If you’d said to me as a head-strong teen that I would move to Wakefield to become a mum and work as a blogger, I would have replied: “Where’s that? I will not be a mum until I’m 30” and “What’s that?”
Growing up I wanted to work in the media as a presenter, dancer and actress. I loved performing, singing, telling stories and playing football.
Back then becoming a “blogger” or “vlogger” didn’t exist, like it does for kids today.
Instead, I fell into learning how to belly dance at my local church. I was 14 and, obsessed with the art form.
So off I went with my belly dancing ambitions and I travelled the world perfecting my dancing skills.
Then at university, whilst studying Philosophy and Italian, I was acting and dancing for money outside of my studies.
And I came across an audition for ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. I had attended lots of auditions and been laughed at as my specialism was belly dance, the only successful dance audition was for BBC’s Dance X as I made it through the first rounds.
Anyway, I ended up shimmying my way through to the live semi-finals of the popular ITV show thanks to judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan taking a shine to me.
I was interviewed by all the national and regional press which was amazing but I wanted to be the interviewer, not the interviewee.
So I decided to get qualifications in journalism so my bosses would have to pay me. I was no longer just the “ideas person,” I was a “serious” (ish) journalist.So I utilised the press contacts I had made during the show to get work experience in the media. I did everything from local radio to national broadsheets. I had found my “calling,” although I needed to start earning some money from journalism as I couldn’t rely on bellydancing forever.
Luckily for me, I was a young mum, extremely passionate and from a poor background so I was able to get funding for my studies from the NCTJ’s Journalism Diversity Fund. I went about studying broadcast and newspaper journalism as a post-graduate.
During that time, I won awards for my work, so again, I used those awards to be a platform to gain more contacts and work experience at Channel 4 News and ITV News. It was there, that I got my “big break.”
I went on to work for them as a freelance broadcast journalist up north and I loved the excitement of getting my stories (face and voice) on the news.
I then went on to work for newspapers local and national and, eventually, I got my “dream job” at BBC. But by this time I was pregnant with my second child.
I had already made the mistake with my first child of not having ANY maternity leave as I was worried I would lose out on freelance work, so this time I wasn’t prepared to miss out.
By then, I had already moved to Wakefield (from Sheffield) as that is where my partner Chris lived. We were due to move to Salford once the baby had arrived so that I could work at the BBC in Media City.
But sometimes the unexpected happens.
When I went on maternity leave from the BBC, my world came crashing down. I had, for once, the perfect life – a daughter, a baby on the way, a partner, a job I loved and a home. But my mental health problems caught up with me and I became very poorly.
(I made this film during that time, which says it all really).
MAD MUMS:
Then I went on to have my second child Arianna and my life changed yet again. It was the most beautiful birth thanks to my belly dancing and I was in love again.
But just a couple of months later something happened which was beyond my worst nightmare.
Again, as ever, I made a film about it… (As you can see my vlogging/film-making is a form of therapy for me).
SAVE MY BABY:
So that was the end of my career as I knew it, although both my films were aired on BBC! As much as my bosses were being really supportive, for me, I just had to drop everything and focus on getting my family back on its feet.
And that was when I started my Mama Mei blog to allow me to write again, but this time it was just for me.
I suddenly found myself immersed in MamaMei.co.uk – it became my hobby, my job and my therapy – all wrapped into one.
I still have/had “what if?” moments, when you look back on your ‘proper’ career and think… (I was off to work on The One Show and BBC Radio 4… And I see lots of my friends on TV these days).
But, then I have to look at my wonderful kids, husband and family and appreciate the fact that we’re all now healthy.
And I can still use my skills through my vlog and blog, to share my own stories and those of others and, I get paid (often) to do so. So perhaps I now have found that good “balance,” that I strived for.
Yes being self-employed involves a lot of grafting as I also co-own Evoke Media Group (evokemediagroup.co.uk) a video production, PR and training company.
But it is all so worth it! I love working with businesses, brands and the media as a blogger, presenter, vlogger, journalist, publicist and campaigner… (and I still belly dance and teach when I can at BellydanceBySophieMei.com).
