|
How and why, you started your business By the last year of my primary school, when I was around 11, I had already lost my parents, been a young carer to my sick grandma and moved several foster homes. Aside from intense trauma, I was struggling at school with undiagnosed ADHD, feeling I was a burden and lost. On the last day of school, before moving on to secondary school, our primary school teacher took a few moments with each of my classmates to say goodbye. When my turn came, she held my hands and asked me to promise her that I would write journals and stories because one day my words would heal other people through my writing. Her words were the only positive affirmation spoken to me during my entire childhood and planted a seed which grew over the years of more adversity until 37 years later, in September 2022, I completed and published my first book. Poppy’s Miracle is based on the rescue story of our dog Poppy but helps children (as well as parents and teachers) understand and celebrate ADHD as a gift and not a disorder. My vision is to use my passion for books and writing as well as my training in life coaching, counselling, and clinical hypnotherapy to publish therapeutic books, colouring books and journals for adults and children, and raising funds for causes related to the topics I will be covering in the books. Who or what inspired you My primary school teacher Mrs Nitsa back when I was just 11 years old. After that, it was my need to use all my experiences to make a difference for others. I have experienced complex, and developmental trauma in my childhood and in my adulthood so I wanted all those lessons to be used in a way that would bring encouragement, inspiration and real change.
Any problems you've had to overcome Lots. CPTSD, Fibromyalgia, ADHD, Dyslexia have all added to my challenges as I often felt I was fighting myself not just all the outside circumstances.
I have lost all the immediate members of my family, grown up in the care system and been a young carer to my disabled grandmother, experienced childhood sexual abuse, neglect, bullying at school, experienced an abortion at 22 years old, four miscarriages, the stillbirth of my son, the traumatic birth of my three living children, homelessness, debt, immigration to another country on 3 occasions, moved home over 26 times and battled with mental illness throughout. However, throughout all my adversity, I have had a fire burning within me that wouldn’t give up. I just kept surviving and believing that there was a reason I was experiencing all this, that it was to prepare me to help other children and parents. The growth and lessons have enabled me to raise my children and advocate for their needs, to home educate them when the system couldn’t support their needs, to be a foster carer, to start four successful businesses, to teach myself many skills I needed in order to succeed, to find my voice, to identify my gifts and finally to use them. My experiences cultivated my highest values which are dignity, justice and compassion. I’ve learned to use my ADHD to work for me not against me because I recognise the abilities it has given me and how I can use them to my advantage.
What’s the best thing about being your own boss? Deciding which way to develop my business and when. Making decisions about each day, working the hours I want around my children, being able to treat my family and see them joyful, being able to start a non-profit and to use money from my business to help charitable projects. Also, giving me the freedom to invest time and energy in helping others on their own journeys.
Top Tips
|