Excellent Yummy Mummy Awards

The brainchild of Kafy Shiyne (pictured left), the annual Excellent Yummy Mummy awards celebrates the sterling achievements of strong, bold, beautiful and courageous mothers globally. The idea is not only to recognise mothers who are often undervalued and taken for granted but to create a network of excelling mothers supporting, encouraging and strengthening each other. This year’s theme centres around self-love and it’s importance when it comes to balancing out motherhood, family life, business, and career. Ebonyonline.net caught up with the ever-active founder to talk empowerment, work-life balance and the glitz and glamour of the coming event.

EOL: Hi Kafy, you must be busy how are the last minute plans for the awards going?

KS: The last-minute plans are coming along accordingly, thank you. Plans were slowed down considerably due to the loss of my mother last month but thanks to the support of the team, guests, our supporters, and sponsors; everything is on track for the event on May the 11th 2019.

EOL: Let’s rewind a bit, what drove you to come up with the idea?

KS: I have always been inspired by the extra resilience, courage, and determination it takes for a mother to want to do more. Do more in her home, the community, career/business, do more with her dreams and in life in general.

This is a struggle I can identify with as a mother of three with a desire to do the aforementioned.  This is where the idea to celebrate the bedrock of our society whose sacrifices often get taken for granted or go unrecognised comes from.

EOL: So what categories do you have this year?

KS: We have eleven categories this year. Inspirational mother of the year, excellence in media, excellence in the creative arts, excellence in the sciences, excellence in education, excellence in beauty/aesthetics, excellent young mother of the year, the mom-owned business of the year, mumpreneur of the year, international inspirational mother of the year and international mum-owned business. We also have a couple of special recognition recipients.

EOL: Tell us about a few of this year’s nominees

KS: : The nominees this year, as with every year are exceptional women. Mothers who are excelling in their chosen field. A full profile of the nominees is on our website www.eymawards.com From British athletes, business owners, media moguls, musicians to clinicians all with the commonality of motherhood.

EOL: What can attendees expect on this night of glitz and glamour?

KS: They can expect to be entertained, educated and inspired. We have amazing hosts, speakers, comedians, singers, dancers lined up, so it’s definitely one not to miss.

EOL: What do empowerment and work-life balance mean to you?

KS: For me, the key to empowerment and work-life balance is a priority. The ability to keep the main thing the main thing. This is a lesson I’m learning in this season of my life.

EOL: Are there changes you’d like to see to improve how women can have both a career and home life?

KS: The changes I’ll like to see I suppose are already in place but perhaps an improved quality of it. I am talking about support.

EOL: What role can the men play in empowering women?

KS: I admire the men at our events, who are the number one supporters of their women. Men play a big role, by providing the women in their lives (be it their mothers, wives, children’s mothers) the love, support, and encouragement needed to excel. Men play a big role that can not be negated or ignored.

For instance, most men may assume that our event is just for women, but it’s for all born of a woman. It’s an opportunity to treat the mothers(biological or not) and mothers to be, an opportunity to show how much they are loved by nominating them, by purchasing them a ticket and attending alongside them.

EOL: What plans do you have to take Excellent Yummy Mummy to the next level?

KS: I believe very much in the saying that:’ Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the creator’s purpose that prevails.’ The key thing for constant improvement for me is to keep learning from any mistakes, applying the lessons learned from one event to the next and to remain consistent. That’s the plan.

EOL: What advice would you give to the young businesswoman wanting to mix business with a family?

KS: To the woman who wants to have her own business alongside having children/ family, my advice is you can do it! Step out in faith, don’t wait till you have it all figured out because the truth is none of us have it all figured out, not even the women you admire. There’ll be obstacles along the way, days you’ll be broke, days you’ll lose your drive but if it truly what you desire, you have to find ways to keep moving forward come what may.

Excellent Yummy Mummy Awards, 11th May 2019, The Wesley Hotel Euston, London, NW1 2EZ From 5pm-11pm. Visit www.eymawards.com for tickets and details or Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/excellent-yummy-mummy-awards-2019-tickets-52933354087