We’re so proud of the many mothers who are OMG! Decadent Donuts business owners around Australia and New Zealand. Wonder Women the lot of them. They work in their OMG! Donut businesses, raise their kids, run their households, are simultaneously wives, daughters, friends, sisters, bookkeepers, homework helpers, marketers, expert donut makers and savvy business owners.
One of the OMG! amazing band of women is Leanne Coveney who alongside her husband Richie has the OMG! Decadent Donuts business in the ACT.
OMG! Donuts ACT has always been a hugely busy business. It seems the people of the ACT really, really love donuts.
Leanne and Richie do some spectacular events like Floriad, they pop up during O Week at the University of Canberra, are regulars at the Queanbeyan Market and at their fixed-premise shop in Torrens. You’ll also find them at most of the stadiums including the GIO Stadium offering up hot freshly made donuts to the hungry hoards of sports enthusiasts.
Leanne does all of this, as so many mothers around Australia do, whilst simultaneously fighting cancer, and also raising funds and awareness for Cancer research.
Featured on the cover of this issue of Canberra Weekly, Leanne was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of Covid and the world was locking down, making it a very lonely and frightening experience in hospital. Leanne didn’t have friends and family stopping by to check in and the breast care nurses couldn’t visit. She could only see friends and family via Zoom, so her support team really was her medical team.
The genuine kindness and true care of her medical team is what got her through. When the world began opening up more, Leanne was cautious. And it took a while for her to feel confident to step back into the life she used to lead. Along with a long recovery thwarted by complications and side effects, and living with the fear of cancer returning being ever-present.
Only a year later, in 2021 Leanne strapped on her Wonder Woman belt and together with her husband Richie, decided to buy OMG! Decadent Donuts for the ACT region.
Leanne said, “The cancer has been front and centre of my mind but to the best of my ability I’m out trying to live a normal life and to the fullest. I take each day as it comes, one foot in front of the other, I’ve got a new appreciation for how fragile life can be and also how important it is to keep moving in a forward direction.
“Our OMG! business is lots of work but it’s also fun and we’ve loved bringing the joy of a simple treat like a donut to so many.
The business has meant I’ve experienced so many things, we’ve built an amazing team of staff, have a shop, do markets and events and also make and serve our hot fresh donuts at big events like Floriad and huge sporting events in Stadiums”.
Leanne’s advice to other women is to know your body as it will tell you what you need and to be persistent when you know something is not quite right. Women also need to take the time to ensure they are caring for themselves and not just everyone around them, she says.
Leanne went on to say “As a collective, I think women are not good at putting themselves first because we’re used to putting other people around us first. If your energy level is substantially different or you’ve got a pain that won’t go way, there are things we need to notice. It might turn out to be nothing but it might turn out to be something – and it might save your life.”
This Mother’s Day Leanne will be spending time with Richie, her kids and gorgeous grand-kids (we know, ‘what the’, is she the youngest looking grand-mother ever or what!) and walking in the Women’s Day Classic in Canberra raising funds and awareness. Of course, she is – Wonder Woman right there.
Thank you to Canberra Weekly for highlighting the wonderful work of the Women’s Day Classic and Leanne.
