Jacqueline Freeman – 58. Fierce. And Nowhere Near Finished.

Born into a powerhouse sporting family, I was raised to win. As a national swimmer from a young age, I learned the power of a ‘black line’. Following it lap after lap, year after year, teaches you more than endurance – it trains your mind to go deep. In the silence of the water, with no one to talk to, no one to defer to, you learn to think ahead, to problem solve and to self-motivate. You become your own strategist, coach and competitor – as well as your own cheerleader.

This attitude was the backbone to landing big corporate roles in advertising and media to being on the receiving end of five career redundancies in the most disrupted category globally.

Life isn’t a straight line. It twists, it turns, and it punches you in the gut when you least expect it. Adding to a career in free-fall, a teenage son who was king hit, an accident that came close to taking my leg and being on the wrong side of 50, life was delivering some brutal lessons in resilience.

But you dig deep. You stay present and you lean into a mindset you learned all those years ago following that relentless black line.

Positivity isn’t just blind optimism – it’s a strategy. Its how you keep moving, even when you are terrified. And then you start your own business. Why? Because its far from over. 58 isn’t a number to shrink from – it’s a middle finger to the idea your best years are behind you. It’s all attitude, grit and how hard you’re willing to come at life – no matter what it throws at you.

No one gets to write the end of my story but me. And I’m still filling chapters.