I spent twenty-one years in television, from 1998 to 2019, and somewhere near the end of it, something shifted in me. I'd been dreaming of creating a company that helped people find themselves as they reached their 40s and 50s, because that's exactly where I was, and I felt like I was becoming, well...invisible. Then my last presenting job ended rather abruptly, and I had to act fast. So I stayed in the world I was currently hosting in, crafting, and in mid 2019 CraftyMonkies was born. The plan was to provide sewing and quilting in luxury locations and beautiful hotels. Then Covid arrived and everything went online. What grew from that surprised me: a real community.
And funnily enough, it's brought me full circle. Through creativity, people are finding a bit of mindfulness, learning about themselves, meeting like-minded souls and simply enjoying making. It's one of the most meaningful things I've ever done. CraftyMonkies is no longer just how I earned a living after TV. It's my soul's true purpose. I'm not a quilter myself, and I've never pretended to be. I'm the curator, the connector and the host. I'm lucky to work with incredible artists and teachers, and with students who join us from all over the world, online and in person. 2027 is shaping up to be one of our biggest years yet, with the retreats sold out well in advance and Zoom classes booked to the rafters.
It's still a small, independent business, and I'd rather keep it that way.
