For most people, a ladder is a tool for reaching high places. For Antoinette Daniel, it became a symbol of a revolution in vulnerability. Standing on the TEDx stage in 2025, she shared a story that countered the modern obsession with self-reliance: the simple, yet terrifying, act of knocking on a neighbor’s door to borrow a ladder. It was a moment that encapsulated her life’s work, a journey from the hyper-independence of a care leaver to the intentional interdependence of a multi-award-winning entrepreneur.
Antoinette’s path was never about a planned ascent to the boardroom. Instead, it was driven by “exposure and discomfort”, the realization that while she was looking for a “dream job,” a quiet injustice was unfolding in the very homes and offices she cleaned to supplement her income. Today, she stands as a leading voice in ethical business, proving that dignity is not a luxury, but a non-negotiable foundation for success.
From Care to Conviction
Antoinette’s drive for justice is rooted in a personal history that demanded early resilience. As a care leaver, she learned early on that relying on others could be a gamble, a lesson that initially forged a spirit of fierce self-sufficiency. This background eventually blossomed into a mission to empower others who have walked similar paths, with a long-term goal of creating a foundation that provides mentoring, training, and grants for young people leaving the care system.
Her early professional life was spent in the classroom, where she served as a Head of Physical Education and a Head of Year across several institutions, including Streatham & Clapham High School and Braeburn Mombasa International School. While teaching gave her a love for storytelling and coaching, a shift occurred when she encountered the realities of modern-day slavery.
Deeply influenced by her Christian faith and an internship with the International Justice Mission, she began to see the world through the lens of advocacy. She spent years on the front lines, serving as the Project Director for Merton Against Trafficking, where she trained professionals and raised community awareness about the indicators of human trafficking. This period was transformative; she realized that exploitation didn’t just happen in extreme contexts overseas, it often lived in the “quiet injustices” of local industries.
Redefining the Industry Standard
In 2012, Antoinette founded Just Helpers, an ethical cleaning agency born not from a business plan, but from a conviction that fairness should not be commercially naïve. She recognized that the UK cleaning industry was often plagued by low pay and a lack of dignity. Her response was to build a company that refused to participate in those norms.
The ascent was not without its trials. Scaling a business to a million-pound turnover while insisting on paying the Real Living Wage in a low-margin sector required immense fortitude. She navigated the complexities of Brexit, the total collapse of demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a subsequent cost-of-living crisis. Through it all, she refused to “soften the standard”.
“Leadership, I have learned, is a constant balancing act. You must protect the company so it can take care of its people. You must take care of the people so the company remains worth protecting.”
Her leadership extended into innovation with the development of Justly, a tech platform designed to combine operational efficiency with fair pay structures for the wider cleaning industry. Though not every venture followed a linear path to success, each served to reinforce her commitment to community and ethical growth. Her efforts have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Venus Award for Employer of the Year and being named the Living Wage Advocate of the Year.
The Legacy of the Ladder
Beyond the balance sheets, Antoinette’s true impact is measured in the connections she fosters. Her 2025 TEDx talk, “The Ladder Next Door,” served as a public manifesto for a new kind of leadership, one that trades the “loneliness of hyper-independence” for the “bravery of vulnerability”.
She has integrated this philosophy into her daily life, committing to one hundred “no-agenda” coffees a year to ensure her work remains rooted in proximity and personhood. Her mission is consistent: to champion fairness and spark conversations that transform lives. Whether she is serving on the advisory board of the Living Wage Foundation or mentoring female entrepreneurs through Entreplaneurs, she is focused on resourcing others to move out of overwhelm and into purpose.
“If I can help others make their corner better, and do so without losing our humanity in the process, that would be a legacy worth leaving.”
A Standard of Respect
Antoinette Daniel’s vision for the future is clear: she wants to see the Real Living Wage become the standard, not the exception, for every cleaner in the United Kingdom. She continues to offer talks and workshops on ethical business, courage, and connection, challenging leaders to rethink the true cost of fairness.
For Antoinette, work is a vehicle for dignity. As she continues to grow her influence as a speaker, mentor, and activist, she remains dedicated to the idea that the world is made better “one clean at a time”, not just through the service provided, but through the justice and kindness woven into the process.
Editorial Note
Antoinette Daniel’s journey reminds us that the most radical thing a leader can do is ask for help. Her story is an invitation to examine the “quiet injustices” in our own industries and to recognize that true strength is found in our interdependence.
