SASS media Ltd named New Creative Business of the Year at the Best New Tees Business Awards.
The Sarahs from SASS media Ltd are celebrating, after being named Best New Creative Business at Tees Business’ Best New Tees Business Awards, 2024.
Sarah Walker also picked up the Standout Achievement Award, recognising the progress she has made since setting up her own freelance business in July 2020, developing it to the point where both Sarahs were able to set up SASS in September 2022.
After a second episode of severe postnatal mental illness following the birth of her second son William, now seven, Sarah W, who has a background in journalism and NHS PR embarked on a career change.
She decided to become a peer support worker in perinatal mental health, supporting other mums experiencing mental ill health during pregnancy or postnatally.
However, she soon found working in an environment where mental health issues were always the topic of discussion was keeping her stuck in her own recovery.
So when, owing to her background as a health reporter and NHS PR specialist, she got a message on LinkedIn asking if she would be interested in writing some case studies for UK Pods Ltd, she jumped at the chance.
“I met Palkesh and Genevieve Darbar at UK Pods Ltd and immediately warmed to them and their fantastic business,” Sarah says.
“Genevieve was a real inspiration, as she kept telling me there are a lot of small businesses who require someone who can write, whether it’s to get them featured in the press or to improve the content on their website or social media.
“That became a catalyst for becoming a freelance writer, which also fit nicely around my new role as Mum to two boisterous boys!”
After the first lockdown, Sarah registered as self employed and embarked on a number of courses with Enterprise Made Simple, which were fantastic for helping her to navigate the new challenge of starting out in business.
The flexibility to choose her own hours also enabled her to properly recover from the mental ill health episode she experienced in December 2018.
Sarah says: “Recovery from an episode of psychosis, whether postnatal or related to some other condition, is an extremely long process, as, once the psychosis has been addressed, you then have the fallout of severe depression and anxiety.
“Doing something I enjoyed – writing – enabled me to focus on subjects that had nothing to do with mental illness and meet new people who I could choose not to talk to about my mental health issues, but get immersed in their interesting business stories instead.”
Sarah still supports other Mums when she feels able as a voluntary peer support worker for the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP).
She is also proud of the warmth and empathy both Sarahs offer their diverse range of clients.
Sarah says: “At first when I went into business, I was reluctant to mention my experiences with my mental health.
“However, I now believe it has shaped me into the businesswoman I am today – and I can’t not be open and honest about the journey I’ve been on.
“If people choose not to work with us based on what I have been through, both Sarah and I are absolutely fine with that – and for me, it has become my superpower as I understand myself and what I need to do to be well in ways a lot of other people don’t.”
Sarah Dale added: “We are very happy to have won the Best New Creative Business Award, because in a world of AI-generated content, we bring authenticity, originality and creativity to everything that we do.”
For more information on SASS’s award-winning work, visit www.sassmedialtd.co.uk