"Bullying caused me seizure-like panic attacks - now I have a six-figure business"

A student has revealed how she overcame debilitating panic attacks caused by bullying and is now “living her best life” as a successful business owner.

Vicky Owens, 24, struggled to get through secondary school due to severe bullying.

Classmates would throw food at her, tell her to “kill herself” - and even poured yoghurt and ketchup over her in the school canteen.

The torment led to her suffering from severe panic disorder - causing her to black out.

Now, after being prescribed medication, she runs her own six-figure business, and wants to teach other kids how to overcome mental health issues.

Vicky, a social media strategist, from Manchester, said: “I was too scared to leave the house without passing out - now, I inspire kids in my position to go after what they want.

“My anxiety got to the point where I didn’t want to put my body through another panic attack.

“I thought, if I have one more panic attack, I’m going to die.

“I lost a lot of friends - who just didn’t understand what I was going through.

“Now, I’m in a really good place - I feel really confident.”

Despite being “teased” through the years, Vicky says her bullying really began in 2014, when she was in year 10.

She says she was very quiet as a child, and her school year was filled with big personalities.

Her classmates started bullying her “for the sake of it” - and Vicky suffered a two-year ordeal.

“I remember one time in the canteen,” she said.

“One kid threw a yoghurt pot over my head, which everyone found really funny.”

She finished school before the situation could be dealt with, and struggled to trust friends at college.

Despite being scouted as a model at 17, Vicky also struggled with low self-esteem.

She said: “I was very reluctant to make friends.

“I just assumed everyone had it out for me.

“I’d joke to friends that they wouldn’t be able to stand me after a while.

“The bullying just made me feel like I must be an insufferable person.”

While studying A-Level media and photography, Vicky was recruited for a modelling agency.

A talent agent spotted her while she was shopping in the Arndale Centre, Manchester.

She was told she’d need to try out for the agency alongside 100 other women.

But she had her first debilitating panic attack before she made it to her first shoot.

“I was so timid and terrified,” she said.

“It happened out of nowhere - while I was setting off for my first shoot in Manchester.

“The taxi pulled up outside my house, and I was just about to come down the stairs.

“All of a sudden, I blacked out.”

Vicky fell down the flight of stairs and hit her head on the ground - before swiftly regaining consciousness.

She put it down to nervousness, but the attacks became more frequent.

Before long, they were happening every time she needed to go to a big event.

“I’d even faint while doing my big shop,” she added.

“It’d happen every time I forced myself to go out.”

Worried she could be suffering from heart problems, she visited her GP in October 2020.

She was diagnosed with panic disorder after her doctor ran through her symptoms, and prescribed a daily dose of 50mg sertraline, an antidepressant.

Vicky says the medication gave her the strength to set up her own business.

She began cold-calling businesses, offering to run their social media accounts for a £100 fixed fee.

For the last three years, Vicky has become a social media strategist for brands like Netflix, Vogue, Shreddy and TikTok.

Her company earns six figures, and she runs a team of six employees.

She said: “We’ve built up a really good reputation as a business.

“I’ve done it all in spite of my school bullies and panic attacks.

“Some of my old bullies have even applied to work for me.

“I’ve gone back to speak at my old school, to hopefully inspire kids struggling with their mental health.”