International Women's day 2023

International Women’s Day is always a busy time for me. I am so incredibly proud to be thought of when planning panels and webinars for this extremely important celebration. As a young girl, never would I have thought to represent this day so well or that I would have so much to share.

As a child, my father used to bring acacia flowers to me and my mum, as is custom in Italy where I grew up. My parents raised me thinking I could be whatever I wanted to be and I am so thankful to such a huge privilege. 

So as a young girl, despite growing up in an incredibly backwards society where many women are still expected to have a short or non existing career only until they start a family and be the sole carers of their children while their husbands enjoy a life I have always envied, I didn’t feel like I was particularly affected given the empowering feeling and opportunities I was given by my family. 

Growing up into an unwell woman however, I have realised that I wouldn’t have had the same opportunities as a man and every day I am working hard to reverse this and hope that the girls of tomorrow will not have to work so hard! This year’s International Women’s Day hashtag is #embraceequity #IWD #internationalwomensday

Unwell Women (borrowing the title from Elinor Cleghorn’s excellent book)

At the age of ten, everything changed as I started suffering from chronic illness and I now know that this was related to women’s health. I have been gaslighted by medical professionals in my most formative years and still am, I have not been given the correct treatment for over fifteen years of my life when I would have benefitted from it to aid my development. Instead, I have been offered antidepressants, been told I was unlucky that my whole body was falling apart, from living with anxiety and mood swings, to breaking bones with long lasting consequences and joint pain, heart palpitations, insomnia, brittle nails and hair. I have had to set aside my passion for singing, competitive sports and my career in modelling because of my medical condition not being taken seriously. I have had to find information about my health on the internet and luckily one day I stumbled upon the Daisy Network’s website and started going to my medical appointments with information demanding a specific treatment I wasn’t aware I had needed all along.

I have premature ovarian insufficiency, also known as premature menopause since the age of ten and only correctly treated since I am twenty-five. I am passionate about sharing my story because one in one hundred women goes through premature menopause but not often talked about. Women with POI, endometriosis, PMDD, PCOS unfortunately often suffer from the same treatment and I am sorry to see this happening in 2023, as medicine continues to be based on men’s health and medical training isn’t updated. Thank you Dr Louise Newson for all the work you do to share information and support and change to the world.

Working Women

But it isn’t all about unwell women.

Most of you will know me from my work with CocoRio, offering creative child care experiences that are great for children’s development, as well as offering flexible part time quality child care to families and work to creatives.

When Lea and I founded CocoRio we were mostly thinking of the benefits for children’s development in a digital age and of course the premium experience for families seeing their child engaged in meaningful activities leaving a guilt free experience.

The reality of what we found was however very different. Our customers - mothers in large majority - are mostly looking for flexible quality child care - which we of course provide. In the age of flexible work, the child care industry isn’t offering something to match new working patterns to primary carers - often mothers. We see mothers desperate to keep their careers, excel in what they do best but unable to do so as the child care industry remains old fashioned. Child care is already very expensive, so why not offer families something high quality, totally flexible and educational for the children involved, which is also solving the issue of unemployment for creative professionals?

My mission is giving women the power to be their best selves, and information and support are the two fundamental pillars.  Do you share this mission and want to change the world for women and girls? Dm me - let’s talk.

Written by Corinna Bordoli

Cofounder and Director @CocoRio