Many of us have dreams of being our own boss and starting our own businesses, and one woman has been able to make her dreams a reality with the help of a complete lifestyle overhaul.
Sam White, 46, spent her teenage years washing cars in order to make ends meet, as she grew up in a "dysfunctional" home and knew from a young age she "needed to be independent".
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, she said: “Because my childhood was so unstable, I always wanted and needed to be independent and I didn’t feel like working for someone else gave me that, my future would still rely on someone else.
“I was washing cars when I was 14/15 to make cash, I always needed to have that feeling I could take care of myself and no one could take it away from me. That drive has stuck with me.”
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At the age of 24, the woman started her first business from a desk in her sister's conservatory - but she was struggling with a panic disorder at the time and would find comfort in "junk food", which led her to follow an unhealthy lifestyle.
The entrepreneur, from Cheadle, Greater Manchester, added: “I set my first company up from my sister’s conservatory when I was 24.
“I suffered badly with panic attacks, four or five a day, it was a full-blown panic disorder. It was a vicious cycle of me wanting comfort in junk food; anything that was bad for me and anything to do with exercise I was horrified by.
“I was eating to suppress those feelings. But I always had success at work, consistent promotions, it was my one safe place.”
Sam's first business was a motor claims management company called Action365 and after the company reached a steady point a few years later, she decided to go travelling - and in the process, completely changed her outlook on life.
The woman said the "dramatic change" of scenery helped her mental health significantly, and she was even able to cut junk food out of her diet - dropping her from a size 24 to a size 12 by the time she returned to the UK.
Sam - who has Harry, six, and Frankie, eight, with her ex-wife and is planning to undergo IVF treatment to welcome another child with her spouse Jennie Guay - now says she no longer suffers from panic attacks at all, and credits exercise with helping to "solve so many problems".
She said: “It took me a few years after I got back [from travelling] to make it into something I do consistently. It doesn’t have to be major, just something to get the blood pumping around the body. For me, it solves so many problems."
And the business mogul believes changing her lifestyle also helped her succeed in her career - as she is no longer scared of making decisions or speaking in public.
This year, Sam aims to grow one of the companies under her Freedom Services Group umbrella - Stella Insurance - which she set up in Australia, designed completely for women.
With each policy, the business donates $5 to a domestic abuse charity, and plans are underway to launch in the UK.
The now-millionaire said: “In my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have thought it could become the size that it has."
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