Martha please share your daily wellbeing routine with us

EEK! I am probably not a good role model here and fall into the “must try harder” category! My day often begins with a cup of tea in bed (my husband is of the fab variety!), I then often spend a minute reflecting my gratitude for various things and maybe then repeat some positive mantras for the day. I plan to attempt some meditation /mindfulness almost everyday and I fail almost every day – time just flies by and always feels like too much to do!! Wellbeing may come in the shape of a glass of red wine around 9pm…if not still at my desk!

What are the 3 things in your life that you simply cannot live without? 

My family, my friends and chips (lots of salt and vinegar!)

How do you manage stress/relax?

Badly is the answer – I am a bit of a worrier and must focus more on breathing and taking breaks in the day to stop and let my subconscious do its magic. Seeing friends is a wonderful relaxation, as is knocking about at home with family at weekends, even if it is for an hour or two as everyone is so busy! I was going to say watching my beloved Arsenal play every week, but that is adding to my stress right now!!

What inspired you to come up with the concept for ‘Fab little Bag’? (Which is genius by the way)

Aww thanks so much!! I was inspired by the lack of anything that felt suitable – frankly wrapping a blood-soaked tampon in reams of loo roll didn’t make me feel good, and nappy sacks were no better. I believed that women and girls should be able to dispose of their used products easily, discreetly and hygienically, and they needed to be eco-conscious.

What is the biggest risk that you’ve ever taken that has paid off?

Oooo Great question! FabLittleBag is my biggest risk to date – leaving the security of a regular income, being in a comfort zone, being known in your field and swopping that for no income, permanently being out of my comfort zone, learning new aspects of business, manufacturing, logistics etc, investing hard earned cash, and that of others into my passion and invention and not knowing if it will all be worth it, it is pretty terrifying!

Who inspires you and why?

I find many ordinary people very inspiring, people who have it really hard and remain cheerful, positive and generous people, people who overcome great loss or hardship and turn it around to help others or give back – It can be hard to be a positive person when you are equipped with all the basics in life, so when people who are not manage to achieve great things, recover from great challenges and be so humble it moves and inspires me.  I get very emotional at Children In Need or programmes of that nature…

The word Resilience is often used when describing the qualities of female achievers in all spheres: How does the word resilience manifest in your story Or in your journey thus far?

It manifests pretty much from the start and has had to grow throughout – so many knock backs, disappointments, No’s, people ignoring you, or poo-pooing you. I have always been tenacious and I believe it is one of the key strengths you need to achieve what you set out to.

Who are your cheerleaders? Do you believe in the concept that we have to be our own biggest cheerleaders?

Makes me emotional!! My husband , my best mates, my mum, all been incredible from the start, just believing in ME and my passion to make FabLittleBags a reality. In terms of you having to be your own cheerleader, I have never thought about it like that – but , yes, you definitely have to believe in yourself, if you don’t how an earth can anyone else?! That is also when your cheerleaders come in as we all have days where you think – “this is a disaster, it is never going to work, it is all going wrong, I can’t do it, I’m rubbish!” and then they tell you “Nope, you’re actually fab and this is awesome and you can and will do it – GO!” and you’re like – OK, let’s do this !

Over the last three years of your journey, what have you learnt about yourself that surprised you? 

I am not as tidy in reality as I am in my head! I have more of a marketing brain than I ever knew. I have not become more patient as I get older.

Do you have a favourite book, if so what is it?

I don’t really – I am not an avid reader these days, I tend to pick up a book in bed and get through a paragraph before my eyes are practically closed! However I do read on trains and these tend to be How To books rather than novels, though I am keen to change this as I miss that “engrossed” feeling you get when you are loving reading a novel!

What’s your favourite lipstick colour?

A light blackcurrent-y red

Thank you

Denise x

We reviewed her Fab Little Bag here.

Find out more about Martha and her Fab Little bag on her website here.