The hugest news ever!

I have the biggest news! Even as I type this, I'm nervous and excited at the same time.

Every year, Marie Claire magazine here in the UK offers a fantastic programme, the Inspire & Mentor Scheme, that pairs women with mentors that will help them further their careers and help them take their ideas forward. Mostly it's an entrepreneurship programme, even if that's not its sole purpose. I have always thought this to be a fabulous opportunity to take your career in the right direction.

So...a couple of months ago, I submitted my idea to the scheme, with no hopes whatsoever, "just in case". It felt strange to type it onto the Marie Claire website, sharing what was until now my brainchild with someone else. Strange and very exciting at the same time. 

I forgot all about it until Miranda, Marie Claire's associate editor, called me in for an interview with herself and Poppy Dinsey, web entrepreneur, blogger and founder of What I Wore Today, the outfit social network. She would, in the highly unlikely event of success, be my mentor.

The interview was very nice. Miranda and Poppy were both very pleasant and seemed genuinely interested in my idea. Only when exiting the IPC media building did I notice that I had sat through the entire meeting with an undone button on my shirt. Oh well. It's not like they were going to choose me anyway. I literally just moved to London, have no money whatsoever and want to start this HUGE thing that I have no idea how to get off the ground. So I went on with my life, putting this window of opportunity behind me, on my "at least I tried" list.

Until this Monday.

When I got the email, I wanted to reply and say, "are you sure?"

Out of "very strong competition", for some crazy reason ("tremendous potential" was the words they used), Marie Claire and Poppy Dinsey had chosen ME. 

And now, I'll be getting help starting the world's first click-and-shop vegan fashion and beauty magazine.

Next May, I'll be featured in Marie Claire as one of the winners of the Inspire & Mentor Scheme, hoping my project will be up and running by then!

Every time I say it, every time I write it, every time I think it, I still have to pinch myself. Sometimes, things don't turn out as you planned. THEY TURN OUT WAY BETTER.