Wonder woman: Local business entrepreneur and author Jo Wimble-Groves on celebrating 25 years in business

Meet the woman who’s passionate about promoting girl power

Tech entrepreneur, motivational speaker, mother and now a successful author, Jo Wimble-Groves is on a mission to empower girls from a young age to strive for their goals and own their own success. Here she tells Eileen Leahy more about her quest which has also resulted in her first book Rise of the Girl

Jo Wimble-Groves is busy chatting on her phone when I arrive at the Tunbridge Wells Hotel to interview her. She waves a friendly ‘hello’ at me and I take a seat at the window table she is sitting at where she is in deep discussion about something.

I’ve never met Jo before but I’ve certainly heard a lot about her recently as she has just celebrated a milestone anniversary for the successful tech business she co-runs with her older brother and has just had her first book, Rise of the Girl, published by DK.

Jo’s also behind the popular Guilty Mother blog which now has over 55K followers and a thriving Instagram following too. If you’ve not come across it then essentially it’s a forum where Jo, expert guests and followers can share stories and explore conversations about making mothers feel – you guessed it – less guilty about being the perfect parent.

And as if being an entrepreneur, blogger, author and mother wasn’t enough Jo also finds the time to squeeze in a bit of public speaking, host motivational talks for teens and pen specialist opinion pieces for national newspapers including The Guardian.

“The idea is to share my story,” Jo explains after she comes off the phone and we’ve ordered some coffee. “I left school at 16 because I struggled academically. I was always in the bottom set so had to dig a little deeper in order to do well. My parents divorced right in the middle of my GCSES and that was a tough time for me. I often bring this up when I do talks in schools as there’s a good chance that some kids will have experienced their mum and dad not being together anymore. But the key message is your grades don’t have to define who you are - or your success. If university is not right for you I believe you can create your own success without it.”

Jo, who was born in Tunbridge Wells and still lives here with her husband and three children, says that it took her a good while to realise all this and that’s why she is now on a mission to empower young teens – especially girls – into becoming more resilient and ultimately making the right decisions for themselves.

“I worked hard and did OK in my GCSEs in the end but when I went to sixth form college I felt a bit lost. I’d always loved drama and wanted to be a performer but I didn’t pursue this so I found myself at a bit of a crossroads.”

This led to Jo leaving school at 16 in order to work alongside her older brother Richard when he asked her if she fancied helping him sell a few mobile phones.

“It was the mid 90s and he’d been playing golf professionally for England but sadly he was involved in a car accident and sustained a knee injury which temporarily paused his professional career in sport. Richard started selling mobile phones as a way of paying for his rehabilitation. He was doing it independently and asked if I would like to get involved too.” “Being quite young I put my hand up and took an opportunity. I think I said to him it would only be short term as I still wanted to do drama but I saw the potential to earn a small income.” Fast forward a quarter of a century and the duo’s specialist b2b mobile telecoms company Active Digital has just “We hold the power celebrated 25 years to do so much but we have to tell girls that in business. Over the past couple of decades it’s won from a young age” many high-profile clients including Crew Clothing, Saracens Rugby Club and all of the Premier League along the way as well as numerous accolades. Active Digital has been awarded a customer service gong every year consecutively for the last 15 and is one of O2’s best performing partners across the whole of the UK and Ireland. Meanwhile Jo has been crowned Everywoman’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020 and listed in Management Today’s 35 under 35 in The Sunday Times. Not bad for the girl who found herself at a bit of a ‘crossroads’ in life when she was just 16 but then as I discover Jo is all about taking those opportunities in life and running with them… When they started Active Digital in 1996 Richard and Jo concentrated on getting businesses as diverse as law firms, architects and chemical engineers – not just locally but from all over the UK and Ireland - on their books as opposed to individual personal customers. “We knew we could never compete with the likes of Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U who were high street giants at that time,” explains Jo. “Commercial phones however became a real lifeline for companies and gradually Active Digital became known as the best-in-class for business with a reputation for focusing on excellent customer service. “The personality behind our business – its heritage if you like - is really important and people love our story: they’ve really bought into it. We often get people telling us that they love supporting us. And whether they have been with us since the beginning or are new clients we are still very much hands on with all our customers a quarter of a century later.” It’s clear when chatting to Jo that the importance of a story just doesn’t apply to her tech business. In fact she tells me that the all the motivational speaking, blogging and now the publication of her book are all interlinked and stem from the fact that she is a woman in tech.

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“When I was in my 20s and going to events I was only one of a couple of women and I felt I was standing out - and I didn’t know how I felt about that. The conversations at those events weren’t necessarily those I would have if I was around more females so I felt different. It made me think ‘well if I’m only one of a few, how is the next generation coming through and where are their role models?’”

Jo says this led to her having the idea about talking to younger people, mainly those at secondary school, about her experience in business and as a woman.

“I felt that having been so successful I needed to give something back,” she continues. “I wondered if it might be useful for me to go into schools, colleges and universities to talk. I wanted to explain what’s it’s like and how we can all create our own success.”

Jo tells me she has a particular interest in speaking to girls as there is a massive lack of them in the STEM

Jo with her third and youngest child shortly before signing her book deal

WHAT IS ACTIVE DIGITAL?

“We are a specialist b2b mobile telecoms company who started out selling phones with a contract in 1994 and made a conscious decision to just sell to businesses. Around that time companies were only just starting to think that providing their employees with a mobile phone would be a good idea. We felt there was a good opportunity for an independent and impartial company to provide the tech corporations needed – as well as excellent and bespoke customer service. Two years later we became a limited company and that was a huge milestone for us.” Jo says the idea for Rise of the Girl ties in with her own experience in life:

“It originates from being a woman in STEM, really focusing on the importance of role models and mentors, raising a daughter myself and sometimes seeing the challenges she faces - as well as seeing this imbalance with equality. All these things were whirling through my mind and I thought if I could write a book I could reach a lot more girls a lot quicker. When I spoke to my agent I really wanted to write a book for teenage girls but she queried whether this was the right angle, asking whether teenage girls are buying books at the moment. And the answer is no they’re too busy on Tik Tok! So the decision was made between us that the book would be written for parents and care givers of girls because if we’re thinking about raising strong resilient girls then it needs to start at home.”

(Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) community.

“We’ve had some incredible female scientists – many of whom have brought us through the pandemic - so I think it’s really important that girls know if they want to be scientists or engineers, or they want to work in tech, they can. And actually it’s quite cool to do so. There’s loads of opportunities for girls in these areas but we have to tell them that.

“If there’s just one child who realises they can achieve what they want to, then I have done my job. We hold the power to do all this but as women we take so long to figure that out. We should be telling people when they are younger – what’s the point when you’re 30 or 40? I want to empower girls from a young age.”

Jo explains that it all starts from not being afraid to put your hand up. “You have to take a chance. Girls have the edge when it comes to having a fear of failure but they actually outperform boys year after year in the UK. Girls need to know that they can go into these types of STEM careers but it’s important to show them the role models who are doing it now.”

Jo also says that telling children they can achieve has to start at home and that is the essence of her first book Rise of the Girl which is a series of conversations and stories about empowerment and possibility.

“As parents we talk a lot about children putting in the hard work, focusing on their strengths and having lots of grit and determination

and these are also the things that transpired into my book.” She adds that writing her successful Guilty Mother parenting blog was the ideal outlet when it came to pitching her idea for Rise of the Girl to publishers. “I’ve wanted to write a book since I was ten and the blog gave me the chance to show publishers what I could do. Their job is to produce a great book which will sell – so you need a great platform. Thankfully I have a very loyal following and so it was a perfect storm.” The book blurb for Rise of the Girl says its aim is to support parents in helping their daughter ‘fulfil her potential in a challenging world’ – something Jo knows all about. In the book, which was published in October and is still riding high in the Amazon charts, Jo identifies the seven most common issues preventing girls from fully succeeding in today’s society. There are guided conversation starters from Jo on subjects like not giving up, how we can learn through failure and sourcing strong, positive role models. In addition to this there are contributions from people who have experienced tough challenges and overcome them. They include essays from people like Anna Whitehouse who started the Flex Appeal campaign which encourages people to ask for more flexible working hours, as well as Mark Martin MBE founder of Black Tech and an advanced skills tech teacher who’s been bridging the gap between education and the STEM industry for Jo with her brother the past 16 years. Richard co-founded “I know the voice of the author Active Digital in 1996 should be the loudest but I’m such an inclusive person I wanted to hear from others so the contributors were an important part of the book. Some of them talk about their experience raising teenagers while others talk about how they remember what it was like for them growing up and how they overcame certain challenges.” Jo says Rise of the Girl is not just another parenting manual though it’s about laying the groundwork early so girls can grow up feeling they can achieve whatever they put their mind to. “I do I feel my book is different from others. We all talk about entrepreneurial spirit and getting more women represented on the whole but we’ve got to start young. It reminds me of being young and thinking about who my role models were. How did I feel about being in the bottom set? Which teachers inspired me and encouraged me to bring out my strengths rather than focusing on my weaknesses. Sometimes we are really bad at negative thinking saying ‘I can’t do that’ but we need to rewire all that and think ‘these are the things I am good at and what make me who I am’.”

“I felt that having been so successful running my own business I needed to give something back” THE ESSENCE OF

RISE OF THE GIRL

Jo Wimble-Groves is very happy to give talks to local schools and youth organisations: www.jowimblegroves.co.uk www.guiltymother.co.uk www.activedigital.co.uk

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This month Jess Gibson of the TN card speaks to Louise Griffiths (above right) from West Kent Mind about the vital work the mental health charity carries out to support those in the local community who need their help. West Kent Mind is the reward card’s chosen charity, giving 10% of its membership sales towards it

Jess Gibson

Founder the TN Card

LOUISE FOR THOSE NOT IN THE KNOW, WHAT DOES WEST KENT MIND DO? We are a local mental health charity, affiliated to national Mind, providing much needed support services in West Kent. We offer support to people to get well, stay well and thrive with better mental health. We love being part of such an amazing community and the positive mental wellbeing of everyone who lives and works here is at the heart of everything we do.

WHAT HELP DOES WEST KENT MIND PROVIDE? We understand that managing a mental health problem can be worrying and isolating, so we offer clear and practical support that everyone can access. We have a passionate and knowledgeable team who deliver a range of services which include one-to-one affordable counselling; specialist mental health support programmes such as hoarding, bereavement support and money problems; and a range of community wellbeing social activity groups such gardening, music and social groups for over 55s. We also have a crisis support café and in Sevenoaks a supported housing residential programme.

We’re here to ensure that no one faces a mental health problem alone, so we really encourage everyone to reach out to us for help and support.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL KEEP TALKING ABOUT OUR MENTAL HEALTH? By starting a conversation about mental health with our family, friends and colleagues, we can support each other. We all have mental health, and we need to look after ourselves in the same way as we do with our physical health. We know that the pandemic has significantly

“We offer support to people to get well, stay well and thrive with better mental health”

impacted our lives in so many ways and the impact on our mental health has been considerable.

It is so important that we all have open and honest conversations about how we are feeling, that we know what help and support is available and also that we have tools and strategies that can support good mental health in our day to day lives. WHAT CAN WE DO IN THESE WINTER MONTHS TO LOOK AFTER OUR MENTAL WELLBEING? The short days and cold, wet weather in January can really affect our moods and emotions. If you are struggling and your feelings are affecting your day-to-day life, please do talk to someone. There are some simple things we can do to lift our spirits, such as making the most of natural light by getting outside, making time for yourself, catching up with friends, looking after our physical health and managing stress. health training courses and workshops throughout the year. We are pleased to partner with the TN card to give members receive a discount on our workshops, including our next Understanding Stress workshop on January 25. Visit thetncard. com for more details. TN CARD MEMBERS ARE

WHAT IS WEST SUPPORTING

KENT MIND? WEST KENT An independent mental MIND BY health charity affiliated DONATING TO with Mind. THE CHARITY THROUGH

WHAT AREAS DO THEIR

THEY COVER? MEMBERSHIPS.

Tunbridge Wells, WHAT ELSE Tonbridge and Malling WE CAN DO and Sevenoaks districts. TO HELP? We really rely

HOW DO I on the support of

CONTACT THEM? individuals to help www.westkentmind.org. us to provide our uk | 01732 744950 Mon services and we – Fri during office hours are so grateful to | @westkentmind on everyone who social media supports us. We have places available in the Brighton Half Marathon on 27 February and in the Ride London – Essex 100 on 29 May, for anyone who would like to run or cycle and raise money for us. TN card members receive reduced registration fees – please get in touch if you would like more info.

DO YOU PROVIDE TOOLS TO HELP US MANAGE STRESS? Yes, we offer a range of mental Join the TN community for £20 a year and enjoy rewards at over 400 local independents at www.thetncard.com

Photo © Mollie Manning

HOW TO FIND YOUR INNER PEACE WITHOUT A PASSPORT TO PARADISE

Emma Howarth is a local author, freelance writer and monthly horoscope columnist for Glamour UK. Last year she published A Year of Mystical Thinking: Make Life Feel Magical Again – a funny and touching memoir recounting her journey to find inner peace without a one-way ticket to paradise. Here she tells SO magazine why she was inspired to write about this and how you too can do it in 2022…

When I found myself burnt out and broken at the end of a truly terrible year, I knew I needed to make some changes. A perfect storm of stressful life events (relocating across the country to Tunbridge Wells, major job moves, an untimely death in the family) had left me feeling lost, exhausted and desperate to escape. A one-way ticket to paradise sounded like exactly what I was looking for…

I wanted to disappear on an Eat Pray Love-style quest for inner peace like Elizabeth Gilbert! Or take a Wild wander through the wilderness like Cheryl Strayed did in her memoir about walking the Pacific Crest Trail! Anything but another trip between the washing machine, dishwasher and my email inbox! And yet, while I was sure I’d be able to fix everything with a few Balinese sunsets and a ton of pasta, life had other ideas.

Two young children, a hectic magazine job, a husband working all hours for the NHS and a diary filled to bursting with soft play birthday parties… There was no way I was going to be running away to meditate on a rock anytime soon.

Even though I couldn’t disappear off to India, Italy or Indonesia in search of inner peace, I still wanted to find a way to feel better and live better – and so in the eye of that storm I hit upon an idea. An idea that became a year-long project in which I explored a different mystical or spiritual practice (everything from meditation to manifestation) every month from the comfort of my own home here in Tunbridge Wells.

That project became a book: A Year of Mystical Thinking: Make Life Feel Magical Again – a spiritual sourcebook/mystical memoir that tells the story of how I injected the magic back into my life and explains how you can do it too – even if you don’t have much in the way of disposable income, free time or opportunities to fly off on a solo jaunt to Bali.

If you’re ready to make your life feel magical again this January it might just be the perfect read! Here’s what I learnt…

Find magic in the mundane Making life more magical shouldn’t feel like another task on your To Do list! A spiritual practice that turns a routine into a ritual is the best practice of all. During my mystical year, I found myself stirring intentions into my morning tea, turning baths into magical rituals and making wishes on every candle I blew out (not just the birthday ones!).

“Even though I couldn’t disappear off to India, Italy or Indonesia in search of inner peace, I still wanted to find a way to feel better and live better” It doesn’t have to be perfect Take a scroll through spiritual Instagram

and you’d be forgiven for thinking a mystical life requires fancy yoga pants, seventeen different scented candles and a permanent sunset backdrop. It doesn’t! Trust me, there’s a reason I devoted a whole chapter to the pitfalls of perfectionism and living your #bestlife. You don’t need to rise at dawn, spend a fortune on crystals or master a crow pose to discover the magic of the mystical world. Do it your way – I did! acknowledge the seasons without losing the plot over stair garlands. No one ever fell into a comparison spiral over the autumn equinox, right?

Just say yes I might have set out to find inner peace without buying a one-way ticket to paradise but the universe had other ideas. You’ll have to read the book to find out exactly how I ended up going to Byron Bay, Australia for a long weekend but I will say it’s the best contradiction I’ve ever watched play out in real time. Spoiler: I bought a return! Slow down and celebrate the seasons Slowing down sounds like obvious advice but in our hectic modern world it can be difficult to achieve. Sometimes life moves so fast we don’t even notice the seasons let alone celebrate them! And sometimes those seasonal celebrations feel more stressful than they need to be (not naming any names… Christmas!). Choosing to celebrate the festivals of the Wheel of the Year is a magical way to Start where you are and use what you have When I first moved to Tunbridge Wells from inner city Bristol I found it hard to imagine I’d ever meet anyone on my wavelength: I was wrong. When I started my

“I’ll be running some super relaxing mystical project I thought I’d have to go to London every time events in 2022 including I wanted to explore sessions at my favourite something new: I was local community venue wrong about that too. Once I started The Inside in Calverley paying attention I

Adventure Grounds” found there were many wonderful yogis, healers and alternative practitioners right here on my doorstep. Some of my favourite local magic makers are: For Yoga I found my perfect practice attending classes with local teacher Helen Bishop (helenbishopyoga.co.uk) at The Yoga House’s (theyogahouse.co.uk) beautiful studio. When I started running guided moon meditation rituals locally in 2019, The Yoga House proved the perfect venue. I also love yoga classes at SPN (spn.fit) and hosting meditation events at their beautiful studios. The brand new Sevenoaks studio was the venue I chose for my book launch in September 2021.

Emma loves hanging out at The Inside and The Yoga House (below)

For Energy Healing Read the July chapter of my book and you’ll meet energy healer extraordinaire Myra Antonia but you can also meet her in real life locally (she’s @starseed_akasha on Instagram) for transformative treatments. I also can’t recommend Dot Winter (dorothywinter.com) enough – a truly magical human.

For Sound Baths My friend Alice Rose (alicerose.space) creates the most amazing crystal sound baths and runs events with me locally. Watch this space for plenty of magic from both of us in 2022.

Fancy joining me in 2022? I’ll be hosting free monthly online live events throughout 2022 featuring special guests, giveaways and a whole lot of magic. I’ll also be running some super relaxing events locally too including sessions at my favourite local community venue The Inside in Calverley Adventure Grounds (the-inside.co.uk). Find me on Instagram or Facebook (both @ mysticalthinking) for all the details. a year of Mystical Thinking: Make Life Feel Magical again is published by Hay House and priced £10.99 you can find Emma on Instagram @ mysticalthinking