12/07/2026
This week marks the anniversary of one of the hardest chapters of my life.
Not because I broke my wristā¦
But because, for the first time since opening The Hair Lounge, I genuinely didnāt know if everything Iād worked so hard for was about to fall apart.
I was on an island in Thailand when I tripped, dislocating my hand and breaking my wrist.
Within days I was back in the UK having surgery, where a plate was fitted into my wrist.
The physical pain was one thing.
The emotional side was something else entirely.
As a self-employed business owner, if I couldnāt work, I couldnāt earn. The bills didnāt stop, the rent didnāt stop, and neither did the worry.
I remember wondering how I was going to get through it.
I threw everything into my recovery, doing every physio exercise I was given. Eventually I returned to work, seeing just a couple of clients each day while still attending physiotherapy.
I thought I was finally getting my life back.
Then my hand stayed numb.
Six months after my first operation, I was back in hospital for a second surgery.
I donāt think many people realise the pressure that comes with running a business. Youāre expected to keep smiling, keep showing up and keep everything movingā¦ even when youāre quietly wondering how youāll make it through.
This all happened in 2018, just two years after opening The Hair Lounge.
Now, here we are celebrating 10 years.
And when I look back, I donāt remember the surgeries as much as I remember what they taught me.
That resilience isnāt something youāre born with.
Itās built through the moments that nearly break you.
Sometimes the biggest battles arenāt the ones anyone else can see.
If youāre going through a difficult season right now, donāt underestimate yourself. One day youāll look back and realise it wasnāt the setback that defined youā¦
It was the fact that you refused to give up.
And for that, Iāll always be proud of myself. š
