“It is imperative to be kind to yourself and say, “If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. We’ll give it a go again tomorrow.” And that’s fine.”

Sonya Barlow

Founder of LMF Network (Like Minded Females), Author, Presenter & Content Creator

Our Urban Explorer

Could you please introduce yourself to our guests?

I am Sonya Barlow, the Founder of the LMF Network (Like Minded Females) talent network and inclusion consultancy, building confidence and careers through mentoring, masterclasses and meaningful conversations.

It is very impressive you wear so many hats on a day-to-day basis – a successful entrepreneur, radio talk show host, content creator, author, and so much more. How do you balance it all?

That is a great question! As I start to get older, I am able to better understand my skills and strengths, aligning myself with good people and realising that my energy is my greatest asset. That said, one thing I am great at is working under time pressure. Though it may appear as if I am juggling many hats, they are all under the same umbrella. They are about creating access points, enabling inclusion, staying curious, and building a community that can inspire those who need it. Essentially, I am working within this same space but just executed slightly differently. Also, I prioritise my work according to what needs to get done first. For instance, when I was writing my book “Unprepared to Entrepreneur”, it was one of my main priorities as there were hard deadlines that need to be met. Right now, where I am in my life, my current priority over the next few months is to take a step back to re-energise and recharge so that I can give more of myself to my peers and my work in the long run.

No matter what business you are running, at the end of the day, it always relates back to advocating for diversity and inclusion and empowering women and underrepresented individuals. Was this always your life mission?

It is funny that you ask that because I am the eldest of all my siblings and I have often been referred to as “Didi”, which means big sister in my culture. On a more symbolic level, it means that you put them first, you help them by doing the hard work so that you can open doors for them, enabling the younger ones to have an easier path to follow. Someone told me recently that I took this term to heart, and I wanted to do that for the rest of the world. I never thought of it like that because this character has always been innate within me since childhood. Perhaps, it is because of the barriers and boundaries that I witness people face every day that I want to try and break them down. I ask myself, “How can I help people build the lives and the measures of success that suit them?” or “How do I make sure I do that in a way that actually creates impact and change in the world?” To do that, I can create my own version of success. And I can bring people up that ladder with me and provide them some support whenever they feel they need it. And ultimately, as long as my main goals are filled, I have a lot more extra energy to give to those around me.

What does a day in the life of Ms. Sonya Barlow look like?

I am naturally a morning person, so a lot of my admin work gets done in the morning. I love to socialise, but what I have started doing is being more strategic about my meetings where I try to group them all on one day or nearby so that it is easier for me to coordinate and make several to-do lists. Mondays are my BBC days, and Fridays are for recording the LMF Network podcast, whereas Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday are dedicated to my clients. I tend to actually work on Sundays but what I do now do half the work on Sunday and then make a to-do list going forward so I can keep Friday evening and Saturday to myself. When you first start a business, you put all of yourself into it, but it is so important to have a good balance and manage your schedule so that you make time to just recover and embrace yourself. What I have started doing is taking a recovery break every three months where I go and book myself into a nice location, meet new people, and let my creativity unlock itself, whilst helping local businesses where I can. It is imperative to be kind to yourself and say, “If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. We’ll give it a go again, tomorrow.” And that’s fine.

What does “Urban Explorer” mean to you and how do you think you fit into this term?

Urban exploring is all about staying curious and allowing yourself to get lost in your surroundings and figuring out a route without the help of Google Maps. Whenever I travel, I would just get lost in the alleyways and on the mountainsides or on the beaches and I would just go and explore. I will communicate with the locals and try to learn at least one word from everywhere. Exploring to me is also really about immersing yourself in an experience without any expectations, but allowing yourself to flow with whatever naturally is occurring and taking the positives out of it. By being an explorer, you take yourself out of the main character in that story and allow the experience to really come through. In doing so, you are taking a step back and letting the experience teach you something.

Against The Odds

What inspired you to start LMF Network (Like Minded Females)?

Like Minded Females Network (LMF) started off actually as a brunch club in 2018 because I wanted to bring together women from diverse backgrounds to have honest conversations about careers and confidence. At the time, work really consumed every facet of my life. I would go to work, come home and think more about work, dream about it, and work on the weekends. I felt really isolated and alone so I wanted to host a brunch club that would allow me to connect with people by building a community that fostered a safe and inspiring space to talk about life, both personally and professionally and the challenges we went through. Hence, this was how LMF Network started.

Did you have any role models that you looked up to growing up? If so, who and why?

To be honest, I do not really believe in having role models. Rather, I believe in having model qualities. For instance, if I meet someone that embodies an incredible quality, I ask “How do I mimic that or imitate that? How do I leverage that in my own life?” Growing up in a place that was very multicultural, yet the media was not multicultural at all, I could not find anyone on television that looked like me so I ask how I can be that change. It would be nice to have a role model but sometimes it is inaccessible. Hence, I am a believer in taking good qualities from people.

As an entrepreneur, what is the single best piece of advice you could give someone who is looking to start their own business endeavour?

Firstly, give it your all to go fail fast. Be kind to yourself and continue carrying on because in order for you to fail, it means that you were brave enough to try. And that is what should be celebrated. Secondly, be your biggest cheerleader. Work hard but also don’t be afraid to shout about it in a way that is appropriate and accessible. Finally, find the answers within. You don’t need to seek every answer externally. Everything you have within you is internal, so you just need to give yourself time to figure that out. Strengthen it as if it was a muscle and just keep on moving.

Travel Inspiration

What other destinations are on your bucket list?

I will be visiting Rhodes, Greece for two weeks. I would love to travel to Hong Kong and Singapore because I am obsessed with Asia. I would also like to see the Fiji Islands in New Zealand. It is a whole different vibe from how the UK. I hear it is much more laid back and the people are very humble and just want to have a great time. I would also like to go to the Caribbean because my sister-in-law is from there. Barbados and other kinds of smaller islands would be great places to give back to the local communities and the islanders. Finally, I would love to go back to Pakistan to reconnect with my roots and culture because I visited as a child with my parents so it would be such a unique experience to re-visit this place as an adult.

What do you love about London?

The best thing about living in London is that I can truly be myself. I don’t feel like I have to prove anything to anyone. I can walk out on the street in my onesies the same way that I can walk out in my designer gear and high heels. Here, you can just be the most authentic version of yourself, and you will find a place that embraces you. Also, there is so much that you can do in London. You are always going to find entertainment or discover something historical about London that you hadn’t known before.

In 3 words, how would you describe London?

Multicultural, Accessible, Community

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