Paul Calvert spoke with Jaz Ampaw-Farr, a past contestant on the TV show The Apprentice. She shared about her traumatic past and how she's overcome it to inspire others in life and in education.

Jaz: Because I am an idiot. No, I have this thing. My grandad fought in World War II and I grew up with my nan and grandad for some of the time. My grandad always used to say, "You volunteer if something needs to be done. You step forward, you don't step back."

So I have got this habit of saying yes first and working out the details after.

As I was watching The Apprentice, I was doing a spelling scheme for a school and I was watching TV. I was getting really armchair expert, "Oh I could do better than that, you guys aren't very good, and this is ridiculous."

Before I knew it I had applied and got on the show. I actually forgot to tell my husband. I had to come back from the auditions and say, "I am going to be away for two months, are you ok to look after the kids?"

I got on because I thought, well why not me? I have spent my whole life thinking "Why me, why me?" The world owes me a living, why me?" But that switched to, "Well why not me? Why shouldn't I do this? Why shouldn't I run for President?"

It might not work, but failure is how you learn. I am comfortable with things going wrong, and good job because I was home within a week of being on the show.

Paul: Did it inspire you and was it enjoyable being on the show?

Jaz: Enjoyable! It's a bit like being incarcerated, because they take it very seriously. You can't tell anyone you are going on. You're not allowed to go to the toilet on your own. You're not allowed a pen. Because writing for me is so important, I found it quite hard, but what I did enjoy is being with an eclectic group of people who I would never get to speak to, or know.

Of the people there they do pick people who are quite young. I think I am the eldest that has ever been on the show. They are so full of bolster and "I am going to be the next Alan Sugar," but underneath it all they're the same as us. They worry, they want to be happy, and they're scared.

I love these kind of social experiments where you live in a house and people have to form a community. So for the short time I was there it was very enjoyable, but I think I have enjoyed being fired and being out. One of my friends sent me an email when I got fired and said, "Congratulations you don't have to put up with it now for the next 12 weeks."

I have enjoyed after more than I enjoyed there, but I am glad of it. I feel like it's been a great experience.

Paul: You put yourself forward as project manager, what was your project?

Jaz: Yes I put myself forward as project manager, again because Alan Sugar said "We need a volunteer." I said "I'll do it."

We had to sell a lot of, I would call it tut and rubbish. My kids would call it precious souvenirs. It was like lucky Chinese cats, you know, the cats that you have in China Town, and mugs and cat litter, and toilet rolls. It was just odd random things.