Behind every growing business is a person carrying the pressure of making it work. For many women entrepreneurs, that pressure extends well beyond the boardroom, often encompassing family responsibilities, financial uncertainty and the expectation to keep everything moving, no matter the cost. Women entrepreneurs were given a different kind of business advice on 5 September: look after yourself first.
Mental and physical wellness took centre stage at a regional workshop organised by the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) at the RM Club in Grand Baie, bringing together women entrepreneurs for a day focused not on profits, strategies or growth targets, but on the person behind the business. The workshop explored how mental resilience, self-awareness, physical strength and movement can influence the way women lead, make decisions and ultimately grow their businesses.
Dare before you are ready
Among the speakers was Sandrine Sumodhee, Founder of Bloom – The Heart of Business, who spoke about one of the biggest obstacles facing aspiring entrepreneurs: waiting to feel ready. For her, the first step in entrepreneurship is often the hardest and waiting until everything feels perfect can mean never taking it. Sharing lessons from her own entrepreneurial journey, Sandrine encouraged women to stop waiting for the ideal circumstances and simply begin.“Today, the main advice that I would give to a woman who wants to start in entrepreneurship is to dare. Just to go, to dare, to do,” she said. She urged women to take the first step, experiment and learn as they go, rather than waiting for the conditions to be perfect.“We will never be ready, we will always be afraid, we will never have enough money,” she said. Her message was therefore simple: take the first step, test the idea and learn as you go. Sandrine’s support or the Women Entrepreneur Awards is closely aligned with the work of Bloom, which promotes women entrepreneurship, sisterhood and the development of a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The weight behind the “superwoman” image
While courage is needed to start a business, sustaining one requires something equally important: knowing when to stop, breathe and take care of yourself. That was the focus of Sanjana Gobin‘s session, psychologist, co-founder and CEO of HIREPULSE. As a psychologist and entrepreneur, Sanjana invited participants to speak openly about their experiences and concerns, encouraging them to develop greater self-awareness and recognise the mental pressures that can build beneath the surface. Having led WEA workshops for the past three editions, she has seen first-hand how frequently women entrepreneurs feel compelled to carry everything themselves. “One of the most common things is the challenge of having it all figured out and the mental load that they carry that they often do not even realise that they carry,” she said.
Behind the polished image of the entrepreneur who appears to have everything under control, Gobin said, there is often a woman struggling to keep up with the expectations placed upon her. “We see a vulnerable side coming up and we realise how much these ladies have been trying to always keep up that very strong front and be super women, multitasking, doing it all,” she explained. And those who spend their days supporting employees, families, clients and colleagues can easily forget to support themselves. “Sometimes we don’t realise that the ones who are pouring into other people’s cups all the time need their cups refilled as well,” Sanjana said. For the women in the room, the takeaway was clear: prioritising mental wellbeing is not a sign of weakness, nor is taking time for oneself a luxury. It is part of being able to lead effectively.
“Your body is your first business”
The workshop then moved from the mind to the body. Trail runner and runher Founder Estelle Poupinel de Valence highlighted the importance of physical wellbeing, sharing her own experience of gradually building strength and stamina and leading participants through a series of simple stretching exercises. Her message was memorable: “Your body is your first business.”
For Estelle, movement is about far more than physical fitness. Stepping outside, getting active and reconnecting with nature can create the mental breathing space entrepreneurs often struggle to find. “Sport and movement are a very important part, as getting out of your home to connect to nature allows you to clear your mind, de-stress, make good decisions and have a clearer vision as an entrepreneur,” she said.Physical and mental wellbeing are closely connected, she added, and feeling good in one’s body can help women approach their businesses with greater clarity and confidence.
Strong businesses start with strong leaders
For WEA Founder Kirti Sheonarain, that connection between personal wellbeing and professional success lies at the heart of this year’s initiative. “Mental and physical health are the foundation of everything else,” she said. “Without the right mindset or confidence in your body, nothing else can truly follow, not ambition, not strategy, not growth.” Her point was not simply that entrepreneurs need to be healthy. It was that the wellbeing of the entrepreneur can have a direct bearing on the wellbeing of the business itself. “A business is only as strong as the woman leading it, and she can only lead well when she feels well, in mind and in body,” Kirti said.
The third edition of the Women Entrepreneur Awards has therefore placed particular emphasis on equipping women not only with the tools to build businesses, but also with the resilience to sustain them.
From wellness to the next stage
The workshop was hosted by the RM Club, a venue with a strong community of female coaches and members. Camille Masson, Marketing and Communications Manager at the RM Club, underlined the importance of conversations around women’s health and wellbeing. “We feel that in discussing women in wellness and women’s health, physical health is important,” she said. “We want to empower women to rise above and then to be the strong people that they know they can be.” With the wellness component of the Women Entrepreneur Awards now complete, the competition is moving into its next phase.
The selected candidates will be announced in the coming days, with the semi-finals set to take place at Emtel on Saturday 26 September. The journey will culminate in the finals on Saturday 31 October.
