Sam Smith
“Every time a door is closed in your face, you’re closer to another door opening”. My name is Sam Smith, and I was born in Bolton in 1972 where I grew up. I came from a single-mother family where there were four kids and each of us had different dads. I didn’t ever get to […]
Loong Ly
“You Can Do Anything You Set Your Mind To” My name is Loong Ly. I’m an ex-footballer turned school coach after learning that it’s alright to sometimes pursue a different path than the original plan. I was born in Hackney, but my parents came over on boats as refugees during the Vietnam war. Hackney wasn’t […]
Andy Craddock
“Disability has not stopped me from being the person that I am”. My name is Andy Craddock. I went through life as an able-bodied person until I acquired a disability in adulthood. I’m from Birmingham. I come from a working-class family, and my father was in the military. Both my parents passed away a couple […]
David Morgan
‘There is more to life than the corporate way’. My name is David Morgan. I help rehabilitate people leaving prison by giving them the skills to start their own businesses. I’ve always been fascinated with how things work. I liked computers and engineering from a young age. Looking back, many of my friends were geeky […]
Heather Glover
People might say: ‘A Nurse! Starting a business? It’s like wanting to be a pilot!’ My name is Heather Glover, and I have worked as a nurse for most of my life. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my life transformed and I became a lingerie model and business owner at age 50. My […]
Caroline England
‘Stories are the most wonderful way to take yourself to another world and learn whilst it’s still fun.’ My name is Caroline England. Quite late in my career, I realised that the corporate world wasn’t for me and left that behind to begin my entrepreneurial expedition, founding ‘Featherbed Tales’. I was born in the South […]
Jocelyn Jones
Life is your work of art My name is Jocelyn Jones I’m from New York originally, but I now live in Santa Monica, California. I am an acting teacher, a filmmaker, a writer and a creative consultant. I grew up in a little community on the Hudson river called Snedens landing. I had one brother, […]
Adya Misra
‘I like seeing people’s faces light up when they are doing something they didn’t think they could do because I was the same.’ My name is Adya, I’m originally from Newcastle and I live in The Wirral. I’ve lived in many places over the years. My parents were first-generation immigrants from South Asia. I’m talking […]
Sam Moinet
‘Express don’t suppress’ My name is Sam Moinet. I am the founder of Student Breakthrough. I am a speaker, teacher and student coach. I help students with their mental health and train teachers to inspire children. My mission is to revolutionise the emotional support provided in schools. Growing up I was the oldest of 3 […]
Siobhan Daniels
Trigger warning: mention of child abuse “I feel like I’m on the edge of the cliff and I’m ready to jump and I’m excited, I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m there, it’s too late for me to crawl back.” I’m Siobhan Daniels, I’m 63 years of age. I worked for the BBC […]