‘CONFIDENCE COMES FROM RESILIENCE – KEEP GOING’

Nesrine Daly, 31, Nike trainer and Muay Thai fighter

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‘One thing I love about Muay Thai is that it doesn’t matter what your job title is, or what you earn; once you start sparring, everyone is equal. Knowing I can get in the ring and take on anyone makes me feel empowered. But when I started in the industry, there was no one like me – a Muslim woman who wears the hijab – represented. It was challenging to believe I could do something when there was no success story I could model myself on, and hard to gain respect without being judged on my appearance or my faith. While this could have really affected my confidence, I fought hard to avoid that happening. There were times of self-doubt – I think questioning yourself is part of being human – but how you deal with those thoughts is important. I knew this was what I wanted to do, and if there was no one there to open the door for me, I’d need to do it for myself. Being the first athlete to compete in a Muay Thai competition in Thailand wearing a hijab led to so many feelings wrapped up in one experience – a sense of accomplishment in opening the door for other women, pride that I was facing my fears, and, of course, nerves. My husband would always remind me of my mission and worth whenever I faced rejection and, as my resilience grew, so did my confidence. You’re not going to feel like you can conquer your fears daily, but practice makes progress. And knowing you can show up and carry on, even when you don’t feel like you can? That’s when you can truly have faith in yourself.’ Nesrine is the founder of Health Hub, healthhubldn.com