Celebrating International Women’s Day with Her Circle
I can’t imagine a more meaningful way to celebrate International Women’s Day than climbing Knockomagh Hill, overlooking Lough Hyne, with the incredible women who answered my invitation and made Her Circle a reality.
This March marks six months since Her Circle was born.
In July 2024, I took a break from my business. Every cell of my body was asking for it.
I was grieving and tired. I craved time to create without deadlines — to create because something was burning inside me and needed to come out. I longed for a season where I didn’t have to worry about clients or cash flow.
I was lucky. I was able to take a sabbatical and dedicate it to self-care and feeding my creative fire.
By the end of the year, I was burning again — but this time, to return to work. I wanted to work locally. I wanted to practise being the same Naomi everywhere: at school pick-up and with clients. No more masks.
I invited my first clients in.
Through the sessions, I began to notice a pattern. The clients coming to me were women.
When they spoke about their work — what they were building, dreaming, offering — their eyes shone.
When they spoke about their struggles, they seemed to shrink. Shoulders hunched. Eyes lowered. They shared confusion about their businesses and about themselves as business owners. The challenge of finding clients. The question of how to grow. Making money is an upstream struggle. The overwhelm of juggling family, self-care, marketing, admin, emails, receipts. Being busy fools.
And underneath it all, I recognised something familiar: loneliness.
Thirteen years ago, when I started my own business, I knew that loneliness well. Making decisions in a vacuum is stressful. Carrying responsibility alone is heavy.
Her Circle was born from these conversations — and from the women who responded when I shared an invitation to join a business coaching group dedicated to women.
They said yes.
They joined the WhatsApp group.
They came to the monthly meetings.
They committed to two hours of being witnessed as the business owners they already are.
They bravely share their challenges and their hard-won wisdom. They receive support and offer it in return. Slowly, gently, we have created a place where the lonely path of business ownership is no longer walked alone.
As I write this, I remember the stories shared. The kindness with which new members were welcomed. The tears. The belly laughs. The life-altering questions that vibrated in the room.
I see trailblazers coming together to shape a different way of doing business.
A way where care sits at the centre — not power, not money.
Care for ourselves.
Care for our families.
Care for our earth, our communities, our clients.
Many of these women are responding to needs left behind by systems that have been crumbling for a long time. They are healthcare providers who see the whole human, not just the symptom. Space-holders who help others tell their stories. Creators, dreamers — and builders of a hopeful future. A future rooted in listening: to our bodies, to one another, and to the wider web of life we are part of. A future that remembers balance — that we belong to the earth, and not the other way around.
So this International Women’s Day — Sunday, March 8th — we will climb Knockomagh Hill together.
We will climb for our grandmothers, our mothers, our sisters — for the women who paved the way for education, for independence, for the right to build businesses and shape our own lives.
And we will climb for the generations coming after us.
Our invitation is open to everyone.
Women and men. Young and old.
Business owners and supporters.
Anyone who wants to celebrate women — and to stand for a more caring, balanced and hopeful future.
We’ll meet at the car park at Lough Hyne on Sunday, March 8th, from 10am to 2pm.
We’ll take a relaxed climb up Knockomagh Hill, overlooking the lake and the Atlantic beyond.
At the top, we’ll pause.
We’ll share a cuppa and snacks (potluck style — bring something small if you can).
We’ll celebrate the women who paved the way — and the future we are shaping together.
Please wear sturdy shoes and bring layers — March weather can surprise us.
If the weather turns wild, Plan B is to gather in a local café (location TBC). Everyone who registers will receive updates via email and WhatsApp.
If you’d like to join us for the walk, register here
The form includes a link to join our WhatsApp group for event updates.
Come for the view.
Come for the conversation.
Come to honour the women in your life.
Come to stand for a hopeful, balanced future for all life.