"At 17 She Boarded a Plane Alone and Never Went Home Again"

Babes, how did you get here · Jun 23, 2026 · 57m · transcript

A 17 year old girl boards a plane from Botswana to Malaysia.

She doesn't know a single person. She's never been to Asia.

At the airport, she breaks down crying.

Two decades later, she's built businesses across three continents,

survived COVID lockdown separated from her partner,

raised a global child who sleeps in her bed,

and found home in a city she once visited on holiday.

Pearl left Botswana at 17 with a scholarship and a dream

to escape the shadow of eight older siblings.

In Malaysia, she discovered herself through modeling, events,

and the freedom to be loud, independent, and…