June is the month to build awareness about a debilitating disorder known as Scoliosis that causes an abnormal curve of the spine, or backbone.
It leads me to my next guest, Elaine Sullivan who is an entrepreneur, running a successful salon business in Dublin called Aviary Lane. Elaine shares stories with me about her passion for hairdressing and why her approach goes far beyond styling someone’s hair. What sets Elaine apart from the rest is that she cares about her clients, she cares about providing a service that makes people feel good about themselves, that builds them up and makes them feel welcome.
Elaine shares her view about the industry and where it is going, but the real learning from this episode is how not to give up when times are tough. Because for Elaine, times physically and mentally became difficult for her at the age of 13 where she underwent her first operation to try to counteract the effects of scoliosis.
What Elaine didn’t know at the time, was the challenges she was going to face, the sacrifices she would have to make, and what tools she needed to help her take on each day.
As I mentioned earlier, Elaine is an entrepreneur, and she made sure that her challenge with scoliosis would not define her. Elaine followed her passion and grew a business while managing to deal with this disorder and being a single mum. Over time, and numerous operations, Elaine eventually found a gym called Fitter Faster Stronger, otherwise known as FFS Gyms. It was here that her journey started to change, and she started to add to her a support group, strength, and conditioning training. Elaine describes how FFS helped her and how her life has improved ever since.
Having spoken to Elaine, I learned that there is always hope even in the darkest times, and it is in those dark times that you truly understand who you are and what you are made of. Elaine’s ‘can do’ attitude and a real, honest approach to life is revitalising and inspiring.
I hope you enjoy this episode and if you would like any information about scoliosis, you can reach Elaine at elaine@aviarylane.com or visit http://www.scoliosis-ireland.ie/
