My name is Alessia Maddaloni, I am a full time mum of 2 wonderful boys now aged 9 and 6 and I have a BA Hons in modern languages, I can fluently speak 4 languages and when I was 25 years old I decided to temporarily give up my career (I was working as an Interpreter-Translator) because I gave birth to my first child.
I took the decision of being worst off financially but better off “emotionally” because I wanted to raise my sons and enjoy every steps of their early life myself instead of asking a stranger (babysitter,childminder) to take care of them.
When my youngest child started full time education I realised it was the right moment to go back to work and start a new career, I was eager and excited…not knowing that it was going to be one of the biggest challenges of my whole life.
I started volunteering in a charity shop(amazing experience) and applying for many jobs. I eventually got a job as Admin Assistant, but it was a temporary position, so when the contract ended I started all over again…sending CVs, applying for hundreds of jobs, attending few jobs interviews but with no luck. I was always rejected.
I started feeling paranoid and thinking probably that my nationality could be the problem(I am Italian but I have been in UK for more than 12 years) or my religion (I am Muslim) or my age (35) or the gap I had…I thought maybe giving up my career for 8 years to dedicate myself to my children was a big mistake because employers don’t like that, they just want people with years and years of experience.
My self-esteem reached the lowest level ever until a dear friend of mine told me about an opportunity that a business could give me and introduced me to Julie and Neil Shepherd. For the first time after long time I felt valued for my skills, my personality and my can-do attitude and I realised straight away that being a full time mum would not have been an issue, because I could work around them. That was one of the main reason I decided to join them.
My life has changed so much for the better since I started working with them for my business, and the support and training I receive from them every single day is remarkable. I never ever felt so welcomed and encouraged (jobwise) in all my life.
My boys are so proud because their mummy has her business and her personal website where people can buy from her…and they are even happier because I can still spend a lot of time with them.
Day by day I am getting my self-confidence back and I am learning so many things while I am working. Julie and Neil are my teachers, my guide, my mentors, and I know that they will always be there for me whenever I need them, that is why this business is so special and unique.
My future is looking very bright and I will be grateful to Julie and Neil and this business for the rest of my life.
