In a recent interview with Oliwood Entertainment, watched by nearly 2,000 viewers on an Instagram page followed by over 35,000 people, Charmaine Mangion shared a deeply personal story that shaped not only her life, but the creation of what is today a chain of childcare centres in Malta.

Ms Mangion, Founder and CEO of Magic Castle Waldorf Childcares, spoke candidly about discovering she was pregnant at 18, turning 19, while still studying – a moment she admits felt like everything had come to an abrupt halt.

“I discovered I was pregnant at 18, turning 19. At some point you think that your life now you put a full stop to it and I was still studying, but in reality she gave me tons of skills which I did not have.”

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What initially felt like an ending became the beginning of something far bigger.

“After I had her [her daughter] I was searching for a childcare centre and I realised that what I wanted wasn’t in the market. So then I started my own childcare centre and today I have a chain.”

Her journey into entrepreneurship was not born from a business plan, but from a personal need, conviction, and a desire to create something that reflected her values.

“It’s the freedom to create something that you don’t need to follow something which you don’t believe in, so having the freedom and the space to create your own thing really inspires me. The trick is to be consistent because one day you feel like you’re failing, but if you keep on pushing, you’ll make it through.”

The interview took on an even more touching dimension when her daughter was also asked to share what her mother had taught her: “Everything happens for a reason, so even though things come unexpected, it is there for a reason.”