Fleur Bryant

I am a speaker, writer, founder of the Make Way Foundation, and Robbins-Madanes trained coach. Through my work, I explore how we rebuild our lives when life doesn’t go to plan.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child, I spent much of my life trying to hide my disability, pushing myself through achievement, sport and determination. I competed internationally in sailing as a teenager before later building a successful career and family life, all while unknowingly living with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a progressive neurological condition that had been misdiagnosed for years.
My perspective on life changed profoundly after my son Toby was diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare and terminal neurological genetic disease. Following his diagnosis, I founded the Make Way Foundation, a charity that provides specialist wheelchairs to children with disabilities. In just over two years, the charity has funded more than 100 wheelchairs, helping children access greater freedom, independence and quality of life.
Following Toby’s death, I expanded my work by training as a coach, combining professional tools with lived experience to support individuals and families navigating grief, disability, identity shifts, uncertainty and major life transitions. I now speak publicly about resilience, purpose, adaptation and redefining strength when life changes unexpectedly.
I hold a BA in Business Studies and have contributed to print, radio and television. My writing has also been read in Parliament in London.
I live in Surrey, UK, with my family and am a full-time wheelchair user. Outside of my work, I am a passionate para long-distance swimmer. I will be completing Ultraswim 33.3 over 4 days in mid-September