MCLAUGHLIN

What are your strengths?

I would say that my strength is the ability to care. To care what happens to my fellow people, to my community, and to be able to navigate within communities that many say are “hard to reach”. They aren’t hard to reach, people just need to take the time, care and attention to actually listen to what they have to say rather than dictating everything to them and forming their own opinions based on hearsay.

What progress have you seen on gender equality in your life and work?

Although there is a shift in the right direction, it is still far away from where it should be. We are crying out for equality and inclusion in all workplaces and at all levels of business to ensure that our daughters have role models across all industries to look up to.

Do you think you’ve ever encountered a ghost?

Most definitely, my grandmother and my grandfather! They’ve both shown themselves to me, if you can equate that to being a ghost, and there seems to be a constant whisper in my ear. I would go as far as to say that a medium who knew nothing of me pointed out that she was able to see my grandmother leading an army of protection behind me.

How do you deal with fear and doubt?

With fear, I try to reach my inner strength and belief that I am bold, brave, massive and hard. That I can truly do anything and move mountains if I just put my mind to it. My faith plays a great part in my life.

fingertips. The problem is that we may all become zombies, as with everything in life it doesn’t have longevity to hold our attention past the next gadget. However, positive, objective and informative news is good for the soul, and has proven to be an alternative upliftment, especially with the trials and tribulations that we have had to face over the last 5 years. What words of advice would you give to those who have the passion to start their own businesses?

Run backwards! Haha, I jest. Not everyone is a leader, and so therefore not everyone can start and run their own business. It takes a great deal of selfbelief, inner strength and the will to win. If you have these qualities and you believe that there is a purpose to starting your own business, then you should go for it. Because running a business is not for the faint-hearted. You have to give 110% at all times to ensure the success of the business, and when others don’t believe in you, you have to believe in yourself and them.

How do you see the future of printed communications?

I feel that there will always be print, however in a world where we can now create our own front page news stories, sensationalised news no longer fits the front page. With the ability to use platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, there is a whole new world available at our