A DANCE teacher in Helensburgh has set up an empowerment group to allow women to be heard.
Donna Martin learned to find her voice again during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 after a toxic relationship silenced her.
She spent the next few years going through various courses to better herself and discover her self-worth.
The Glasgow-born coach knew she wanted to be an influence for change after her experience working with teenage girls in a residential care facility.
She told the Advertiser: "I was in a toxic relationship before the pandemic and the lockdown was the turning point because it forced the separation. I was silenced and it was suffocating.
"Throughout Covid it gave us that time to just stop. It was then that I learned about mental health and mindset.
"This journey took me on a path of working in residential care for children and teenagers. It was really difficult because you would be working against a lot of red tape.
"We would manage to convince the girls to do something that you know would really benefit them, but by the time you jumped through all of the hoops you would lose that opportunity because they lost interest.
"I really struggled with that because it was a surviving not thriving mentality. I just knew I wanted to help people in early intervention and not follow the footsteps that the older generation may have experienced.
"And after what I experienced I knew I couldn't let this be my story. I needed to make a change not just for myself, but for women who desperately need it."
The 38-year-old who runs Argyll Dance Company on James Street and now she wants to create a safe space that empowers women in the town.
The group, called Empower Hour, will be a space for women to share, connect, chat and support each other on a four to six-weekly basis.
"There is a desire in me to connect with people and help other women", Donna said.
"I want to be the person that I needed when I was in that dark space. You think you are on your own and that no one understands what you are going through.
"The meetings will be different, from going out for a walk and a talk, practising some yoga, but it will be directed by what people want and need.
"I am qualified and experienced in lots of avenues of health, fitness, mindset and mental health so they can choose what they need from the group."
She added: "I am hoping that this will help women build their own community through these meetings and have a support network that they can rely on.
"It is a space where they can feel they are heard and allow their vulnerabilities to come through without being judged.
"It is so important for females to be heard and seen. You can change your life and your outlook at any age. You just need to find your tribe of women."
The first Empower Hour meeting, which is open to all women, will take place this Sunday at 2pm at Argyll Dance Company.
For more information about the group, visit Empower Hour on Facebook.
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