A Colchester businesswoman and author has been invited by WH Smith to speak at its annual staff conferences following the success of her latest book.

Mandie Holgate, a successful business coach and founder of the Business Woman’s Network, had her second book, “Fight the Fear, How to Change your Negative Mindset and Win at Life” published by Pearson in November last year.

In January it was named by WH Smith as its Book of the Month and the national chain has now asked her to be guest speaker at its staff conferences in Swindon and London.

Mandie said: “It is a huge honour to have been asked to speak to delegates at the WH Smith conference. I have received such positive reviews about the book and how it has made a real difference to people lives, both personally and professionally. I’m really excited about this opportunity and hope I can share some invaluable advice and tools with the attendees.”

Since the launch of Fight the Fear, Mandie has been interviewed by Florida-based international speaker Gordon Tredgold for a podcast that was viewed 10,000 times in one week. An article based on the interview has appeared in Inc magazine, a New York-based business publication, and been translated into French for the business start-up magazine Maddyness.

Fight the Fear, which tells the story of how Mandie achieved business success despite a crippling illness and depression, is also featured in May’s issue of Good Housekeeping.

She added: “When Pearson first approached me to write Fight the Fear I had no idea it would be such a success. I know I can help people fight the fears that hold them back, but the book’s success just goes to show that this issue affects more people than we realise. I hope more people can use the exercises and guidance from Fight the Fear that will allow them to move forward.”

Mandie was recently named as a finalist in the national Best Business Women’s Awards and her website for The Business Woman’s Network (BWN) named as one of the top 15 resources for female entrepreneurs.

The BWN was launched in 2008 and offers focused networking for all women in business. Members and their guests can develop their training and knowledge in areas including sales and marketing and public speaking, build positive relationships, learn from key speakers and exhibit their products and services.