I have never known a world that did not ask me to shrink—to be smaller, quieter, more palatable. But I have also never known a time when I did not question why. I learned early that exclusion is not incidental; it is designed. And if something is designed, it can be redesigned. Through my mother’s resilient journey with God, I saw firsthand how inequality shapes lives—but also how faith, strength, and perseverance rewrite the narrative.

Growing up in East London, I witnessed communities brimming with talent and ambition, not held back by a lack of ability but by a world unwilling to make space for their intersecting lived experiences. I felt it too—the closed doors, the ceilings that refused to break, the relentless questioning of my right to exist in spaces where my humanity should never have been up for debate.

So, I build where there are barriers. I amplify where there is silence. I continue to challenge the absurd notion that leadership is the privilege of a chosen few.

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