“I believe in Destiny, if you truly believe that everything happens for a reason then you should learn to accept change and embrace life. Enjoy the journey it can be fun!” Sheila Wenborne
Sheila Wenborne
Sheila Wenborne was born in Brentwood, Essex in May 1959 to John and Pat Smith and was the second of four children.
A happy child, she had a strong artistic streak and would earn extra pocket money by selling her beautifully made dolls and crafts to friends and neighbours. The entrepreneur instinct in Sheila was active at a very early age. However, one thing that the young Sheila was not good at was sport, and in particular Rounders. Her lack of interest in the game meant that she was often the last to be picked for the team and consequently relegated to the position of “fielder” at the very furthest outpost of the boundary.
Away from all the action, Sheila’s mind would wander and before long she would find herself daydreaming and picking daisy’s only to be rudely awakened by shouts from her team as the ball bounced next to her. Soon she was known by all her friends as “Sheila the Daisy Picker,” an affectionate nickname that stayed with her into early adulthood.
After leaving school, Sheila worked as an administrator in a local office but she soon realised that the restriction of a 9 to 5 job was not for her. Her ambition was to see as much of the world as possible so she applied to various luxury cruise lines and airlines only to be told that she was “too young” and should reapply when she had more experience.
Undeterred, she auditioned for the UK holiday company Pontins, where her warm personality and enthusiasm were spotted and she was offered a position as part of the “Blue Coat” entertainment team at their Wick Ferry holiday park.
The job entailed taking part in the numerous productions, looking after the children and ensuring that the guests had a really great holiday. She embraced the challenge and soon became a big hit with guests and colleagues alike.
Sheila enjoyed just one season at Wick Ferry before a severe back injury forced her to leave and return home to Romford to convalesce.
Following 18 months of strenuous physiotherapy she was ready to get back out there and have fun. To make ends meet until a suitable opportunity became available she worked as a “Temp” covering general office duties in the City of London. After the fun of life at Pontins this seemed like a very dull existence and one that Sheila couldn’t wait to put behind her.
Sheila agreed in a heartbeat and so began a partnership that is as strong today as it has ever been.
The pair travelled the world together enjoying life to the full but in 1990 they decided to put down roots and return home to the UK. In the same year they co-founded a touring theatre company that specialised in traditional Pantomime for children.
Sheila focused all her creative skills on designing the scenery and costumes whilst Joe wrote the comedy scripts and composed the music.
They were married on 1st April, a few years later (April fool’s day.) They bought a home in Essex and looked forward to starting a family, something they both wanted very much.
The company boomed and the pair were so busy that the idea of starting a family got unconsciously pushed to the back of their minds believing that when the time was right it would naturally happen. Sadly, as the years passed it became clear that this was not meant to be. The disappointment of not having Children was a devastating blow but one made bearable by the thought that through their Pantomime shows they had made many children very happy.
As Sheila approached her 50’s, life took another twist; One which should not have been unexpected but hit her like a bolt out of the blue.
A visit to her GP to establish why she felt so “dreadful” and “Fuzzy headed” all the time confirmed that Sheila had entered her menopause.
Her Doctor prescribed HRT and although we now know that it is extremely unlikely that HRT will cause breast cancer, at the time this had not been proven. Sheila had experienced a brush with cancer in her early thirties and was extremely concerned about the side effects that HRT could cause so decided to seek a more holistic approach, finding her research leading her to the natural power of magnets.
Some years earlier Sheila’s arthritic dog “Bob” had been helped by a magnetic collar. Could magnets help her too? To Sheila’s great relief the answer was “yes” and within days of wearing a small magnet attached to her clothing Sheila felt markedly better.
Elated with the results of using magnets, Sheila set off on a mission to spread the word about her experiences in the hope that other women might follow her example and find comfort too.
This prompted Sheila to start her own Magnet Therapy and Well-Being company, Aura3.
A recurring request from women all over the world was for advice on how to achieve youthful and healthy looking skin. Sheila had been blessed with a healthy complexion but she was aware of the stresses skin endures during the menopause and set about researching if there was a face cream she would be happy to recommend that would help.
The decline of B-Estradiol during menopause is the major culprit of aging skin and a good quality face cream can help replenish the balance.
Sheila researched extensively but could find nothing on the market that she felt happy to endorse. It was then she decided to develop her own brand and in 2015 proudly launched “Sheila’s Natural Products” an expanding range of high quality creams and balms that answered not only the menopause issue but were ideal for all skin types.
The success of “Sheila’s Natural Products” accelerated the growing number of women who considered her not only a “menopause expert,” but also a friend who had experienced the same life changing symptoms that they had. They emailed in their thousands wanting to know more on how she coped with her Menopause and came out on top.
The result inspired her to write, “So… That’s why I’m bonkers!” A girl’s guide to surviving the Menopause.
While many women curse the menopause for being responsible for bringing their lives and in many cases careers to a complete halt, Sheila has honed in on the positive and used the “change” to start a whole new chapter in her life.
Today Sheila is a highly respected businesswoman and author and enjoys meeting the public whenever her busy schedule allows.