AT SCT we like to share the success stories of some of those we work with and come across; we love this story from Lorena Oberg, who Halina connected with under the Growth Voucher scheme.  Lorena is on Channel 4’s Bodyshockers on February 10th.  Here is her leadership journey:

“My personal road to leadership came from a place that many women are in.  Being told for years that I was “always drawing attention to myself” and that I “only ever did anything so I could get thanks” took me to a place where I was very uncomfortable getting praise and heaven forbid being the spot light.

I had to learn that it was ok to have a camera in my face and to talk about a subject that I excelled at because PEOPLE were interested in what I had to say.  I had to learn that it was ok to have celebrity clients and put them on my website.  It was years before I actually did a section on my website with my celebrity clients because I thought it was “pretentious” to do so.  I “didn’t want to toot my own horn”.

I was able to pin point this and I had media training in order to feel more comfortable in front of a camera.

I was right about ONE thing, even back then.  I thought if my work was good enough, the right people would hear about me and hear they did.  I soon began to be invited to lecture at conferences overseas. Now, I also speak in the UK at very prestigious events such as Professional Beauty.  Public speaking was not the issue for me, it was the getting praise that I had the problem with.  The whole things where people come to tell me they follow my work and ask for my autograph still, freaks me out.

I’m at a place in my journey where I’m happy to take credit for what I have achieved professionally and I have accepted that I’m a leader in my industry…ish…..  Anything I do outside of that, my charity work, I try to do it under the radar.  I don’t like it when people make a fuss over something I’ve done that really….any decent human being would do given the chance.  No one will ever find out about that side of my journey.  I prefer to be behind the scenes, quietly, no fuss, often, not even my children know.

So much of what I do is not about physical beauty but about empowering women that come see me.  There is something that children of abuse have, that sixth sense…that we just know when someone is part of our tribe.  I’ve accepted that I’m a role model to many, and I take that very seriously.  Empowering someone can be as easy as looking at them in the eye and telling them that they don’t need to be there because there is nothing wrong with them.

I’m humbled by what I do and proud that I’m one of a handful that can get real results on stretch marks and removal of permanent makeup and take my responsibility very seriously. ”

Lorena Oberg

www.lorenaoberg.co.uk