It has been said that a mother is she who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take. A leading example of the power of a woman to balance a thriving and diverse career with motherhood, maintaining and growing her self-identity through the experience of both, is Tanya Candy. After having taken a leap of faith to build a career from the ground up, developing as an entrepreneur to then launch her own businesses, Tanya embarked next on the most transformative journey of her life: motherhood. While Tanya holds her child as her greatest blessing in her life, their arrival was one of its most traumatic events. Her newfound love and strength within herself as a mother enabled her to rise again as a true leader, finding light in her times of darkness by mentoring other mothers – leading to her co-founding Mothersphere this year, to support a wider network of women in both their identities as mothers and individuals.

MD: “Mother, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Author, and Philanthropist.” – This is the introduction made by your website. I can certainly understand why “mother” comes first in a post-rationalized bio, but we would love the chronological narrative of your journey. How have you come into your roles?

TC: I consider myself very fortunate to have grown surrounded by inspirational entrepreneurs. My grandfather came to England from Cyprus with a young family and just the clothes on his back, but he progressed by building and selling numerous successful businesses. The last twenty years of his life he spent in Monaco, as a pioneer in the world of super yachts; while I was born and raised in London, I was also fortunate to have spent a lot of time in the French principality, my second home. I learned from my grandfather and wider family, if you can dream it, you can make it happen – so long as one is passionate, a hard worker, and kind to others, we all have the ability to achieve anything we want from life.

After completing my B.A. degree in Comparative Literature Studies, I moved directly into the family business, our interests mostly in the property and yacht charter industries. Although I enjoyed these fields and, having been raised in them, working within them came naturally to me, I felt I needed to explore my own identity outside of the family business after a time. I have always been passionate about fashion and broadcast media so took a leap of faith in myself. I worked my way up the ladder of one of Mayfair’s leading fashion PR companies, starting out as an intern, moving into logistics, then becoming a high fashion brand and VIP liaisons and events manager. Simultaneously, I worked as a presenter, hosting and interviewing celebrities and entrepreneurs on location in London and Monaco, including the World Music Awards.

My work experience was the next step in my eternal education; I amassed a multitude of diverse skills which poised me to run my own businesses by being able to think outside of the box. After having taken one leap of faith to work outside of the family business, I took another in deciding to invest in and manage my own properties while also organizing events and other fundraisers for charities.

Then, two and a half years ago, I became a mother – which has truly been the greatest gift of my life, in spite of my child’s birth having been extremely traumatic. After witnessing the positive effects of being open and honest about my experience, I began to speak publicly at events and online. This led me to co-found ‘Mothersphere’ in 2020, a digital platform for mothers which connects them to one another, to experts, and to organizations designed to support them in embracing motherhood while maintaining their sense of self and prioritizing their own wellbeing. I am now also co-writing a book, “A Journey Through the Mothersphere”, with my co-founder and in partnership with UN Women UK.

In addition to Mothersphere, I also founded this year a company called JRT Recruitment, specializing in Internal Audit, Risk and Compliance recruitment across the UK and globally. We have a particularly pertinent role in the current climate as we’re supporting both businesses and candidates through this challenging period.

MD: Have you ever felt that your voice has not been heard as a woman?

TC: When I was younger, I definitely felt this way. However, I quickly learned that one of my responsibilities as a woman was to be assertive and confident and to speak up – we should never be afraid to stand alone and speak our truth! As women, we are our own power, and it is up to us to acknowledge this; if we do not have the confidence to use our voice, then others will not have confidence us. We have to actively take on leadership roles and use our voices to create the lives we truly want for ourselves.

MD: Tell us about your experience of motherhood and the ways in which it has influenced your creation of Mothersphere?

TC: Motherhood has been the most transformative experience for me. I never knew how much love my heart could hold until I became a mother. I also found a strength I never knew existed within me. At twenty five weeks pregnant, I developed pre-eclampsia and I had to deliver my twins fifteen weeks prematurely. My daughter Grace did not survive the birth and my son Jonas weighed only one pound when he was born. The last two and half years have been a rollercoaster but I am so grateful my son is now a thriving and happy little boy. My experience has taught me to never lose faith and that, even when you are at your lowest point, you can rise again from those ashes. I went on to speak publicly about this experience at events, both in person and virtually. I mentor fellow mothers who are struggling with poor mental health through the loss of a baby or the rollercoaster journey of having a premature child.

This inspired me to co-found Mothersphere. The enterprise is a social network for mothers, to connect them with one another as well as to experts and organizations who can assist them in prioritizing their wellbeing and inspire purpose, creating social change for mothers worldwide. I am also co-writing “A Journey Through the Mothersphere”, which provides an authentic look into the journeys of both myself and my co-founder through motherhood and encourages all mothers reading to honor their goals and their loved ones in harmony. We are so excited to have partnered with UN Women UK on the book, we’re able to provide joint insight together which will inspire mothers everywhere to become leaders in all areas of their lives.

MD: How do you aspire for Mothersphere to empower other mothers?

TC: I want mothers to feel empowered to share their highs and lows and feel safe and supported in doing so through the Mothersphere community.  For them to have easy access to experts who are able to guide them in thriving in their new ‘mother’ identity while feeling encouraged to also prioritize their mental and physical wellbeing.

MD: 2020 has been a tough year for all. What do you wish for 2021?

TC: I wish for 2021 to bring positive change to everyone’s lives; that it brings the solidarity for us to build a more equal, inclusive society. I hope, from this year, we have learned to become more present in our lives and find healthier work life balances going forwards.

Fire Questions

A word to describe yourself?

TC: Passionate.

A woman who inspires you?

TC: Maya Angelou.

Any advice to aspiring mother?

TC: To embrace every aspect of motherhood as children grow up so quickly!

One thing your child taught you?

TC: To live in the moment.

Melanie Davis