Achievement
Gef’s 30 Under 30 2024 Winners: Q&A with Amy Kelly
Ten categories. Thirty young visionaries making their mark on the Isle of Man. Introducing the 2024 #Gef30Under30 winners: the next generation of our island’s leaders.
Whether it’s overcoming adversity, winning competitions, or Team GB archery, the London Institute of Business & Technology Achievement winners are right on target.
What is your name and age?
Amy Kelly, age 28.
Job title or role in the community?
Beauty therapist at Blossom and Bloom Beauty.
How did you start your career or role in the community?
I have always loved all things beauty related. As a child I experimented with makeup and Claire’s Accessories stick on nails. I used to give makeovers to my dolls and Barbies and on anyone that would let me practice. I qualified as a beauty therapist in 2015, shortly after having my daughter, Ayla.
Tell us about your business/industry, is there something interesting about it that most people wouldn’t expect?
People expect working in beauty therapy to be glamorous, but it’s definitely not! I make everyone else look and feel great, but I’m usually covered in eyelash glue, eyebrow tint and have nail cuttings everywhere.
Have you experienced any hurdles in your career or community efforts and if so, how did you overcome them?
In January 2021, I woke up and couldn’t use my legs, but it was lockdown so I was told to go home and see what happens. They were completely weak and numb, I couldn’t feel hot or cold at all, and someone could have stabbed me in the leg and I wouldn’t have felt it. A few days later, the exact same thing happened to my arm, down to my hand. I went to A&E where they did various tests including CT scans, MRI scans and 2 lumbar punctures, that’s when they discovered I had MS. As it was in lockdown, I was in hospital on my own, so I was told the news on my own. I had to have steroids via a drip and they sent me home later that week.
I had to learn to walk without a walking stick again, and to use my hand, as it was stuck. I didn’t know whether I’d be able to ever work again. I had to take a year off from working to recover, and that’s when I decided to set up from home so that I can work around my symptoms. I get fatigued a lot quicker than most people, and have frequent headaches. When I’m tired, my brain is a lot slower to process information, or sometimes what I’m trying to say doesn’t come out and I’ll say the completely wrong thing. I have to write absolutely everything down in my diary, otherwise I forget. I have to take an injection once a month called Kesimpta, it’s a disease modifying drug which hopefully will reduce the amount of relapse I’ll get.
I could relapse again at any point, and it can be mild or severe, so I’m just grateful every day that I’m able to work to give my children a nice life, and I hope I can do it for as long as possible.
Tell us about why you think you won the category you did?
After my MS diagnosis I moved house and decided to set up a summerhouse from home so I can work around my symptoms. It was a huge risk setting up a business and going self employed after a diagnosis that means I could be paralysed the next day, but I am so determined to make my business a success and do it with a smile on my face.
Setting Blossom and Bloom Beauty up gave me a purpose. It is extremely hard working/running a business with a disability and there have been many times I just want to stop working all together. It is really hard managing through my tiredness and the days I feel really ill. I had a lot of down days at the start, and would wonder why it’s happened to me, but I had to change my mindset. It’s happened, so how can I make life as good as possible for me and my family?
I have had to push myself for my children, I don’t want to give into the illness. I want them to know that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. They can do anything, despite what life may throw at them. They have been so resilient and wonderful and I’m so proud of them as it has been extremely hard for the whole family to deal with.
I absolutely love my job and I’m really passionate about the beauty industry. I didn’t do any marketing in my business, it has grown only from word of mouth and I am so grateful for every single one of my clients and how much they have supported me and kept me going when I first set up.
Who are your role models, either on-island or off, in your sector or outside of it?
My family and my friends! I love them all so much and they have been incredible. My children have been absolutely amazing, they are so positive and happy.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I did the Introduction to Education and Training course at UCM in 2020, at the graduation John Rhys Davies did a speech and it has stuck with me. He explained if you’re not the most confident person in the room, pretend to be! When we’re confident, we’re more likely to move forward with people and opportunities.
What do you wish you knew when you were getting started in your career?
It is a very fast moving industry, you have to do training regularly to keep up with all the new trends and stay relevant.
What are your plans for the future?
I would love one day soon to buy a house and have a bigger area from home to work from so I can expand. I also really want to do training in a new treatment this year.
What changes do you hope to see in your sector or community in the coming years?
Definitely becoming more ethical and sustainable as an industry. Making smarter, greener product choices, reduce waste and conserve resources etc.
What, for you, are the benefits of staying on or moving back to the island for young people under 30?
For me personally, raising my family somewhere so beautiful and safe is really important. My children have so much freedom because they live here. The Manx community are so supportive. If you need help or guidance, there is always someone that will help you.
What does being a Gef’s 30 Under 30 winner mean to you?
I still can’t believe it! I’m ecstatic! It means so much to know that my passion and the hard work I’ve put in has been noticed. These awards get to celebrate a variety of incredible people who have done a number of amazing things to become successful on the Isle of Man. I feel incredibly blessed to have been nominated alongside them.
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