Sophia's Diary

10/09/2026

Mums, this one is for US! 🙌🏾

From beauty festivals and wellbeing experiences to daytime raves—here are some brilliant reasons to put yourself back in the diary.

💄 BEYOND BEAUTY
Until 13 September • Covent Garden
Beauty pop-ups, complimentary skin consultations, samples, special offers and giveaways.

🌿 ALLBRIGHT LIVE WELL FESTIVAL
25 September • 10.30am–6pm
Old Sessions House, Farringdon • £75
A full day exploring women’s health, hormones, sleep, recovery and wellbeing—with a goodie bag included.

🩺 PAUSE LIVE
10 October • St Paul’s
The UK’s largest women’s health and menopause event, bringing together experts, workshops, brands and thousands of women.

💋 SEPHORiA LONDON
16–17 October • 180 Studios
Sephora’s huge beauty festival is coming to the UK for the first time! Expect major beauty brands, masterclasses, immersive experiences, exclusive products, photo opportunities and its famous swag bag.

🧘🏾‍♀️ OM YOGA SHOW, MIND BODY SOUL EXPERIENCE & VEGAN LIFE LIVE
16–18 October • Alexandra Palace
One ticket gives you access to all three shows, with yoga, Pilates, meditation, sound healing, face yoga, gong baths, talks and wellbeing shopping.

🤎 THE BEAUTY BEAT
31 October–1 November • QEII Centre, Westminster • £85
The UK’s only luxury beauty event created specifically for Women of Colour, featuring masterclasses, workshops, leading beauty brands and an included goodie bag.

🔥 MUMS THAT RAVE: CHRISTMAS PARTY
12 December • 2–6pm
Embargo Republica, King’s Road
A huge daytime rave created for women and mums.

AND one right here in Enfield… 👀

🎃 RAVE BEFORE DARK
31 October • 1–5pm
Babylon Bar, Enfield

A women-only Halloween daytime rave with DJ Rikoshay playing 90s and 00s classics, R&B, Garage, Pop and club anthems!

Early Bird tickets are £20 and include a FREE drink.

Book Rave Before Dark through the Linktree in our bio or visit:
www.ticketsource.com/sophiasdiary

Save this, send it to the group chat and tell me—which one are we going to? 👇🏾

10/09/2026

No this isn’t a cheery wonderful happy post, but it’s a life-saving one.

It’s World Su***de Preventation day today.

None of us know what anyone is going through at any moment. No matter how “happy” someone may look. We’re all just really good at masking.

But you may know someone who is really struggling and the right words and the right support could potentially save their life.

Consider taking the Zero Su***de Alliance training (20mins). It will give you more confidence and help you know the right thing to say should you find yourself in a situation where someone needs you.

The ZSA provides a range of FREE online su***de awareness training courses including variations addressing su***de risk factors and ones targeted to particular audiences.

09/09/2026

We spend so much time preparing for the baby.

But who prepares to care for the mother?

Across many cultures, the weeks following birth are treated as a protected period of rest, healing and support.

In China, zuo yuezi—often translated as “sitting the month”—traditionally allows Mum to rest while relatives provide food and practical help.

In South Korea, sanhujori focuses on rest, warmth, nourishment and recovery. Some mothers receive this support in specialist postnatal centres.

Postnatal traditions in India vary enormously between regions and families, but may include rest, warming foods, massage and support from female relatives.

Across parts of Latin America, la cuarentena traditionally provides around 40 days for rest and recovery.

In Igbo culture in Nigeria, Ọmụgwọ may involve an older female relative helping with meals, household responsibilities, caring for the baby and guiding the new mother.

And then there is my own Mauritian family history. My great-grandmother was a midwife, and in her time, women in her community were cared for at home for around 40 days after giving birth.

I would love to know whether this still happens in Mauritius—or whether your family has its own postnatal traditions.

Of course, practices vary between countries, communities and families. Some individual customs are also debated and should never replace medical advice.

But the shared message stayed with me:

Mum has given birth.
Mum needs care too.

I explore this more in my blogs, including “Who’s Looking After Mum?” Head to Sophia’s Diary to read the full articles.

What happened after you gave birth? Were you cared for—or were you expected to carry on as normal?