Some challenges I have personally faced and overcome:

• I was pathologically shy as a child to the point where I was rendered mute in the company of strangers. This was a shame, as I really loved languages and wanted to study them at university, but I knew that my inability to speak in front of others meant I would never pass the oral exams. In my early 20s, I conquered my shyness and went on to complete a degree in Spanish. 
• In my teens I developed chronic anemia. When I told my doctor I was also going vegetarian, he was not impressed and said that I'd be in hospital within a month if I didn't eat several steaks a week. Instead, my iron levels returned to healthy levels and I came off iron tablets for good. 
• I have always suffered badly with allergies, particularly skin rashes caused by contact with synthetic products of all kinds. I therefore could not use commercial skincare, so I studied cosmetic science, learned to make my own products and eventually launched a successful natural skincare brand. 
• I have a connective tissue disorder which causes joint instability, which resulted in serious mobility issues by the time I reached my late 20s. I refused to accept the gloomy predictions of most clinicians I saw, and instead devised a comprehensive nutrition, herbal remedy and fitness programme for myself. This has enabled me to gradually get back to doing all the things I used to do. I was particularly pleased to find I could even participate in a publically attended dance show in 2019, for the first time in 15 years.