In this, the second of our International Womens Day blogs, our second co-Founder, Anna Verghese, shares her own source of inspiration – Mums and daughters.

From a young age…

There’s something special about Mums and Daughters. I’m a daughter, obviously, and I’ve always wanted to be a Mum. I suppose it has always just been something I hoped to become. Then in 2013, shortly after I got married, that I found out that my wish was to come true.

Things didn’t really end in the way that we were expecting though. After being diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome, it was necessary that our daughter be born 7 weeks early. The doctors prepared us that she would be taken straight to Special Care, which she was, and that she wouldn’t come out crying. Which she did. A lot. And loudly!

After hearing the level of volume that came out of her little 3lb 5 self, she would be a fighter. And she has done exactly that. She fought her way into clothes and onto the weight chart. To catch up with her full-term peers. To overcome some of the challenges associated with being an early arrival. And now she’s five, and desperate to make a difference, and make her mark on the world as a medical research scientist. And a Princess. Obviously.

Izzy inspires me every day. She inspires me to do my best and never give up. To chase my dreams and to learn everything there is to learn.

To a slightly older one… Only slightly, mind…

Then the other amazing woman in my life, who has been with me since the beginning, is my Mum. She is the strongest, bravest, most determined woman that I know. Mum taught me to work hard and to dream big. She has taught me the power of self-belief and that I can be confident in my own skin. If I can grow up to be even half the woman that she is, then I’ll have achieved amazing things.

These two inspire me, every day. They make me believe that anything is possible. They make me strive to be my best self and to chase my dreams, one of which is the Tabono programme.

Let us know who inspires you, and more about the dreams they encourage you to chase, in the comments below.