‘Mean’ Jean

Some people find me scary and I guess I am! I have this inner self that I don’t share with lots of people. I lost my father when I was 8 years old and Mum brought up a family of four children on her own; we all pitched in and helped. It was tough, and I left school as soon as I could and got a job as a checkout girl. My Mum is a pretty special person. She would do anything for anyone really, she would give a lot to others. She is an awesome role model. We had to be really resilient as children.

There is no persuading me; I will stick to my guns and fight for what I believe. I am extremely passionate about what I believe in. If I believe black is black, then its black! My sense of what is right comes from my upbringing. As children, my Mum encouraged us to participate in many things, even when it was tough.

I started in a supermarket when I left school, couldn’t read or write that well, then got into personal training. Now I own my own fitness business, paint in my spare time and have one special and amazing daughter Georgina, and I take my different roles very very seriously. I think those who love me and know me well would say I am a chocolate covered marshmallow: on the exterior she looks really really hard and scary (even though she does like to wear a dress) but on the inside, she is quite soft and the marshmallow seeps out.

As adults, our behaviors influence our children so if we want them to be stand up citizens, then we need to model behaviours to enable them to be the best they can be.

I know that my husband, Derek and I have had the chance to influence Georgina. I am looking forward to seeing where my daughter goes cos she is amazing. From the day I laid eyes on her, she was a real gift and is a real gift to this world. She is going to be something really special.

– ‘Mean’ Jean