When I was a little girl, my father would fly over our house ,as a passenger, in a small airplane. We would stand in the garden and wave at him. Something inside me said I was going to fly those planes one day; I just knew I wanted to do that when I grew up. After high school I went straight to flying school. I didn’t particularly enjoy it and felt massively out of place. It was a struggle. With the support of my family I got through it and looking back I am so grateful for that. I can not imagine doing anything else now. I love my job.

My second job, flying in Greece, could be considered as a barrier if I would have let it. It took me some time to be treated with respect by some of my male colleagues. I had to be strong and stay very close to myself. Basically, I just needed to get on with it. I am very ‘gender neutral’ when it comes to my job; I don’t care what sex I sit next to. I don’t focus on my own gender either. It is a fact that aviation is a very male dominated world. The biggest mistake, in my opinion, is that people keep saying men and women are the same. We are in no way the same. We are very different, but if we work hard and are good at what we do, we can do the same things. It is a shame big campaigns are needed to get more women to fly. Flying is not for everyone. If you want it, go for it. No matter what your sex is. The barriers you face, or you think you are facing; you learn from them. Take from them what you want and leave the negatives behind. Let them make you stronger.

The way I want to balance life and work has been made possible by my fiancé deciding to work from home. I love my job, but my family always has my priority. I want Kiki to grow up knowing she is loved and supported. I find it very important at least one of her parents is at home for her. I have very fond memories of my childhood, coming home from school to a cup of tea and a chat, and I want the same for her. Eds is a wonderful father, I am very lucky to have found him. Sometimes I find it difficult that it is not always me being there for her, but at least I know she is in the best hands. It does help that my company hardly leaves me away from home for more than two days a month. I see her almost every day.

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My own mother. She is the most loving and supportive, yet critical, mother I could ever wish for. I can only hope to do as good of a job as she did with me and my sister, when it comes to Kiki.

Haha now that is a difficult one! I only do short and medium haul so never ever get a jetlag at work. But when I travel on a long haul flight for leisure I make sure I adjust to the time of that country during the flight . If it is daytime there, I try not to nap for more than an hour. If it is nighttime, I make sure I try to sleep my normal (desirable) 8 hours. I always make sure to only drink still water and wear compression socks on those flights. Getting off a plane after a long journey, those things really help with making you feel better.

The water thing is really quite important. Try to avoid gassy drinks, as gas expands in your stomach. If I fly as a passenger I never drink coffee on board, as it dehydrates. I always make sure I have a good hydrating eye cream with me as the skin around my eyes always gets very dry on board. Oh and same goes for your lips. I always carry a lip balm.

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I absolutely love Barcelona. I used to live in Sitges, about half an hour away, when I was working for my first company based in Spain. I love the food, the climate, the atmosphere. Life in Barcelona happens outside, it is such a vibrant beautiful city. The Greek islands also have a special place in my heart. I wouldn’t want to live in Greece again, but I would absolutely love to go back some day.

I am a big foodie so I have a couple of favourites. For a good steak, without a doubt Vezene in Athens. For tapas, Tapas 24 and Paco Meralgo in Barcelona. I also love to go to Tristans in Horsham here in the UK. From breakfast to dinner, every meal there is an experience.

Too much annoyance of my mother I never ever wear lipstick! I do use the Luis Widmer Lip care UV stick. It is odourless and colourless, the best one out there I believe.

My grandfather that sadly passed away when I was 5. Even though I was very young when he passed, I still remember him very vividly. I would love to sit down with him and show him who and where I am now...

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