WMW#29: Fatima Sheikh, media professional, coach and mum of 2
On the power of focus
Welcome to all the new subscribers of this newsletter!
I am a working mum of 2 who recently quit her 9-5 to pursue redesigning her life to have a fulfilling career that also gives her time and financial freedom.
In this newsletter, I share my journey towards this goal with a focus on productivity, transitioning out of a 9-5 and of course, parenting.
I also share a lot about emerging technology (like AI, web3, no code) as I believe that it will be a key enabler for us in achieving our goals in the minimum time possible.
I am so happy you are here! I am a writer at heart and I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as I enjoy writing it :)
The power of focus
The biggest thing I have learned in January is that what you focus on, grows.
In January I decided to stop freelancing as my key source of income, and focus on my long term plans of building my own business online.
One that I hope will give me time and financial freedom in the long run.
And only in 1 month of doing that, this is what happened:
My audience grew.
My business mission became clearer.
I spent a lot of time speaking with the women I want to serve.
I validated the demand for the problem I am looking to solve.
My energy shifted from ‘not sure’ to confident! This has fuelled me with more energy to push ahead.
I learned to listen to my gut and continue moving forward with intention.
I learned to stop if something wasn’t feeling aligned.
I started to believe more in what I have to offer, because I’m seeing it come to life.
I started operating from a place of abundance rather than lack.
I’m excited to see what the rest of the year will bring! I must keep the focus.
My newsletter growth in January 2024
Mindset challenge
I will admit though, as someone who has always had a steady and substantial income, I still struggle with not having that.
Having spoken to so many of you lately, I feel that is a common feeling for those starting their own business, or in a transition. Where does this root from, I wonder?
However, realising that freelancing is not sustainable - as it makes me trade my time for money - and that does not align with my goal of time and financial freedom, has helped me shift my mindset and focus on the long term.
So, if you are stalling on something you want to achieve, or spreading yourself too thin, take a step back and choose what you want to focus on and see the difference it makes.
Now on to today’s Working Mum Wisdom!
This section is the favourite part of my newsletter as I get to share the journey of incredible mums who are running dream businesses OR are on the path to transition into something more aligned with their future.
This interview has been lined up for a while and I am so happy to be finally sharing it with you!
Focus has been her key hack to getting things done too. More in her interview below.
Meet Fatima Sheikh, media professional, coach and mum of 2
I have known Fatima for over a decade (maybe 2 decades!). We have worked on some challenging projects together and I think going through those challenges together back then, has kept us connected in some way.
Fatima is an advertising and communications professional, and more recently an ‘empty nester’ (yikes, I don’t know if I like that term!).
Her children going away to university gave her the motivation, time and energy to think about her own future and what could be next for her.
In her search to find new purpose and a path to possibly transition out of her 9-5, Fatima decided to pursue coaching and got certified as a personal and professional coach.
So far, on the side of her full time job, she has coached over 100 women entrepreneurs to whom she offers strategies to enhance their leadership skills, improve individual and team dynamics, and drive performance.
Here’s my chat with her about juggling multiple roles and her first steps on her new path.
Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself
I've been working in media and advertising for over 21 years, but I whenever I am asked about myself I always say that I am a mother first.
Motherhood has truly been my most defining role. I started as a young mom, balancing a new job and family. Now, as an empty nester, I find more time for myself and have embarked a journey to be a coach for individuals and professionals, with the aim to give back from all my experiences.
Q.How has your role evolved in your professional career?
I actually have a master's in finance. So I should have been working in as an investment banker! But life had its own plans, and I was brought into marketing and advertising.
And in fact, I entered the advertising space at the age of 30, when people usually exit the industry! I was doing marketing and sales before that.
It's been a roller coaster: I've gone through the entire spectrum of media - offline, TV, and print to when Facebook was just launched and content was a word people didn't understand, to then becoming Head of Content, and now living in the ocean of content! So yeah, that's, that's been my journey.
I have around 15 people in my team. Some are new and some are working remotely across the globe and think it's amazing because there are so many different perspectives that each one of them brings to the table.
Q. How do you manage your time between work, coaching, and family?
Becoming a mom at a very young age taught me some valuable lessons. The key is that we need to have a timetable. As much as I would like to freewheel into things, we need a schedule!
My day still starts at 545am. Even if I don't have to send kids to school, the morning is about workouts, it's about getting the food in order, the house in order before you hit work at 930am. And then after 6pm, I try to give at least two hours to coaching, and then dinner and go to bed early!
I am very focused during weekdays, and if I am very honest, it’s really all about work, work and work.
Also, I think as a mom, that role or job doesn't ever switch off. When my kids were with me, they needed me more mentally and physically. But since they have left for university, I can't even begin to tell you how much your kids need you emotionally!
Q. What inspired you to start coaching and what is your coaching focus?
Having spent 20 years in the corporate world, you start questioning a lot of things around you. Are you doing enough? Are you where you should be? And is this what you want to do for the next 10-15 years?
I was quite blessed to have a very senior coach speak to me about this. And she asked me to explore the world of coaching. I honestly started that journey more for myself, to understand what is coaching and how it can have a positive impact on me. I studied for 2 months, I attended classes 6 hours a day on the weekends, did a few submissions, and got myself certified as a professional coach. I saw the impact of the process on me and now I’m giving it back. I work with all sorts of clients in the coaching space but my forte is in professional coaching.
Q. What is your ultimate goal with your work and coaching?
I think one emotion that has been very close to me is that about empowerment. About 4 years ago, I started working with women entrepreneurs, supporting them with personal branding, marketing, and how to get their business going.
And then I started working with university students. Also, interestingly, in my current team 70% are below the age of 30. So they're really early in their careers. So I see myself as a mentor; as somebody who's there to enable people to move to that next step in their careers and in their lives. And I think coaching is that transition I am likely to make from advertising.
Q. Where do you find your inspiration?
I think primarily from my all my girlfriends! I'm really blessed to have some amazing girlfriends. When we hear talk about the circle of influence, and about the circle of friends and the impact they can have on you, I'm a testament of that.
If you surround yourself with positive, forward thinking, independent and confident women, you're bound to grow. Because they will inspire you, motivate you, they will walk alongside you. Of course also my family, my husband, and my two kids, are my biggest cheerleaders!
Q. What’s your best your best productivity hack?
I tie my hair up in a pony, roll up my sleeves, close the door, and it's just me and my work. So just focus. There are so many things you can do, the key is focus.
Keeping my phone on silent or even better, in a different room! This way I'm not tempted to go on social media or check my messages, you know, because again, I'm in content, right? It's the easiest excuse. So keeping my phone away is a huge hack for me.
Q. What is your parenting mantra?
Embrace and adapt. Embrace whatever comes your way as a mother. You know, good, bad, happy, sad - adapt to it. And realise that at the end of the day, it's only to bring joy to you.
When I became a mom, the material that was available was Dr. Spock. There was no internet. There was no social media. And of course, my mother-in-law and my mother.
You know, in today's time and age, the internet is our village, honestly, it is so helpful in raising our kids.
Q. What do you do in your free time, and how does it help you?
So, I'm quite an old soul. So I enjoy my old music - 70s and 80s. And also, I do art. I've started to enjoy really mandala art, I find it meditative. It's just so calming.
Q. What challenges have you faced as a working mom?
As both a mother and a woman, I think we still struggle listing priorities and setting boundaries. Identifying what is important, and then what are the boundaries that we need to put in place for people to understand when I'm available, what is okay, and what is not.
I find that prioritising is an internal process and setting boundaries is external. So I think that's always been my biggest challenge.
Q.What advice do you have for new moms or those planning to start working again?
Trust your instinct. And trust your intuition. Nobody knows it better than you.
And I think for women who are looking at getting back to work, as cliche as it may sound, it's always about taking that first step. Getting out of the comfort zone is never easy. It's a daunting task.
When I embarked on this coaching journey at the beginning of 2023, I was scared as hell, I didn't know where I was going with it.
When I did my first corporate workshop, and I've been working in corporate for 21 years, if somebody was to take my pulse, they would think I was hyperventilating! So my advice would be to just take that first step. The most that will happen is you will fail, but you're failing at that first step or the second step, there is not much to lose. So just take that step.
Q. What tools do you use to make your life easier?
This might sound a bit boring and cliche but my calendar on my phone is essential. It helps me structure my day and keep track of priorities without surprises. I plan my entire week in advance as I am not good with on the spot or ad hoc events, I need to prepare.
Q. Best thing you have read or watched lately
So I'm very big on Korean dramas. I’m a huge K-drama fan!
More recently I chanced upon Indian Idol and I'm in shock with the talent that I saw on that show. I mean, they are all between 17 and 23 of age and have some crazy talent.
Q. Best Quote
“The strength of the wolf is with the pack and the strength of the pack is with a wolf” - Rudyard Kipling.
Choose your pack carefully 🙂
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Lots of wisdom there :) If you want have any questions for Fatima, you can comment below, or email Fatima on coachfatimashaikh@gmail.com
That’s all for now. Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Abha
I love the reminder about the importance of focus. I want to do several different things. I want to do them all right now. But I do need some amount of focus in order to actually move one of those big rocks forward. That reminder is what I'm taking forward from this. :)