**Introduce yourself. How did you get started? What's your story?**

My name is Ruby Dhal and I am a bestselling author, content creator, and performer. I write and create content about love, heartbreak, moving on, letting go, healing, mental health, and more to a readership of over half a million. I have published five books of poetry, prose and self-help. I am currently working on my sixth book, which is my very first self-help book.

I immigrated to the UK with my parents and older brother when I was three years old. Within a year, I lost my mother. Growing up, my dad tried his best to take care of my brother and I, but I always felt alienated from the rest of the world because of my experiences. I turned to books as a form of escapism and soon found a love for reading and writing. Ever since I was a little girl, all I have wanted to do was to write stories for people to read.

Presently, I share raw and honest words online - often reflective of my personal experiences - to readers all around the world, with the hope that those words will help people on their healing journey. I also create easy-to-digest YouTube videos on similar topics, as well as a monthly blog and newsletter where I dive deeper with my readers to really tackle the difficult decisions in their lives.

My journey started when I decided to create an Instagram page to heal from a few hurtful experiences that I was going through. I had already made up my mind that I wanted to work on the first draft of my novel while I took a break from further education. This journey took a de-tour when my followers increased momentously. More and more readers began to tell me how much they resonated with my words and how they no longer felt alone in their own healing journeys. This led to me growing my Instagram page and, as a result, building my dream further.

I published my first book in 2017, where I sold a generous 350 copies in the first month. This was significant for me. As someone who had always wanted to be a novelist, I had the knowledge that an average novel sells just over 900 copies in its lifetime. For me, to have sold 350 copies of my first poetry book in one month alone was a huge achievement.

This was six years ago, and, since then, I have made it my purpose to create content – whether it’s through books, storytelling, or videos such as YouTube and TikTok - all with the goal of making a difference in the world. From growing my social media presence to over 500,000 (with no marketing support or outsourcing) to self-publishing and selling 30,000 copies of my book in a single year, I have managed to surpass every hurdle that I’ve faced.

Over the last six years, I have created a safe space in the form of an online community, where, if my readers feel alone, they can turn to this space and find the support and comfort that they need. Although my Instagram page was created out of my personal desire to heal and cope with my experiences, this page became so much more. It became a platform through which others can heal together and cope better with their experiences.

Through content creation, books, and sharing my writing online, I want to deliver relatable, easy-to-digest self-help content on heavy topics to my readers. The purpose of this is to reach people who are undergoing difficult experiences but don’t find the typical, rigorous self-help or self-improvement books to be useful.

My books are written to be in that comfortable space, one in which the answers to the questions readers have can be easily found and comprehended; where they don’t need to work too hard to figure out what my writing is trying to say.

Who inspires you?

My family is my biggest inspiration. My dad has gone through so much in his life, but he still gets up each morning, ready to face the day. I really look up to him because of his strength and his ability to deal with the most difficult of challenges. When he was going through Hell, he chose to keep going for the sake of myself and my brother. I hope to be as strong as him one day.

My brother also inspires me tremendously because of how selfless and giving he is. He has always looked out for me and supported my dreams; making innumerable sacrifices in the process. I hope that I’m able to love my own children just as unconditionally one day.

Professionally, I think that anyone who has come from a place similar to mine – a working class background, with minimal opportunities and a plethora of obstacles in the way of their dreams – is an inspiration to me.

**What has been the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome?**

Simultaneously, experiencing the worst kind of heartbreak, having family difficulties, and trying to take the first step towards my dreams. When I took the first step of my professional journey, back in January 2016, I was in the darkest place of my life. Especially going through everything that I was -both personally and professionally - the thought of leaving a secure career and diving into creative work was extremely hard.
Taking the first step towards a dream that society usually deems ‘unrealistic’ is already hard. Couple that with a broken heart, emotional trauma, and a broken family life, and you have the recipe for a perfect disaster. I genuinely don’t know how I got through that year. I was not in the right state of mind, and, looking back, I should have sought professional help.
For some reason, the one thing remained consistent was that I wrote every single day. I kept writing, sharing it online, and kept going. Somehow, that written form of expression managed to heal me.

If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive, who would it be?

I would love to have dinner with Malala Yousafzi. As the youngest Nobel Prize Peace Laurette (and deservingly so), Malala has inspired millions of women around the world with her integrity, strength, and willpower. I would love to have dinner with such an exceptional young lady who made such a tremendous impact on the world with her actions. I would love to know how her mind works, what her favorite books and songs are, what she enjoys watching on Netflix and what she does in her free time. For me, getting to know the ‘’Malala within” would be incredible.