At the end of August The Daisy Foundation is ceasing to trade, which I know will be a very sad day for many parents across the country, who have received support from one of the many Daisy teachers, over the past few decades.
I still remember my pathway into Daisy so clearly however back then it was called the not so catchy - Lazy Daisy. Lazy Daisy was born from an idea of combining pregnancy yoga with hypnobirthing and offering it in a weekly class. One that built muscle memory, through linking active birth movements to breathing techniques for labour. It really was the first of its kind.
I had been desperate to run my own business for several years, but with no clue what I wanted that business to be. It was 2013 & I was on maternity leave with my 2nd child and the desire to be my own boss continued to grow. I drove into a supermarket one day & saw a car with the Lazy Daisy logo on the side. After investigating what it was online, I knew immediately that's what I wanted to do. However the big fly in the ointment was, someone was already running classes in my local area. So I looked at alternatives & spoke to a few other providers, but none of them had the same ethos and just didn't do it for me. Feeling a little despondent, I wasn't sure what my next steps should be. A few weeks later, I was a kids party and chatting to a lady I had only just met about my plan, when she told me that the current teacher was leaving....and well as they say the rest is history!
A few weeks later, with a 6 month old baby and my mum in tow (she was chief babysitter) I travelled over to Suffolk to start my week long practical antenatal teacher training. To say I was nervous was an understatement but it was the most amazing experience. I learnt so much, met some incredible women and also learnt a lot about my own birth trauma.
The following January I completed my practical baby training in Manchester, which is where I met Sian, who then went on to take over Lazy Daisy. Her drive & inspirational vision, turned it into the hugely successful business we know today. She also thankfully changed the name to The Daisy Foundation!! I have since completed a year long Perinatal Teaching qualification with The Daisy Foundation, written and delivered by Sian, which gave me the solid foundation & knowledge I needed to run my business for so long. I have also had the pleasure of training other Daisy teachers in recent years.
We have battled through so much over the years; the covid years - where classes went online literally overnight to the cost of living crisis, which has had a huge impact on so many small businesses.
I have loved teaching under license for the The Daisy Foundation & am so sad to see it go. So many mums come back to Daisy and I genuinely feel there will be big gap left when it finally closes its door on August 31st.
The good news is that many Daisy teachers will be continuing on with their own fabulous, independent businesses, myself included! No longer will I be The Daisy Foundation - Buckingham, Brackley and Towcester but Vicki Wilkinson - Birth & Baby. Classes will be remaining the same with a few tweaks here and there, but you can still enjoy #pregnancy yoga, #antenatal classes, #baby massage, #baby yoga and #toddler yoga in #Buckingham. To find out more, click here.
So on the 31st I will be raising a glass to Sian & all she achieved with The Daisy Foundation. Please do join me and if Daisy has meant something to you, please leave a comment below.
Thanks for ready.
Vicki x
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