Introducing Samantha Vaughan #Internationalwomensday

Samantha is owner and director of Dewsall Court, a hugely impressive wedding venue in Herefordshire.

What has your journey been like, what have been the highlights and the hard times?
It has been great! But from the beginning, and with each of the major adjustments we've made in the business to make a stronger, better, more profitable business, even though there were risky changes, I just always had a deep sense that we were doing the right thing, on the right path, that the ethics of the business were correct. Of course, we would have learning curves, but the ultimate sense that we were on the right path and doing the right thing was there. There have been hard times, definitely. Being a wedding venue through the coronavirus pandemic has been hard, starting up was hard. There have been many scary times - but all the way through there was a deep sense of we're doing the right thing.

What one piece of career advice would you give to others?
Pick a job you love, and if you're not happy - change! Your work is a hugely important part of your life, so why commit to something you don't enjoy. Work should be something that adds to and enhances life, not something you are miserable about. Choose something you love and go for it!

This year the IWD theme is centred around #choosetochallenge what about our current social norms would you like to challenge to make womens' lives better?
I would like to challenge the divisions and imbalances across the world - levelling up between richer and poorer nations, health and welfare standards, etc. Until there is a more level playing field we're always going to be struggling to preserve the earth and to do our best for the earth. This is something I feel we should all be challenging in a massive way. Even though that helps everybody, not women in particular, I do feel that we should constantly be a united front across racial differences, gender differences, country to country and class systems. I think seeing these differences is a way to realise that there are injustices. I just want us to be one world, united, and going for the greater good of all!

Photo credit. Kie Cummings Photography / @thetaskathand