20 March 2020
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Network Ireland West Cork hosted their first webinar event live this evening, entitled ‘Thriving not just Surviving – Planning for the Unexpected’. Speakers included Network Ireland West Cork President and owner of West Cork Eggs, Caroline Murphy, Sales and Leadership Coach and Business Mentor, Sarah Leather and Nurse Consultant, Violet Hayes. This was a free event, open to members and non-members, who joined via the zoom link.
President of NIWC, Caroline Murphy welcomed everyone to the first live webinar event, offering re-assurance and support and asking people to be kind to themselves and use this time to plan for the future, saying “I was delighted with our first webinar. This is a new type of event for us as a branch and also for me and others. In these unusual times, it is important for us to stay connected and to support each other. The practical tips on how to keep a routine, the phone numbers we should have and how these times can allow us to implement changes we may have been thinking about for years but never actioned or that we have had to think about for the first time. But most of all it was the connection with others, the knowledge that help and support is there and the positivity that really shone through. We really are there for our members and intend to hold these webinars every Friday lunchtime at 1pm for as long as they are needed.”
Sarah Leather, one of the keynote speakers, a Network Ireland West Cork member and mentor who has been helping businesses get online for the past number of years said “‘You do not need to feel guilty about keeping your business going during this time. We need businesses not only to survive, but to thrive. This is what will stimulate the economy and help the situation. If you have something to sell, please let people know about it.’
The final speaker was Violet Hayes, also a member of Network Ireland West Cork and a nurse consultant and on the front line helping to deal with the Covid19 crisis, assisting the health service on the Helplines. Violet spoke on general advice on how to deal with the current situation. She outlined the importance of following the HSE and WHO guidelines and how to recognise the symptoms of Covid 19. She discussed how to make a plan and how this is key to surviving and being clear on boundaries in the home and around work at the moment. She shared her Top 10 tips around reducing Covid 19 anxiety saying “Get your information from a trusted source, don’t get overloaded with the scary feed on social media and most importantly mind yourself, you can’t pour from an empty cup.”
The overall event proved very popular with the members and non members logging on from throughout Ireland. The Network will continue to host webinars covering varying topics every Friday afternoon at 1pm. You will find more details on Network Ireland West Cork social media channels or by signing up to their newsletter by emailing westcorkezine@networkireland.ie.
