Everything I do is about helping people ‘find their fabulous’
Vie Portland
I was born in Southampton and have lived here most of my life. After school, I went to Hill College (now Taunton’s) for two years to qualify to become a nanny, as well as taking A Levels.
On leaving college I worked as a nanny in London for a few years. I then moved to Bristol to study psychology at university, later returning to Southampton where I was a learning support assistant then a support worker for children, young people and adults with learning disabilities.
I’m passionate about so many things, including theatre, music and dancing. I’m also passionate about being the change I wish to see in the world and treating others as I wish to be treated.
The career I have now grew organically. I had a mental health breakdown around 16 years ago, and that coincided with several physical issues, some of which were caused by the disability I was born with. As a result, I was told I would never work again. I had very low self-esteem and no confidence – I felt I’d reached a point of ‘up or out’.
I decided to opt for ‘up’. I started turning all the education and work experience I had onto myself, challenging myself to try things I thought I couldn’t do. As I did them, people saw the changes in me and then asked me to teach them how I did it. It became ever more apparent that, like mine, most people’s self-esteem issues started in childhood.
Everything I do now comes under the umbrella of helping people ‘find their fabulous’. This includes the training I do with businesses to create kinder working environments, boost staff morale and improve retention. I give training to teaching staff and wraparound care staff as well, helping them create happier, more confident and inclusive environments.
I also run self-esteem and confidence-boosting sessions with children and young people in schools and groups, and I work one-to-one with girls and women to boost their confidence. I’m an inspirational speaker. I’m also an author of inclusive children’s picture books and positive growth books for adults.
I have always loved writing but being an author was not something ‘people like me’ became. Then, just before the pandemic, a brilliant writing coach, Dr Jennifer Jones, said I should write a book to establish my expertise in my field. The result was my book for adults, ‘La Vie Est Belle’. I then went on to write my first children’s picture book, ‘Where Are We Going?’, beautifully illustrated by local author Donna Mcghie, who also illustrated my second children’s book, ‘Who Am I?’. My third children’s book, ‘Find Your Fabulous’, came out in October 2024 and I have also compiled a book of stories from the EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa) community, as well as contributing to other books and writing an eBook on how to self-publish. I have a self-esteem journal coming out soon, too. Despite this, I still sometimes forget that I am an actual author.
I also co-host a podcast with Kim Furnish from InStar Coaching, called ‘Positivity: A Work in Progress’, where we talk about positive psychology, the real-life application of the theories, and how we use them.
I love every aspect of what I do. It’s wonderful to see people start feeling that they have so much to offer and that they deserve to feel good about themselves. I also love that, weeks or even years later, I receive messages from people saying they are still using the tools I gave them and how they’re blossoming.
It was such an honour to be nominated and chosen as one of the Community Legends featured on the Old Walls in the recent City Reflections project. To be celebrated in such a way in the city I was born in was incredible.
I think there are some amazing events going on in the city, and it’s great that so many venues and organisations create and promote them. We live in such a fabulously diverse population, and we have so many opportunities to learn and share from each other; it would be awful to lose that.
This summer, I’m looking forward to speaking at a few events and attending a couple of festivals, including the wonderful Parallel Lifestyle Festival in Windsor where I’ll be doing some storytelling. I’m also looking forward to continuing with my work, as well as enjoying some of the great events happening locally.
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