Sarah Oakley and Lucy Burgess are on a mission to help everyday she-ros to “find their brave” through the power of pants, Brave Bird Pants to be exact.
The brand developed after one of Sarah’s best friends, Lucy, left an abusive relationship. “She’d been trapped in it for over 7 years and was barred by her partner from contacting me. We’d try our best to keep in touch in secret but it was difficult. For every message I sent, it came with the fear of real consequences on who may pick it up first. One day a ping on my phone came through. It said “I know I need to leave him”. I could feel the change in energy so I wrote back, “What would you say to yourself if you were your best friend?”. She replied, “To put my brave girl pants on and get on with it”. I replied. “Ok, so do that”. And she did.”
Now Sarah and Lucy host a podcast about bravery and recently the Brave Bird Pants have launched for sale. “You can gift them to yourself and wear them to ‘that’ family occasion, to an important pitch, to the gym as you train, to support you as you struggle with sadness, illness, grief or overwhelm, to remind yourself everything that you are, and all that you have conquered to be here today. These pants are for those very moments. They are for all the warriors out there. The brave, incredible, sensitive, beautiful, gallant, caring, authentic people as a token of support, love and appreciation.
“Or gift them to a friend to remind them of who they are underneath, of their heart so big it could burst, of their compassion so strong it can heal, of their intelligence and fearlessness, of their strength when life seems against them, and of their downright awesomeness that the world needs more of”.
Brave Bird pants currently support “My Sisters’ House” which is a fantastic charity working across the coastal area of West Sussex supporting women who have experienced domestic abuse. £1 from each pair of pants sold goes to the charity.
Sarah has 18 years of experience working in the wellness industry developing health, well-being and performance development programmes to clients (such as Tesco, Price Waterhouse Coopers, and the BBC) as well as to teachers, pupils, athletes, actors, health professionals, charities, traders, actors, musicians, recovering addicts and more. She has also co-founded and sold two businesses in the yoga industry. Like many of us Sarah has been through challenges in her life and continues to do so, and she is a great cheerleader for anyone who has felt the fear, and done it anyway speaking on the subjects of hope, bravery and female empowerment on the podcast that she and Lucy host.
“A few years ago I was totally exhausted by my role as a mother and full time carer to my husband and son. We had had aspirations as a family that were shattered as we navigated life with two very sick family members.In our lives we’re all going to have times we need to put our BRAVE pants on and that was one for me. It forced me to be vulnerable and open, and with the support of others, I have discovered the best parts of myself that could have easily remained hidden.” Inspired by the pandemic Sarah and her family made the move to Mallorca, “If there’s anything I’ve learnt from the last few years and this global pandemic, it’s that we’re better off together. Love, hope, community and connection is crucial to happiness and resilience. And bravery is key to an extraordinary life.” Sarah feels that it is now her time to help to build “a compassionate community to inspire all you ‘BraveBirds’ to finally feel enough, get support, and fulfill your potential.”
I was gifted my own pair of Brave Bird Pants and I can attest that they are extremely comfy. “They contain 95% Cotton, 5% elastane & 100% Brave”, Sarah says, “Never underestimate the power of Brave Bird Pants! These pants are pre-washed with hope and magic, and carefully made in Portugal to the highest standards.”
The reviews are already in from other Brave Bird Pants supporters, such as Joanna who said, “Not only are these my BRAVE pants, they are also comfiest knickers ever. I can’t stop telling my friends about them. They are really soft, nicely stretchy and because they are high rise they are a great fit and hide the bulge. I love them!” Lauren said “I love what you guys do and couldn’t wait to get hold of my brave bird pants to support you. They are so comfy and I love the colour. I’m definitely going to buy more.” And Jen said “I’m an abuse survivor myself so to know that I am contributing towards helping other women in that situation means a lot to me.”
But the biggest fan and most famous person to lend her support is Dame Julie Walters who took to social media to show her support with a typically entertaining message, “Brave Bird Pants? Oh! It’s the only way to go. I’ve got mine on. I’m not going to show you!”. The response to the Dame’s message, who is also the patron for My Sisters House, was one of excitement and pride. “We were so excited to get Julie’s support. Both her personal and professional story contains bucket loads of bravery so to know that she wears our pants and supports the cause was just incredible!” You can see the short video on the Majorca Daily Bulletin website. (see above)
To order your own pair of Brave Bird Pants visit https://www.bravebird.club/ There is 20% off the pants on Easter Sunday if you want to get some right away. To get more information about the charity visit www.mysistershouse.info
Head to this link https://podfollow.com/bravebirdclub to listen to their weekly podcast.
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