By, Nur Amalia Rosshaimi
A lively voice that wakes your spirit up as you turn on the radio and begin your day, a bright presence that accompanies you throughout your long journey to work.
Through the eyes of the people, she was the girl who had everything. A beauty with brains, a happy family and wondrous achievements in her career but behind the flashing cameras and enviable eyes of many, she was a human with many humble stories to share.
The hero in name is Aishah Jennifer Mohamed Sinclair – she is an actress, television host and a radio announcer at a local station, Mix FM. She was born on 27 October 1980, a mellow autumn day at a town in Southwest London, England called Wimbledon. Despite that, Aishah was a woman who radiates like the sun and has a heart warm like the Malaysian summer. With many smiles to give and love to offer, that is who Aishah Sinclair is.
Growing up, Aishah was surrounded with love by her parents and siblings. She would have mini adventures around her neighbourhood, exploring and creating her own world. With a little guidance from her parents, she was given the freedom to be whoever she wants to be.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t always known to be the walking extrovert she is. Aishah is a shy and introverted soul throughout her life, she would rather wrap herself in a blanket, indulging in her favorite book and bask in the comfort of her own home during a rainy day.
Despite the cheerful persona we have seen of her, Aishah was never the popular kid in school. She didn’t care about being part of the popular crowd or what was expected of her and rebelled by doing what she feels best for her.
Like any normal person, Aishah went through many stages of discovering herself in her student years but a short move to Bangsar had given her a chance to start all over. She began to bloom and decided to go out of her comfort zone, this transcends throughout her high school years as well. Aishah dabbled in many activities such as involving herself in the language and culture club that made her participate in Dikir Barat, a musical performance that represented the Kelantanese state in Malaysia, representing her school in netball and entered running sports competitions which grew her love for the sport until today.
However, Aishah wasn’t sure where she wanted to go for her future, she took a rocky start in her college life and idly went by with what she feels that is enough for her to get around life. It was when the 1998 recession happened and followed up with a failure in achieving her A-Levels had woke her up from the idle state she was in. With a little push, Aishah decided that it was time for her to take her life seriously and was determined to not waste the second chance that was given to her. With that note, she began carving a path for her future.
Graduating at the top of her class with a Bachelor’s in Communication at UiTM Shah Alam, with an expertise in public relations, Aishah began her career in a public relations agency and worked there for a year. In the span of time, she realised that working in a cubicle dampens her cheery spirit. Aishah knew she wanted to be more and was wondering where she could go.
An hosting opportunity at Astro Radio opened a path for her, this led to many more hosting gigs such as The Breakfast Show (NTV7) and So You Think You Can Dance (28TV) to name a few. This also broadened her path in the entertainment world, Aishah dipped her toe in modelling and acting. She appeared in many commercials, her first being a Pepsi TVC 1988 and Olay Total Effect in which she was also a brand ambassador for while also modelled for many brands such as Padini Authentic and DiGi. Not to mention, she was in the covers of many notable magazines in Malaysia such as Wanita, Jelita and was also a part of 50 Most Gorgeous People Magazine in 2004. Now, Aishah added another skill to her resume which is excelling in radio hosting.
When asked who her role model was, she mentioned her mother being her biggest inspiration. Like mother, like daughter, Aishah could relate her mother’s hustling nature and saw her mother overcoming all societal odds of what a woman was traditionally expected to be. From pursuing her nursing studies in the United Kingdom as a fresh-faced 19-year-old, flying to Australia to achieve her Post-Graduate Diploma at a later age and even started her own Environmental NGO initiative. Aishah’s mother had done it all and she was not going to stop there.
“My children and my family are my priorities but my needs are very important too because when I’m fulfilled, it is easier for me to give back to my family,” Aishah said when she talked about a life lesson that she learned from her dear mother.
Aishah described her failure in completing her A-Levels the first time was always a significant lesson in her life. Despite that, she was never one to believe in regrets, “Everything that happened led me to where I am”, she said. However, if she had to choose one, is to study in the United Kingdom. It was because she realised that she had never gone to explore the border outside of Malaysia.
The lessons that she learned from the past made her aware of the importance of putting effort and hard work. These values are proven throughout her time in the entertainment industry, a competitive place where people easily come and go accompanied by many voices of judgements by others. Aishah didn’t want to dwell on those negative whispers and focused on giving her all in things that she loved doing.
Throughout her life, Aishah had received generous amounts of support from her family, parents, siblings and close friends. These people are her go to whenever she feels her world is upside down and a warm hug from them can make her overwhelmed self a little better.
Being a mother was life-changing for Aishah, it was a gift of many lessons and more. It made her appreciate what her own mother has done and it changed her perspective of what she wanted in life, happiness and safety not only for herself but also for her children and family. Aishah would do whatever it takes for her children to be kept safe and sound.
Hard work was a given to her, pushing herself to her limits was something she didn’t mind going through in achieving things. It was what made her last in the entertainment industry for 15 years until this date and counting. This attitude also helps her during marathons and running. Albeit, there were struggles in between but when she looked around and saw her children, it was all worth it at the end.
“I want to be known as somebody who follows my heart”
This hero holds a simple outlook in life, she believes that inspiration does not necessarily need to be bigger than the world itself. It could be as simple as sprinkling a bad day with kindness or lending a smile when crossing paths with a stranger. These are the little impacts that Aishah dearly believes in, it didn’t matter if it doesn’t align with other people’s values and ideals but as long as her heartful intent reaches to the people who do, there is nothing more she could wish for.
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