Listed: Unstoppable with Daisy Doardo

Solicitor Daisy Doardo had to deal with significant adversity throughout her childhood and adolescence, but her story is one of hope. From a teenager who dropped out of sixth form, she has managed to turn her life around in spectacular fashion. With the right support, therapy and determination, Daisy dared herself to dream and worked to make it real.  

Originally from Alderney, Daisy now lives in rural East Anglia with her husband. She graduated from Essex Law School with a first-class law degree and went on to study for her Solicitors Qualifying Exam. To fund this, she set up her own legal marketing business. 

Daisy is sharing her lived experiences in order to offer inspiration to others; essentially transforming into the role model that she so needed when she was a teen. 

Daisy is Listed.

 

 

My Early Years.

‘Unstoppable’ is not a word I would have used to describe myself when I was growing up. Quite the opposite. By my mid-teens, trauma had caught up with me and I felt stuck. You’ve heard of the ‘fight or flight’ threat response? Well, there is another response that emerges when you are unable to fight or take flight. Freeze. That’s where I found myself. 

As exams loomed, I started missing school. People asked what was wrong, but I didn’t yet have the words to explain.

 

Island Living.

Growing up in Alderney was unique. There was freedom in childhood - long days outdoors, swimming in the sea and being part of a close-knit community. Those experiences gave me values of care and connection that I carry with me today.

But Alderney also had its challenges. Isolation, limited opportunities and for many young people the daunting step of leaving home to continue education elsewhere. Like many Alderney kids, I had to move islands to attend sixth form. I was placed with a host family of strangers and expected to adapt. It wasn’t the first time I’d been in that position - I had spent time in foster care in my early years. Looking back, it’s no wonder the experience was so triggering.

While I enjoyed aspects of sixth form and made friends, underneath I was still struggling. I dropped out, tried again, and dropped out a second time. Feeling hopeless, I moved back to Alderney and signed on to benefits.

 

 

Building A Better Life.

At the time, it felt like the end of the road. But one certainty in life is that things always change. My time in Guernsey had shown me that things could be different. I held onto that hope.

At 18, I was hired by the local insurance office who supported me to study professional qualifications. That meant a lot - someone saw potential in me and I didn’t want to waste the opportunity. The structure and encouragement of colleagues gave me stability and confidence.

 

 

Moving On.

By my early twenties, life was better but I knew I was stagnating. So I worked two jobs, saved up, and booked a one-way ticket to Bali. After a stint of scuba-diving and travelling, I moved to England and later enrolled at Essex Law School. A few years later, I graduated with a first-class law degree with accolades. I funded my Solicitors Qualifying Exam by starting a legal marketing business and juggled paralegal work alongside until I qualified as a solicitor.

 

Thriving, not Surviving.

There was no one moment that I can look back on and identify as a turning point. My life changed gradually, through small steps, access to the right support, having people who believed in me (even when I didn’t) and a determination to keep going. I’ve learned that self-development isn’t about ‘fixing’ yourself – you are not broken to begin with!

It’s about understanding that you deserve more than survival and finding a way to keep moving forwards even when the past feels heavy. I don’t have it all figured out - far from it - but I’ve found a way of living that allows me to thrive.

 

 

What Life Looks Like Now.

Today, I live in the English countryside with my husband and our dog. I’m grateful for the people around me and the work I get to do as a serious injury solicitor - standing beside injured and bereaved people at the most difficult times of their lives. 

I never saw a role model like me growing up. Now, I try to be that person for others.

Because while we can’t control everything, we can make choices that shape our lives. Our past doesn’t define our future.