Transforming lived experience into leadership and lasting change.
Some women build businesses.
Others build hope.
Faria Arsh has done both.
As a single mother raising a daughter with severe autism, Faria understands the challenges that many families face every single day. Like countless parents, she found herself navigating a world that often offered more questions than answers. Every milestone required patience, determination and resilience, but one challenge in particular proved especially overwhelming—toilet training. Alongside caring for her daughter, Faria began making handmade soaps and candles, building a small business from home while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood and caring for a child with complex needs. It was a journey that demanded extraordinary resilience, resourcefulness and determination.
In 2022, Faria received the SheRo Award at the She Inspires Awards. The award recognised not only the challenges she had overcome, but also the courage, compassion and entrepreneurial spirit she demonstrated every day. She embodied the very essence of a SheRo—someone who refuses to be defined by adversity and instead chooses to create opportunities despite it.
But, as it turned out, the award was not the destination. It was the beginning of a new chapter.
Through the She Inspires community, Faria found far more than recognition. She found encouragement, friendships, connections and a network of people who believed in her potential. As she attended events, met other women and became an active member of the community, her confidence grew. She began to realise that the knowledge she had gained through her own experiences could become a lifeline for other parents walking a similar path.
Rather than keeping those lessons to herself, Faria decided to share them.
She developed toilet training workshops for parents of autistic children, creating a supportive environment where families could learn from someone who genuinely understood their fears, frustrations and hopes. Her practical advice, empathy and lived experience resonated with parents who had often struggled to find guidance that reflected the realities of raising an autistic child.
The response encouraged her to take another significant step.
Faria wrote a practical toilet training guide for parents of autistic children, transforming years of personal learning into a resource that has helped hundreds of families navigate one of the most challenging aspects of caring for a child with additional needs. For many parents, the book has provided not only practical techniques but also reassurance that progress is possible and that they are not alone.
As her work continued to grow, so did her vision. Determined to reach even more families, Faria established the Autism Foundation CIC, creating an organisation dedicated to supporting autistic children, their parents and the wider community. Today, she continues to expand the Foundation, develop new initiatives and build partnerships that will enable even more families to benefit from the support she once wished had existed herself. She is now preparing to host the Foundation’s first fundraising charity lunch, another important milestone in turning a personal mission into a lasting community resource.
Looking back, it is remarkable to see how far the journey has come. What began with a mother making soaps and candles while caring for her daughter has grown into a respected advocate, author, trainer and founder of a community organisation that is improving the lives of families across the region.
Women’s Economic Agency in Action
Faria’s story reminds us that Women’s Economic Agency is about far more than economic independence. It is about recognising your own experiences as a source of strength, transforming personal challenges into solutions for others and having the confidence to lead with authenticity and purpose.
Recognition through the She Inspires Awards gave Faria a platform, but it was the relationships, encouragement and sense of belonging she found within the She Inspires community that helped her continue believing in herself. Supported by that community, she transformed lived experience into knowledge, knowledge into leadership and leadership into lasting social impact.
Today, every parent she supports, every family encouraged through her workshops, every reader of her book and every initiative delivered through the Autism Foundation CIC reflects the ripple effect of one woman choosing not to let adversity define her future. Faria’s journey is a powerful reminder that when women are recognised, connected and supported, they do not simply change their own lives. They create opportunities, confidence and hope for countless others.
That is Women’s Economic Agency in Action.
