THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?
That’s a hard question as I wear many hats. I guess my main title at the moment is founder of The Ambition Plan, but I’m also a health writer and editor.
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
In a word: lots. I run The Ambition Plan – the UK’s first digital career change platform and event series for millennial women who want to move into the creative industries: media, design, film, fashion or tech. I write advice articles for the website, interview successful career changers to feature on the site, commission articles for a team of experienced career and life coaches to write, coach women through their own career changes and plan our ‘Industry Insider’ events. The first event takes place in October in London, which is really exciting. We aim to give women who want to change careers a chance to get advice and tips from successful women in the creative industry they would like to break into. Not forgetting managing our social media channels and doing the not as fun usual business admin stuff.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND WHAT CHANGED?
Lots of different things. Looking back now, it’s unsurprising that when I officially became an adult, I ended up trying my hand at a variety of jobs and careers but felt unfulfilled. Now I’ve ended up starting a company to help others make the move in to a more fulfilling creative career. When I was younger I was determined to be an archaeologist. My interests and personality consist of a weird mix of science, logic, creativity and adventure, so archaeology seemed to tick all those boxes. With that said, I also wanted to be a singer for a while, and just before I went to uni, I was really interested in studying robotics and artificial intelligence. Bearing in mind that this was in the early 00s when AI was still pretty new, most people had no idea what I’d do with a degree in AI and I ended up playing it safe and studying medicine instead.
WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?
In my endless quest for the ideal career, I have ended up picking up a few degrees along the way. I’ve got a medical degree (MBBS), a BSc in human genetics, a master’s degree in international journalism and a PGDip in fashion marketing. But I want to show women that getting degree isn’t the only way to get into the creative industry.
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
You are your only limitation. I was given this advice five years ago and at that time I didn’t pay too much attention to it. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve realised how true it is. The only thing that stops most of us from achieving what we want in life are the limiting beliefs we convince ourselves are absolute truths.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?
To be honest, there isn’t a single person I place on a pedestal and try to emulate, but I do admire self-made women who have worked hard to achieve great things and remained true to themselves despite their success. So that’s women like Marie Forleo and Serena Williams. I’m also drawn to wise, zen inspirational speakers like Jay Shetty or Danielle LaPorte – being that cool, calm and confident is definitely a life goal for me.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?
I’ve created an environment that 100% works for me. I actually had one of those moments the other day when I realised I’d finally designed the career I always wanted, rather than forcing myself to walk the same path as everyone else. I’ve always hated the 9-to-5 office life. I’m more of a free spirit and hate illogical rules – like having to sit in an office to do work that is location-independent.
Running my own company means that as long as the work gets done, it really doesn’t matter where I physically am when I’m doing it. That means I have the freedom to work from home, work out of co-working office space or even head to the park and work there on a sunny afternoon if I like. I also love that I now work with like-minded people. I always felt out of place in jobs where people had done the same 9-to-5 role for years. Deep down, that felt like a prison sentence to me, but because that was the status quo, that always made me feel like I had unrealistic expectations. Now that my work is all about career change and self-improvement, I find that the people I work with have the same mindset as me and that makes work so much more enjoyable.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?
I’d make my working day shorter. A friend recently asked me how I structure my day and without thinking, I replied: “Waking up and going to sleep”. It was only then that I realised that I never stop. I think that’s normal when you’re running your own business. You’re always coming up with new ideas or having flashes of inspiration that you need to action. There’s always more to be done, so it’s hard to switch off.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
Still running The Ambition Plan, but with a bigger team behind me and having grown it into a much bigger brand with a number of incredible success stories from women we’ve inspired and empowered to change career. That’s the dream and the aim!
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?
Yes and no. Yes, because authenticity and integrity are of utmost importance to me. I have specific values and will always act in a way that reflects them whether I’m at home or at work. No, because I think professional boundaries are important for clarity and structure at work. That means that while my morals and values don’t change at work, how I act around work colleagues is not exactly the same as how I am with my friends or family.
WHERE AND IN WHAT ROLES ARE WOMEN IN THE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AT YOUR COMPANY?
The Ambition Plan is still a start-up, so there is no leadership structure as such. However (it’s not been intentional) everyone I work with is female at present. As a women-centric brand, I think women have just naturally gravitated towards it. As we grow bigger, I hope we’ll have more men getting involved, but regardless of that, having worked in male-dominated environments in the past, creating a work environment centred on equality is important to me.
DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?
Definitely. I’m black, female and I was born in Africa, so needless to say, I’ve had my own experiences where my gender and ethnicity have worked against me. Being able to help others who feel they aren’t equally represented in society is a big priority for me. That’s the reason why The Ambition Plan was created for women.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?
At the moment, not great! But that’s really because I actually enjoy my work. It’s a cliché, but it rarely feels like work to me. Even when I’m out with friends, ideas will pop into my head and I’ll feel drawn to act on them right then. That, of course, draws me straight back into working. I think starting your own business is like having a new baby. I think most parents would struggle to allocate specific ‘parenting time’ to their new-born and refuse to tend to it once the clock strikes 5.
WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?
Multitasking like your life depends on it.
Having faith that things will work out. I’m finding that if you give things time, they do tend to work out exactly as you need them to.
Persistence, perseverance and bear-faced cheek. I’ve asked for and gotten some great opportunities for the business recently, simply by making a few cheeky requests.
ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
If you haven’t already, check out what The Ambition Plan is all about at theambitionplan.com and give us a follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Thank you!