Nicola Wai-Shee Chan is a body confidence coach with a background in fitness and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). Her theme for this year is “curiously confident”. Listen to her episode and hear what it’s all about.

Here’s her story in her words:

My name is Nicola Chan, I am a Body Confidence Coach. I help people using an array of tools from both Fitness and Mindset. When I was young, I had ZERO confidence; I was bullied at school, I thought I was ugly, I suffered with racial stigma and thought things would always be that way. I struggled to speak up for myself because I guess somewhere deep down I thought I deserved it. I thought I was not enough. At aged 14 I was subjected to an incredibily traumatic experience which led me to suffer a cycle of Panic Attacks and Depression. I found myself pregnant at aged 15 which was a blessing in disguise, as at the time I was suicidal. I then had a focus and decided to start thinking about my future and building a career and a business so I could support my child. Years went by and I became a fitness instructor. Being in front of people was hard, my feelings of not being good enough were always there, along with the shame and guilt. I had become destructive and tried to control everything with food and exercise, which led to an Eating Disorder, Body Dismorphic Disorder and Infertility.

Some years past, struggling with food and Body Image and even trying to run a Marathon 3 times which ended up with me being injured before show day. It was only when I finally rested while pregnant that I recovered from injuries and 4 months after giving birth I ran the London Marathon! This means that I started training a week after giving birth! My mindset wasn’t right, I was still not happy. I wasn’t happy with me, my trauma still wasn’t healed and I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I decided Body Building was the solution. I became a 1st place Bikini winner and after my final show, I binged for 3 months straight. I hated myself with passion. At rock bottom, I made a decision. If hating my body isn’t working anymore, what if I start to love my body instead? And I went onto to Google, as you do, and I typed in the words “BODY POSITIVITY.” From there on my life was changed for good. I now use my story, my experience and my coaching to help other women and girls.