A THURROCK woman who had to endure a hellish time during her years at borough schools is about to become a published author after telling her lifer story in a bid to help others avoid the turbulent life she has battled through.

Leah Clout, 30, from Grays is now a successful leader in network marketing, helping people from all walks of life achieve their goals.

Her own road to achievement has been a long and rocky one.

Growing up in Grays she had a very difficult childhood.

She recalls: "I was bullied from around nine years old for my appearance. I remembering having an incredibly kind counsellor come to my house and owning up that I had thought about cutting my eyes out at aged nine, maybe 10.

"My parents were amazing and believed in me, but I never believed in myself.

Lean attended Thameside Primary them moved to the former Grays School, now the Hathaway Academy.

She says: "I went to secondary school where I actually had a flexible timetable, as it was deemed unsafe for me to use the corridors at the same time as others.

"I was punched, kicked, threatened with knives, scissors and had a bottle thrown at me in the local park. I made many mistakes due to lack of self-worth."

But despite those horrific years she began to build faith in herself.

Leah told Nub News: "Perseverance has been a crucial part of my personal development; the more I learned, the more I succeeded. And the more I learned about myself, the more I sparkled,

"Fast forward many years, I am no longer that person with no self-esteem and I want to help others get help with bullying. I want to stand up in the local community and take a stand, for my children's sake and for future generations.

"I am a mother of two and nothing means more to me, than ensuring nobody has to go to that dark place I did as a child in Grays.

"I have recently obtained a diploma in coaching an mentoring to use not only in my business, but for me to understand the science to help others overcome lack of confidence.

"Due to launch in April, I have a book being released on Amazon which focuses on success not defining us, we define success & I share my story, focusing on empowering others mainly."

Leah's book is called Boundless Success and in it she candidly shares her long-term goal to make a difference in the world. "Having experienced both a state of having absolutely no self-belief and of complete euphoria and pride, I wouldn't wish my experience of self-doubt on anybody. I want to help others overcome their self-doubt and sparkle as they deserve" she writes.

In the book Leah also addresses how being successful is not about money or possessions but about helping others sparkle in life.

She says: "As long as we're constantly working on building our confidence while making a positive impact on the world around us, we're on the right path to success. The author will help readers cultivate a sense of self-worth to find their purpose in life."

The book has delighted Leah's friends, who stood by her through the tough times.

Among them is Rachel Green who says: "Leah is real, honest, loyal, and consistent. Leah is not scared of showing who she is and what she can do.

"She is hardworking, headstrong, and sometimes crazy; I love that! Her love for her girls is amazing; she does them proud. We can talk for hours about nothing, we can go for weeks without speaking, but when we do, we just click. I am proud to be part of Leah's life."

And entrepreneur Kanika Kaur endorses Leah's skills, having benefitted from her wisdom, saying: "Leah has been a strong leader and a great mentor in my journey of being my own boss. She's not only my leader but someone I look up to for various ideas and learnings. A woman with strong business acumen—she is natural, inspiring, and always there to guide me in achieving my goals."

You can order Leah's book through her website here.