Anna Woods, Positive Retail
I’m Nahid, an Author and a Somatic Movement Educator. My clients call me the “nervous system whisperer”. I teach clients to rewire their brain through movement for better emotional health. I specialise in burnout and trauma issues. I offer The Soothe Group Programme, an online 12-week course of self-paced sessions and live check-ins for powerful results. I am running the beta version of this course on a new platform at a third of the price. Let me know if you would like to start in May. I also offer a tailored course of one-to-one sessions called The Soothe Programme. Book an initial call to find out how we can work together.
If you are feeling anxious, frazzled and hopeless… The next Soothe Day Retreat is on Saturday, May 18th in Mayfair, London - More info here.
One place on the Oxonhoath weekend 10th -12th May has just become available - drop me an email if you would like to come.
Once a month, to give you a break from my thoughts, and to hear from hopeful people, I invite a guest in to tell us what they would do, “If I were in charge.”
This month, please meet Anna Woods, she set up Positive Retail which is her successful retail brand selling deadstock and preloved items in a curated setting. I contacted Anna when we were both coaching for an event with Stack World and we bonded over our Boston terriers, her gorgeous girl is called Ethel.
Who are you?
Anna Woods - founder of Positive Retail, Business & Leadership Coach.
What’s your mission?
My mission is to do better business in the world, be of service to the retail industry and forge a new way through instead of bristling against it as I did when I was a buyer.
Positive Retail is a disruptive resale brand that partners with premium brands on their surplus to create a brilliant retail experience and ‘normalise’ resale. Our stores are approximately 80% surplus from brands and 20% pre-loved consignment, offering two arms of resale demonstrating that resale can be mainstream (and that there’s a huge appetite for it when it is done well). I also work to coach and support purpose-led businesses and founders.
How do you do it?
By living into purpose (as cheesy as it sounds). I am driven by using my experience over the last 2 decades in retail to now change things. the retail landscape has been diabolical in the past decade, a race to the bottom. ultra-fast fashion, overconsumption, unattainable luxury, and many companies going into administration.
Positive Retail can change retail and spread its message and mission as we have stores, we get to interact with our customers every week which is a joy. We also host events like our ’ truth-tellers night’ where we invite like-minded powerhouse pals in the industry to share their truth (the moment they couldn’t look away/ that a shift happened within them) and openly discuss the flaws and future for retail and creative industries. Together we can collectively change things and it’s from these grass roots conversations that bigger movements start.
How do you look after yourself?
Routine & kindness!
Though I am far from perfect, where I am now compared to my life in corporate retail in London is unrecognisable. hard boozing/ partying high flyer! I didn’t look after myself but not many people around me did either, the fall out of the systems we were in: fast living, pressured creative jobs and blowouts all the time!
I now run by the sea in the morning, eat well, don’t drink and have a gentle but fulfilling life.
I have a wonderful supportive husband, a great family, a cheeky boston terrier and incredible friends (like yourself) who make me think and feel. I feel safe and happy in my life. I’m blessed and grateful for where my life is now, but it’s been because I’ve committed to looking after myself. If we don’t take ourselves seriously, how can others? I’m less jangled and more focused!
What three things would you do first, if you were in charge?
Create a solid leadership team around me that are real human beings with emotional intelligence, care and brains whom I trust and know have heart, backbone and equality in their DNA.
2. Going through the Bcorps certification (hopefully get certified by the end of this year) has given me such perspective on being a ‘business for good’ but it makes me wish a lot of it was legislation (It should be) Backing businesses of the future that care equally about profit, people and planet would be key. Ensuring businesses are more transparent and they pay their taxes. I’d back female-owned businesses - did you know that only 2% of all VC funding goes to female-led businesses? Evidence also suggests that if your female-led business receives backing from female investors in its initial funding round, the likelihood of securing support in subsequent larger investment rounds, and being taken seriously, diminishes significantly. My objectives are all about representation and equality in business! I’d love to start a fund that funds female retail entrepreneurs.
3. To lighten the mood, I’d give the nation a ‘fun day’ off. At PR we have our birthday off and another free ‘Fun day’ to do anything that brings us joy and makes us feel positive.
Please recommend a book, a podcast/radio and a film/TV programme:
Book - I always think the best recommendations are when you remember where you were when you finished the book and it made you sob at the end! The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and Why be Happy When You Can be Normal by Jeanette Winterson.
One of my favourite podcasts was ‘In the Psychiatrist’s Chair’ with Dr Anthony Clare. I discovered it on a work trip many years ago, devoured all episodes and it got me through the trip. I love interviews that ‘go there’. He had a gentle manner with people and created safety for them to speak. It’s from 1991 so although I love the format there needs to be some vital updating in terms of diversity but it would be fab to see somebody do this in a modern way.
TV: I watched the Pet Shop Boys ‘Imagine’ documentary on BBC twice last week, it was that good. They are a breath of fresh air. I love their music but also how they behave in the world. They are truth-tellers, they stand up for the right things and have been nothing but themselves for 40 years.
It’s inspiring that you can use your voice, creativity and have fun for so long.
They are unafraid and very sure of who they are, I love their uncompromising spirit. You could also tell they were kind to their band and treated them as equals.
What must we know about what you do?
We want to be the authority of resale on the high street- already dubbed Vogue’s High Street disruptors - it’s great that we have created a brand that doesn’t produce anything!
I am an incredible optimist even through the times we are having. There is such beauty and pain in the world every day. We must keep showing up for ourselves and others. I believe people can achieve superb things and do good in the world.
We have some ideas about stores in LA/ NYC too… stay tuned!!!
The Soothe Retreats 24/25
The Soothe Week in Lefkada next year in 2025 - is now taking bookings.
Soothe, the book your nervous system has been longing for is available NOW!
For paid subscribers, I am dropping a lesson I practise when I want to get out of my head and back into my body. It always works to quieten my mind.
Thank you for reading.
Stay human,
Nahid x