{"id":1948,"date":"2025-04-30T13:06:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T12:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/?p=1948"},"modified":"2026-09-03T09:39:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:39:03","slug":"fired-up-and-ready-to-go-apprentice-mia-collins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/fired-up-and-ready-to-go-apprentice-mia-collins\/","title":{"rendered":"Fired up and ready to go – Apprentice Mia Collins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mia Collins candidate on BBC’s The Apprentice 2025<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC The Apprentice candidate Mia Collins thrives on a challenge. Discipline and structure are core to her mindset. Constantly looking to develop herself, she uses feedback as a springboard to learn and bounce back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon after completing her Business Management degree at UWE Bristol, she launched a meal preparation company (making up to 700 meals every Sunday) whilst also working in Cyber Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that wasn\u2019t enough for Mia, who now competes in amateur bodybuilding having taken gold in her first show of the season. Her focus and drive has seen her realise many ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhat keeps me going? The constant challenge to be better than yesterday\u201d says Mia.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Despite not getting to the final in the series, Mia says she feels like she\u2019s won because she\u2019s learnt so much. We spoke to her about her background, her Grandma, and saying yes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mia on her graduation day in 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With your bodybuilding background and entrepreneurial flair, you must be very driven. What gives you that push to work hard and succeed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, it comes down to self-discipline and proving to myself what I\u2019m capable of. Bodybuilding and business both require consistency – there\u2019s no instant gratification, but you see results when you put the work in every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI know that the more effort I put in, the bigger the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How has your background influenced you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I spent a huge part of my life growing up with my Grandma. She was a real powerhouse and had a big influence on me. Losing her felt like losing my right arm; she was everything to me.\u00a0I use her loss to propel myself forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf I continue to work hard and keep pushing, it helps me to manage my grief as I know I am making her proud.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

My family are in the construction industry, my grandma and grandad set up our family business which my Dad now runs, they are entrepreneurs. They taught me that taking risks can pay off and hard work is always worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A proud Mia outside The Bristol Business School in 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You recently returned to UWE Bristol to work with students. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because I know what it\u2019s like to be a student who\u2019s ambitious but unsure of their next move. When I was a student, I had big ideas but didn\u2019t always know the best way to execute them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI want to help students bridge the gap between education and real-world experience – whether that\u2019s through career advice, starting a side hustle, or building confidence in their own abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>Women Entrepreneurs talk at UWE Bristol for International Women’s Day – Mia Collins, Emmie Runciman, Krystina Pearson-Rampeearee and Lisa Strutt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cSometimes, you just need to hear from someone who\u2019s been in your shoes and taken the leap.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Finally, from your experience on The Apprentice, what one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to progress?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPut yourself in uncomfortable situations. Growth never happens when you play it safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

On The Apprentice, you\u2019re constantly thrown into tasks that you\u2019ve never done before, under extreme pressure. It forces you to think fast, adapt, and back yourself. And that\u2019s exactly what entrepreneurship is like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSay yes to things before you feel ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s applying for a job you think is out of reach, starting a business, or putting yourself forward in a room full of people – just go for it. You\u2019ll figure it out as you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mia Collins on LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n


UWE Bristol alumni \u2013 quick links<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

UWE Bristol Alumni homepage<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign up for offers and fundraising and update your details<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join Alumni Connect online mentoring network<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore Alumni benefits and discounts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support UWE Bristol Fund<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mia Collins candidate on BBC’s The Apprentice 2025 BBC The Apprentice candidate Mia Collins thrives on a challenge. Discipline and structure are core to her mindset. Constantly looking to develop herself, she uses feedback as a springboard to learn and bounce back. Soon after completing her Business Management degree at UWE Bristol, she launched a … Continue reading “Fired up and ready to go – Apprentice Mia Collins”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":1949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,1],"tags":[13,52,25,53,23,51,50,54],"class_list":["post-1948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-profile","category-uncategorised","tag-alumni","tag-bbc","tag-business","tag-entrepreneur","tag-international-womens-day","tag-mia-collins","tag-the-apprentice","tag-uwe-bristol"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1948"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1961,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948\/revisions\/1961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}