While Antonia’s business, A-List Lace Hair, has grown from strength to strength, with salons in London and New York, she has been dealing with the impact of her health conditions.
She struggles with fatigue due to her MS and uses a wheelchair, but says this has not stopped her success. Instead, it has simply changed the way she has run her business.
“I used to feel that being a good entrepreneur was being able to do as much as I can myself,” Antonia said.
“Due to my health challenges, there are days where I literally can’t feel my legs, they feel like jelly, there’s days where I’m completely exhausted after sleeping, I wake up completely shattered.”
This has forced her to “trust other people and gain strength in building a team”.
As a woman in business, being in a wheelchair can sometimes make Antonia feel “smaller” as people often have to look down at her at industry events.
“People are often surprised when I start speaking about my business, as though they’re thinking ‘how have you accomplished all of this in a wheelchair?'”
Antonia, who has three young children, says that being underestimated can be a good thing, and she wants to remain open about her health to inspire other women.
She says she used to feel “weak” because of her disability, but now feels she has gained “so much strength” from sharing her experience online.
Asked what she would say to another woman who may fear her age, disability or health could get in the way of success, she says: “I would encourage them to just start.”
“You might not have control over your health, you might not know what tomorrow is going to bring, and you might not have all the resources. But start with what you do have, and let’s see what could happen next.”
