29/04/2026
I had the pleasure of speaking in Yeats Society Sligo, Ireland at Sligo Women in Business Network (SWIBN) last night to share my entrepreneurial journey - that I loosely call
Bedside to Bali and Beyond.
The 'beyond' is living a life I never thought possible .. because I had the courage to say Yes .. and venture into a world I knew nothing about ... Business!!!
Before publishing, before speaking, before Get Up and Go, Shine Your Light and ELLVV8, I spent over thirty years in medicine — more than twenty of them in anaesthesia.
A Medical career teaches you very quickly what matters.
Clarity matters.
Calm matters.
Trust matters.
And words matter — often far more than we realise.
Over those years, I watched remarkable women carry enormous responsibility — in healthcare, in leadership, in family life, in community.
Capable women. Thoughtful women. Visionary women.
Women with wisdom, insight and something important to say … but often
holding themselves back, doubting themselves, or feeling there was simply no space to be fully heard.
I was one of those women.
And I realised ...
Yes I'm in the Health Service but this is not the way to Wellbeing. There was never going to be 'a pill for every ill' or a cure for every disease.
And more often than not, it needed "a spoonful of sugar" (a kind word ) "to help the medicine go down."
That belief is part of why I founded Get Up and Go Publications twenty years ago.
I believed then — and I believe now — that words shape lives.
The words we hear.
The words we speak.
The words we silence.
The words we withhold.
The words we write down.
The words we choose to live by.
Sometimes a journal prompt, a moment of reflection, or one honest conversation can change the direction of a life.
I never wanted to be a CEO.
I am a CVO (Chief Visionary Officer) !
I want to change the direction of the world!
That’s why I created Voices Rising – Vision in Action.
Not a conference.
Not a networking event.
And not an escape.
A carefully held space for women who know there is more in them — more wisdom, more experience, more to contribute — and who are ready to explore what that could be.
A place to think, to speak honestly, to reconnect with what matters.
And to leave with renewed purpose.
We’ll gather in beautiful surroundings, for meaningful conversation, reflection, inspiration and encouragement.
And we’ll be joined by inspiring women leaders from around the world — women who are living examples of what becomes possible when courage meets conviction. Vision in Action!
Margaret Mead said:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Perhaps fifteen women in a room in Sligo won’t change the world overnight.
But it might change their world — and that ripple matters.
A simple Yes will do it.
Deposit to secure your place today : €375
DM me for the payment link ... the rest will follow.
If you feel called, I’d love to welcome you.
Eileen
