Bodhi Babes, Wonder Women - Alis Rowe

louisehewison
Aug 23, 2014
4 min read

I'm so excited about this interview I couldn't wait til Monday- Happy Bank Holiday weekend UK!

Meet our first #BBWW - Alis Rowe

Alis is an author and the founder of the Curly Hair Project.

The curly hair project (CHP) is a social enterprise with worldwide appeal dedicated to supporting females with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wasn't sure. I went through phases of wanting to be either a doctor or a vet. Nothing else ever really appealed to me.

What do you do now? For work? For fun?

I'm an author and an entrepreneur. I certainly never ever imagined I'd end up doing what I am doing now. By 21 I still had no idea what I wanted to "be" when I "grew up." Despite going to university and getting a chemistry degree, I never really wanted to work in that field. I just liked the subject and I was good at it. It was really just something to pass the time while I figured my life out.

My work is my fun, which is awesome obviously! But my favourite thing in the world is Olympic weightlifting. I do it every day and it is the one thing that keeps me going!

THis BABE can lift!!

How did you get into your area of expertise?

It just sort of happened! I have been writing stories ever since I learned to write. At school, my favourite subject was English because I loved to read and write. Essays were never a problem for me. I enjoyed them.

After my ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnosis in 2011, I wrote a memoir. It was never intended that I would publish it. It was just something I did for myself. But when I started a Facebook page about ASD (just as a little hobby... on the side of my already very busy life!), people told me I had a gift for articulating what it's like to have this condition. I realised just how much of a need there was for well articulated, accurate, material about being female with ASD at a time where females are underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed or even completely overlooked.

So I finished my book and published it for the world to see, and that was the start of my social enterprise!

What obstacles have you faced in following your dreams and how have you overcome them?

I am not sure I would call the curly hair project a "dream" just yet. I am still very young and experimental and still not completely sure what my life's direction is. But I will continue doing it until people no longer need it.

The main obstacles I have had my whole life have been all the social communication challenges due to ASD, and I suppose not really understand why I was this way until my teenage years. Life has been extremely hard for me. I live in a constant state of anxiety and some days, even leaving the house is something I dread.

I've actually said a number of times that I do not like having this condition. Life has been very stressful for me and I resent feeling "different" when sometimes all I really want is to experience pleasure from the same things as my friends.

But I am what I am. I do the best I can given my limitations. At least I am aware now of what I can and can't do, and I manage that.

What’s the best part of what you do?

I like writing! I like creating quirky material and original theories, based on the empirical evidence of how life has been for me. It is a really nice feeling when someone relates to me. It's comforting.

What advice do you have for other women who might want to follow suit?

Be an individual. You don't have to do what everyone else does. Going to university, getting a 9-5 job, getting married and having children does not have to be the way life turns out for you. It might be the 'American dream' but it certainly isn't mine.

I truly believe that people that genuinely work hard will get what they want in life.

What’s your morning routine? Keep it clean ;-)

Wake up, take the dog out, do my newspaper rounds, feed the dog and the cats, eat breakfast, do weightlifting.

3 things that are on your ‘to do’ list today?

Weightlifting! I am desperate to do that as soon as I finish this. :P

Dog training.

Grooming the cats and the dog.

What are you working on at the moment? Next project?

I'm developing two mobile applications.

One woman you admire and why?

My mother. She is my role model. She is an amazing person, really hard working, and spends her life helping others (she is a doctor).

Three wishes?

Just for my family and friends to be happy and healthy. It might be a cliche but it is sincere.

Who do you turn to for advice?

Mum.

Who do you turn to for a shoulder to cry on?

Mum.

Favourite book?

Robin Hobb - the Dragon Keeper

Favourite movie?

I don't watch films.

Favourite childhood game?

Crash Bandicoot.

Fantasy career? Why?

I'd like to be a psychiatrist and help others with ASD. But it's only a fantasy because realistically, due to my own ASD, I could not maintain the lifestyle.