Our Young Professional for this week, 27 year old Ariana G. Forbes has overcome a difficult childhood to get where she is today – the owner of a fitness centre – where she gets to live her dream while helping people live healthier lives. Photo: Provided

Our Young Professional has a background in athletics. Photo: Provided

Our Young Professional Ariana G. Forbes seen defying gravity with her athletic and gymnastic abilities. Photo: Provided

High Flying! Our Young Professional demonstrating her physical abilities. Photo: Provided

Forbes said through her programmes with children she tries to show them rather then tell them that they can do anything they put their mind to. “When you give a child something really difficult to do physically or mentally and they are able to not only complete it but blow it out of the park, there is a confidence built that no one can take away. They start to apply that same hard work and determination to all things they do because in the back of their minds they remember that one time you gave them something difficult to do which they thought they couldn’t but they did it!” Photo: Provided

Forbes' goal is to help persons live healthier lives. Photo: Provided

Picture of strength. Our statuesque Young Professional. Photo: Provided

In telling us about her early childhood, Forbes said she was born and raised in Baltimore Maryland, USA with her twin brother. She said her father is from Sea Cows Bay, Tortola and her mother is from St Croix, US Virgin Islands.

“I literally had a hard knock life as I did not have the typical upbringing. At the age of fifteen I became a ward of the state but after six months of being in foster care I fell through the cracks of the system,” she told this news site.

She noted that while the foster care system portrays a safe and caring environment for underage children, “this was not my experience. Rather, it was a scary and lonely experience that resulted in me running away and I have been on my own ever since.”

Forbes said that although she did not have a typical upbringing, she did not let that hold her back. “Although I have had an unconventional upbringing I did not allow my situation to keep me stagnant. I attended school and this was my escape from the world I lived in. During my primary school tenure, physical education was my absolute favorite subject that I knew I would always love. I excelled at sports and realised that it was not just a hobby but an intricate part of my life,” she said.

Forbes then went on to join the track and field team in high school, where her main event was the short hurdles “and that afforded me the opportunity to earn an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Following my duration at University, I graduated with a 3.76 GPA in Criminal Justice.”

Our Young Professional said she has always believed that anything one can dream up is fully achievable as long as one works hard for it. “And that single premise has not only gotten me through tough times but ultimately gave me the courage to start my own fitness company. I have had many jobs in my life but I never felt that passion people convey when they have found their ‘dream job’. I can honestly say, through my work with Limitless, I now know what true passion feels like,” she said.

Forbes said she created her dream job based off of everything she has grown to love about her life. "I do concierge personal training. I come to you. And I offer classes at the Save the Seed Energy Centre and Afya Fitness Studio and I conduct weekend beach workouts," she said.

“Limitless Fitness allows me to interact with all walks of life, health and fitness: as these are important factors in every individual's life. Through these interactions I share a special bond with every woman, man and child that I have met and will meet. It is a very rewarding feeling to know I am adding value to the lives around me by doing what makes me happy,” she said.

Our Young Professional believes that the world of health and wellness is constantly changing, as there are always new fads and diets “so I am always learning and will continue to learn so that I can deliver the most up to date and effective information to all of my clients.”

When asked what her advice to young people was, our Young Professional said, “If I knew then what I know now I would tell the younger me to devote countless time into getting to know yourself, learn to love yourself and embrace what makes you unique.”

“I wish someone would have told me adding value to the world would exponentially add value to me; you must first give wholeheartedly to the world in order for the world to give back to you. This may not mean much to you right now but the moment you figure out how and what your special gift is and how you can positively impact the people around you and/or the community you live in that will be the moment your life will just come together and start to make sense,” said Forbes.

She said one of her biggest concerns is that some of the territory’s youth do not know their true worth; nor do they realise just how amazing they are. “They are not told by the older generation that there is no dream too large, they just do not believe in themselves. They think that your economic status dictates your future and they couldn’t be more wrong,” she said.

Forbes said through her programmes with children she tries to show them rather then tell them that they can do anything they put their mind to. “When you give a child something really difficult to do physically or mentally and they are able to not only complete it but blow it out of the park, there is a confidence built that no one can take away. They start to apply that same hard work and determination to all things they do because in the back of their minds they remember that one time you gave them something difficult to do which they thought they couldn’t but they did it!”

“Through that style of teaching I am able to talk to the kids one on one and in group settings about the different challenges they face in their everyday lives and we talk about the different solutions they have to apply to those challenges. The most important part of the programme, in my opinion, is that I make sure each child knows what a great job they are doing. I try to make them feel really good about themselves by reminding them of their progress and letting them know that if you stick with something you will accomplish it eventually- just don’t give up,” said Forbes.