ABOUT

So what do you actually do?

I am the founder of a disruptive diversity and inclusion platform for the workplace. We're on a mission to help 1 million people to lead inclusively and live confidently in their own skin.

What has your career path been?

My career path began with not having a CLUE what I wanted to do. I studied a Law degree and quickly realised this wasn’t for me. As a result, I hustled and managed to secure numerous internships across the music industry, journalism, media and marketing.

As University came to an end, everyone quickly applied to graduate schemes which seemed like the golden ticket to success. I just didn’t find myself resonating with any of the companies and I certainly didn’t want to qualify as a solicitor or barrister.

I came across an entrepreneur programme called the Centre for Entrepreneurs which combined a placement in a company alongside a series of learning over 12 months. This was the perfect middle ground, where I worked in ‘innovation’, a term which I previously thought was nothing more than a buzzword. I built brands for the company I worked for, channelling my inner and used my hustling ability to make things happen no matter the size of budget.

I realised how much I cared about leading with a social purpose. I managed a brand called Discarded Spirits, which was sustainable by nature and had me researching on YouTube until the early hours of the morning.

Looking back, this was an invaluable career move. I had the opportunity to ‘run a business’ without the stress of putting my money on the table. Furthermore, I became confident in my ability to execute ambitious strategies.

I would go as far to call myself a serial side hustler. I always had something on the go, testing, tweaking and evolving. I failed, hard. But I got back up. I started to see internally that diversity and inclusion was outdated and needed a fresh approach. Combining my innovation skills, I chaired the internal network to 1500+ people and began running workshops. With positive feedback and a vivid mission to help people foster inclusion, I began running them externally. I couldn’t help but think with my entrepreneurial hat on.

Workshops aren’t particularly scalable, and as an entrepreneur who wants to make change in a BIG WAY, I pivoted to an online platform that provides gamification to unlock intimate support such as coaching, Q&As and chat support. And this led to confidently giving in my notice in the middle of a global pandemic to scale Lila to where it is today.

I quickly realised that whilst working for a large corporate is pretty cushty, I was ultimately a cog in the wheel and to pursue my big vision to help others, it was time to leave and take a bet on myself.

What is the best part of your job?

Full creative control!

I absolutely love brands that go against the grain, and I’m so proud to be working in a disruptive brand every single day.

Lila is proving that diversity doesn’t have to be stale or tickbox. We are humanising the approach and I’m so proud to be a part of it.

What inspired you to do your job?

Simply put, helping others!

Growing up I never experienced a sense of belonging when it came to the media, education and then later on with my career. For years I dismissed my South Asian identity and suppressed parts of the culture which made me who I am. Instead, I pretended to be someone I’m not to fit in with the status quo, being nicknamed a ‘malteser’ or a ‘coconut’ in favour of validation.

During my career and journey with entrepreneurship, I experienced sexism, racism and in general not feeling inclusion. I was always the ‘token Asian’ when I scanned the room and it meant that I couldn’t truly be myself. I never wanted anyone to feel this way. And that’s why Lila was born.

I wanted to change the narrative around dusty diversity. I’ve experienced eyes rolling around the room whenever the phrase ‘D&I’ was brought up because it always felt tickbox and without human connection. I set myself a mission to change this.

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

Be selfish!

If you’re in a job that’s getting you nowhere, give yourself a deadline to see changes and if nothing happens, get out of there. Life's too short to be unhappy. Start a side hustle to make money on the side, start updating your CV and applying for jobs. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

And when it comes to starting up your own business, I would recommend to just get things done and over the line. Nothing has to be perfect. Ultimately, your business will always be a work in progress. So what’s the point on playing around on photoshop til everything is polished or avoiding updating your website. Get. It. Done!

Another major factor is surrounding yourself with good people. If you want to get into entrepreneurship and work for yourself, make sure you have a really strong support system. And I don’t just mean family and friends (although these are incredibly important too!).

You'll need a life coach to help support you in the very uncertain world you’re about to enter into and numerous mentors/advisors that have experience doing what you’re about to do. That way, you’ll consider every decision wisely but ultimately, you’re the decision maker, so do what works for you.

Final words?

I’m always looking to help young people and level the playing field. If you ever need a chat or some career advice, don’t be a stranger.

As someone who has struggled with confidence for years, I’ve always found it difficult putting myself first and going after what I truly want. If you ever need someone to chat to, feel free to drop me a DM or email. And get yourself a life coach!

Check out Shana’s Instagram below!

DAY IN THE LIFE

I’m a lover of a strict routine and a slow morning; I wake up at 7:15pm and start with 15 minutes of looking through my dream life, reciting my intentions for the day, goals in life and what I am grateful for. With a quick splash of water on the face, I’m ready for a workout which usually consists of being shouted at by Courtney Black through the screen of my iPad (would highly recommend). After finishing the workout and getting ready whilst watching a TED talk, I prepare an English Breakfast tea and go into my office (aka the spare room) and look at the plans for the day.

Usually my day is planned out in advance through a colourful google calendar which has all the needle moving actions that need to be completed.

We have just launched a shiny new diversity and inclusion platform and so the majority of my time is spent on calls to potential leads, chatting to my network and planning for our ambitious future. After a busy morning, I usually look up and it’s 11am aka time for a coffee.

After a quick break, I return to emailing, calls with different companies and creating proposals to pitch my services and showcase our platform. A couple of times a week I am incredibly lucky to have phone calls with companies I would consider my dream place to work. This invigorates me and I always feel so grateful for these opportunities. It really is a pinch me moment.

Where possible, I try to take calls whilst on a lunchtime walk. I’m currently doing a non negotiable internal challenge to reach 10,000 steps every single day (rain or shine). Whilst this seems pretty basic, when we are engrossed in our work and it comes around to 6pm, I check my Withings watch and I’ve completed a grand total of 2000 steps. Not okay!!

The afternoon usually consists of more relaxed tasks such as editing videos for the platform, application forms for grants and tweaking the website. I’m a natural creative and so the hours fly by and I eventually have to wean myself off the computer to stop.

I usually have a catchup with a mentor a couple times a week or my life coach where we go through any obstacles and strategically create an action plan for the forthcoming weeks.

Furthermore, a couple days a week I undertake freelance marketing work for external companies, which involves working on upcoming campaigns, humanising current processes and an amazing opportunity to release my creative juices. If you’ve ever undertaken a personality test, I am a sunshine yellow, meaning I’m enthusiastic and have lots of ideas. I get so excited and jump in quickly (which can sometimes be my downfall), but this has definitely worked to my advantage because it means I can build really solid strategies through thinking outside the box.

After a day at work (around 6pm), I usually have a break, cook some dinner and take some time out. I find cooking is such an amazing way to unwind (except for the washing up). I actually ran a street food business a couple of years ago and so I back my cooking skills in a Masterchef style competition (Gordon Ramsay hit me up if you’re reading this).

The day usually ends with another hour of emails or usually grant funding applications and voice noting friends (my favourite form of message!).

9-10pm is usually a work free zone. This involves a date with a cup of tea and a Reese’s Pieces whilst watching the latest series.

I’m writing this now the world has opened up and so the evenings are going to be a little different to this from now on! As a major foodie and living in vicinity to London, I have a bucket list for the summer of the best restaurants to try and the favourites to revisit. My current hobby is to research the up and coming spots and understand who would be the best person to eat our way through the menu with

.
As a result, a typical day at work as things begin to open up will be working in coffee shops. Two of my favourites are Mare Street Market and Canova Hall.

I long for the day where I can sip an oat milk latte whilst hearing the tapping of freelancers on their shiny MacBooks whilst fighting for the last plug. May 17th soon comes.