With a Masters Degree in Mathematics from the University of Oxford, Samantha Williams spent ten years on the trading floors of New York City and London, building a high-flying, successful career in a male-dominated industry. After working for JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, and Deutsche Bank, Sam began to feel that she wanted more than a jet-setting City life and wanted to start a family with her husband Tim, so she decided to leave her trading career behind.
Throughout her various high-stress jobs and becoming a mum of three, Samantha’s love of exercise and wellbeing has been a constant – she is a self-proclaimed ‘fitness fanatic’ and holds qualifications in personal training. “I have always been very athletic and have run several marathons and competed in triathlons. Exercise and fitness have always been my therapy to let off steam and focus my mind, and I have always been aware of the positive effects that a well-balanced diet can have on my overall performance and wellbeing, whether that’s in the gym, at work, or in my personal life.”
Sam was first introduced to the importance of protein in women’s diet by her personal trainer, who had also previously worked for Princess Diana, in preparation for her wedding. “A high level of protein in my diet helps to balance my appetite and any sugar cravings and to manage my weight. It has always confused me as why more women haven’t recognised the benefits of having enough protein in the diet. I am often asked by other women how I maintain such a good physique, and I always explain that I follow a lower carbohydrate, higher protein diet and this is what works for me. I want to share this secret with other women and dispel the myth that protein powders are just for bodybuilders.”
After years of focusing on her children, Sam started feeling an urge to carve out a new career for her future. Combining her entrepreneurial spirit and interest in the fitness sector, she created Rush Trampoline Parks, an enormous indoor family entertainment complex, which made her the UK’s first female trampoline park owner. Within two years, Samantha built Rush up from scratch into an extremely lucrative business making a £1.2 million profit and £6m revenue per year.
The trampoline park was a very intense business to run and Sam started to suffer from extreme stress. Her periods suddenly stopped and once she was even admitted to hospital with loss of feeling on one side. She also started experiencing thinning hair, weight loss, poor sleep, and very low mood. Sam consulted several doctors who attributed her symptoms to the stress of juggling busy family life with running a successful but stressful business. Eventually, it was after an open and frank conversation with her husband who could see how much she was struggling, that Sam decided to see her gynaecologist who tested Sam’s hormone levels and found that they were extremely low, particularly for her age – she received the diagnosis of being in the menopause at the age of 46 and started on HRT immediately. “It is a shame that I received my diagnoses so late and that the general practitioners I saw did not even consider that my symptoms may be linked to being menopausal.
Although the dialogue seems to be changing now, there is still so little education out there for women about perimenopause and menopause, and there is still a stigma attached to admitting to it, particularly in the work place. Funnily enough, when my periods stopped, I actually thought I could be pregnant, even though it was impossible due to contraception, but going through perimenopause did not even cross my mind as I thought I was way too young and knew very little about it. I thought that menopause happened when you were past 50 but now, I realise that so many women start to experience perimenopause symptoms in their early 40’s without recognising that is what they are. So often they are mistaken for just how life is at this age. This is the misconception I feel passionately about changing”
Once she knew she was going through menopause, Sam immersed herself into researching the changes that her body was going through and what she could do which would help her alongside the traditional medial approach. “I’ve always eaten a healthy diet and loved exercising, so organically I tried to look for links between this and menopause as I needed to add something more to boost my mojo.” As Sam learned more about various vitamins, minerals, herbs, and phytoestrogens that can help with menopausal symptoms, she once again, came across the importance of increased protein in women’s diet during menopause. “I was trying to look for a product that was convenient and filled with goodness that could help with my symptoms and give me a healthy boost so that I could push through the day, but I could not find anything that included everything I needed in one product. Instead, the options were to buy an array of tablets, capsules, and tonics which were not only expensive but unpleasant or awkward to take on a daily basis.”
During the pandemic, Sam’s trampoline park business went through a restructuring, and it was at this time that she decided to take the opportunity to step down and pursue her passion – to launch a new business with the vision to empower other women to be their best self. She created BOMIMO, which came from Body, Mind, and Mojo, with the vision to offer a range of nutritional products that can help women not only who are going through menopause but also to help women at other significant hormonal stages of their lives. “I worked with a nutritionist to develop my first product, the MenoShake, a nutritional protein shake designed to support women through perimenopause and menopause by including ingredients that can help to ease symptoms such as hot flushes, weight gain, low mood, poor sleep, tiredness and fatigue, and low energy. The MenoShake includes 100% natural ingredients, including plant-based pea and brown rice proteins, marine collagen, a complete vitamin & mineral complex, added fibre and metabolism-boosting ingredients, phytoestrogens, and some key botanicals to contribute towards achieving hormonal equilibrium.”
Though her focus is currently on The MenoShake, Sam is excited about how BOMIMO will grow and develop in the future, as she has plans to launch more products, including a product for teenage girls going through puberty and a product for post-natal mothers which are both in the pipeline. “I want to create a range of products that are efficacious, can be easily absorbed by the body, and a brand that people will be proud to be associated with, in particular, that will make my two young daughters proud. There is no reason why we should not be in our prime in our 40s and 50s and now looking back, I wish that I had researched my symptoms a lot sooner… I’m so glad that now I fully understand what menopause means, how I can help myself to live every day with energy and vitality, and how I can share this to help and empower other women to do the same.”
More abou The MenoShake at bomimonutrition.com
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