From Combat to Community: The Rise of Women Warriors

Claire Edes, founder of Women Warriors, shares her journey from SAS: Who Dares Wins to creating a movement that blends military-style training with holistic healing. She also talks about her new venture, Elite Warriors, and how it’s set to shake up the world of corporate wellness.



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Created and hosted by Sian Murphy with regular co-hosts Michele Yianni Attard, Kay Best, Rachael Bryant and occasionally Adelle Martin.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Women in Business Radio Show with Sean Murphy,
connecting women in business around the globe.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
So welcome in to the Women in Business Radio Show Studio.
I reckon I've got a trigger attached to that intro playing,
because as soon as I come on air, I'll just
start laughing. And we have done, and I'm thinking, I'm
sitting there and don't laugh, don't laugh, and obviously I'm laughing.
Never mind, here we are. We are back in the

(00:32):
studio and my co host today is the lovely Mikael Janniatad.
And also in the studio, we have our guests today
in the studio with us. Today we have Tanya Gonzo,
who is an AI and change man management consultant who
is going to be taking part in the discussion with us.
And our main guest today for this show is going

(00:54):
to be Claire Abes, who is the founder of Women Warriors.
And now let me I have some stuff here about
women Women Warriors. Some of it's a bit scary. I'm
just going to say, Women Warriors is a transformative experience
that empowers women through mindset, movement and soul work. It's
this bit. It's here and I have to say, she

(01:14):
does look very fit blending military style challenges with holistic healing.
So I'm really looking forward to hearing about that because
I do quite a lot of training in holistic healing
and all of that sort of thing as a business women.
With you know, business women, we very often need to
have her big girl pants on, don't we. It's the
military style challenges. Yeah, that's going to be an interesting one.

(01:41):
So I'm particularly looking forward to hearing about that. Just
mean I'm going to be doing any of it, you understand,
you know I would. I don't set you some height,
it's that high, Okay, I can resist. Just space left, yes,
I need a lot of space. So it is a
women worries. It's a journey of strength, sisterhood, and self discovery.

(02:05):
So welcome into the studio. What what a brilliant sort
of bio, A lovely outline of what it is that
you do. And first of all, I want can we
hear in your words what it is that you do
do and also who you do it with?

Speaker 3 (02:21):
Okay, so it's my business, so yeah, my company, So
I'll kind of do it by myself. Obviously, I have
other trainers coming along doing that with me, where shall
I start. So we basically work on your mind, body,
and soul. We work on you physically from military inspired

(02:42):
not military military inspired training, which is all outdoors, so
it's not body weight activities, tires and sandbags and running.
It sounds very, very scary, but it's not.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
It sounds outside as well. It is. I'm a blue
water woman, you know, I walk around blue.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
Water there too.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, no, no, I don't the inside bit, but.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah, it's more about so the women that will work individually,
they work in teams. And what we do is I have,
dependent on the event, twenty to thirty women and I
put them in teams are four, teams are five, and
I will put certain women together that I know we'll
gel together, or that are ply opposites. So then you

(03:28):
could be someone that's a CEO of a company and
then somebody that's an office administrator. You know, it's kind
of like different scouts. But it doesn't matter because on
our event you are all equal, like we all should
be really, you know, at the moment, it's not.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
It's one of the things that we try and do
with the women in business Big Show as well is
to bring together micro micro businesses you may just be
making a couple of bits of jewelry on the table
and starting out with much larger you know, CEOs people
like the FSB, So everybody's sort of knows that they
belong with each other.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
And that's what we try to implement on the event
day as well. So how the day runs is, as
I said, it's kind of like military inspired, and I'll
tell you why it's military inspired. In it military inspired training,
we cover a lot of groundwork like farmland, woodlands, as
I said, all outdoors. We then go into a team
building activity, so whether that we've done rifle shooting before,

(04:24):
we've done orienteering, we've done first aid, you know. So
we're getting teams and we give them tasks and challenges
to do. Like last time, we had to get them
to make their own stretchers, put one of their team
members on it and have to go from one end
to the other. But again it's teamwork. It's about working
and bonding and growing together. But on top of that,
we then have ice baths, we have sound healing, breath work, meditation, yoga.

(04:50):
So you're getting the ying and the yang, you're getting
like the military inspired training, but you're also getting the
mindfulness stuff as well, the relaxation, the thing where you
fine tune to health rather than just your physical health.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
So what types of is it only women?

Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Right, okay, so what types of women? What might somebody
be thinking, feeling? What sort of space are they in,
what's going on with them? What are they saying to themselves.
I'm going to say that they end up with you,
and I don't mean it like that, but what sort
of brings them to your door?

Speaker 3 (05:27):
Because for all different reasons. For example, some women want
to make new friends, and we say come as strangers,
leaders friends, and that does literally happen. The women are
exchanging numbers, the meeting up after because I also hold
once a month hikes, walks, man in climbers, whatever it
might be a lunch for the women were a community.

(05:47):
I've got a WhatsApp group. We all join that WhatsApp
group and we all meet up and do a certain activity.
So again it's not just about the fitness event day,
it's about creating that community around it. We all stayed
in Snedonia, well sorry, not all, but forty of us
stayed in Snodonia, climbed Snadonia and stayed there for the weekend,
you know. So it's creating that community for women and
a lot of women are now friends and they you know,

(06:09):
they meet up with their kids, they go for coffees,
they go for teas, they go for a cheeky drink,
you know, whatever it is they want to do, they
can and I wanted to create a space where they
feel safe, secure to be able to do that. And
you know, we have open discussion groups as well. So
at the end of the event day, we're sit down
in a circle and we're just openly talk about you know,
there's no specific topic. We'll talk about the day and

(06:31):
how it was and why are you here today, what's
your reasons? And some of them reasons might be because
they come from an abusive relationship. They've got no confidence,
they've got no they've got low self esteem, and this
kind of stuff brings them back up to being their
self again. It gets them back into the gym again,

(06:51):
it gets them talking to people again and again. That's
one of the main reasons why I wanted to do
that as well.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
So a lot of that about what's going on in
your head. Yeah, I guess what about the body side
of it, because it sounds It's very intensive, isn't it
as far as your body is concerned. So is there
something that maybe bringing people to you? Is this something

(07:19):
about the way that they're feeling in their body or
their fitness levels or that sort of thing. Is there
something else that's bringing them to you?

Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (07:25):
Well, I've been a personal trainer and health and wellness
coach for twenty years. So people that generally come onto
my course know of me, or they've heard about me,
or they've heard about me or you know, something along
them lines. So they're aware that what I'm implementing for them.
They feel confident enough now will be able to teach
them and push them to and keep them safe. Keep them, oh,

(07:48):
one hundred percent, absolutely keep them safe. But as I
say to my ladies, it doesn't matter if you're say
we're running, if you're at the back or if you're
at the front, you're all equal. If your teammate is
at the back, you go get them. You don't leave them,
you know. And I have had women that haven't trained
for two years, but they've still pushed their self physically
and mentally. You know, it's get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Hell, what about with women who may not have stepped
outside of blue water for some in the next certainly
in the last thirty or so years. You know, well,
i'd say you would potentially struggling. However, I would be
aware of that, so I'd only push you to your limits,
but I would push you that little bit more because
that's what you're there for. You're not there to be

(08:32):
molly coddled. You are there to be pushed that little
bit more. If you didn't come onto the event day,
you wouldn't want to be pushed.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
Does that make sense?

Speaker 2 (08:42):
Yeah, no, I get that. So tell me a little
bit about how how did you get to be doing this?
What's your story? Oh?

Speaker 3 (08:49):
How long you got Well.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
If putt it like this, we're on air for about
an hour. If you started when you were born, Okay,
we're not going to we're not going to get past
the story. So I would what I would pick, and
this is why I don't ask this as a question
before we go on here. I would pick right now,
the place that suddenly springs to you as being a

(09:11):
turning point, something that made you go this or you
may not have realized exactly what it was you were
going to be doing now, but you made a change.

Speaker 3 (09:22):
Okay, So I was very young. I was between seventeen
and nineteen. I went through physical mental abuse really quite bad.
So I think from when I left that relationship. Yes,
I was so young, but I said, I'm never allowing
anything like that to happen again. So I knew I
had to build my confidence up, my self esteem up.
So I got into boxing and wrestling Brazilian.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
And stamina and strength, strength and stamina.

Speaker 3 (09:46):
Ya especially mentally as well. So yeah, I got into
combat sports because our channeled that and that helped me.
And then I got into professional bodybuilding for six years
and then I was like, oh my god, what can
I do next? You know? So then I went on
to the TV show says Who Dares Wins? Have you
heard of it? A military inspired TV show? Yeah? Yeah,

(10:08):
And there was what that is, it's say the real
So how.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
Old were you in? How old were you when you
did this?

Speaker 3 (10:15):
So this I did this in We filmed it in
twenty twenty one and it was aired in twenty twenty two, right,
again quite recent. So we was so how it works
is it's like task and challenges as if you were
to get on the real essays Obviously they can't do
the real challenges. But it's very demanding. So we was
in the desert in Jordan when it was being filmed.

(10:36):
Ten Men, ten Women. The whole point is you have
an armband on and if it gets too much for you,
then you can go, oh withdraw it undone. Or there's
four DS's which is like their ex military yep, and
they can go no, you're you're not you know you
can't do it no more. Our show is so special
because the first and only ever time four females got

(10:59):
to the end, yeah and completed it. I remember it.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
I just wanted to take you back to something that
you just said, you went. You just said I went
on sas thing, just like it sounds like somebody knocked
on the door one day and just pure Charles, they
just knocked on the door and said, okay, we've got
space for you. Off you go. I have a feeling
it wasn't as easy as that, right, Okay, So so

(11:29):
talk to me about how you ended up on that show,
because you're your focus, and I think the focus for
a lot of people because it's a TV show, is
actually doing the TV show that the challenge of the
physical and mental challenge of doing the tasks that they
set you, but really the hard work is actually getting
on the show. Oh definitely, How did that happen?

Speaker 3 (11:52):
So I've always wanted to challenge myself and I fought, fantastic,
this is something else for me to do. So I
applied it in I think it's just at the end
of COD and I never heard anything back, so I thought, oh, well,
never one. And then a friend of mine, an old
friend of mine, Oh not an old sorry, she's I'll
still talk to her. She wrung me up the following
you and went, oh my god, you never guess what
I've got through to the fitness test on SAS. And

(12:13):
I was like, I was actually physically jealousy in the size.
I am not gonna lie because I really really wanted
to do it. So as soon as she said that,
I was pleased for her, of course, and I was like, right,
I'm applying. Now, I'm applying again. And I did half
the application form and I also like, no, I ain't
doing it, but they called me, so they must have
seen something in that application, went through that whole process,
and they said, right, if we're interested, if the directors

(12:35):
are interested, you're gonna have to come for a fitness test.
Now I've got a phone call within twelve hours and
said they want you to come and do the fitness test.
You got six days to prep for it. I was like, oh, okay,
six days. I thought that'd be fine. But you have
to get a ten point two on bleep test.

Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, okay, what is a bleep test?

Speaker 3 (12:53):
So you got say you've got twenty meters, You've got
cones at either end, and you get a certain amount
of time to touch each cone. But it gets quicker and
quicker and quicker. So the higher the number is, I believe,
is the harder it is. Yeah. Yeah, so ten point
one is really hard. Well it was for me anyway.
Now it's very difficult. So I did one practice run.

(13:15):
I went to Crystal Palace Park. I remember did one
practice run and I did get it, and I thought,
I'm just going to have to just wing it on
the day and see if I get it. Anyway, I
did got through that process. Then we had to go
through like a We had to be filmed on camera
to see what we're like on camera. Then we had
to have another physical test. Then we had to have
mental health checks and this was going on for a
good few months, months and months, and then we had

(13:38):
to go and see a doctor and have more fitness tests.
But you still don't know if you're on or not.
They're already playing with your minds.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
Yeah, all of this could be for nothing.

Speaker 4 (13:46):
Yea.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
Literally, well you're safe for nothing because I'll still find
out about myself.

Speaker 2 (13:50):
I mean yeah, yeah, but very often you find that
out actually afterwards. Yeah, whilst you're going through the process,
it's fit, well, this may get me nowhere, and you
have to be able to keep yourself moving forwards. It's afterwards.
It's like entering awards, isn't it. Don't You don't win
and it's hot, But very often, certainly in business awards,

(14:11):
you need to put a lot of work in upfront
to actually be able to enter. Definitely, it's not until
afterwards that you realize that you rewrote your business plans.
Was whil you're doing it. Yeah, even though even though
you may not have won anything, you got that out.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Of it, and that's what it's that journey, isn't it
that it was what you take from that journey too.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
So do you think they deliberately built in that sort
of not knowing that challenge that I'm going to keep
going even though this may not get me anywhere as
far as this competition goes.

Speaker 3 (14:37):
I think they're trying to see how mentally strong you are.
For the show itself. You have to be physically strong,
but more mentally strong, and I thought it was the
other way around, because you're on about okay, you're on
about two three hours sleep a night, You're on about
seven eight hundred calories a day, and you've got to
think we was in a desert and forty degree heat
training three four times a day, like it's exhausted.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
They do they on that program deliberately restrict your calories? Okay,
that's part of the test. Yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't
that somebody was stealing your food.

Speaker 3 (15:06):
And I'm a fussy eater as well anything, so I
wasn't even less because I was like, oh, can't eat that.
I can't eat that. And one of the girls she
was eating everyone's leftovers were okay, yes.

Speaker 2 (15:18):
Yeah, it doesn't sounds entirely okay, really is.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
So I chose not to, but I still got to
the end. I didn't. So you either passed or you
don't pass. But I didn't. I didn't pass, but I
still got to the end and did exactly the same
as the other women, you know them, other four women
that were standing there. At first, I took it really
harshly because because you're in it, Oh my god, why
didn't I win? And it did take me a little

(15:43):
bit of time, but I think it made me a
stronger and better person mentally when I stepped back from
that and gone, it's not always about winning that trophy.
It's about that journey that you take there and what
you get out of it personally. And I got so
much more out of that than than them winning. Obviously
women's great as well, but I think coming second, should

(16:04):
we say, just made me look at me in life
a little bit better.

Speaker 2 (16:08):
So at this point, you've entered this, you've done it. Sorry,
I just it's just like I've swept over that, isn't it.
You've done that. Where were you with your business? Were
you in business?

Speaker 3 (16:23):
I was personal training, then our coach one to one
and online?

Speaker 2 (16:30):
So were you in business or were you working with
a gym or no, I've been selling. You're self employed,
but you were working largely you were working one to
one individual client and that was your business model.

Speaker 3 (16:42):
Okay, So then that's where Women Warriors come and evolved from.
Okay because of SAS, it makes sense. However, I did
already have the name Women Warriors before I went on SAS.
I don't know what it was the universe telling me
there's something that's going to be done here. I think
at first it was to do with my coaching, but
it then evolved over to an event day and then

(17:02):
it's just evolved and evolved and evolved.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
So there, so you had the name. You see. I
always get fascinated by this because I think one of
the biggest challenges that we very often face as business
people is seeing what we're supposed to be doing, and
the universe sort of keeps throwing it at you, doesn't it,
and you keep ignoring it and wandering off. You're wandering
off in another direction until eventually it has to sort

(17:27):
of slap you in the face with something. So I've
just started doing something. I'm not going to go into
what it is, but I've just started doing sort of
moving forwards properly on a project that somebody who knows
me well said to me the other day. I remember
you talking about that ten years ten years ago. I
can't remember it, and it's taken me all of that
time to actually now be delivering what I was what

(17:50):
I mentioned as a throwaway thing. So you we're in
warriors was in your head?

Speaker 3 (17:55):
It was, Well, it was actually called Warrior Princess. Okay,
when I go back, because when I work, I started
doing bringing women in, training them in a different way,
and I called it Worrior Princess and I was like, nah.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
Yeah, I can see. I can see why. So you're
working one to one. Yeah, but you've got this idea,
You've got this name, you've got Was it a firm
concept at that time? Was it just there's something I
want to do and this is I'm waiting to see
what I'm going to call it, and it's moving forwards.

Speaker 1 (18:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:26):
I didn't even know it was an event day at first, right,
Okay at all Again, I thought it's just going to
be a different kind of coach that I was going
to do and create. I still wanted to create that
community for women, but it weren't in an event day environment.
It was more for like the meetups and you know,
getting together and sharing.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
So it's going to be more it was going to
be more diffuse. Yeah, yeah than that. Okay, So tell
me about your first event day that was?

Speaker 3 (18:52):
So I did start a couple of years ago. We
did one event and then long story extremely short, it stopped.
We didn't continue it. So I did my first let's say,
proper event last June, and since then I've done for
hang On five six eight.

Speaker 2 (19:09):
So what do you reckon? Do we let her get
away with it? I just didn't do it anymore. It
didn't work or should we was? Was it? Was it
that it just wasn't right, or was it that you
didn't get the numbers? Or don't you know? Because because
this happens, we do something and for whatever reason, it
just doesn't work.

Speaker 1 (19:25):
No.

Speaker 3 (19:25):
So obviously it originated from my idea, and I brought
somebody else on to do it with me. But I
felt we weren't aligning it in business. She had so
much going on, she was she was just setting a degree,
She's got two children. So it just at that moment
in time, I felt I needed more help. She couldn't

(19:47):
give it.

Speaker 2 (19:49):
And I'll tell you what, it's just so important to
recognize that is straightaway, I'm terrible at that. I tend
to just in the past I have just carried on regardless,
making up excuses you know, as to why it will work.
And now I recognize it. But it takes time to
get to that, doesn't it. But you can just go Actually,
we've explored this. It's not right.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
Yeah, I mean it. Now she's not as busy, so
it would be fantastic.

Speaker 2 (20:13):
But things have moved on.

Speaker 3 (20:15):
Things have moved on, things have evolved, things have changed,
and I've really the events started off quite small. Now
they're a lot bigger. Actually, the last one I did,
I invited men on a first and only time.

Speaker 2 (20:28):
How did that go?

Speaker 3 (20:29):
Wow, I'll tell you what. Ten men were meant to
be on to the day before let me down, So
I'll put some women on it. Obviously they've paid for it.
They've lost their their space. Five men on the day
didn't turn up. Says it all, don't it? It does?

Speaker 2 (20:43):
It does? Oh? Okay?

Speaker 3 (20:45):
Was they scared of us? Yeah? So that was a
bit disheancing really, to be honest. But either way, were
still had twenty five people there and it was amazing.
We had three men on that date. Because what I
want to do the first event of the year. I
want to invite men on because some of the two
of the men there, they won't a couple, but they

(21:06):
had their partner with them as well. It was quite
nice that they could train with their husband and stuff
like that. And it's not we don't exclude men from everything,
but you know, the whole point is women. But it's
just nice to involve from nar And.

Speaker 5 (21:18):
It did it change the dynamics at all. I'm curious
about that there.

Speaker 2 (21:22):
Do you know what?

Speaker 3 (21:22):
It didn't? It really didn't because I'll give a big
speech and talk at the beginning and I say everyone's equal.
Whether you're male or female, I don't care. It doesn't matter,
and you shouldn't care either. So if he's struggling, you
help him. If she's struggling, you help her. It doesn't matter.
So one of the girls had one of the guys
on their backs and vice versa, and it's really literally

(21:43):
like you are you? Yeah? That is it.

Speaker 2 (21:46):
It's one of the things that I noticed with the
Women in Business Big Show, although it's still caught the
Women in Business Big Show, and she involves a lot
of men, and that has evolved over time. And one
of the things I realized is it's not about gender
or sex or whatever it is that you want to
call it. It's actually about attitude and that the men
that are there are I say, inclusive, but you know,

(22:11):
just all we just all get on together and get
to happen and make the day happen, and everybody joins in.
It's got nothing to do with whether you've got a
beard or not.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yeah, exactly. I mean some women might have been, but yes.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
It's not over complicated. That discussion has been going on
from we won't worry about that.

Speaker 3 (22:34):
I know exactly what you mean. Yeah it was. It
was insightful, say the least. But I'm on top of this.
I'm now going into the corporate industry and I'm doing
Elite Warriors, so that'd be men and women event days
for corporate workshops, small group training, going into their offices
and stuff. In fact, I'm going there after this in

(22:56):
the city and stuff like that, So that'd be for
the men and the women's side of it.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
So how will you how are you going to moderate that?
Because I would have thought, you know, if people come
along to you that they are already that they're in,
they're in that that they're in that sort of thought process.
Aren't they about, they want to maybe start wild swimming.
They want to challenge their body, they want to challenge
their mind, they want to get more resilient. But having

(23:20):
spent most of my life before here in corporate and
seeing people sat there with a face like a bag
of spanners and their arms crossed because they're in a
corporate team building or that sort of thing, An Tanya,
I'm guessing also this sort of falls right into your

(23:41):
hang on, I have to into your arena, your ballpark
where you put that. I can't help it. It's the
corporate language is that. It's a very very different thing,
isn't it. How are you going to go about that?

Speaker 3 (23:53):
So Women Warriors, I'm the brand. People come for me,
Elite Warriors. I won't be involved in it. I'll be
hiring people.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Okay, okay, okay.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
So what we work we work on free classifications, fostering
team building, enhancing enhancing leadership skills, and employee well being
and mental health. So that's that's how it's marketed and
structured around that. So we have teaching seminars. We do
the you know, with an event day, it'd be a

(24:20):
couple of teaching seminars and that'd be dependent on the
corporate who they are, who they are, and they're objective
because obviously myself or one of my team will go
in and speak to HR or the CEO or whoever
that may be, and we will analyze and assess what
that your company would need help with, if that makes sense.

(24:41):
And again I had the people I have working for
me are ex military currently in the military, their mindfulness coaches,
nutritionists and top high end pts as well, you know,
so it's people that have got extreme credibility as well.

Speaker 5 (25:00):
Yeah, I can see that working quite well, especially with
like creative thinking. Being in a different space using your
body is really good.

Speaker 3 (25:10):
And I've got three different locations. They're all in ken
at the moment, but I've got three different locations. One
in nettle Stead where I do the women wearrors, which
is a bit more intense, the intense element of it.
I've got one in Sidcup which is more luxury. You know,
it'd be a buffet lunch style and stuff like that.
So the training isn't as intense at that one. But
there's teaching, seminar rooms, we can do yoga, meditation, we

(25:31):
always have a mindfulness activity in that as well. Okay,
and then I've got another place in Edenbridge near heaver
Castle and there's a spa, a small spar on there.
So again the dynamics are different in each one, so
it's depending on the company and the business as to
what they would require. Okay, yeah, but that's just the
events side of it.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
So I was going to say making that flip, but
it's not really a flip, is it, Because you've brought
in that sort of corporate element as well. What were
some of the challenges with doing that? What are some
of the things that you need to bring into that,
into your business and into your your organization to actually
just starting it? Okay, start.

Speaker 3 (26:10):
It's literally a new stup, and I started because, as
I said, I'm also offering the one on one PT
and small group training within their office building, which I've
just secured a contract this week and it started this week.
But I'm physically doing it myself in and then I've
got about ten trainers that I can send in once
I start getting more contracts.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
But this is very new, but it seems to me
like you're actually already perhaps further along than you appreciate
that you are, because you've already you've already worked out
the different types of people that you need to go
in there, and the different skills that they're bringing, and
the conversations that you need to have with the I'm
going to call it the bosses of the organizations to

(26:51):
find out what they want. So I think you're actually
quite a way down the line. You just haven't it's
not flying at the moment. You haven't leapt off the cliff.
But I think you're sort of teetering on the edge,
aren't you.

Speaker 3 (27:04):
I definitely believe so, and I feel it now like
I've got my website done, I've got all my staff
in order, in line, and I've already you know, if
a contractor come in, I know who to send where
and what. So everything's there, setting ready. This year for
me was about building women. Moras is built now. It
is about building the foundations. But next year is when
I'm going to be hiring salespeople, people that does LinkedIn,

(27:27):
you know, because that's that's that's not my field. And
I won't even lie it and pretend or even do
a course on it because it's not my field. I'd
rather by as someone that can do that.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
So how do you how do you do your business planning?
Do you do your business so no, that sounds a
bit daft. At some point you must have sat down
and thought about something. Do you do you have projections?
Do you have future plans or are they? Is it
in your head? It's what protra do you go through?

Speaker 3 (27:56):
Even with a business plan I did for women Orraor's
it's changed about three times. So I have a business
plan for Elite Warriors and whether that will follow.

Speaker 2 (28:04):
Through it changes? Are these I'm always interested in the
different ways that people do planning, mainly because I sort
of I teach it, but also because I'm not very
good at it myself.

Speaker 3 (28:13):
I'm not the best.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
There's there's a big difference between being able to help
other people do it and being useless and disorganized, you know,
sort of having everything everywhere. So do you do it visually?
Do you do pictures or do you have it all
text under different okay, so you have it all written
out as text and sort of printed out nice or

(28:35):
is it all online?

Speaker 3 (28:36):
It's all online. It's all in my little files. I've
got like ADHD and autism, so it fights with each other.
So my autistic traits are like structure structure, structure, structure,
everything's in place. So if I need to know where
some keys is there, very.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
Interesting, Okay, I would love to know how you manage it.

Speaker 3 (28:51):
I sometimes, yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
Sometimes think that people who are shall we say new
challenged have different ends of a scale. So I know
people like yourself, yeah, where everything is really seriously organized,
and then I know other people I'm not saying who

(29:14):
they might be, but I know other people where they
want to be like that and they look at people
like you can work out. I be like that, but
actually everything's in a great big keep on the floor
and it's all in their head. Yeah. Okay, So you
you do everything written, do you print it out?

Speaker 3 (29:30):
Some some stuff I have printed out, and then I'll
pull it. I'll treat it like a vision board, so
I occasionally see what's going on board at home and
have the days of the week on. I've got different
I've got like pens for like a different color for
Women Warriors, Elite Warriors. I'm doing something else as well.
I'll tell you about that in a minute. Women Warriors,
Elite Warriors, personal life and work. So each color I

(29:50):
say everything that I'm doing within that day. So if
I as soon as I walk out my door, it's there,
so I'll go, right, Okay, I've got to do that today,
that today, that today done. So I'm very structured in
that way. However, my ADHD brain like spons things spontaneous
and crazy and wild.

Speaker 2 (30:08):
I understand that completely.

Speaker 3 (30:09):
Yeah, but I think that works for me. People go, oh,
you're growing this business. You need to put one hundred
percent into one thing because your brain can't do more
than one thing. Well, hang on a minute, might.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
First, Yeah, I tell you what. It's a it's a
major problem. I spent years listening to other people about
how focus on one thing. If you don't focus on
one thing, you're not going to succeed. I can't focus
on one thing. I have about five hundred things going
on in my brain. And I think it's about actually

(30:44):
understanding what your superpower is. I love that.

Speaker 3 (30:47):
Words absolutely, and mine is I can don't get me wrong.
In my past, I haven't been good at it. But
since my diagnosis about two and a half years ago,
everything fitted into place and made sense, and then I've
worked more on it. So I've been that little bit
had that a little bit more structure, and I will
complete a task before I move on to the next task.
You know, even though if I'm itching to go on

(31:08):
to the next one, I know mentally no slow down complete.
You know when I say a task, I mean like
your task lists today?

Speaker 2 (31:14):
Alright, I can't reach her? Could you just slap her?
Can you? Can you whack a So you've got a
mix of you've got a written business plan, yep, because
I know people who do it as mind maps. That's
sort of okaying. But you have a you've got a
written business plan. You know where it's filed, view it

(31:35):
every now and then you may or may not print
it out, but you get it up and you have
it and you have a look at it. Yeah okay,
and then you have a separate business plan for Elite Warriors.
That's right, Yeah, okay.

Speaker 3 (31:47):
It's all starting to mold in to one. It does,
doesn't because I'm also starting Warrior boot Camp. So what
Warrior It's all under my same brand. So what Warrior
boot Camp is. It's men and women, saturdy little boot Camp.
It's starting in Tunbridge, Wells and it's like a ten
pounded person So it's not where I'm going to make
my money, but it's going to be where I'm going

(32:07):
to be able to help people that go I'm not
ready for Women Warriors. Yeah, come to my boot camp day.
But then that's where I want. I'm going to start
this in Tumbridge, Wells and then I've got someone else,
a business partner with me. With this, I would not
be able to do all of this. That's what I'm
aware of. And then I want to grow that into
different locations and.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
It feeds into exactly feed in Women warriorss. It feeds
into Elite Warriors because the people that are on it will.

Speaker 3 (32:33):
Become connected, okay or connected And again with Warrior a
boot camp you can come with your partner. Yeah, you
can come with your friend, it doesn't matter. It's it's
more of a fun element. And a guy that's doing
it with me he's ex military as well, so it's
all everything's all the lines.

Speaker 5 (32:50):
That a boot camp would suit me.

Speaker 3 (32:52):
So well, yeah, yeah, what area do you live in?

Speaker 5 (32:55):
I'm actually not too far from tented. But for me,
I don't know what my physical capabilities are. So I
had a baby two years ago that's fit before that, yeah,
and now I don't like, I don't know how fit
I am. I don't know what I can do, and
I'm a bit scared.

Speaker 3 (33:11):
Yeah, and you know that's that's quite normal. But that's
the kind of what you know, when people go Art's military,
you're going to be screaming and shotting at us. I'm
only going to be shouting of encouragement. I Am only going
to go and come on, you can do it, rather
than screaming and shouting and getting you higher rate and
not enjoying it.

Speaker 1 (33:25):
You know.

Speaker 3 (33:26):
So the little boot camps that we're going to be doing,
it'd be definitely be more of a fun environment. We
ain't going to be brutalizing you, you know, unless we
know you're capable. If you're if we can see your
capability levels and we know you're capable of that little
bit more, then of course we're gonna That's what we're
there for. We're there to push you that little bit more,

(33:46):
you know, in in elite Worries, women, worriores or worry
boot camp, it doesn't matter, you know, that's what we're
there for. That's that's what you know. What do you
want to get out of it? It doesn't matters. Whatever
you want you get.

Speaker 2 (33:57):
Like that, let's sort of have a just sort of focus,
just for a minute or so with some advice, maybe
for people who are sitting out. You know, they're listening
in and they may be feeling a bit liar. Yeah,
you know they I think as business people, you know,
unless we're running a riding stables or a cricket club

(34:19):
or doing perhaps what you do. Yeah, we spend most
of our time sat down, don't we about you? I
have to force myself to get up. I'm quite happy
sat down with a laptop actually in my little head,
in my own space. Just fine, thank you very much.
Just go away and leave me alone. We have to
sometimes force ourselves to get up. Sometimes things are scary,
may not feel physically brilliant. Just say, somebody can't get

(34:42):
along to boot camp. What do you suggest is the
first thing that they maybe do to sort of make
them a bit less? Blew walk?

Speaker 3 (34:49):
Yeah, I know that sounds. Really people are walking. It's nothing.
It is something because it's not about it's not about
just moving. It's about mindset. So it's about training your
mind to do something. So even if and this is
what I say to some of my clients or like
that started off, even if you come into the gym.
This is a client. By the way, if you come

(35:11):
into the gym, I want you to go up to
the cardio machine and go on the bike for two
minutes and then come off and leave like two minutes.
I'm like, yeah, because you're training your brain, you're training
your mindset. So whether you're at home on the desk
doing your laptop, put it down for two minutes, walk
out the door for two minutes, and come back and
do that for about a week. Even if you don't
want to come back, just do it. Come back after

(35:33):
two minutes. It's the two minute rule.

Speaker 2 (35:35):
So it's about control. I've got the control over what
I'm doing, okay, But.

Speaker 3 (35:40):
If you say anything longer than two minutes, five minutes,
ten minutes, it does it's actually quite a long time.

Speaker 2 (35:45):
It's really I tell you what, that is really clever.
I like clever people, and I like clever stuff, and
that is really clever. Just two minutes of your time.
Because if you even if you don't want to do it, you.

Speaker 3 (35:55):
Thinking, oh, it's only two minutes, that's all right, you know,
So do that for a week and then up it
and up it and then but before you know, you're going, oh,
I can't wait to get at the door.

Speaker 2 (36:03):
Yeah, because I know I've sort of felt that myself,
where you have days where actually you do want to
walk for an hour and a half or two hours,
but then the next day ten minutes you think, oh,
there we go, because your brain has gone, I need
to do an hour and a half, and suddenly actually, no,
you don't want to do an hour a half. Number one,

(36:23):
you don't feel like it, and number two you have
got other stuff to do.

Speaker 3 (36:27):
That's right. And again, and I was just exactly what
I was going to say next. So you said that
for me is you don't want to overdo it because
then your brain will underdo it. That's what I call it.
Don't overdo it to underdo it. Yeah, just do a
couple of minutes for a week and then up it
the following week. It's a process. It isn't a race,
you know, And it's about taking that time for you

(36:47):
as well.

Speaker 2 (36:48):
Yeah. So we're going to go on to some I
don't know, funny little questions, Okay, but before we do that,
I just want to make sure that people know how
they can get hold of you. So how can people
contact you if they are interested in your Women Warriors
or any of the new programs that you've got coming out.

Speaker 3 (37:08):
Yeah, so with Women Warriors. But actually i'll tell you
about our next event. Actually we've got our next event
on June the twenty ninth and it's our first birthday.
But you can go straight onto our website which is
Women WARRIORSUK dot com or email welcome at women Warriors
UK dot com. Also we've got Instagram which is Women

(37:28):
Warriors as well, or my personal Instagram which is Claireave's
dot fitness. Yeah, so there are ways to get.

Speaker 2 (37:35):
On so people can connect with you that way, they
can maybe get some ideas and some more some more
inspiration through some of the stuff that we've spoken about today.

Speaker 3 (37:43):
Definitely. Yeah, Also if they want to join my WhatsApp
community as well, because on that WhatsApp community, I'll say, okay, ladies,
on the tenth of June, we're going to go for
a high round seven sisters or whatever it may be.
And then some women won't responders, Oh yeah, are j in?
Are you in? You know, so I do things like yeah.

Speaker 2 (38:05):
Yeah, super right, okay, let's go over to some of
the stuff that I don't know if it's around more
you your business experience, running your business, your personal life.
What goes right, what goes wrong? So what's something that
really did not go to plan?

Speaker 3 (38:23):
Hmmm? I don't know because I've always put my mind
to something and it's done. Okay, what hasn't. That's hate
her again, no figure, I mean it's not forgot okay.
So when I was younger, I run my own entertainments agency,
so I had about hundred people working for me doing
like still walking, fire breathing work, petution, circus, X dancers.

(38:48):
I used to do it as well.

Speaker 2 (38:49):
So you've just left that bit out all the time.
So how old were you when you so was this
your business?

Speaker 3 (38:56):
Well, no, i'd myste I had my daughter at twenty
when I was twenty, and I brought up on my own.
So I worked in an office and I was like,
this isn't enough money for me. I'm the only provider.
So I used to do stage, stage, podium, may I
add dancing for like drama, bass, hardcore like the festivals.
But then I got into a lot of the West

(39:17):
End clubs back in the day when they were like China,
why it's Mavida. I don't have anyone know them. Yeah,
and I was like, people's hiring me, Why why don't
I hire people? I was quite quite a people person,
and people kept coming up to me going can you
supply this? And supply that? So that's how I got
into it. I did do it for quite a while. Well,
the reason I say it failed, I mean, you never failed,

(39:39):
because I've learned a lot from it. Is because I
didn't treat it like a business, because I treated it
as an income, because I treated it as my bringing
but on top of bringing up my daughter and working
in an office. So I suppose it's not even a
funny story, is it. But I mean I suppose it
failed in that way because I do look back sometimes
ago I could I could have made that really really good,
really good. However, I didn't have the right business mindset.

(40:02):
But I've learned so much skills.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
Right, Perhaps it wasn't what you were sposed to be doing,
that's true, Yeah, yeah, because it's very very different, isn't
it different? Sort of? I suppose on one on one
of them, you are getting people into work, and on
the other, which is responsibility, which which is which is
life changing in itself. But what you're now, what you're
doing now is actually sort of it's deeper than that,

(40:27):
isn't it. It's I think that's quite surface level, as in,
you need an income, here's the way, Okay, you know,
here's a job for you for for for this. Whereas
what you're doing now actually hits I think lots of
different levels, doesn't it. It's helping people physically, it's helping
people mentally, it's helping people personally are in their business.
So it's doing lots of different things, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (40:48):
Yeah, And I think that's because of the experiences I've
gone through with life, and I've done a lot of
stuff on my own. Whether it's that a choice or not,
it was still like that. And I don't want if
I can help as many women as possible as I
can to not do it alone, whether that's for help
with myself or to when they meet the other women,
then I feel I've done what I want to do.

Speaker 2 (41:08):
You also look very fit and healthy, and I'm guessing
that running running the business that you run now actually yes,
of course you need to sit down at some point
and do some desk work, but there's an element where
you are up and busy and running around with people.
Whereas if you were running, and we'll call it an
entertainment agency. You're going to spend most of your life
actually on your bum, aren't you your business time? Whereas

(41:30):
now you're getting up and you're moving around.

Speaker 3 (41:32):
Because I'm still doing my personal training at the moment
as well as trying to grow. Because the thing is,
I am working off of zero budgets. So the thing
I'm investing is my time, my energy, my experience, my contacts.
So PET will eventually it will by December be finished
because I'll be working on this full time. But I'm

(41:53):
not going to be cutting my nose off to spite
my face.

Speaker 2 (41:56):
Yeah I get that.

Speaker 3 (41:59):
So yeah, it keeps me fit.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
What's your your kryptonite? See I say this and people
I think it's my age. Do you know what I
mean by kryptonite? No, Okay, I'm going to have to
find I'm going to have to find I knew this,
I'm going to have to find another term. So kryptonite
is Superman, Superman and everything Superman and but but kryptonite

(42:23):
comes from it might actually be from the planet Krypton,
and it's the only thing that can flow him. So
if he has any of that, all of his Superman
powers disappeared, he becomes he just becomes a normal man.
So what's your kryptonite?

Speaker 3 (42:41):
Men?

Speaker 2 (42:42):
Men? Generally?

Speaker 3 (42:48):
Generally? So I think we need to qualify this. Know,
it really is, especially with you know, because they're a distraction.
So I've been single for a year now and I'm
choosing I'm open to things. But I know if I

(43:10):
get with a man and have a relationship with them, minag,
she's not going to be in my business. So I'm
being positively selfish and in their men out of my
life right now, I'm going.

Speaker 2 (43:19):
I'm I'm sure why that's selfish?

Speaker 3 (43:22):
Positively selfish or even positive?

Speaker 2 (43:24):
Why even self.

Speaker 3 (43:26):
Society tells you should have a relationship, you should.

Speaker 2 (43:29):
Yeah, never mind about don't worry about it. We don't
have any event.

Speaker 3 (43:32):
We don't thank God for that.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
Just you know, just do what you want to do.

Speaker 3 (43:38):
But I put my all into everything. So if I
was in a relationship with someone, I'd give them my
ale because that's my character and I'm not ready to
do that. I'm ready to give me my ale and
my my warriors mile you know. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (43:52):
Okay, So on the flip side of fact, what's your superpower?

Speaker 3 (43:57):
My super my daughter.

Speaker 2 (43:59):
Oh.

Speaker 3 (43:59):
So I look at my daughter and I want her to,
you know, to aspire, not to be me obviously, to
know that life's not bloody easy. Life is difficult. I
ain't going to paint it with a brush. So for
you to want to succeed in life, you have to
put your effort, your time in a constructive way. So

(44:21):
I want to show her that I'm doing it in
a constructive way and I'm getting something from it. It's
just not for nothing, if that makes sense. So my
drive is to show my daughter that anything is possible.
Anything you put your mind to do constructively is possible.
So I look at her and it just makes me smile,
and it pushes me further. The days when I just
want to sit and cry because I'm so exhausted, I

(44:43):
remember what I'm doing it for. It is my daughter.
She's my number one anything, you know, She's like my
little best mate. Well she's nearly twenty now, but she's
still my little girl. Always be your little girl.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
Yeah, So, has everybody else got anything though? Want to ask?
Before I ask, I've got a few finishing questions off here.
Have you got anything you want to ask?

Speaker 3 (45:05):
We?

Speaker 4 (45:05):
No, I love the idea, and she said about the
two minutes situation. Yes, And I was thinking, do you
know what, my team, they sit at their desks, They
very rarely go to lunch, and they sit there, and I.

Speaker 3 (45:17):
Just think, come on, let's get out.

Speaker 4 (45:19):
I'm going to use your idea of get them up right, everybody,
It's going to happen on Monday. Everybody get up from
your desks and they're all going to look at me
and say, what she's doing. We're going for a two
minute walk and there's a park across the road, and
make them walk around it.

Speaker 2 (45:33):
And come back in again.

Speaker 3 (45:34):
There you go.

Speaker 4 (45:35):
Seriously, I really love that idea.

Speaker 3 (45:37):
And I can guarantee as soon as they sit back
down there you feel refreshed just after two minutes.

Speaker 2 (45:42):
I love the idea.

Speaker 4 (45:43):
Also that you started your business from, you know, being
a single mother, because that's how I started.

Speaker 2 (45:49):
Okay, So that was really interesting.

Speaker 4 (45:51):
And I also have ADHD and all the challenges you've
got of different pots and things.

Speaker 3 (45:55):
That all makes sense to me, you understand.

Speaker 4 (46:00):
So I didn't really have a question to say. I
had an observation.

Speaker 2 (46:05):
A connection there, and I think if we ever get
our finger out with a Differently Wired show. I think
you're definitely clear needs needs to come back to you.
Is there anything that you can think of before I
go into the final round up of questions?

Speaker 5 (46:20):
I was literally thinking I would be the I'm the
queen of getting dressed to go for a jog and
then sitting and watching TV.

Speaker 3 (46:33):
To get your jog and stuff.

Speaker 2 (46:36):
There you go. If I had an I wouldn't be
able to find it the end of that. So let's
do a little bit of a of a round up here.
So what do you know now that you should have
known when you started out.

Speaker 3 (46:52):
That it's hard m hm, that you have to put
the time and the effort into it. Not that I
ever thought anything falls on your lap, but I thought
it would have been a lot easier. But then anything easy,
in my eyes, is worth having. So yeah, I wish it.
I knew how difficult it would be, and how I
can't use that word positive positively stressful it would be

(47:13):
because it's positive stress. I call it because there's an
outcome for it, you know, and it's not a man
causing your stress. Yeah, it's another stress. Is a good stress?
As obvious that sounds, I wish?

Speaker 2 (47:28):
So what is so the top tip. It says here,
and I say it says here, I write this. Yeah,
it's not. Somebody else isn't telling me what to say
the best tip for your topic? And I'm just trying
to work out what your topic is because I think
you have I think, yeah, I think, like a lot
of us, you have lots and lots and lots of topics.

(47:50):
If somebody, if I actually, if I ask myself that question,
I wouldn't be able to answer it. So what's the
top tip for your topic of starting and running a
community as your business?

Speaker 3 (48:06):
A top tip? Start off small? Start off small, Start
off with a small circle of women because as women
we like to chat, so it grows. And just be patient.
Just be really patient because Rome weren't built in a day,
you know. So yeah, so just start off small and
gradually grow. That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (48:26):
Sim Okay, I've got another one. Okay, so I've got
We've got two topics here. So what is the best
tip for If we said that your topic was you're
running a business around doing something that actually challenges people
physically and mentally, and it's quite easy or quite tempting.
I would think to you for your clients to go

(48:50):
just walk away and not be your clients anymore. So
what is your top tip for that. We're keeping people
sort of engaged, I suppose with that they actually possibly
don't want to do really don't want to do.

Speaker 3 (49:04):
Reward system. As humans, we like to see reward, whether
that's a small ward like handing out a certificate, or
whether that's a reward of taking them for lunch, or
whether that you know, whatever that reward is. As a human,
our brain likes it. So for example a little bit different.
But say for an office person, you've got to finish
your task for the day, and you love a bag

(49:26):
of Harry Bows. This is just going off a little
bit here. You're not having them. So you've done your
your thing, done your thing, and then you look forward
to that reward so that you can implement that in anything. So,
whether you're in an office, whether you're in a gym
or wherever you are, what is it that you like
reward yourself with it? Okay, yeah, But like with my

(49:46):
women warriors, when they finish their event the event day,
they're giving a certificate, you know, and there's a Warrior
of the day, our last warrior of the day she
was the one at the back all the time. But
she pushed and she struggled and she nearly cried, never
done anything like in her life. So her reward was
she got to come to the next event, a next
event for free.

Speaker 2 (50:07):
So she didn't she didn't win, but she pushed through.

Speaker 3 (50:11):
Because there is no specific winner or lowers. Everyone's together,
but it's how much effort I felt she and my
trainers put in considering that she really kind of didn't
want to be there at first, you know, but then
after she was crying, she was like so thankful and
grateful that she actually done it, and that we see
that she so reward systems, I say, and.

Speaker 2 (50:34):
People noticing that you've done something. Yes, so what's your
top tip for being in business? Structure?

Speaker 3 (50:44):
Structure, structure over.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
Anything, which is something that people with ADHD struggle with
a lot that.

Speaker 3 (50:51):
The autism is all right, yeah, yeah, yeah, structure is
key because yeah, with actually structure, then you don't know
where you are, what you're going to do, what's next.
And again that's pretty obvious, but people are like, oh no, yes,
sor right, you don't need to structure.

Speaker 2 (51:08):
You do more than anything I do, you know, nobody's
ever said that before, and yeah, you're right, it's it's critical.
So thank you. I think that's I'll tell you what.
This has been a really interesting, useful conversation. Thank you
so much. So this is clear aves. She is the
founder of Women Warriors. She is also going to be

(51:29):
she's a VIP exhibitor at the Women in Business Big Show,
which is at Longfield Academy on the seventh of August.

Speaker 4 (51:35):
It's not no, it is it is.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
It is the Wilmington Academy. Sorry, they're actually they're very
they're very close to each other. They're very they're very
close to each other as it happens, so as long
as you find out where it is, we're not talking.
We're now talking miles and miles apart here. So it's
a women Academy on the seventh of August. We have,
of all about fifteen twenty speakers, We've got activities going on.

(52:03):
It's free entry for visitors and we have exhibition space
now left for forty pounds and ninety pounds, so our
VIP spaces have gone and our sponsorships are already sort
of taken with the lovely Michael who's been with Future Insight,
who has been a sponsor really since we started, haven't

(52:26):
you mate. And also thank you to the FSB, the
Federation of Small Business, who are also one of our
key sponsors. So you can meet Clear there in person,
have a chat with her. I'm not going to be
allowing her to run. She's not going to be running
boot camps up and down the character. If you want
to see me, I'll be the one who hasn't been

(52:46):
through Clear's program. I'll be the one sat in a
corner with a pie and a glass wine. Okay, you'll
easily spot me. Thank you so much, clet also thank
you for being in the studio, Tannya. Thanks thank you
to my co host, the lovely McKay was always I'm
shar Murphy and we will see you back on the
Women in Business Radio Show.

Speaker 1 (53:09):
Tune in next week to the Women in Business Radio
Show for more stories, ideas, and inspiration to help you
grow your business.