TV3 : Boost Your Business

April 4, 2018

The Sunday Business Post

February 4, 2018

"Mindfulness course led to flash of inspiration"

BY ELAINE O'REGAN

Niamh McMahon established MoMe.ie in Limerick in 2016 after a health scare prompted her to explore mindfulness as a means to better manage her career while raising a family.

MoMe sells flash cards, greeting cards and posters online featuring short, positive quotes designed to inspire, energise or calm people.

A graphic designer, McMahon had been running Designers Ink since 1999, working on the branding and design projects with clients including Munster Rugby and Kildare GAA.

"The idea for MoMe came about from personal experience. I woke up one morning four years ago and found I was suddenly deaf in one ear and had this ringing sound, which turned out to be tinnitus," said McMahon.

"I had dizzy spells for a couple of weeks, which went away with medication, but the tinnitus continued and I ended up seeing three different consultants trying to find out what was going on.

"I work for myself and I have children, so I found myself trying to juggle all of that with reduced hearing so it was difficult at meetings with clients. I was told that the deafness and tinnitus were most likely permanent. It was a very challenging time."

McMahon was referred to Deaf Hear in Limerick, where she was advised to try mindfulness. "I'd heard about being mindful through a friend but I hadn't really given it much thought beyond that before. I was generally, like alot of working mums running around all the time between work and the kids," she said.

McMahon enrolled in a Mindfulness based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Programme, and found the experence life changing in helping her to manage her sudden deafness alongside the tinnitus and other life challenges at work and home.

The name MoMe is an amalgamation of 'a moment for me' and McMahon's tag line is 'flash cards for grown-ups'.

"With the hearing loss and other health problems, I had become acutely aware of the importance of taking care of my health and wellness as the business depended on me to be there", said mcMahon.

"Doing the MBSR programme taught me that life is full of change, be it personal or in business, and what matters most is how you deal with change. That was the basis for MoMe."

With messages including 'Be gentle with yourself, you're doing the best you can," and "Feelings are just visitors, let them come and go", MoMe flash cards start ot €10 for a pack of 10 cards.

McMahon also has Flash Cards for Study and Flash Cards for Sport, and sells posters featuring quotes at €20 for a pack of 10. She also sells greeting cards costing €2.50 each with mindfulness based quotes for birthdays and celebrations, friendship, difficut times, love and kindness, and friendship. A set of 10 greeting cards can be purchased for €15.