Who inspires you? IWD

This International Women's Day I wanted to share a story of someone I met about 18 months ago.

I actually knew of her long before that through her work on the Red January campaign, but I never understood the full story and it is one that could inspire a generational change in how we approach mental and physical health and wellbeing.

For those of you that don't know, Red January is about supporting people to be active throughout the month of January, and with over a quarter of a million people taking part already, it's a pretty big deal. It runs every year, giving people the opportunity to break down stigmas around mental health and get moving with others in a supportive environment.

And it all started with Hannah Beecham.

I had a lovely chat with Hannah yesterday, as I walked up and over the South Downs (sorry for the heavy breathing Hannah ;-) ) as I saw a post on LinkedIn from Han recently about what she's up to outside of RedJan - I thought it would be great to find out a little bit more and a lovely chat we did have.

Now, I must apologize to Hannah, I had no intention of interviewing her, we instead had a delightful conversation about, well, pretty much everything we both do and it was only after we finished our chat that I thought I needed to share her amazing story this International Women's Day as someone who inspires so many.

Hannah reminded me that we first met at Iwan Thomas's film premier that I was hosting back in 2021 with Raccoon, where Hannah was one of our wonderful guests. After our brief conversation that night, I was captivated by her story and her drive to make a difference, especially in getting people outside and active for their mental and physical health, something I too am incredibly passionate about.

I learned that Hannah is very passionate about helping people, drawing on her own experience of her mother suffering from severe depression as an opportunity to inspire others. She set up Red January as a way of bringing together people who were struggling with their own mental health while encouraging them to become active too - it truly is an amazing community she has created.

January is a notoriously tough time of year for many, with the darkness, lack of sunshine, and short days making it difficult to stay motivated. However, Hannah believes that if you can start January off with an activity goal that is achievable, then it could help you build momentum for the year ahead.

I know for my family, we got ourselves through the dark cold months knowing there was a community of others all doing the same. We owe a lot of this motivation to people like Hannah and other Redders, who continue to share their own personal stories of development.

A few short weeks after the premiere, I was very fortunate to be able to interview Hannah to find out more about Red January and how it all began and now, after our chat again this week, I'm even more energized by her enthusiasm to make a difference and I think you would be too if you were to meet such an inspiration as is she.

Hannah has been a truly amazing influence on me and so many other people over the last few years, helping us feel motivated and supported when times are tough. She's my inspiration for this International Women’s Day.

If we could all be as passionate about making a difference in this world as she is, the world would be a better place.

Thank you, Hannah, for all that you do!

Happy International Women’s Day!

If you want to find out more about Red January, check it out here.