Claire Pringle

Claire Pringle is an Elvis fan, the owner of a very sharp wit and is the life and soul of the party. A Glasgow girl at heart she now lives in London and after twelve years working for an airline is about to embark on a new career in the public sector.

Claire has worn a wig since childhood when alopecia robbed her of her own hair. In the ten or so years that we've been friends I can only think of a handful of occasions when it’s been the topic of conversation. Once on holiday when it was roasting hot and she was debating swapping the wig for a head scarf, and another time when she had to do Raft Drills as part of her airline training. Jumping in a pool, climbing onto a raft whilst wearing a life-jacket  and trying to ‘save’ people who are pretending to be unconscious, is a daunting enough task without trying to keep your hair on at the same time. On both occasions she opted for the au natural look and I thought I would burst with pride.

Growing up Claire dreamed of being a vet but ironically, her first job was as a hairdressing junior. She's never been one to shy away from things! Asked what her biggest challenge has been so far she said ‘Starting a new life away from my family and friends and making somewhere else home. I worked for British Midland, or BMI as it became and when the Glasgow base closed I opted to transfer to Heathrow. My favourite saying is 'what's for you won't pass by you' and I guess it’s true as if I hadn't moved to London I wouldn't have met my fiancé.'

I asked Claire what she considers her greatest achievement in life to be and she said ‘owning my own home’. A reflection of her approach to life, where hard work is just what you do and when times are tough you just get on with it. She believes that Margaret Thatcher was a great role model for women because she stood for what she believed in, she never wavered in her goals and beliefs, she made herself the most memorable woman in British politics ever. I admire her drive, her strength of character and her pure determination to achieve her goals.'

Claire is very close with her Mum, who gives great advice, and her goal for the future is to have a little family of her own.

My final question for Claire was to ask what she couldn't live without ‘My wig! If I could be anyone else for the day I’d be me, but with hair.’

Last month Claire made a decision to speak out about her alopecia to a woman’s weekly magazine. Many of her friends and colleagues nearly fell off their chairs when they read the article as they were oblivious to the fact that she wears a wig. 

I invited Claire to feature in this blog not because she has alopecia, but because I admire her ability to say to the world ‘This is the real me’ and not give two hoots what anyone else thinks. 

If you look closely you might notice that with hair, she looks a bit like Priscilla Presley. Coincidence? I doubt it.


#WomenInMyLife 

About This Blog

An introduction to 'The Women In My Life'

The idea for this blog is very simple. I know some truly inspirational women and I wanted to create a space to share their stories. All of the women have made a positive impression on my life in one way or another. Some are close friends, others I have met whilst working on various projects. 

The only common thread is that all of the women are down to earth, clever, hard- working, genuine, and great fun to be around. Forget about their age or job title, what's important is the lessons that can be learned from listening to the stories they have to tell. 

I want to put the spotlight on these women because I strongly believe we need more female role models. In my experience women will happily talk about the success of their products, their team, their organisation or their family but are less forthcoming when asked to promote their own success. I knew if I asked the participants to write me an article about their achievements and how brilliant they are that I would be faced with an empty Inbox. So, I came up with the idea that I would interview them instead and I'll do the trumpet blowing!

Initially I have approached ten women to feature, the interviewee will then invite a woman in her life to be interviewed. In business and in life we all need a strong foundation to survive life's storms. My hope is that 'The Women In my Life' blog will provide a collection of articles that people can relate to, and that will motivate and inspire others to believe in themselves.  If just one person benefits from reading this blog, then I've achieved what I set out to do.

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