19 October 2023 , 21:48
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Emma Neville is setting out to help educate and empower across the world through an online community called This Is Me which she hopes will help women support each other.
The 41-year-old philanthropist is the wife of 48-year-old former England football player Gary Neville and she has launched her new support network online this week. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Emma announced that she was planning to help teach women about the menopause - and give advice and support to others on how best to navigate it.
In a candid post and video, the mum-of-two shared that she had been diagnosed with early menopause soon after her most recent birthday - sending her on a course of education and self discovery. She now hopes to share her wisdom with other women after qualifying as a counsellor in 2019.
Launching her online platform, Emma - who is listed as a Counsellor and Accredited Menopause Coach - set out her mission. She wrote online: “I was 41 when I faced early menopause. I wasn’t ready, prepared or had any knowledge on how to support myself. The journey was lonely and scary and I knew something had to change.
Gary Neville is supporting his wife Emma as she launches a new project (Hoda Davaine/Dave Benett/WireIma)
Emma has launched her online community, called This Is Me (Instagram/emmanevillethisisme)“If I had the tools I have now, my journey would have been much different. This is Me is a space for Women to feel understood, celebrated and supported through the journey to well-being. It’s the resource I wish I had when going through my experience.”
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In an accompanying video, Emma addressed her online audience and gave more details about her past experience and future plans. She said: “Hi everyone. I’m Emma Neville and I’m about to launch ‘This Is Me’. This Is Me is a community. It’s about empowering women to feel safe, feel heard, have a voice. I want to bring communities together. I want to be with like-minded women, and real women, who’ve got real stories, real challenges. And together, as a community, we can help each other.
“For me, having an early menopause made me educate myself, made me do some research, and become a menopause coach. I felt so heard and found my tribe. So I wanted to create that kind of environment through This Is Me. That community. That connection.
“So this felt right to share that space and to feel that other women could be heard and seen. So This Is Me. This is her. This is she. This is them.”
Emma has been supported by husband Gary, who shared her video via his own Instagram account and encouraged his own followers to heed her advice. Gary, who has been married to Emma since 2007 and shares daughters Molly, 14, and Sophie, 13, with her, wrote: “So proud of my wife Emma with the launch of her new community for women.”
Initial reaction to Emma’s post has been unanimously positive, with many remarking that her service has come at the right time. One Instagram user interacted with Emma’s post to write: “This is FANTASTIC Emma!… as a woman who is peri menopausal quite early in life it’s music to my ears.”