A woman who prides herself on having 'never been dependent on a man' has opened up about her decision to freeze her eggs, so she can have a baby whenever she likes.
Amela Smailbegovic, 37, is a real estate magnate and entrepreneur who operates across the US.
The mum-to-be lives in Orlando, Florida after she fled what was then Yugoslavia in 1994 as a brutal civil war erupted.
Amela's family arrived in North America with just the clothes on their backs, and it is her parents, Dubravko Smailbegovic, 68 and Alma Smailbegovic, 67, who she credits with teaching her the importance of her independence.
"I've never been dependent on a man for anything and never will be. That's kind of been my main drive," Amela said.
She's gone on to enjoy a lucrative career, and she aims to empower women in business, while working as a top manager in a timeshare firm generating $30-40million (over £24million) in annual sales.
The influencer, whose Instagram boasts over 50,000 followers, explained: "I guess my main mantra has always been female empowerment and women succeeding in business."
She added: "I'm one of the few women in my position because it's always been led by men. You have to fight extra hard for your voice and for your spot.
"Maybe that's why I'm 37, not married and settled because I focused all my time on getting myself established. All of my houses are paid off. All my cars are paid off. Businesses doing great."
She also sets goals in her private life, and she's self-imposed a deadline for when she wants to have a child, which she has set at age 39 at the latest.
During the pandemic, she realised how much she wanted to become a mother and did two rounds of IVF - and is now set to freeze her eggs.
Amela said: "I couldn't wait to get my career uprooted and be established. I couldn't wait to have my own company - that was my driving force.
"That's just my personality trait, wanting to do a lot but that has taken time and you kind of get put on autopilot."
In that time, she's also built up a strong support network thanks to her parents and 'amazing friends' - and stresses the importance of being surrounded by the right people.
Amela said: "However, marriage or not, I prefer my child to have a great father and male role model which is why I held off."
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