At the tail end of 2017, I decided that 2018 was going to be a year of great change<\/span><\/strong><\/a>; instead of being the back half of a pantomime horse, being led by others in a direction I didn\u2019t always agree with, this year I would throw off the arse-end of my well-worn costume and stop flogging that particular dead horse.<\/p>\n Having made the bold decision to\u00a0sprinkle salt on the slug of self-doubt <\/span><\/strong><\/a>and reveal my true self,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>it was a huge relief to shrug off the oppressive costume, stand tall once more, and draw in a deep lungful of the fresh air of opportunity. However, when the curtain fell on the last act of 2017 and I packed up my old life, it was with some trepidation that I eyed up the new persona which was waiting for me in the wings.<\/p>\n As the calendar flipped over to the first month of a new year, I cautiously tried my new life on for size. It felt slightly uncomfortable, like anything new. You\u2019ll need to get used to it, wear it in a bit, I told myself. Like a new school blazer, it felt scratchy; a touch too big for little old me.<\/p>\n Fortunately, just as I wobbled and considered slipping back into that comfortable old pantomime horse outfit (metaphorically speaking, of course – you know I wasn’t really<\/em> a panto horse, right?) Stephanie Varda<\/span><\/strong><\/a> appeared like a fairy godmother, waving her magic wand. As happens too often to be mere coincidence, I asked the Universe<\/span><\/strong><\/a> for help…and there she was.<\/p>\n