Work ethic drives mother and self-made businesswoman

Jodi Reilly is a former general manager of Geraldton Newspapers and owner of a local events management company. In our series about people whose name or face you may know, ANITA KIRKBRIGHT tells some of her story.

She presents as a confident, self-made woman, which for the most is what she is. However, Jodi Reilly is also a woman in recovery after she began experiencing feelings of anxiety last year.

“I didn’t know it was anxiety, I looked it up because I was getting hot flushes and I thought it was menopause, ” the 44-year-old said.

After a few false leads, the real clue to her condition presented itself one morning in the bottom of her second cup of double espresso.

The heart palpitations and hot flush helped her realise caffeine was a trigger and the sensations were symptoms of anxiety about things beyond her control.

“I had no idea what anxiety was but there was the stress of running a business and probably the stress of trying to be a great mum, ” she said.

Since daughter Indi was about 18-months-old, Mrs Reilly and husband Joseph have had many sleepless nights with their little girl who suffered mysterious rashes, ear infections, vomiting and altered behaviour.

They now know the five-year-old has sensitivity towards salicylates, the chemicals that occur naturally in many fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Synthetic salicylates can be found in many medicines, perfumes and preservatives, which mean the family must be vigilant of Indi’s diet and lifestyle.

On top of the familiar struggles of many working mums, Mrs Reilly realised she was feeling overwhelmed by other personal circumstances while trying to keep her business afloat in tough economic times.

“I don’t drink coffee anymore because it triggers terrible anxiety, but coffee was only the trigger, not the cause, ” she said.

“Those stresses, combined with a little cherub that’s not well, it was very hard.”

Nearly 12 months ago she started attending exercise “boot camp” and now feels positive about her future.

“I wouldn’t say I’m one for exercise, but it has kept my mind healthy and I believe it has made all the difference, ” she said. “I manage the anxiety without taking any medication.”

Born in Kalgoorlie where her father Eddie McGuire worked as a jockey, Jodi McGuire grew up with her two sisters and brother in Geraldton.

Mrs Reilly said her childhood was at times, “somewhat challenging and less than ideal”.

She got her first job at the age of 12, at a fish and chip shop in Rangeway, and left school at 14 to work full-time at Coles Variety.

“I told Mum, ‘I’m not working there, have you seen the uniforms? They’re disgusting’, ” Mrs Reilly said.

“She said, ‘OK, well you’re going back to school then’.”

After six months at Coles Variety, she quit for a full-time job at Rangeview Deli and on weekends rode her bike to work at the Waggrakine Deli.

This work ethic saw her never short of a job throughout her adventure-filled life.

While travelling the north of the State, the Northern Territory and Asia, she worked as a cook at the Abrolhos Islands, nanny to a distance education student and has been a safari cook, nightclub DJ, barmaid, cleaner, model and a sideshow attendant.

At Pine Creek, NT, she and a travelling companion had the contract to mow the town’s lawn.

At 23, the adventurer returned to Geraldton to give birth to daughter, Denni, and settle down to the role of mother, which she described as awesome and the best things she ever did.

She forged a career in sales in Geraldton, starting with retail and moving to advertising, working her way up to branch manager of then independently-owned Midwest Times.

After the newspaper and its competitor, The Geraldton Guardian, were bought by West Australian Newspapers in 2005, she was asked to take on the role of general manager of Geraldton Newspapers Ltd.

Believed to be the only female general manager at the company, Mrs Reilly (then McGuire) was “married to the job” for two years before she stepped down to spend time with daughter Denni.

Five years ago she married her “wonderful Irishman”, Joseph, an engineer she met at a dinner when he was backpacking.

Last year Mrs Reilly re-branded her successful marketing and public relations company, Event Nation, to accommodate her passion for creativity, event management and her beloved Geraldton.

“Geraldton has a great future if people start thinking positively,” she said.

“Sure, we’ve got a way to go as a community, but there is immense talent, awesome businesses and a fantastic network of support for community things. I don’t think you get that just anywhere.”