In My Experience pitch:

We turned a disadvantage into our superpower.

These women overcame adversity by searching for the best in what makes them unique…

‘Adversity is my friend, not my foe.’

Bisi, 39, is a public speaker who sees her stutter as helpful…

Bisi says: When Amanda Gorman read her poem at Joe Biden’s inauguration, I felt I was in great company. Amanda, like Biden, had a speech impediment as a child. Biden had a stutter; Gorman had difficulty pronouncing certain sounds. I can remember classmates laughing at me because I had to close my eyes and make repeated sounds when I tried to talk. This led to anxiety that other children wouldn’t want to talk to me because of the way I stuttered, making things only worse. My parents worked hard to help me but even now, when I’m anxious or upset, I stutter. 

I have achieved things I never imagined I’d be able to. Almost everything I’ve done in my adult life has involved public speaking. At University, I got involved in the Student Union and now, I’m the BAME officer for my constituency Labour Party. My speech at the party conference was aired on the BBC. I’m an entrepreneur, author, public speaker and disability advocate. In 2019 I spoke in front of a panel at an International Women’s Day celebration in Liverpool. In the last year, my talks are more Facebook Live events but those are no less daunting than a crowded room. The film ‘The King’s Speech’ sheds light on the effect of a stammer on public speakers. People who stumble on their words know what to say but the challenge is how to say it. Adversity is my friend, not my foe and I have learned to accept that what I say doesn’t have to be perfect, to be heard.

‘My books have helped dyslexic children learn to love reading.’

Liz, 57, has sold over 11 million copies of her Tom Gates series of children’s books. Dyslexia helped her find a unique writing style.

Liz says: Scribbling notes and drawings in a textbook, I presented the idea for my book to my agent. I knew it wasn’t a traditional pitch, but I also knew I’d never be a traditional writer. Diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, I have had to find my own way to express myself but I never imagined my unique style would touch the hearts of millions of children across the world.

I write the Tom Gates series with a mixture of doodles, varying font sizes and lots of illustrations. I think in pictures, not words, so the style comes to me naturally. The books are loved by reluctant readers and those with reading difficulties and to have helped those children learn to love the magic of a good book means the world to me, as so many books intimidated me when I was a child. My son has been diagnosed with dyslexia too and I hope I have shown him that it need never stand in his way. He’ll just need to find his own way to get where he wants to go.

‘I know what it feels like to fear food. Those are the people I want to help.’

Julianne, 31, turned her allergies into a multi-million pound snack brand.

Julianne says: As a toddler, I collapsed and stopped breathing after eating a biscuit. Once, I inhaled a whiff of my dad’s new aftershave and ended up in Intensive Care. Last year, I ate a lolly and went into anaphylactic shock. I’m severely allergic to nuts, sesame, lentils, chickpeas and certain perfumes and oils in make-up and face cream. 

Allergies restrict so much of what you can do and where you can eat. But I refused to live in fear. I wanted to be able to grab a snack without scrutinising the ingredients and worrying it might kill me. And I wanted to help other people with allergies enjoy snacks too. It might seem like a trivial moment in your day if you don’t have allergies but for people like me, it’s everything. I launched Creative Nature, a range of baking mixes and snacks free of all allergens. I’m an ambassador for the Anaphylaxis Campaign and I’m trying to raise awareness of why food allergies are on the rise. It is scary to think that one snack mis-step could end my life but I could live in fear or live in strength. I choose the latter.