"Don't settle": Bloom interviews Nabeeda Bakali

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Welcome friends!
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Our interview feature this month is with the phenomenal Nabeeda Bakali. Nabeeda is Customer Success Manager at LinkedIn, Career Coach, and Content Creator behind Grow With Nabeeda. Her story is filled with diverse transitions and leaps of courage (over 18!); you'll feel it in the thoughtful advice, loving nudges, and "mic drop" reflections throughout her interview.

with light & love,
​Jasmine​
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You’ve had so many incredible career chapters! Could you walk us through some of the transformative jobs you’ve held?

Shop assistant – It was my first job and I truly believe everyone should work a role where they have to serve people. It changes the way you treat people and see the world.

Business development intern for a startup –  It wasn’t so much the job but working for a startup that was transformative. I was involved in everything, I worked till late and started early. But the passion in that place was different, energising and I could see the purpose that held us together. It made me realise that any company I work for, needs to have a good purpose, energetic people and true passion for the company.

Recruitment consultant – This was a turning point for me as I realized what I like and what I definitely didn’t want in my career. So I wanted something with customers, relationship building but definitely no sales and straight after I found that balance with Customer Success.

Are there lessons you learned later in the career journey that you wish someone had shared with you before?

Quitting is not failing – I learned that in the last few months. I was so scared of quitting but when I quit my last role I found my dream role and a company that I truly feel like I fit in.

There is better out there – people always say work is work so you should be happy with what you have. Whilst I’m grateful for every company and experience, I wish I had known that there will be a company out there that will align with me and it might not be the company I work for straight away and it’s okay.

It’s okay to be an introvert – the world of work favors extroverts. Companies hype up extroverts so much that as an introvert, I felt like I needed to change to fit in. Over the years, I found my balance and adapted myself but you shouldn’t have to change. Introverts bring lots of value to a company and its culture.
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​Let’s switch over to a topic close to your heart – DE&I. As a British Pakistani Muslim woman, how has your experience in the workplace been?

As a British Pakistani, Muslim Woman, I realised I fall into three minority buckets: I am Brown, I am Muslim, and I am a woman. So when I started working I knew it was going to be hard. I wish I could say I was proved wrong and everything was great. It wasn’t.

I was undermined for being a woman, where men said my ideas louder than me and got applauded. I felt isolated at events as the events I attended didn’t cater to me as Muslim. My culture was sometimes a joke. But I knew I couldn’t let that stop me.
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I found people who I could relate to, I found allies and most importantly I spoke up. When an event wasn’t inclusive I gave feedback. When I was left unheard, I made my point again. When I felt hopeless in places, I left them.
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I have said it before and I will say it again, quitting is not failing and by quitting you will find something better that aligns with you and who you are. Don’t settle for less. If you can’t find better than create that reality. Even now I feel imposter syndrome kick in as I step into rooms with Senior leaders and Execs. From not being able to speak English to training senior leaders - the journey has been jaw droppingly beautiful and I wouldn’t ask for anything different.

But I hope the women who are like me, who come after me, have an easier path.

What do you wish more people knew who hope to enter the DE&I field? How can fellow women of color protect their flame in this field that inherently involves so much emotional labor?

Look out for other women. I think in this space it can feel like there’s only space for a few women. But there’s space for everyone so as you go up, pull other women.

Find your safe network. This is the network you can vent to, learn from, teach and grow with. This will keep you sane in this journey.

It’s okay if you can’t speak up for everything. You deserve a break and don’t need to feel like you need to take the weight of the world. One issue at a time. One day at a time.

Your job is not to always be educating others. People expect minorities to constantly be teaching. But people truly willing to learn will do their own homework and not put the burden on you all the time.

And finally, for the young people reading this interview, aspiring to a career like yours, what would you love for them to know? Are there any educational courses, skills you recommend?

• You don’t need a degree for most roles including mine so don’t waste time and money on it. Spend time getting experience and learning the skills through other ways.
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• There are so many free courses online, do them. From Google Marketing to other free courses sites - save that money and learn new skills.
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• Network, Network, Network. Your network will take you so far. The opportunities I have had through my network have been amazing and I am forever grateful for creating my network.
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• Diversify. Don’t stop at one skill. Learn a few different skills so you can always stand out.

Social impact resource rapid fire questions!

Read these books:

​Courage to be Disliked
​​Time to Think​

Listen to these podcasts:

​Ted Talks Daily​
​The Kurerie podcast​
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​Follow on social media:
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​Vex King ​
​Neelam Heera
​Sonya Barlow​

💚 If you enjoyed this edition, share Bloom via email or WhatsApp with friends in social impact 🧡 Gratitude to our bloomer Nabeeda for sharing her light.