
Thanks to her cover of Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together, then songs like What’s Love Got To Do With It or Better Be Good To Me, she was propelled to the top of the charts. In 1988, she entered the Guinness Book of Records when she sang in front of 185,000 people in a stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The 1990s were also filled with victories of the same kind.
She would also sing a song for the James Bond film Golden Eye. She continued to chain concerts, interviews and successes. In 2008, she started a new tour Tina: Live In Concert Tour. The same year, she released a Best of album. In July 2013, the tireless Tina Turner married her long-time companion Erwin Bach, sixteen years her junior.
She raised four children. Ike Jr and Michael who are Ike’s children. Craig, her son whom she had with Raymond Hill on October 27, 1960, who ended his life in 2018, she has a child with Ike whom she names Ronald. On December 9, 2022, the TMZ website reveals the death of Ronnie, he dies of cancer.
On May 24, 2023, Tina Turner dies at the age of 83, in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. Her agent reveals that she died of a long illness.
Despite the violence she suffered from her father and then her husband, Tina Turner followed her dream. She was an icon, a pioneer, the queen of rock & roll. She sold 180 million albums sold, and received numerous awards.
Through her audacity, she became the richest black American businesswoman of the twentieth century. Discover without further delay the biography of Oprah Winfrey, the woman who made the media world tremble so much in the United States.
Born Oprah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, a modest neighborhood in Mississippi, Oprah had a rather tumultuous childhood. During the first six years of her life, the American was raised by her grandmother, a pious and strict woman from Wisconsin. Despite a strict education, Oprah Winfrey quickly learned to read and continued a religious education. Following mistreatment, the young girl aged 7 returned to Mississippi to live with her mother, Vernita Lee, a servant who was often absent. From the age of 9, she was the victim of sexual abuse committed by members of her family: an uncle, a cousin and a family friend. The assaults would last until she was 14 and she would become pregnant by one of her tormentors. She would give birth to a little boy whom she would lose, when he was only a few weeks old. Following her secret pregnancy, her mother kicked her out of the house and was sent to live with her father, Vernon Winfrey, whom she barely knew.
After a troubled childhood, her father decided to give his daughter a fresh start. She showed unwavering courage and determination that helped her grow and climb the ladder. Her academic career was impeccable. In 1971, Oprah won a scholarship to the University of Tennessee, where she studied art and communications. During her senior year, the young American presented the news on the black radio station WVOL. That same year, she entered a beauty pageant: Miss Black America as Miss Black Tennessee. She was named Nashville’s Miss Fire Prevention and was offered a part-time job as a newsreader by the network. Little by little, Oprah accumulated similar contracts for radio and television in Nashville and Baltimore. Her career quickly took precedence over her studies.
In 1985, she moved to Chicago and took over hosting the talk show A.M. Chicago. Following her arrival, her ratings increased phenomenally. The following year, the show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. The machine was launched. In the 1980s, she found herself faced with a revolting situation. Just like Emma Watson, Oprah fought for equality between men and women. She could not stand it when a woman was paid less than a man. At the time, she dared to ask the boss of the channel for her colleagues to be paid better, otherwise she threatened to stop working. The young businesswoman finally won her case. It was then with strength and courage that Oprah Winfrey asserted her career as a host.
Throughout her career, she has been an inspiration to many people. Known for her generosity, boldness and unifying charisma, Oprah is a role model for all generations of women to come. Named by Forbes magazine as the 2nd richest woman, she is one of the most successful celebrities in the world. Involved in many fields such as politics, some fans admitted to seeing her one day as President of the United States following her speech at the Golden Globes in 2018. She nevertheless remains committed and optimistic about the emancipation of young girls as well as her fight for gender equality.


A few months later, while she was participating in a singing competition, she was spotted by producer Evan ROGERS. He was then amazed by her talent and offered to create a demo to send to record companies. That's when destiny took another turn. One day a certain JAY-Z, then president of DEF JAME RECORDING, asked to meet, she then auditioned and the same day signed a recording contract for 6 albums. Rihanna then goes on to have a string of successes and becomes an interplanetary star. She uses her fame for charitable purposes by creating the Clara Daniel Foundation in tribute to her grandparents who fight for access to education and children's health. She remains a person committed to women's rights and stereotypes.

Born on November 13, 2003 in Copenhagen, Denmark, young Victoria Kjær Theilvig has not had an easy life. In a spirit of openness, she revealed what she had been through. The young woman, who is very involved in mental health issues, knows what she’s talking about: “I have a difficult past,” she explains in the video released by Miss Universe. “I come from a very dysfunctional family plagued by drug addictions. I’ve suffered abuse and I’ve also survived rape.” It’s a powerful message, which she now wishes to use as a source of motivation for others: “With this part of my life, I’ve worked so much on myself,” she explains, before adding: “Don’t let your past define you or the person you want to become. You can turn your past into something positive”.
With a degree in communications and marketing, the 21-year-old has already set up her own business selling diamonds, a predestined activity for the woman who received the Miss Universe crown this weekend. She spoke of what the competition meant to her: “I’ve dreamed of Miss Universe since I was five years old,” she said. “I’ve always watched Miss Universe and other beauty contests,” recalls the 17-year-old, who applied for her country’s competition. “Today, I’m making that dream come true,” she smiled after her coronation.

In 2017, freshly graduated and ready to practice as a lawyer, she came up against several obstacles linked to her style of dress. Her bosses quickly ask her to dress more “conservatively” and no one takes her seriously: she finds herself serving coffee or performing simple administrative tasks. But Kathleen decides not to let this happen to her. In 2020, she opened her own law office, a place that was completely pink from floor to ceiling, including the outfits. Her goal: to create a space in her own image, made up entirely of women, particularly racialized women, who can be 100% themselves. Her commitment doesn't stop there, however, as she specializes in immigration. She is dedicated to helping people with administrative procedures such as obtaining a visa or applying for naturalization, and to defending the rights of refugees. The lawyer regularly leads free legal actions to support the most precarious. Now she wants to inspire others. She shares her daily life with her 2 million subscribers on Tik Tok, where she doesn't hesitate to show off her family life, give legal tips, raise awareness of certain causes and encourage young women to follow her example.

He studied in four different high schools before becoming interested in music and acting.
Quickly, Keanu began to appear in advertising and small roles on television and in cinema.
In 1986, he landed his first role in the film "YoungBlood". But despite the success of his career. Keanu experienced several personal tragedies. In 1999, his girlfriend Jennifer Sème gave birth to their daughter Ava ARCHER, who unfortunately died shortly after, Jennifer was also taken away a few years later in a car accident. Despite these traumas, Keanu became known for his talent, but also for his generosity and humility. He is said to have donated $31 million to cancer research and children in difficulty. Keanu is also known for being a passionate actor, eager to perfect his roles and work hard to give the best of himself.

Adele was born on May 5, 1988 in Tottenham, England.
Her father, an alcoholic, left the family home.
She then found herself alone with her mother, with whom she began to sing.
At the age of 16, she wrote her first song, "Hometown Glory", a declaration of love to London, her hometown. Thanks to her talent, she quickly acquired national fame. But it was the adventures of her personal life that would fuel her art. Often the victim of mockery and criticism related to her physique, Adele uses music to convey messages of self-acceptance and self-love, showing that she is not defined by the standards of beauty imposed by society. Recently, she returned to the forefront with her album "Thirty", whose songs are inspired by her journey, and she appears transformed. Despite her immense success with songs like "Someone like you" or "Skyfall", Adele has remained true to herself and her humble roots. She even explains that she is afraid of fame, finding it toxic. Today, she continues to inspire generations of fans around the world, proving that passion, talent and determination can transform an ordinary life into an extraordinary story.

Michelle Obama was born on January 17, 1964, in the south of Chicago in a neighborhood that brought together rather modest families. Even though her parents worked a lot, they found time to take care of her and her brother Craig. Michelle Obama recognizes this in the first part of Becoming: her determination and her desire to surpass herself, to go where she was not expected, come from her education. Already, her grandfather was a brilliant man who could have made an excellent teacher. He hoped to find an opportunity by leaving South Carolina for Chicago. He failed, in particular because of the social determinisms that prevented him from finding sufficient material resources to study. Michelle Obama's older brother first made their grandfather's dream come true by attending Princeton University. Despite the reluctance of her guidance counselor, Michelle Obama was the one who managed to join him. She studied sociology, specializing in African-American studies. At the same time, Michelle Obama joined the prestigious Harvard University in 1988 before joining a law firm where she met Barack Obama, who was an intern at the time.
Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States between 2008 and 2017.
Brilliant, studious and pugnacious: Michelle Obama managed to realize her professional projects so quickly that she didn't have time to think about what she really wanted to do. Especially since the birth of Malia in 1998 and then Natasha in 2001 didn't allow her to have more time for herself. From 2004, Michelle Obama's life changed when she agreed to accompany her husband in the presidential campaign that would lead to his election in 2008 and then in 2012. During these two terms, Michelle Obama led several projects as First Lady. The projects mainly concerned youth: the fight against obesity, helping to educate young girls around the world and creating a campaign to encourage students to pursue long studies.

Riffat Arif, better known as Sister Zeph, is 40 years old and a Christian. She left school at the age of 13, in 1997, because “no one could answer my questions”, she explained during a meeting with Rose Busingye at the Rimini meeting. During the meeting, she declared: “I've never been so happy, I cried during the whole mass, because here I feel like family, my family in Christ”. Her family comes from humble beginnings - her mother, father and three sisters - and were lucky enough to “receive a primary education”. This is something that cannot be taken for granted in Pakistan, where “26.2 million people do not go to school and only 22% of women are emancipated”.
At just 13 years of age, Sister Zeph founded a school in the courtyard of her home in Gujranwala, in the Pakistani Punjab, to help children from families unable to pay school fees.
Sister Zeph devoted herself entirely to her school, constantly dividing her time between work, teaching and self-taught studies, earning two master's degrees in political science and history.
Her efforts paid off: after 26 years, the school underwent a change, housing and offering free education to over 200 underprivileged children in a brand-new building. Many of his students, from modest and difficult backgrounds, have had the opportunity to work for his foundation for education and empowerment, while others have gone on to very successful professional careers.
But her commitment doesn't stop at the world of teaching: Sister Zeph also runs self-defense courses for girls, having herself been the victim of aggression and violence. And then, in addition to offering financial assistance to families in difficulty, she runs a vocational center that helps women develop skills in ICT (Information and Communication Technology), textiles and English.
Her dedication to education and empowerment has literally saved countless lives and earned her numerous awards, recognizing her as a true agent of change and advocate for women's rights and children's education worldwide.
With funding from the Global Teacher Prize, Sister Zeph plans to build a school on 10 acres where children from the country's poorest families can be educated without discrimination. She would also like to create a shelter for orphans, where food would be grown on the property and teachers from all over the world would be invited to do their work.
“As a child, I possessed a deep sensitivity. During my formative years, a decisive incident definitively changed the course of my life. It was the day I decided to drop out of school in the middle of seventh grade. What made it unique? Well, I swore I'd never go back, deeply scarred by a humiliating experience. That day, I gave an impromptu speech to my classmates, playing the role of a teacher by standing on the teacher's chair. When our teacher entered the classroom, she became angry and inflicted a severe punishment on me in front of my classmates. She hurled insults at me and the other girls joined her in ridiculing me. I was overwhelmed with tears, mentally and emotionally wounded. I thought this was the wrong way to educate a child who was just a child.
At that moment, I took everyone by surprise by quitting school immediately, abruptly extinguishing all my dreams. Despite my parents' attempts to enroll me in other schools, I remained determined, refusing to give in. Nevertheless, my quest for knowledge never wavered. I embarked on a course of independent, tuition-free study. At the same time, I made it my mission to educate other girls, but with the respect, love and care that had been denied me at my old school. I volunteered to host girls in my home, started making home visits in my village and created brochures to distribute. I proclaimed that education under my direction would be free.
To take things a step further, I ventured into neighboring villages to persuade parents to send their daughters to my school. I promised to teach them English for free. Every Sunday, I accompanied my mother on her visits to the families, although she was initially greeted with skepticism.
My efforts seemed comical to those around me. No one trusted a thirteen-year-old and no one wanted to join my school. Nevertheless, I persevered relentlessly, because I didn't want any child to go through what I had endured. I decided never to resort to physical discipline in my school and to make education an attractive and enjoyable experience for children.”

In 2000, working alongside Christian Lacroix, she staged her first fashion show. Thanks to the success of her collection, Lucie repeated the experience in 2002 at the Palais des Congrès in Lyon, inviting twelve actors from Paris to appear on stage. Among them were Jean-Marie Bigard, Franck Dubosc, Philippe Lelièvre and Omar Sy. A year later, the designer caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival with her new show at the VIP ROOM. Beginning to make a name for herself internationally, in 2013 she staged her first fashion show in the United States.
More than a renowned designer, Lucie is also a committed woman. After the release of her autobiography Plus forte que la maladie (2010), she decided to create her own association Roule Toujours in 2012, to help her travel the United States in her wheelchair. Given the success of her project, she decided to continue her adventure in the four corners of the world, including Japan and Brazil. The fashion designer is also an ambassador for the Rêves association.
In 2023, the French President entrusted her with a government mission on disability.
Alongside her association, Lucie Carrasco makes several documentaries based on her various travels. These include Lucie à la conquête de l’Ouest américain (2016), Lucie, mission Brésil (2019) and Lucie en Californie (2023). In 2024, she and her sidekick Jérémy Michalak set off to conquer Australia.
In her private life, Lucie is married to cartoonist Jean Datry.
Excerpt from her book PLUS FORTE QUE LA MALADIE
“Most people don’t remember when they were born. But I do. Because I was born twice. When I was eight months old, the doctors told my parents that I had a genetic disease, a progressive illness. I was suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, my death was programmed, I wouldn’t live past the age of three... And then I turned five. Then seven. Then ten. I wasn’t determined to die. It has to be said that I’ve never been a fan of the well-trodden path. It’s been a long, difficult road, with obstacles and suffering... But above all there has been joy, love and laughter. Today I’m twenty-nine years old, and from all those years of not being able to look ahead, I’ve retained the urgency to live in the here and now and see my projects through to the end. And from all the obstacles and clichés that have been thrown in my way when I’ve had the nerve to refuse to fit into the box that society has planned for me, I’ve kept the rage to show who I am: my name is Lucie Carrasco, I’m a fashion designer, I’m madly in love with the man I live with, I have a fantastic family and friends, and I’m passionate about life.”

Rowling grew up in a modest family, with an engineer father and a technician mother. From an early age, she developed a passion for reading and began writing stories. She went on to study French literature and classical languages at Exeter University.
After graduating, Rowling worked for Amnesty International in London, then as an English teacher in Portugal. It was during this period that she began to develop the story of Harry Potter, a young orphan wizard who discovers his magical heritage.
In 1993, after her divorce and her return to England with her daughter, Rowling went through a difficult period, marked by poverty and depression. It was during this period that she completed the manuscript for “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone”. The novel was initially rejected by several publishers, before finally being accepted by Bloomsbury in 1996.
The first volume of the series was published in 1997 and was an immediate success. The other six volumes, published between 1998 and 2007, were just as popular, making J.K. Rowling one of the best-selling authors in history. The Harry Potter series was also adapted into films, which met with worldwide success.
In addition to the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling also writes novels for adults. In 2012, she published “A Place to Take”, which depicts life in a small English village and tackles themes such as social class, politics and hypocrisy. Later, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, she wrote a series of crime novels featuring private detective Cormoran Strike, the first volume of which, “The Cuckoo's Calling”, was published in 2013.
J.K. Rowling is also involved in various charities. She created the Volant Foundation, which supports projects linked to the fight against poverty, education and health, and co-founded Lumos, an organization aiming to put an end to the institutionalization of children.
Today, J.K. Rowling is a key figure in literature and popular culture. Her work has marked generations of readers, and her journey from poverty to worldwide success is a source of inspiration for many aspiring writers.
In a village 10 hours’ drive from Bombay, people live solely off the land, where poverty is endemic. It was in one of these villages that India’s most incredible social ascent began. It was here that Kapsna Saroj was born, and today heads a real estate empire worth over 300 million euros. Her father was a police officer and her family owned no land. Kalpana was born in 1961 into a community that has always been marginalized: the Untouchables. Untouchables are at the bottom of India’s social hierarchy. Despised as impure, they are confined to the most menial tasks. Married at the age of twelve, she went to live in a slum. Her father granted her a divorce, while she suffered violence at the hands of her in-laws. But her return to the village was a real ordeal. So, at the age of 16, Kalpana decided to leave for Bombay with only a few savings and her talent as a seamstress. Working in a garment factory, she patiently saved up a small fortune. She used it to buy a metal factory and invest in real estate. Her first masterstroke was the purchase of a plot of land to the north of the city. She resold it at a premium, taking advantage of soaring prices. Kalpana, whose audacity and courage have overcome prejudice and exclusion. Today, she is the head of a powerful real estate and building materials group.
Kalpana is against showy luxury, which she finds indecent compared to what she has experienced. In fact, she still does a great deal of work for her community and the most disadvantaged populations.

Born into a Christian family, he spent his childhood with his brother Doug (1966) and sister Julie (1969) in Springfield, where he was an altar boy in a Baptist church. He attended Kickapoo High School.
He initially intended to study architecture and design, but did not complete his studies. He eventually opted to study journalism and advertising at the University of Missouri-Columbia, but once again dropped out before graduation. Soon, however, he decided to leave his hometown and try his luck in Hollywood.
A difficult start
With $300 in his pocket, he flew to Los Angeles in the hope of pursuing an acting career. He took on a series of odd jobs as a delivery driver and even as a waiter disguised as a chicken. As luck would have it, an agent spotted him and cast him in a commercial for Levis jeans. He slowly began to establish himself in the business, landing small roles in series such as 21 Jump Street and Dallas.
In 1987, he had a small role in the film Sens unique, but still had the satisfaction of filming with Kevin Costner. After an attempt to shoot in Yugoslavia - aborted because of the civil war - he landed a role in the horror film Cutting Glass.
Revelation and international breakthrough
Brad Pitt’s career took off in 1991 with a small role in Thelma and Louise. Brad Pitt only appeared on screen for a few minutes, but instantly became the fantasy of millions of women (and men). In 1992, actor-director Robert Redford offered him a role in his film A River Runs Through It. The following year, in 1993, young Brad took risks, playing a serial killer in the film Kalifornia and a junkie in the cult thriller True Romance. He followed this up with a number of successful films, establishing himself as the seducer made in the USA. He appeared several times alongside young actresses such as Juliette Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow.
In 1994, he played the title character in Interview with the Vampire, alongside a 5-star cast including Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst and Christian Slater. The success was immediate, especially on the other side of the Atlantic. It was the start of a huge international success story for the young actor!
But why stop there? Spurred on by his increasingly successful experiments, he teamed up with Morgan Freeman in the film Seven (1995), now considered one of the best films of the 1990s.
There’s no stopping America’s new playboy! In 1995, he co-starred with Bruce Willis in The Army of the Twelve Monkeys, in 1996 in Sleepers alongside Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Bacon, and in 1997 in Close Enemies, where he co-starred with Harrison Ford.
In 1998, he was banned from entering China because of his role in Seven Years in Tibet.
A breakthrough
In 1999, he confirmed his status as a Hollywood star by playing one of the two leads in Fight Club. To play Tyler Durden, he took boxing, taekwondo and grappling classes. He even made an appointment with a dentist to have bits of his teeth removed to fit his character. The film was controversial at the time of its release, but quickly gained a cult following. At the age of 36, Brad Pitt became one of the highest-paid actors in the world, earning almost $20 million per film.
The following year, he remained in the world of boxing, starring in the film Snatch with Jason Statham. In 2001, he reunited with Robert Redford in Spy Game, before landing a role in Ocean’s Eleven alongside George Clooney, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García and Julia Roberts.
In 2004, he starred in the peplum Troy as the great warrior Achilles. The following year, he starred in Mr & Mrs Smith with Angelina Jolie.
This was followed by the two sequels to Ocean’s Eleven and other successful productions such as Babel (2006), Burn After Reading (2008) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. In 2009, he starred in Inglorious Basterds, opposite Diane Kruger.
In 2011, his role in The Strategist earned him another Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Film. Two years later, he ventured into a new register: the post-apocalyptic. His gamble paid off, as World War Z became his biggest box-office success.
In 2013, he produced and starred in Twelve Years a Slave alongside Michael Fassbender. This was followed by Ridley Scott’s Cartel, Fury (2014), Vue sur mer (2015) and Allies (2016).
The year 2018, saw him make a cameo in the 2nd opus of Deadpool, carried by Ryan Reynolds, while the following year, he faced Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. The same year, he starred in the space film Ad Astra with Tommy Lee-Jones and Donald Sutherland.

His meeting with Philippe Croizon, also a four-limb amputee and record-breaking athlete who had just successfully swum the English Channel, prompted him to take up swimming4. Initially, he had a phobia of water, but swimming helped him to overcome his handicap5.
At thirteen, he joined the Pôle France handisport swimming center in Vichy and took part in his first French championships6. Competing in the S category, he quickly became one of France’s great hopes in handisport swimming. His international career began in 2015 with the French team at the 2015 World Handisport Swimming Championships in Glasgow, UK. He distinguished himself with his first international podium with a silver medal in the 200 m freestyle at the 2016 European Handisport Swimming Championships in Funchal, Portugal.
At the 2016 French Championships in Montpellier, he improved his record by four seconds in the 200 m freestyle to 2 min 44 s 7910, qualifying for his first Paralympic Games at just 16 years of age. Benjamin of the French team at the Rio Paralympics, he finished just off the podium in the 200 m freestyle.
From April 2018, he is part of the Athletes’ Commission, a body of eighteen athletes chaired by Martin Fourcade, which will work on the concrete preparations for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
In 2020, he took part in his first triathlon on a bike specially prepared in Lorraine, finishing the Ironman 70.3 in Les Sables-d’Olonne in 6 h 53 min15.
After the Tokyo Paralympic Games were postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and changes in disability classification in his category, he stopped his Paralympic training to devote himself to another challenge: swimming across Lake Titicaca. The Paralympic athlete invited former swimmer Malia Metella and environmental activist Matthieu Witvoet to join him on this adventure. Together, they prepared for the 122 km swim in ten-degree Celsius water with a survival course in Tignes, followed by an altitude course in Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via. In November 2021, the trio successfully swam across Lake Titicaca in 11 days from Bolivia to Peru.


A passionate and committed woman in her professional and private life, she is the living demonstration that "Everything is possible, including with a disability!".
She was named one of the 40 inspiring women 2020 by Forbes, one of the 109 Mariannes in March 21 and one of the top Voice Linkedin in 2020 and 2022.
Virginie Delalande is a French personality born on August 18, 1980. She was born profoundly deaf and never heard the sound of her voice. She was told that she would never speak, that she would not be able to follow school or pass her baccalaureate, or get any diplomas. Yet, this very special voice is now going around the world and forcefully demonstrating that it is possible to build the life you want, even with obstacles that seem insurmountable.
Virginie's parents discovered her deafness when she was nine months old, when a tractor lost its harrow on the road in a terrible crash, without the baby flinching. When she was diagnosed, the doctors already condemned the fate of this little girl by telling her devastated parents that she would never hear or speak. Fortunately, her parents refused to accept this fate and decided that she would succeed despite everything.
Throughout her childhood and adolescence (in reality, 20 years in total), Virginie underwent thousands of hours of speech therapy to learn to speak at a rate of three sessions per week. To communicate with others, Virginie also learned to read lips. She has also spoken French sign language since she was 18.
For 5 years, from CM1 to 4th grade inclusive, Virginie benefits from coders in Langue Française Parlée Complétée (LfPC) who come to code what her teachers say. No effort to follow in class, a real joy. And she has at her side, among her classmates, another deaf person. Then from the third grade, she returns to the traditional system to prepare to study in a less "welcoming" context.
At 18, Virginie has a cochlear implant fitted which is supposed to give her a little hearing and allow her to discover the telephone. Unfortunately, the implant is poorly positioned and does not give the expected results at all. She even has terrible migraines every day and decides, after 4 years of various adjustments to try to find a solution, to no longer wear it. This ear is therefore out of order and Virginie only has one ear fitted, with a device which, failing to allow her to understand or recognize a noise, allows her to perceive the sound environment in which she is. Indeed, without the device, the only noise she hears is that of a plane taking off. With it, she can discern whether there is noise around her or not and decide to speak louder if necessary.
After obtaining her scientific baccalaureate, Virginie entered law school at the Panthéon-Assas University in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris5. Although she informed them of her deafness, no professor agreed to give her their oral courses in paper form and she had to find well-written courses on her own. Fortunately, she found extraordinary classmates who helped her6. She nevertheless succeeded in her studies year after year, passed the entrance exam to the bar school with success and became a lawyer but decided not to plead in court for fear of not understanding and doing her client a disservice. She then chose the path of counseling rather than litigation5 and then became a lawyer in an insurance company.
In 2017, the director Laëtitia Moreau made a documentary about Virginie Delalande, called L'éloquence des sourds. For about fifty minutes, Virginie's life is retraced from her childhood to her law degree and then her professional life in business. Virginie addresses frankly the difficulties encountered during her life but also the prejudices that she and deaf people encounter.
In January 2019, Virginie started her own business as a coach. She supports anyone who wants to break down their glass ceilings, to dare to dream big and allow themselves to reach for the stars. The majority of her clientele is made up of entrepreneurs and employees in companies who want to progress to a position that suits them.
In 2019, she participated in the Grand Oral, presented by Laurent Ruquier on France 2. This show consists of putting twelve candidates with very different profiles (age, origins, professions, etc.) in competition in an eloquence competition. She reached the final but was beaten by Bill François.
In July 2020, she was selected among the 40 inspiring women in France according to Forbes and in November, among the 25 Linkedin Top Voices 2020 France.
She also released her book Abandonner? Jamais!, which is an autobiographical story peppered with keys to personal development. Virginie shares her own journey in complete transparency to allow any reader to access the behind the scenes of the woman she has become today and demonstrate that we can all achieve it.
Since May 2022, she has hosted a television show "B-inspired" on the BSmart channel. A talk show in which she invites inspiring personalities, twice a month.
In July 2022, she made the cover of Forbes magazine in France.

Sarah Breedlove was born on December 23, 1867, in Delta, a village in Madison Parish. Her parents, Owen and Minerva Anderson, were former slaves working in the cotton fields.2 Sarah had an older sister, Louvenia, and four brothers, Alexander, James, Solomon, and Owen Jr.; she was the first child in the family born after the Emancipation Proclamation. She was 7 years old when her mother died, and 10 years old when her father died. [Questionable information] Orphaned, she began working as a domestic in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with her older sister and her older sister’s husband, Jesse Powell.
At the age of 14, she married a laborer, Moses McWilliams, and gave birth to a daughter, Lelia, at the age of 16. Four years later, her husband died and she was left to support her household alone. She then moved up the Mississippi and settled in St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1888, Sarah was reunited in St. Louis with three of her brothers, Alexander, James, and Solomon. She attended night school and found work as a laundress. She was determined to earn enough money to provide her daughter with a proper education.
As was common among black women of her time, Sarah suffered from severe dandruff and other scalp conditions, including baldness, due to skin disorders and the harsh chemicals used to clean hair and wash clothes. Other contributing factors were poor diet, illness, and infrequent bathing and washing at a time when most American homes lacked indoor plumbing, central heating, and electricity. Sarah wanted to remedy this problem.
Sarah initially learned hair care from her brothers, who were barbers in St. Louis. At the time of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, she became a commission agent selling products for Annie Malone, an African-American hair care entrepreneur who owned the Poro Company. Sales at the fair were a disappointment, as the African-American community had been largely ignored. While working for Malone, who would later become her greatest rival in the hair care industry, Sarah developed her newfound knowledge of the subject, creating and improving her own line of products. In July 1905, at the age of 37, Sarah and her daughter moved to Denver, Colorado, where she continued to sell products for Malone and to develop her own hair care business. A controversy developed between Annie Malone and Sarah, with Malone accusing Sarah of stealing his formula, a mixture of petroleum jelly and sulfur that had been used for a century.
After marrying Charles Walker in 1906, Sarah was known as Madam C. J. Walker. She billed herself as an independent hairdresser and cosmetic cream saleswoman. “Madam“ was adopted in reference to pioneering women in the French beauty industry. Her husband, who was also her business partner, provided advice on advertising and promotion. Sarah sold her products door to door, teaching other black women how to use them. In 1908, the couple moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they opened a beauty salon and established Lelia College to train “hairdressers.“ Lelia ran the day-to-day operations. As an advocate for economic independence for black women, Sarah opened training programs in the “Walker System“ for her nationwide network of licensed sales agents, who earned a handsome commission.
In 1910, Sarah moved her businesses to Indianapolis, where she established the headquarters of the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company. She first purchased a house and factory at 640 North West Street, then built a factory, a hair salon, a beauty school to train her salespeople, and a laboratory to help with research. She created a team that included Freeman Ransom, Robert Lee Brokenburr, Alice Kelly, and Marjorie Joyner, among others, to help run the growing business. Many of her employees, including those in key management and personnel positions, were women.
In addition to her business activities, C. J. Walker was involved in the defense of women’s and African-American rights. She helped fund several organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), for which she provided $5,000 in funding for an anti-lynching campaign. In 1918, she was elected vice president of the National Equal Rights League, founded by William Monroe Trotter. She is a symbolic figure of Afro-feminism.
In addition to her business activity, C. J. Walker is involved in defending the rights of women and African-Americans. In particular, she participated in the financing of several associations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), for which she financed a campaign against lynching with $5,000. In 1918, she was elected vice-president of the National Equal Rights League, founded by William Monroe Trotter. She is a symbolic figure of Afro-feminism.
Madam C. J. Walker is inscribed in the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
The African-American artist Faith Ringgold paid tribute to her in her quilt painting The Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles: The French Collection Part I, #4, 1991.
A stamp bearing her image was issued in 1998 by the United States Postal Service (USPS). It is part of a series dedicated to the history of African-Americans.
In 2020, a series produced by Netflix is dedicated to him under the title Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madam C. J. Walker

In Une vie à inventer, Priscille Deborah retraces the path she has taken since her suicide attempt. Her experience and reflections are addressed to all those who have experienced a “loss” they thought irreparable. For, thanks to this terrible ordeal, Priscille Deborah has decided to make her dreams come true: she has become a painter, and her work is recognized; she has discovered swimming, and practices several other sports almost independently, such as diving, skiing and horse-riding. She has also rebuilt her life, forming a close-knit family with her new husband, the daughter they had together and her eldest daughter.
The woman who decided to become France’s first bionic woman, and who will do so in 2020, is living proof that you should never despair, and that there’s always time to achieve your dreams... and your life.
Priscille Deborah, painter and France’s first bionic woman, lives near Albi in the Tarn region.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)


