13/02/2026
You might think I was born with an innate passion for women’s health.
I wasn’t.
I grew up watching my mum slog her guts out on hospital wards as a midwife. I saw how demanding healthcare could be but also how meaningful. Still, as a teenager, all I saw were the hours and the exhaustion. When she said I’d be good in healthcare, my inflated confidence and naïvety had me thinking, mum, you don’t know what’s best for me (she absolutely did 😅).
At school, the only thing I really shone in was languages. So university felt simple: French and Spanish. Obvious choice.
Until two years in, when I had to leave to undergo two heart surgeries.
That experience changed everything. Being on the other side of the bed showed me the care, resilience and humanity that healthcare professionals bring often quietly, often unnoticed. It’s where the spark was lit.
When I changed direction completely—working as a maternity care assistant while studying physiotherapy—I assumed that language degree was a detour. Wasted time.
It wasn’t.
Because at the heart of great women’s healthcare is a clinician who can listen beyond words. Someone who can explain complex things simply. Who chooses language carefully. Who builds trust, safety and support in the room.
Those are language skills. And I use them every single day in clinic.
So no, that degree wasn’t a mistake. It shaped the clinician I am.
And I can half understand what Bad Bunny is singing about… so honestly, winning 💃🏽
What skills from an unexpected place do you use in your work now?
👇🏽 Comment below