Mental health is an area of major concern, a study carried out in January found that 18.5% of women describe their mental health as bad or worse than its ever been, the same study found that men are actually twice as likely to describe their mental health as excellent (13.5% of men vs 7.5% of women.)
In the UK, someone searches "how to reduce stress", on average, every 10 minutes, and in 2023 alone the NHS spent £217.5 million on medication to treat anxiety and depression. (Forthwithlife 2025)
When you add on to that the knowledge that violence against women was declared a national emergency in July 2024 and the knowledge that not all abuse is violence. Women are suffering in silence from mental and emotional abuse, allowing it to continue because they are not being physically harmed and some may not even be aware that what they are experiencing is abuse.
It's clear to see that something needs to shift. International women's day needs to be recognised, acknowledged and celebrated. Let's let women have the afternoon off from the day to day and have 5 hours to focus on themselves, surrounded by like minded women.
Three local women have come together to provide a half day mini wellbeing retreat.
Colleen Stevenson, an award winning mindset and transformation coach will be running a calming yoga and relaxation session. To calm nerves, reduce stress and teach techniques that can be used at home. We are very excited to share that Colleen will also be running a vision board and goal setting session through the afternoon, allowing women the opportunity to reconnect with their inner child and identify things that make their hearts happy.
Colleen is a certified mindset coach and NLP practitioner, who specialises in working with women who have experienced trauma. She helps women learn to love and accept themselves and to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Women will get the chance to learn tricks of the trade in a retro pin up hair styling workshop led by burlesque instructor for the Velvet Dolls (formally Burlesque with Becky) and the lady behind Hey Dolly Hair Design, Miss Angelicademon.
Miss Angelicademon discovered burlesque at the age of 16 when she came across Dita Von Teese. She has been teaching burlesque in Sandy, Bedfordshire for 2 years now and has taught more than 100 women.
"There is nothing more rewarding than watching someone transform from shy and unsure to fierce, bold and radiant." (Miss Angelicademon 2025)
The afternoon will also include a burlesque style dance workshop to allow women to embrace their bodies and their womanhood and build their confidence. This workshop will be led by award winning Burlesque performer and instructor Miss Kitty Claus as seen at Viva Blackpool.
Kitty has 10 years of experience in supporting people to reach personal goals, focusing on diet and exercise, she discovered a love of burlesque in 2022 and has gone on to perform and compete at a national level before starting her own classes in February 2025.
All three women are local and have personal experience with mental health struggles. They have come together, finding joy, community and support through dance.
"Some people hear burlesque and immediately assume its stripping.
Burlesque is about confidence, expression and reconnecting with your feminine energy, something many of us have unintentionally suppressed." (Colleen Stevenson 2024)
"Women, by nature, nurture each other. Along the way society has taught us to tear each other down and view each other as competition. It doesn't need to be like this. Women are experts at picking each other up, dusting each other off and empowering one another. Unfortunately, we are also experts at criticising ourselves and putting ourselves down, we talk to ourselves in a way that we would never accept from someone else and that needs to stop. We need to treat ourselves how we treat our best friends" (Miss Kitty Claus 2025)
Our aim is to put 20 women in a room together for an afternoon and watch them leave ready to take on the world, feeling sexy and confident, with a whole new support network behind them.
You can book Women's Wellbeing half day mini retreat at bookwhen.com/showgirlacademy