Advocate For Women's Empowerment
In October 1993, Franks made headline news in the national press when she announced that she was stepping down as chairman of Lynne Franks PR and would concentrate on broadcasting and campaigning on Women's Empowerment and Sustainable living. In July 1995, Franks chaired a consortium including former Jazz FM director Katy Turner and TV executive Linda Agran, that launched Viva! 963, Britain's first radio station for women, with Franks herself hosting a twice-weekly interview show entitled 'Frankly Speaking'.
In order to boost awareness of the upcoming Fourth UN World Conference on Women, which Franks was to attend, she created 'What Women Want' - a two day festival of seminars, workshops and music at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Held over the bank holiday weekend in August 1995, the event attracted almost 10,000 visitors, with The Big Issue devoting an entire edition to the event and the surrounding issues. The highlight of the festival was a concert on the final night hosted by the comedian Jo Brand, and featuring performances from Sinéad O'Connor, The Pretenders, Sarah Jane Morris and Zap Mama.
In 1997, Franks published her autobiography, Absolutely Now!: A Futurist's Journey to Her Inner Truth. Especially well received in the US and making the Los Angeles Times bestseller list, the book chronicles Franks' emotional and spiritual journey since leaving the world of PR, interspersing her spiritual experiences at locations such as the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, the Esalen Institute in California and the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University in Rajasthan, India, with her ideas on feminism, environmental issues and ethical business practices.
Following the book's publication, Franks moved to California, and formed 'GlobalFusion', a cause-related marketing agency, working to promote environmentally-friendly fashion and cosmetic brands and helping to launch The Big Issue in Los Angeles. She also worked with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation on promoting micro-finance initiatives through their 'Knitting Together Nations' project, helping women refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and with Bibi Russell on her 'Fashion for Development' program in Bangladesh.
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