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Just a Barbie girl in an inaccessible world...

Living life boldly: the realities of chronic illness, business, and beyond.

An award-winning entrepreneur, disability advocate, & proud wife based in Dorset

I’ve been chronically ill since I was two, and over the years, I’ve found my passion in disability awareness.

I love opening up the narrative around chronic illness and consider myself an ‘open book’. Creativity is my happy place, so I’m usually knee-deep in some kind of project.

When I’m not working on something, you’ll probably find me with a cup of tea in hand, surrounded by my enormous Barbie collection.

Recently on Instagram

  • This week is International Assistance Dog Week and I wanted to give a shout-out to my mate Fliss - Access Your Life's stunning Canine Partner 😍 Fliss accompanied Lauren around Disneyland Paris when we visited in June - the way she looked after her is incredible and she is always the happiest girl. 

Fliss absolutely melts me when she gets excited and does *happy snorts*, what a gorgeous doggy pal! @accessyourlifeltd 

The work that these animals can do is truly fantastic, alerting, picking things up, helping their owners to manage day-to-day, accompanying... the list goes on and on! 

In case you'd like to read more about what they do, you can visit Canine Partners page @caninepartnersuk 

VD: A beautiful labrador with a brown nose and eyes, wearing a purple Canine Partners jacket. She is next to Imali, a white woman with pink hair and glasses, who is taking the photo. In the background is the Disneyland Paris castle and trees.
    6 days ago
  • Inkfire won a @scopecharity award for being an 'Inclusive Workplace'! Here's some photos from the award's night - it's still so surreal ✨

VD: 
Photo 1: Cameron and Imali, standing against a purple 'Scope' photo background. Cameron is looking very suave, wearing a suit and bow tie. Imali is wearing a purple to orange ombre dress and sitting in her wheelchair.
Photo 2: Imali sitting with a crowd of other female nominees, all looking stunning in beautiful outfits. 
Photo 3: A hand, holding up the place cards at the event which say 'Scope awards' and have each persons name on. 
Photo 4: Imali, taking a mirror selfie in a very purple lift. The mirror says 'Kia Oval' which is where the event was held. 
Photo 5: A standalone photo of Imali, up close against the Scope photoshoot background, wearing the pink to orange ombre dress. 
Photo 6: A rare selfie of Imali, just before the event on the train, getting very excited!
    1 week ago
  • My 5 top tips for going to Disneyland Paris as somebody with a stoma. 

What did you think to my tips? Did I miss any?

Alongside this little video, you should also check out @chronicallyjenni series about our trip to Disney! There’s a wealth of handy information and funny moments to help you prepare for your next trip. 

VD: Imali, a white woman with brown wavy hair, sitting in front of the camera. She is wearing a white dress with red strawberries printed on it.
    1 week ago
  • Throwback to my first time meeting the lovely @chronicallyjenni - after having worked with Jenni for over a year to rebrand her website and help her launch it through Inkfire, we knew that meeting in-person was well overdue! 

Since then, we've got to go to @naidex_show together, and to Disneyland Paris! I can't wait to see what other adventures come along - I know there's a few planned 👀

(And yes, before you ask, I definitely did fangirl the first time I met Jenni - in fact, I generally do most times I see her! Having been following her since around about 2019, I like to think I'm a fairly 'hardcore' OG fan! 😆)

VD: Photo 1: Imali, Cam, Jenni and Poppy, all smiling at the camera. 
Photo 2: Imali and Jenni in their wheelchairs, both smiling for a photo. Jenni is wearing a sparkly pink dress, while Imali is wearing a sparkly gold playsuit.
    2 weeks ago
  • I love running into my friend Lyndsey from @mobilityinmotionuk 

Recently, they showed me their new powerpack for conventional hoists like the one I have in the back of my car - the benefit being that it speeds up its rate of movement as it can be very slow. Little things like this can make a big difference to everyday life with a disability! 

I love bumping into their mascot, the giant teddy too! He's always a hit with passersby at any event. 

See you again soon team! 

VD: Photo 1: Imali sitting in her wheelchair wearing a pink suit. Next to her is Lyndsey, who is standing with long blonde hair and a navy blue top. 
Photo 2: A giant teddy wearing a navy blue top, sits on a Mobility in Motion stand.
    2 weeks ago
  • AD*: Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a summer girl! August is almost here and therefore I'm well and truly thinking about crispy leaves, spiced coffee and chilly rainy evenings... With that said, I'm all about a good blanket and this pink weighted one from @ooblehome has got me excited! 

Super soft, nicely weighted (but not too heavy), good quality and fur lined, I can't see what's not to love about this blanket! It's plenty big enough to cover a double bed, or you can use it as I do on the sofa to snuggle up under. I tell you what,  this has totally levelled up my nap game! 

If you're looking for something cosy this winter, but don't just want the cheap and poor quality supermarket style blankets, then I recommend having a look at www.ooblehome.com

VD: Image 1: Imali up close, with her pink hair and glasses, holding the edge of the fur lined blanket in front of her face as she looks to one side. 
Image 2: A zoomed out photo of Imali sitting under the light baby pink blanket, which matches her hair perfectly! 

*Ad: Gifted product
    2 weeks ago

One year of Merlin & Bruno Happy Stomaversary!

Catch-up on my videos

Recently on Youtube

Introducing my new wheelchair

I was interviewed on Radio 1, talking about accessible housing

Sharing my latest Barbie – with hearing aids!

Things medical proffessionals have said to me

Come with me on an SWR train journey

A tablet displays the "Mai & Me" blog homepage, which focuses on living boldly with chronic illness, business, and life. Around the tablet, there are speech bubbles showing messages from readers, expressing gratitude for the blog’s content. The messages mention topics like feeling less alone with an ileostomy, mucous fistulas, and finding help for stoma care. The header reads "Creating Conversations..."