MY STORY IS …

When I was 18, I never envisioned my life to be this crazy and hectic as it is now but still fulfilling. I would have told myself back then, that nothing will ever quite prepare her for the ride she’s about to get on, and that she will experience things outside of her comfort zone that will help her discover her own sense of self.

All starting from quitting my full-time gig to freelancing and taking the leap to start Sonder Social. Even pushing myself out of my comfort zone by choosing to live in challenging environments like Mexico and Pakistan. My role models were always kept in my life and were always the women in my family. My mom had stopped working to take care of four kids and my older sisters who are smart, hardworking and successful moms in their own right.

Along the way, my purpose had evolved from working towards being a supportive friend, daughter, partner – to elevating stories of resilience, passion and overcoming hardships. I have been fortunate enough to be able to do that in my professional line as a television producer and also through Sonder Social. 

End of the day, success to me meant achieving a healthy equilibrium between professional wants and personal needs – knowing that the decisions you take to achieve success don’t have to come at the expense of others. 

But the hardest part about side hustling is that I don’t get to “switch off” after normal working hours as those times are when I concentrate on running Sonder Social. Support from my co-founders and loved ones have helped me a lot. Knowing that I am making some impact on others’ lives and that my work is going towards something meaningful also keeps me going every day.

In ten years, I hope to mentor to young girls as a successful entrepreneur and hopefully, also as a mother who has managed to balance work and parenting well. 

I am a Crazycat because I am constantly pushing my capabilities and taking risks to see how far I can go.

photography SHAMSYDAR ANI

art direction SARAH BAGHARIB & HANNAH KAMSADI
make-up DEWI MAHONEY
hair HALI JUFRI
location THE GREAT MADRAS