Who am I…?
Self-visualising and goal setting is linked to increased confidence, development and desirable behaviour, yet only a fraction of people are thought to be self-aware.
We are solving that by asking aspirational women to look in their mental mirrors and ask, ‘Who am I? Who do I want to be?’
Oksana Jesipenko, 29
Fashion model
Who am I?
“I am a highly ambitious and hard-working individual who aims to achieve the best possible outcomes and contribute to the enhancement of my surroundings, environment and the world. I believe that with our own positive example of leading and living life, we can improve other people’s lives by inspiring and motivating them towards self-development and achieving their goals and dreams. I am a dreamer, a goal-achiever, an adventurer and a big-hearted person who believes in the beauty of love, power of friendship and importance of human relationships. Along with living by the concepts of loyalty, truth, dignity, respect, compassion, humbleness and humanity.”
Who do I want to be?
“I am working on becoming this person every day. I want to be a great and inspiring role model for all other people seeking to find happiness in their lives. I want to be a successful business leader who ensures that all her people are loving what they do and find joy and meaning in their work and everyday life. I want to be an amazing, loving, caring and wise mother who will raise wonderful human beings that will be the best examples of dignity and honour. I want to be a loving and caring wife that will make her man truly happy and fulfilled with greater love and meaning every day. And I want to be a great friend and a daughter that will always be there and be a great source of support and love for each and every one of them.”
Karen Chung, 29
Founder and CEO of Kossie, a next-generation platform which aims to boost millennial mental health
Who am I?
“I am the founder of Kossie and leader of an international team. My mission is to inspire, motivate and encourage our audience to be the best version of themselves and lead a holistic, happy and successful life. I created my business following an experience with a previous employer that led to burnout and mental health issues. This is why I built Kossie on a foundation of trust, openness and friendship – a platform that reflects my own values. I connect with my team on an emotional, personal level. This is because I want my team to be able to share their struggles with me, so we are able to help each other learn and grow. I am in tune with my own emotions. I ground myself with meditation and exercise, and journal daily. This helps me pinpoint my feelings and emotions and gives me a good idea of what I need to work on, or avoid, that week.
Who do I want to be?
“I want to be an impactful, but thoughtful, founder who helps millennials find their true happiness. I want to lead my team to success but allow them to have a positive and flexible schedule to ensure a consistent and fair work-life balance. My ultimate goal is to consistently motivate and inspire our readers to achieve their goals – both at work and in their personal life. I truly recognise the importance of maintaining a positive, well-balanced lifestyle and believe this is key to striving for success. I believe you should pinpoint what your triggers and signs of burnout or mental distress are, especially since going through it myself. To that end, I want to be the first point of contact to help others recognise their mental health concerns before it becomes too overwhelming. Kossie is help-ing me to achieve this.”
Polly McMaster, 40
Founder of workwear brand The Fold
Who am I?
“At work, I’m founder of The Fold, after starting the business nearly 10 years ago. I used to work in consulting and private equity, and in a previous life I studied natural sciences and did a PhD in Virology (viruses). I’ve always been both analytical and creative, I think outside the box and am entrepreneurial in my approach. I’m a classic generalist – pretty good at most things but not exceptional at anything. Teamwork at The Fold is everything, so I love working with the team on all aspects of the business.
“At home, I’m a wife to James, who is also a CEO of a fast-growth brand – Huel. We are both quite work obsessed, but also like to have fun, socialise, keep fit and dream about our goals and ambitions. We are parents to Lainey, five and Finn, nearly three. They’ve taught us to slow down, have fun, be childlike, read together, play together and make new friends in our area. We are lucky to have an incredible nanny, Sara, who has the best combination of organisation, care, and a great sense of humour.
“At my best, I’m social, bright, a problem-solver, calm in a crisis, strategic, creative, visionary, confident. At my worst, I’m internalising stress, procrastinating, slow to communicate, defensive, approval-seeking.”
Who do I want to be?
“I’d like to be more ‘at my best’ and less ‘at my worst’. I’d like to make sure I remember that no one else is in charge of my life, so the decisions to change, adapt and grow are with me.
“I have a lot of ambition with The Fold. The ambition runs through our team, as does a combined effort to do our best and be proud of the brand and what we do. My role has changed and evolved and will continue to do so. I want to be proud of what we’ve built and feel that we created value. I don’t have any time scales or an end goal, as long as there is integrity in what I do each day. I’d like the journey we’ve been on to be inspiring for others.
“At home, I want to have time to be really present for the kids, but also give them space to be their own people. They are great little humans and I can’t wait to see how they change and grow. I am also excited for the grown-up adventures as a family and with my husband – we’ve been together 15 years and I hope we get to grow old together. I also treasure time with my mum, sister, dad and extended family, who we haven’t seen enough of during Covid-19. I can’t wait to be more social again. These relationships form a big part of our ambition, motivation and culture – so that is a big part of who I want to be and how I want to spend time.”
Ella Delancey Jones, 29
Freelance journalist and creative copywriter
Who am I?
“I am a journalist who writes about difficult but important topics we need more focus on, with the aim to create conversation and drive change. Whether a topic about sex, mental health, a societal issue or simply re-porting a different viewpoint, it’s these less covered and often unpopular or ‘taboo’ subjects that call me to speak on the most. I am someone who is always trying to do the right thing, sometimes to my own detriment, and a person who cannot stand injustice, especially for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am a person who has faced my own adversity and I spend a lot of time trying to ensure that other people don’t go through the same thing. I am also a wife, friend and daughter who thrives in a cre-ative setting, usually wishing to be outside and in the sun.”
Who do I want to be?
“I want to be someone who can change attitudes and evoke emotions with my writing. I want to inspire real societal change for women and those with marginalised voices. I believe the media is the mouthpiece and the basis for the general public’s opinions, so it means a lot to me that subjects are written about in a fair, non-biased way with integrity. It’s important to me that important issues are raised and given the attention they deserve, no matter how uncomfortable. I want and hope to be the person who facilitates this for individuals who may need the help to do so. I want to be a person that continues wanting the best for people and doing the right thing – there’s no harm in trying. It’s also my life’s dream to be a mama – but we’ll wait and see what’s around the corner.”
Dr Shirin Lakhani, 45
Medical practitioner from Greenhithe, Kent
Who am I?
“I am an aesthetic physician and former NHS GP. I’m also a wife and mother of two daughters. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to study medicine and become a doctor. I studied at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and then went on to become an anaesthetist in the NHS, working in theatres and ITU. It was a fast-paced, rewarding role and I loved it. Unfortunately, due to a change in family circumstances, I had to move to a role in general practice. I soon discovered the synergy between medicine and beauty as well as the current limitations for treatment of conditions (such as acne) in the field. This led me to look at an alternative approach which saw me training in medical aesthetics. As word spread and my patient list grew, I moved away from general practice and forged a career working within the medical aesthetics industry.
“In 2013, I founded Elite Aesthetics and have since left general practice to pursue my passion full time. I now offer a wide range of innovative treatments for various conditions that are often left with unsuitable and ineffective treatment options. For example, PRP therapy for Lichen Sclerosus and an eight-minute radiofrequency treatment for vaginal tightening (a condition often exacerbated by childbirth and after the menopause). This is alongside medical-grade facials and skincare to treat acne patients and injectable treatments such as non-surgical rhinoplasty.”
Who do I want to be?
“I have always believed in a discrete approach and am an advocate for natural-looking results over the caricatures we are becoming used to seeing in the media. I have patients from all walks of life and my clinic has attained numerous awards.
“I’ve become an influential voice within the industry, featuring in print, online and on television; I’ve discussed intimate treatments on ITV’s This Morning and body dysmorphia on BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire and Sky News. A significant amount of the work I do is focused on women’s health and female empowerment and this is an area that I feel is particularly important.
“As a mother of two daughters, aged 15 and 12, I know, first-hand, the impact that social media can have on impressionable young people, and am keen to campaign against the use of airbrushing and filtered images online in a bid to help portray realistic beauty ideals. I believe that this will help both physical and mental health.
“I’ve had highs and lows during my career and I’m an advocate of hard work and perseverance. Through my work I aim to empower women and ensure that physical problems don’t hold them back and no type of inti-mate health issue is a taboo.”
Bianca Estelle, 36
Medical aesthetician and founder of bea Skin Care
Who am I?
“A skin specialist, product formulator and brand founder with over 18 years of experience in the medical aesthetics industry. I began my career working as a laser therapist on Harley Street but always had my sights set on following my own path and, fortunately, the stars aligned to make it happen. After opening up Bianca Estelle Aesthetics, I developed bea Skin Care – an award-winning range of cosmeceutical products that I like to call an extension of our in-clinic services. 11 years ago, I trained in intravenous nutrient therapy to offer vitamin injections for improved health wellness. I also developed two more product lines, including an edited range of vitamin patches and an additional vitamin-based skincare line.”
Who do I want to be?
“I’m proud of the achievements under my belt and want to continue striving for great things, but I also want to be a figure that those embarking on a skincare career can look up to.
“As a young black woman, I grew up unable to find the right treatments and products for my skin tone – mainstream brands often overlook minority communities, and this is part of the reason that I launched bea Skin Care and our fully inclusive formulas. I want to continue educating the industry on the issues that I still see occurring today and, ultimately, I want to help the world of beauty make positive changes. The goal is for everyone to feel seen and heard with access to high quality skincare solutions.”
Sarah Louise Ryan, 31
Dating and relationship expert
Who am I?
“I am a woman who is driven by a passionate vocation in the field of romantic love. I am a woman who is passionate about connection with oneself, others and the world around us. I’m an international matchmaker, dating and relationship expert and a consultant that helps others build businesses in the same industry, globally. The professional me is passionate, extroverted, hardworking, fast living and a fun-loving individual. The private me is quiet, introverted, considerate, contemplative and connected to a handful of close, cherished friends and family. I adore weekends exploring the countryside and reading a book by a log fire with my dog and loved ones, while enjoying a glass of red wine. I am a woman that prefers quality over quantity in everything in life – a woman who lives her life on purpose.”
Who do I want to be?
“I often think about how I would like to be remembered, which allows me to pave the path to who I want to be. I want to be a woman who was re-membered for love – giving it, creating it, doing things on purpose (not letting life ‘happen’ to me) from a place of love. I want to be remembered as a trailblazer in the space of connection and as an intimacy expert who gave back by helping others to leave a mark and do the same. ‘We always gain by giving love’ is a saying I love and reflect on often. I want to be a consciously connected and loving life partner, mother, businesswoman, friend and family member. I want to be an intentional human being, fully showing up in every moment.”
Read last month’s edition of ‘Who am I…?’ here.