MyShowcase CEO Nancy Cruickshank

MEET OUR INSPIRATIONAL MOTHERS

Nancy Cruickshank CEO MyShowcase.com

Can you tell us a bit about your business and family?

I am married to Jim, who I met aged 19 at University in Leeds! We have two amazing daughters (aged 10 and 9) together and we're also the proud parents of Holly (miniature schnauzer) and Lola (Jack Russell)! We live in London and occasionally, escape to Devon where we have a small idyllic cottage by the sea. My business is called MyShowcase, think Avon meets Space NK! It's a new beauty retail business that I launched with my business partner, Kate Shapland (Telegraph Beauty Editor) in June 2012. We sell 25 gorgeous independent beauty brands (including the gorgeous Beatitude) via a network of incredibly talented female entrepreneurs - who we call MyShowcase Stylists.

2. What do you do to relax?

I walk on the beach whenever I can. That might be in Devon or an early morning Sunday escape form London to West Wittering. Walking & larking about with our daughters and dogs on the beach liberates the mind & makes you feel amazing. Likewise, I practise Yoga once a week and I attend a 1-hour Mindfulness class with my lovely friend, Ellie. This is a fairly new thing for me - it's an extraordinary guided meditation experience, without judgement, and somehow incredibly regenerating & life-affirming. I feared it might all feel a bit mad & alternative before trying a class out, expecting to spend my hour instead thinking about all of the emails that I had to send back at the office. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was mind clearing, energising and clarifying. At the office, my team regularly tell me that I am at my best on a Friday after a session with Ellie!

3. What is your favourite Beatitude product and why do you like this ?

I love Joy & Patience bath oils. Joy is an all-round thing for me (I'm a fan of the body oil also) and Patience is my Winter bath oil supplement. I regularly drop oil into the bath and sink into the blissful relaxation that this creates. My daughters are fans too - they love the smell and want to steal my lovely little bottles!

 4. How will you be spending Mother's Day on 30th March?

With my family, no question! Hopefully we'll be enjoying a wonderful lunch together in Devon after a long dog-walk along the beach at Weston or tramping around on Dartmoor!