Lee Chambers
Finding My Path I grew up in Bolton from a mixed-race background in a working class setting. Initially at primary school I was curious but disruptive, however it quickly became clear that with a little focus I could achieve excellent grades. I went on to become the first member of my family to attend university, […]
Avril Mills BEM
A Mother’s Journey My name is Avril Mills and I am the founder for the children’s charity The Dream Factory. Life has had many ups and downs and I’d like to take you on my journey. I lived most of my young life in Essex. My dream when I was a little girl was to […]
Isaac Harvey
A Different Perspective I’ve known I was different since day one, though what I see as different might not be the same thing you see as different. I’m considered “disabled” because I was born with a condition called limb/pelvic hypoplasia syndrome. That’s a fancy way of saying I have no arms and very short legs. […]
Vedangi Kulkarni
‘Making dreams a reality’ My name is Vedangi Kulkarni, I was born and raised in Pune, India. A Journey Begins Growing up I loved playing football and writing, I wanted to be a professional in both.My parents loved to travel, they took me everywhere with them and encouraged me to plan trips with them, it […]
Krish Patel
Krish grew up in Bolton, and when asked by his primary school teacher “what do you want to be when you grow up?” His answer was a no brainer: a professional footballer. A self confused chubby kid, Krish was disheartened when his teacher suggested this may not be a realistic dream, and he should have […]
Josh Connolly
Drugs, alcohol and an unstable upbringing. I wouldn’t say my life journey is one of normality or one that has been easy, but it certainly has led me to some of the amazing work that I do today. I am going to start my story at 25 years of age when I walked into a […]
Sarah Williams
Finding My True Path My name is Sarah, the founder of Tough Girl Challenges and the host of the Tough Girl Podcast. I am an author, motivational speaker, podcaster and adventurer but the road to success has been long, difficult and full of challenges…. I was always active and loved doing all sorts of sports. […]
Demetrius Frazier
The Foundation of Resilience A single parent home and very humble beginnings is where I started. We didn’t have money and yes it was a real struggle. My dad was a rolling stone, he had a lot of outside kids. It was my mom, my sister and myself, the three of us. My mom […]
Jenny Dakosta Van Mputu
My name is Jenny and I was born in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am currently seeking asylum in the UK – a state of limbo I have been in for 14 years. I grew up in a large family, 9 of us in total, with my father the sole […]
Joshua Thomas
A Childhood Shaped by Racism As a Black child growing up in Galesburg, Illinois I realised that my identity separated me from the rest of my community. At 11 years old, some of my friend’s parents would not allow them to hang out with me, as I was perceived as a threat just because of […]