Let’s hear about her life’s journey

What do you do, Margie?

I work as a Contracts Manager at Masterton Hospital managing a team of 30 comprising of cleaners, orderlies, groundsmen and security staff. (Phew! That would be quite a handful!!!)

My background is in hospitality and I am qualified as a chef. I used to manage a restaurant bar function centre before my husband and I went on to own and run a café for 11 years. Which, unfortunately, got demolished with the new earthquake restrictions. (But hold on, there’s good news!) My husband and I are currently waiting for our new cafe to be built in October this year which we will be leasing from the owner. We are so excited, my husband is a chef and we love all things food related.

What do you do outside of work?

I will keep my job at the hospital, but will help out in the new cafe in my spare time. I have recently started learning the piano and love it. I think it’s never too late to start new hobbies. I love spirituality and all things related. I guess as we grow older we begin to realise there are things far greater than we can see, touch and feel.

Tell us a bit about your family.

I have three grown children, two boys and one girl. One son’s in England, married with two lovely girls. My baby girl (not in age, but she will always be my baby girl) lives in Masterton. (I have met and photographed her and she’s gorgeous). I am divorced from their father and married my present husband 14 years ago.

Any personal struggles you went through?

Well, I would call it a lot of personal growth. I am a survivor of abuse, like many other women. I fought my demons over the years, suffered depression and substance abuse (alcohol).

Any personal milestones?

I have been alcohol free for nearly 3 years. I just stopped drinking one day, didn’t go through rehab or anything. Just made up my mind and did it. Yes, it does take a lot of mental and emotional strength to do that, but I think we women are equipped with that anyway. Our lives are mostly never easy and growing up and surviving in a man’s world makes us strong and resilient, in most cases without us even realising it.

What words of wisdom, based on your personal experience, would you like to share with others who struggle to see their own inner light and inner power?

Get to know your own worth and celebrate all the good in you. Find it within yourself, no one can do that for you, Y your O own U uniqueness.

How does being the woman you are today make you uniquely powerful?

My power came when I started to control my own life and circumstances and take responsibility for myself. No one no matter how much they care and love you, can do that for you. Only you can change your own direction, and the moment that you really want to change, you have to grab that feeling and just Do It right then and there!! Just do it, take the first step.!!! It really does feel amazing.

Why are beautiful photos of yourself important to you now?

I always like to look the best I possibly can be. Look good , feel good.as we get older we tend to look old if we don’t take care of ourselves. No one wants to look old, because no one actually feels old . Most of us are only in our early 20s inside. LOL! We want the outside to match how we feel inside, and project that to others.

Editor’s Note :

I must confess I am still super impressed (more like blown away) by the fact that she gave up alcohol just like that. I have seen people in my family lose everything and finally their life due to alcoholism. And not even rehab seems to have worked for them. I think it requires tremendous strength of character and brutal honesty with oneself to firstly acknowledge there’s a problem and then the tenacity to make a decision to abstain and keep your word to yourself.

Margie’s photo session went swimmingly well. Margie came with her daughter Hayley and both of them have such a loving, joyous energy between them, it didn’t feel like a photo shoot at all, it felt like friends had gotten together and were having a ball and some photos were also taken 🙂

Margie is most certainly a Silver Shero and an inspiration to many.