”! “I work with teams in the UK on their pre-event organisation and logistics which I really enjoy. I also manage a rally experience centre in Scotland called The Forest Experience where anyone can come and have a go at rally driving on gravel in the forest. I am very lucky to both work and compete in something I love and enjoy so much.”
When it comes to support women in motorsport, Hannah says optimistically, “I definitely see massive progress. It’s great to see so many female co-drivers in Europe and more and more in the UK. I think it’s really important and I hope it continues to grow for both drivers and co-drivers.”
For this rally race year, she adds, “One of my goals for 2024 is to compete in a team where my dad is the mechanic.”
2024 Rallye Monte-Carlo official start FOR CAR 26 at Place du Casino.
Article first published January 25, 2024. Feature image Instagram Hannah McKillop Davison. Video: Martine Ackermann.
Did You Know? In France, International Women’s Sports Day is held on January 24. Created in 2014 by the French CSA Audiovisual High Council, the aim of the Journée Internationale du Sport Féminin is to provide more visibility and equal representation for women’s sports in the media.
The French Broadcasting Council collaborated with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee and originally called the day 24h for Women’s Sport. The name has since changed to Sport Féminin Toujours, with the focus remaining on the advancement of women’s sport.
A nod to Scotland-based Hannah Davison, the first women’s golf club was formed at St. Andrew’s in 1867.
Watch the interview with Natasha Frost-Savio. The founder of Pink Ribbon Monaco gives the inside scoop on the upcoming charity gala and 5K walk.
Breaking news out of the Pink Ribbon Monaco camp. After setting up the non-profit back in 2011, founder Natasha Frost-Savio has announced Princess Charlene has taken on the position of Honorary President in January 2024. This “cements her commitment to women’s health and the fight against breast cancer with the Principality’s most prominent association dedicated to the cause.”
The timing could not be better. Pink Ribbon Monaco’s two big fundraising events are around the corner. A swanky gala with award-winning musical guest Zhang Zhang on February 2 and the 12th edition of the 5K Walk on February 11. All proceeds go to support lobular breast cancer research at Monaco’s Princess Grace Hospital Center.
The second edition of Pink Ribbon Monaco’s gala and charity auction, under the High Patronage of Prince Albert, will take place on Friday, February 2, in the elegant and exclusive Salle Médecin, in the heart of the Monte Carlo Casino.
This is a James Bond moment. Each guest will receive a game chip to participate in pre-dinner French Roulette and blackjack. Additional chips can be purchased for €100, and although no cash jackpots can be won, lucky winners will take home sought-after prizes.
As a private event, and thanks to the support of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, this is a rare opportunity to take stunning photos in the historical venue and capture the special moments at the roulette and blackjack tables.
The live charity auction will include a variety of luxury fashion and interior design lots, jewellery and art work, generously provided by Chanel, Versace, Vitale 1913, Boghossian, Zegg & Cerlatti and Rinck. A Grand Prix weekend experience valued around €10,000 will also be open for bidding.
It’s not just the venue that makes this “one of the season’s most select and sought-after events”. The evening will be set to the tune of the award-winning musician Zhang Zhang. This is a rare occasion to see the first violin of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra with her 7-piece orchestra up close bringing the house down with classics “from Mancini to Morricone and from Sinatra to Fitzgerald.”
The following weekend is Monaco’s favourite 5K – and for the first time the date does not fall on a school break. The 12th Pink Ribbon Monaco charity walk is on Sunday February 11. As with the gala, funds raised will contribute to a breast cancer study in the Principality.
The event is part of Monaco Run and starts at 10:15 am at Port Hercules and the circuit gently climbs up the Rock to pass in front of the Palace, the Cathedral and the Oceanographic Museum before winding back down to the terraces of the Monte-Carlo Casino. Children and dogs are welcome but pushchairs or wheelchairs may need assistance in some areas.
Online registration is €30 and free for under-13s. Participants will get a commemorative t-shirt that can be picked up on Saturday, February 10, at the Pink Ribbon Monaco stand at the esplanade of Port Hercule from 10 am to 5 pm. Raffle tickets (€10 for 5 tickets) will be on sale, too.
Watch Natasha’s video above about Saturday’s crazy surprise guest.
Natasha is grateful for her Pink Ribbon Monaco walk sponsors (SBM Offshore, Crazy Pizza and Striped Sportswear) and points out that unlike other sporting events, participants will not have numbers on their bibs. “Instead, they can write messages of support or tribute to the victims of breast cancer instead.
“The aim is not to complete the course in record time, but it is a moving show of support for women, sisters, daughters, mothers and friends,” says Natasha.
Martina Brodie would sum up her childhood in one word: books. “My first memory is of my mom and dad both reading. Always. I was convinced that everybody reads all the time.”
Martina and her two younger brothers were born in the eastern part of Slovakia, in a small town called Sečovce. Growing up under Communism meant a life full of restrictions, including travel outside of the Eastern Bloc. “But I did travel,” insists Martina. “In fact, I travelled Around the World in 80 Days with Jules Verne. For me, our local library was a Treasure Island. It was only later on that I realised these books were carefully checked and censored for any praise of the West and that many authors were banned.”
There was no freedom of religion. “We had to learn Russian at elementary school and, to prevent us from going to church on Sunday mornings, the school organised ‘Sitting by the Samovar’. This was a competitive quiz about Soviet culture.”
Western music was also a no-go. “Once my father brought home the Beatles’ album, Help! Someone had smuggled in the LP and it was so exciting. We were breaking the rules! We couldn’t play it loud, but my brother and I must have listened to this record a million times – dancing and repeating the strange words which we learned by heart not knowing what they meant. Years later, when I met Ringo Starr in Monaco, I was starstruck and left speechless from a flood of memories.”
Martina moved to Monaco in 2010 with her husband, Ian, founder of NEWS.mc. The couple first laid eyes on each other just before Christmas 1996 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Journalism major Martina had started her weekend job at the country’s first Irish pub, Dubliners. Ian, who was publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Central European Business Weekly, which he founded in Prague in 1992, was at the bar on opening night. They didn’t speak that first time.
The Dubliners became a distribution point for Ian’s weekly newspaper. As Martina recalls, “My Irish friend at the pub saw me laugh out loud reading its tongue-and-cheek column Central European Diary and made sure that I met this guy when he next came to visit.”
Martina was in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend when she was formally introduced to Ian at the pub. “Our chat turned out to be a night-long discussion. And it must have been interesting because I stayed up talking to Ian until early morning. I remember leaving the underground bar and there was daylight. I was about to hop on one of the first trams of the day when Ian asked for my number. There were no mobile phones back then and I couldn’t afford a landline so I made up six digits on the spot, which he duly noted down. I knew I would never see this guy again. What I failed to tell him was that I was leaving town to finish my thesis and be with my family. A few days later I quit my job at the pub and left the capital for a long time.”
Martina heard from friends that Ian had been relentlessly calling the fictious number. “He would come from Prague to the pub in Bratislava most weekends, asking everyone about my whereabouts. When I returned a year later, people were coming up to me with Ian’s number saying they had had enough of this guy looking for me. I was like, Which guy? … Don’t tell Ian!”
Martina called Ian. The next day he once again took the five-hour train from Prague. “Lunch turned into dinner and the rest is history, well with a twist. I was aware of the nearly 30-year age difference so I travelled around the world to make up my mind. Ian followed me. To Mexico. To California. To Canada. He really is the most tenacious person I know!”
Except for when Martina went to Japan for three months with an international group – Up With People – and lived with host families in nine places. “My Japanese host mothers were very supportive of my dilemma. They told me, ‘Martina, many people do not experience what love is. You seem to have found it, don’t throw it away. Even if he is much older – go for it – and when he dies, you will find another!’”
Accepting the advice, by age 30 Martina and Ian were living back in Bratislava and had two children. She worked as a freelance television and radio journalist, and also helped Ian start a monthly bilingual magazine, Business Slovakia.
When Ian’s mother had health issues, the family moved to Wellington in the UK. Martina looked for work. “It was 2007 and you couldn’t find a good cup of coffee. This was long before the big chains discovered this pleasant town in southwest England. So together with a friend – and on a very tight budget – we opened the Chocolate Box, a continental café selling Belgian pralines and ten types of hot chocolates,” Martina shares.
“It was no ordinary café. It very chocolatey and magical, and even though I had no previous experience running a café, it was a success from day one. The boys were small and I worked 24/7 baking most of the goods we were selling. After four years I was exhausted.”
It was time to sell the coffee shop and use the money to return to Slovakia. Ian had already gone ahead to prepare the family cottage when Martina picked up a copy of the Sunday Times. “I read this wonderful article about Monaco written by Evelyne Genta, the Monaco ambassador to the UK. The piece mentioned how Monaco is full of opportunities for young entrepreneurs with good ideas, that it is a great place to live as well as a safe place for families. I called my husband to say: ‘Stop whatever you are doing. We are going to live in Monaco.’ Ian agreed and that is how crazy we are. We did it.”
They packed up the hired van and drove with the kids from the UK for Monaco. Ian started a job as Editor-in-Chief at the Riviera Times, the boys were enrolled in local schools, and Martina? “I was desperate to learn French and explore life on the Riviera. Except nothing worked out. The boys had a terrible time at school. They didn’t speak French and the whole system was brutally different from the UK. They say you can only be as happy as your least-happy child. Well, they were both depressed and it was hard for me as a mom.”
On top of that, Ian’s job didn’t work out and he quit. “I was furious! However, it was 2010 and we both knew Monaco would benefit from an English-language news service as nothing else existed at the time. That’s how Monaco Life started – first as a print magazine, later as online daily news. It was exciting and growth was rapid.”
The British Association of Monaco, led by Vanessa Ilsley, and Anette Anderson at MonacoUSA supported Martina and Ian from day one. “They may be our most favourite people in Monaco,” Martina admits. “It is never easy to come to a new country and try to connect with like-minded people and I will never forget how welcoming they were. When life wasn’t easy, they were always there. In fact, I think it was Annette who took the ‘famous’ photo of us dancing at Stars’n’Bars around 2012 or so.”
The other point bookish Martina remembers from those early days is her need to join a book club – any book club. “I wanted to get to know people but clubs were not accepting new members … so I started my own, the Monte Carlo Reading Society. We had some good laughs and the six women who joined are my closest friends to this day.”
Still, Monaco’s promise of “a great place to live” was not all it cracked up to be. “They say you have to give a new place at least two years before you make a decision to stay or to move on. I gave it three. I had to make a hard decision to take the boys back to finish their education in Wellington. Ian stayed a bit longer and sold Monaco Life before moving back with us.”
They stayed in the UK for four years but in July 2019 Ian returned to Monaco to start Monaco Daily News – aka NEWS.mc. “The boys wanted to return to the Riviera. I was hesitant because I truly love the UK. I had a great job working for the 250-year-old Fox Brothers and it doesn’t happen often that you have the best colleagues, the best management and inspiring owners. I worked in the best company in the world really, truly. It was a hard decision to follow my family.
“I could say coming back to Monaco this time was much easier than before. Maybe. The boys had finished school so that was easier. Ian now has two wonderful partners and our boys Max, 19, and Jack, 23, are very much part of the business, too, so my role is more a supportive one. Although, I must say, the written interview will always be my favourite type of journalism. I love people’s stories and Monaco is so rich in this department.”
Although Martina studied journalism, as a child she wanted to be a teacher. “My mom was a history teacher and although she was very strict, her lessons were so imprinted on the students they didn’t need to write one single thing down. She had a gift of storytelling that stayed with you. I know this first hand because as a small child she would sneak me into her afternoon classes.”
Martina adds, “They say when the student is ready, the right teacher arrives. And I was ready when the Face Yoga Method came to my life at the best possible moment. After a six-month Face Yoga Method Teachers Training, I became certified on November 1st and am starting my online classes from January 2024.
The name Face Yoga Method was coined by Fumiko Takatsu, a Japanese woman who created the concept of a holistic approach to looking after the face. As Martina puts it, “At first it was pure vanity for me. I wanted to get rid of wrinkles and get that bulging double chin under control, but what I found was a whole new dimension of tension release. Quite frankly, our face doesn’t start at our chin, but at our feet.
“Just like we exercise and tone our body muscles, we can do the same with our facial muscles. And as we do we increase the blood circulation which results in more oxygen bringing more nutrients to our skin. It’s a non-invasive, all-natural way to achieve a more youthful appearance and improve our skin’s texture with no special equipment needed. Just a little bit of diligence and perseverance.”
The more Martina learned about Face Yoga, the more it resonated from within. “I wanted to learn how to teach it and share the excitement. Little by little, we can wake up the muscles on our face and start a fully facial workout, aligning our bodies, our skin and ourselves. It’s all interconnected and consistency is paramount here.”
The classes will run on a monthly subscription basis at a very reasonable cost and even though this self-care is a never-ending journey, Martina’s students will be able to practice certain poses and continue their inspired Face Yoga journey on their own. “As my teacher Fumiko says, ‘Change your face, change your life’. I like to say: Every face tells a story, let yours be uplifting.”
To say this has been a tough year for Martina is an understatement. She lost both her parents, unexpectedly and suddenly. “My Face Yoga daily practice helped me tremendously to deal with this emotional trauma keeping me grounded, focused and calm.”
Part of that focus is remembering her folks with gratitude. “When Communism collapsed and my father started his private dentistry practice, it didn’t do so well and he simply couldn’t cope with the new rules of capitalism. My mom was the breadwinner. When his business collapsed, they both went to America and washed cars at petrol stations for five years to pay my father’s debts and to save their house. They paid every single penny back. And kept their house, for us.”
She thinks back to that Help! album her father snuck into the family home when she was a young girl, and singing and dancing with her brother to The Beatles. Martina wishes she could go back to that day she met Ringo Starr to say: ‘You have no idea what you mean to me. You opened a whole new window to my future when I first heard and spoke English, the language I now speak, write … and will use to teach.’”
Email Martina Brodie about her Face Yoga Method classes or contact her via Facebook.
