Lioness

Raised between Australian and Lebanese heritage, Silvana Ghoussain recounts how she chased her ambitions even when the risks were high. She pushed into fields where few women had gone before, and she writes about what that choice cost her.

Her path led through competitive bodybuilding, running a business on Sydney's King Street in Newtown, and coaching boxing at a time when few women took up the sport. Along the way she faced a controlling father, dangerous partners, and health problems that threatened to stop her. The memoir follows how she found her strength and her voice, and how she moved from being held back to leading her own story.

Ghoussain is a mother, bodybuilder and entrepreneur who has travelled widely. She now lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland with her family. Lioness is her first book.