Last week, TV personality Davina McCall hosted the inaugural Women and Wellness conference hosted by Benenden School.
Davina joined a range of speakers to discuss topics such as the menopause, pensions, investing, nutrition and digital safety.
Around 200 Benenden students and members of the local community were in attendance to learn more about the issues that matter to women in the 21st century, with Davina encouraging the audience of students to go after what they want.
She said: “I cannot encourage you more to hustle. If you think you don’t have a voice, get someone’s email address and make a noise. You have to keep walking: things happen if you walk. If you sit down and wait for someone to come to you it’s not going to happen.”
Davina also discussed her experience with the menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). She continued: “When the menopause hit, I lost my enthusiasm. I felt like I’d lost myself. HRT saved my career, my family life, my life.
“It’s not ok to have continual problems with accessing your type of HRT, it has profound effects on women.”
Davina urged women not to settle for mistreatment from doctors, and not to be afraid to seek out a second opinion, saying, ‘You’ve got to keep going to get the help you need’.
The Women and Wellness conference was designed to inform and empower young women to influence real change for generations to come. It follows the school’s recent global conference Inspiring Future Female Leaders, which saw inspirational alumnae – including former Benenden student HRH The Princess Royal – in attendance.
These flagship events form part of Benenden School’s Centenary celebrations, as the school marks 100 years of providing young women with their hallmark ‘Complete Education’.
Samantha Price, Headmistress at Benenden School, said: “It is hugely important to educate women at all stages of life about the issues that are relevant to them, something that Benenden has been doing proudly for 100 years.”
