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Mental Health and Wellbeing

The Link Between Colour and Joy: What Colour is in Your Wardrobe?

August 6, 2018 by

Did you know colour and joy are intrinsically linked? I watched a great Tedx video by designer and writer Ingrid Fetell Lee who discusses the effect colour has on our mood.  Ingrid references research that shows us that pops of colour bring us JOY. Yet, so many of us hide behind dark colours and grey in our wardrobe, we are surrounded (mostly) by grey buildings and dark or neutral colours in school, at work, in hospitals or simply just in our cities. So if we know that colour improves are mood why is it that our everyday is surrounded by neutral colours?   https://www.ted.com/talks/ingrid_fetell_lee_where_joy_hides_and_how_to_find_it?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_content=talk&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_term=social-science We need to add more colour! Black has always been my go to colour - its easy, there's no disputing it's elegant, but it also means I can easily blend…

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Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental Health and Black Women

July 27, 2018 by

Recent NHS research reveals black women are more likely to experience a common mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety panic attacks, than white women and according to the British Journal of Psychiatry, if you’re aged 16 to 34 and black you’re more prone to self harm too. But why? Is it because we have been conditioned to tolerate pain – to be seen as strong, to be more resilient? Cultural conditioning? Or the painfully debilitating stigma associated with mental ill health and Caribbean communities that we should not talk our business, just get on with it and be grateful? With my background in therapy aside, I am always the person my friends turn to for emotional support, on the flip-side, perhaps there is an assumption that “strong women” don’t need care, that we don’t struggle and, but…

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News & Events, Personal

The Power of Empathy

July 13, 2018 by

Empathy I care deeply about the human experience and as cliché as it sounds, making the world a better place. It is not hard for me to empathise with another persons experience of the world that is different to mine. I remember my mum always telling me as I was growing up, that I cared too much.  I have been thinking about this recently. Especially with a certain President visiting the UK who shall remain nameless. You see - if you are not impassioned by something, if you do not feel empathy about a cause, health issue, injustice or inequality (insert your version of this) how can you be motivated to get involved and make change? How often is the case that we don't get involved with supporting charities unless we or someone close…

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Diversity

Dismantling Inequality | Why UK Black Pride is Necessary

July 6, 2018 by

It's no longer enough to put a rainbow flag on the front of your building or to give your logo a rainbow makeover for one month It's easy to assume that people in different minority groups can easily empathise with each others experience. It is easy to assume that everyone will believe better equality for one group means better equality for us all collectively. The truth is if you fall within more than one minority group, or protected characteristic under the Equalities Act 2010 - you WILL experience even more discrimination, which makes it even harder to access equal rights. Many people in the LGBTQ+ community who are also an ethnic minority can attest to this with Racism a huge concern in the LGBTQ+ community. This recent report  2018 Pride Matter survey reveals low levels…

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Diversity

How to Avoid Tokenism in Business

June 18, 2018 by

Diversity has never been such a hot topic. We're starting to publicly see how that lack of diversity impacts negatively on business now more than ever. We’re all seeing the stats that diversity is good for business,  but many businesses are attempting to diversify and getting it wrong. I am witnessing a lot of attempts to be diverse that are falling short with many businesses being accused of tokenising. As a black woman, someone within a minority group, I am often "the only" person of colour in the room. You can intuitively sense when someone is authentically trying to engage with you and those who are trying to use you to make their brand look better and it repels.  One of the things I love about using my professional background in equality, disability and mental health is that…

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Diversity

One in Ten

June 11, 2018 by

I found this stat in a recent reported via Campaign Live with June Sarpong Only 1 in 10 Brits have a best friend from a different ethnic background. This may go some way to explain why pockets of the UK still feel so segregated and why diversity struggles to exist in certain environments and industries. We tend to gravitate towards people who remind us of ourselves, we feel more comfortable, but it can create an unrealistic view of the world around us. People often believe they don't hold bias or prejudice, that ONLY 'cruel' people do. This is a myth. It is not about being a good or bad person. It is about self-awareness. If you are human you have bias. 22% of UK adults recently surveyed think some races are born less intelligent…

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Diversity

Want to be the change you want to see in the world? Confront your own Bias

May 31, 2018 by

So no doubt you will have seen in the news that Starbucks came under attack for having two black men arrested who were simply sitting in Starbucks waiting for the arrival of a colleague - as many of us do. The only difference was they were arrested. Other non-black members of the public were also waiting for friends at the same time of this incident and the police weren't called on them. The moment was captured on film -  take a quick look. It was The staff members bias that was programmed to believe that she should fear the black men and that they were there to cause a problem. Starbucks response to this incident - was to close ALL of their stores in the US this week and make sure every one of…

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News & Events

Nova Reid Appears on Sky News Royal Wedding Documentary

May 7, 2018 by

I am delighted to let you know I was approached to take part in a Royal Wedding one-off special documentary with Sky News to discuss my business Nu Bride, Meghan, Harry and how their marriage may influence race equality in the UK. The programme debuted on Sky News on the 7th May 2018 and you can watch it online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTBkkGNEvuQ Further details can be found here.  

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News & Events

Nova Reid to Speak at Creative Women Conference

April 25, 2018 by

May is shaping up to be an inspiring month. What a joy to have been asked to speak at the Creative Women Conference in Cyprus next month! Founded by Olga Balakleets, CEO of international events company Ensemble Productions and is passionate about creating inspiring and meaningful experiences and promoting successful female entrepreneurs.  The Creative Women Conference is designed to support female entrepreneurs from around the world who crave a deeper connection in their day-to-day experience and in their work. I'll be talking about my journey to running a creative business that is strongly based around values, why diversity matters so much to me and why strong self-worth and self-care are vital for entrepreneurs, (especially creatives who are notoriously the worst at looking after themselves) and why self-care is so often overlooked to being a key…

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Mental Health and Wellbeing

5 Reasons a Retreat is Right For You

March 30, 2018 by

Happy Spring..... finally! I adore Spring. I love the change in weather, the cleansing, the vibrancy of colours, the change in energy and the lighter days. It is the perfect time to come out from hibernation of what feels like a very long winter and have a bit of an MOT. Retreats are exceedingly growing in popularity. But what is it makes them so appealing? Are we more pressured and needed more time for respite, or are we finally getting that work-life elusive balance right? No doubt you've been on holiday where you feel relaxed, come back home,  into your routine, back to work and within a few days it already feels like you haven't even had a holiday. But there's something different about attending a retreat that has a long-lasting impact on so…

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