Missed it by half a second!

The Way We Roll

One person, many facets: disability, ethnicity, mental health, being a woman and youth.

On this month's show, we are delighted to welcome Doaa Shayea. In her 22 years, she has packed in an extraordinary amount.

Doaa talks frankly about her mental health challenges and what she's learned about herself and the world she lives in. Energetic, resilient and determined, she faces the future with optimism and confidence. She also believes as disabled people we mature much more quickly that others as we become aware of others around us ands their reactions.

Born in Yemen with spina bifida. She and her family settled in the UK when she was aged 6. Attending a special school in the UK, Doaa quickly learned how to survive

At the age of 11, she was spotted as a potential wheelchair track star (Simon is so jealous) and still trains twice a day, every day. Doaa set up her beauty business in 2019 and has added disability advocate to her working portfolio.

As a young woman of colour with a disability, as you will hear, she has faced all sorts of difficulties. She missed out on the qualifying time for the Rio Paralympics by half a second.

It’s a compelling story, from someone who appears to have so much on her shoulders whilst maintaining her self-belief. Her motto: "In order to be the best you've got to fail hundreds of times and be strong enough to keep getting up."

BBC article on Dooa

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Chapter

1. Introductions (00:00:25)

2. Early Life (00:07:49)

3. Social Media Impact (00:23:13)

4. Athletics (00:41:32)