Nicola Chapman was one of YouTube’s original influencers, long before “influencer” was even a word.

What began as a way to help people learn how to do their makeup became a global online community, millions of views, international travel, a hugely successful makeup brush business and, at its peak, around £20,000 a month in income.

But behind the success was a much more extraordinary story.

In this episode of Extraordinary Life Stories, Nicola opens up about growing up in a domestic violence environment, losing her father to MS, experiencing miscarriages, becoming a mother, building a hugely successful business and eventually being diagnosed with MS herself.

She talks candidly about undergoing a stem-cell transplant in Mexico, losing her hair, rebuilding her life and discovering that the things she once thought represented success weren't necessarily the things that made her happy.

Nicola also reflects on the changing world of social media, the pressures facing young people online, the importance of authenticity in an age of AI and why she believes being present, making memories and having enough can be far more valuable than constantly chasing more.

This is a powerful conversation about resilience, motherhood, success, social media, illness, humility and finding out what really matters.

Extraordinary Life Stories is proudly sponsored by IFS.ai