The London Finishing Academy has done something exciting in the world of British Etiquette. They created a program that is beyond basic etiquette education by transforming it into a cultural experience. One that takes place in a luxurious environment, with training from experts with British royalty connections. This is a modern program that has been especially developed by its founders, offering a 360 degree approach, a holistic, full-life training, filled with practical tips taking you beyond the basic social skills and table manners. For the ambitious aspirational adult individual, what they teach are modern etiquette skills and through motivating personal development seminars creating memories and learning benefits that will last a lifetime. British etiquette is known around the world for its high standards. Changing the Definition and Experience of the Finishing School What comes to mind when you think ‘finishing school’? A room full of girls perhaps, learning to walk with good posture, speak confidently, dine with good manners. That is the typical expectation. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a finishing school is “a private school for girls that emphasizes cultural studies and prepares students especially for social activities.” The London Finishing Academy (TLFA) has pivoted this definition further to encompass something more inclusive (includes men). With their approach, the emphasis here is on ‘finishing’ not only that it is education after ones basic education is finished… but moreover, it is “education with instruction in how to live in society” and that today transcends the women only approach of years past and also takes into consideration the cultural aspects of our globally connected world and demands of modern life. We believe our audience is grown up and has the ambition to invest in the finer aspects of life. ~ The Hon. Isobel Kershaw Founders Bonded Over Shared Values and Vision The Hon. Isobel Kershaw and Rula Komodromos, founders of The London Finishing Academy worked together on prominent charity events for years, where they each used their unique skill set and reputation to produce unforgettable events and occasions. They are both well-known and well-respected in their fields, and together they came together to combine excellent life skills, knowledge, and experience to produce inspiring courses with life-long memories. They felt compelled to create something extraordinary in the world of British etiquette. The London Finishing Academy was established to provide a unique educational etiquette experience. Their vision is y envisioned The courses are intended to inspire and free those who want to live a confident social or business life. Music to the ears of a those seeking answers to living their best lives and expanding their skills, whether it is the consummate professional seeking self improvement, or for the newly relocated to the UK seeking to learn how to better understand the British culture. In Conversation EAT LOVE SAVOR® had the opportunity to speak with the founders of The London Finishing Academy to learn more about who they are, what they saw was missing in the etiquette space, what inspired the creation of these courses and more about their expertise and unique skills they bring to help develop and improve the lives of those who attend their courses. INTERVIEW HON. ISOBEL KERSHAW Founder and Director of Training About Isobel The Hon. Isobel Kershaw is the daughter of Edward John, The Lord Kershaw of Prestwich, who is also the Academy Patron. Isobel has a natural sense of style and elegance that she has developed over the course of her long career in the luxury fashion sector. She began her career as an Acting Director at Harrods before going to Frank Usher as Head of Retail and subsequently Product Director. Her love of fashion led her to start her own style business, as well as collaborating with NHJ Style to produce, promote, and direct The Style Academy, as well as handle clients and styling. She then founded The Stylist London, a firm dedicated to comprehensive image excellence, and has been offering personal style workshops for men and women in the UK and throughout the world. Her clients have included Harrods, Heathrow personal shopper team, Michael Kors, Baker McKenzie, Proctor and Gamble, and Harvey Nicholls Personal shopping suite. As a woman of hereditary position in the British aristocracy, how were you trained for life as the daughter of a Baron? Being born with a title is different to being married into one, and so whilst we knew no different as such, as we grew up we realised how different our parents ethos and discipline was to many of our friends. My mother was very strict and I remember each supper , we would be reminded of various etiquette rules such as elbows off the table and food to mouth not mouth to food, and sit up straight! We would often go out to dinner at nice restaurants so that we could practise our manners. When I was 8 my mother decided we should emigrate to Australia, but 6 months later and due to the less civilised culture, my mother then told us all we were going back to England. My Father has taught us how to feel confident in any social environment, and because of some of the unusual beliefs people have had about people with titles, we were taught to be very grounded and not talk about having a title for fear of alienating people. As I have grown older, I have decided I want to use my title as it is my name, it also is an honour to have one. My great grandfather was given the title by Lord Atlee for the amazing work he achieved. He was also Lord in waiting to George VI, which is an amazing part of our family history and heritage which I love sharing with anyone who is interested. It is unusual for hereditary titles to be passed on at such an early age, however, my father gained the title at the age of 26 after the untimely death of his father, hence his 3 children, having titles from birth. What is your definition of a finishing school? A modern finishing school is where everyone can go to develop their EQ and social skills to enable them to have the confidence to achieve their potential in life. Your CV may get you through the door , but you presentation and personality gets you the job. We are not always taught at school about understanding how to work effectively in a team, or how to feel confident when networking. We are not given any clues on how powerful non verbal communication and personal presentation is. We aren’t even given key essential skills on how to manage our money from the point of becoming independent. There are people out in the world at all ages who would benefit from reviewing their life with a personal development programme such as a finishing school. The name itself gives a connotation of elite schools for flower arranging and laying tables where young girls are sent. However today, it should mean a school of personal development whatever your age or gender. Everyone deserves the chance to have the opportunity to invest in their life skills with such a school. What inspired you to start your own finishing and etiquette school? Why is now the best time to build etiquette skills? For the past 6 years, I have worked with various etiquette trainers, mainly on the subject of non verbal communication, image excellence and poise posture and demeanour. My background as a Stylist and having worked in the fashion industry has led me to this stage. My passion is very much training and coaching people to achieve their best. Many etiquette trainers offer rather wooden courses. I wanted to bring a more modern and real life aspect to the training, so that it is more natural and authentic to life today. It therefore felt timely to build a different style of etiquette experience, where you can practise your skills and live and breathe the experience at the same time. As we get back to some normality, people seem to have lost their confidence in all areas of life – how to network, how to feel confident when socialising, how to dress even! Life is not a dress rehearsal! If I can teach women to wear heels and train everyone to hold their knife and fork properly , I will be pleased!! Seriously though, My passion is to coach people to lifestyle success through the art of successful dressing and social and business skills to enable them to achieve their potential in life. We also decided to call the company and Academy, as many people may be put off by the word school. Typically this type of education is for the young, but your clients are professional women and men, why was it important to you to address adults? We do not want our guests to feel like they are being tested or indeed that they are in a school environment. We offer cultural experiences in a luxury environment, where grown ups can indulge in their personal development.  We want to attract men and women who are seeking a unique experience, they may want to revisit business etiquette and confidence in working in a team again. They may be party planners or Etiquette trainers themselves looking for a luxury retreat to reenergise their businesses. We hope to attract the bride who again is looking for an experience to share with her friends where they will have wonderful memories for life. We believe our audience is grown up and has the ambition to invest in the finer aspects of life. There is a misunderstanding that etiquette is something of a dated idea. What are your views on etiquette in the modern world? The literal translation of etiquette is Label, and as we know the word came form France and started the revolution to adhere to manners and social respectful rules. When we talk about etiquette, we are referring to respectful society rules, where if followed, ensure we are projecting a more refined quality of manners. When we think of being well behaved and adhering to manners, some feel they are outdated and restricting to daily life. It is a choice to be well mannered but good manners do not go out of fashion, they are integral to being civilised and respectfully integrating smoothly into grown up society. What can someone of aristocratic background and those of royal connection teach people today about etiquette that you can’t get with other programs? Why is this level of skill important in instructing professionals today? Britain has a global reputation for etiquette and training and for those expats arriving from other countries to the UK, how can these courses benefit them? Our goal has always been to create an educational experience that you cannot learn from a book. Many other courses are basic and not in keeping with modern life today. We are different – none of our course are online as this area of teaching needs to be immersive. You will feel like you live and breathe and practice what you are learning , within a luxury environment, not found elsewhere. Bringing experts in, also ensures the quality and depth of knowledge you will gain. Each expert not only inspires our guests with their knowledge , but also with their stories that no one else can replicate. Tell us about the programs you offer. You offer 1- 3 and 5 day immersive programs in luxury settings. Tell us about your upcoming June 3-day residential program. Our 3 day residential course is an absolute treat, and the timing of it couldn’t be better, with the platinum jubilee celebrations this year. From the moment you arrive at the stunning Somerley House , you will understand how special your luxury break will be. With inspirational workshops and presentations by various guest speakers such as Lord Kershaw, Paula Pryke OBE and myself,  The Honourable Isobel Kershaw, to name but a few. Your educational stay...

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