Life & Work with Meera Sharma

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meera Sharma.

Hi Meera, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I came to the limelight on ITV’s Take Me Out, which is a dating show that’s really popular in the UK, since then I’ve been using my platform to talk about identity, representation, and staying motivated! I’ve written for the likes of The Independent, as well as appearing on BBC radio, Channel 4 to name a few!

I’m a firm believer that you can achieve your goals and dreams, but at the same time, I do acknowledge we can all have a down day, which is exactly when we need someone to cheer us on. I was always the friend out of my friend group that would be the go-to when people needed cheering up or some motivation and that inspired me to publish The Little Book of Sass, featuring ‘sasspirational’ quotes to perk people up when they need it the most. On the back of this, I created my platform The School of Sass to educate women on the skills they need to stay motivated, positive and live the life they’ve imagined by channeling their inner sass. I honestly just want everyone to feel good about themselves and not have any regrets!!

If you have a goal in life, it’s really important to make a plan and then work towards achieving it. Prior to appearing on TV, I had done a fair share of radio work, and I always had aspirations to have my own show! If you want something in life, you have to go out and get it, so I came up with the idea of a motivational show that’s all about inspiring women to live their best lives! The idea became a reality in June 2021, as I’m now the host of my own weekly motivational talk show, The Sass Life, airing on DASH Radio. It gives a new meaning to Monday’s motivation! Every week I speak to notable women who are experts in their fields to learn how they’ve channeled their inner sass to create the life of their dreams. It’s great as I have creative control and have interviewed inspiring women such as Sydney Cummings, Maya Vander, Charithra Chandran, Diipa Buller Khosla to name a few!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life isn’t a smooth road but I’m a firm believer in changing how we view challenges and failure. If you’ve failed, it’s not the end of the world – if anything, it shows you tried! It may not have worked out, but it just means you need to see what went wrong, pivot, and try again! Just don’t give up, and don’t fear failure.

In terms of struggles, I’ve received a lot of no’s or ‘rejections’ when it comes to my career, but rather than letting it get me down, I would always remember the quote, “rejection is redirection.” When I look back, I can see that if something didn’t work out it was for the best. You have to remember to trust the process and realize that good things take time. Patience is key!

Also, I’m in my thirties and am now ticking off a lot of work-related items of my bucket list – I mention this because as women, we often are made to feel time is ticking away and we have to do things by a certain age! Even reading lists such as 30 under 30 lists or articles about how people in their 20s are achieving so much can make you wonder why it’s not happening to you. I’m here to remind you that age is just a number; focus on your own journey, and don’t compare! You’re not behind; you’re on time & in the right place for your journey!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a radio host and certified life coach.

I created my platform The School of Sass to educate women on the skills they need to become self-assured, spirited, and strong. Strong enough to live the life they’ve imagined by channeling their inner sass.

The reason I want to appeal to women is because I feel as women, we can often see so many narratives about how we need to look a certain way act a certain way. I wanted my platform to encourage women to be the best versions of themselves, not compare themselves to others and channel their inner sassy self.

I’m a certified life coach and I specialize in helping women figure out what they really want to achieve and setting achievable goals to do so. I do this via 1 to 1 sessions allowing me to cater to each individual.

Outside of my coaching, my platform also includes a weekly radio show, airing Mondays at 11 am PST on Dash Radio, allowing women to be inspired by hearing the journeys of notable women in their field. I also post inspirational posts, daily affirmations (and much more) on theschoolofsass Instagram, have created free downloadable worksheets on theschoolofsass.com & I have a motivational book, The Little Book of Sass, to perk women up when they need it the most.

I really want women to know they can achieve what they want to in life, so I’ve created my platform to help them do this. Hearing from women who have either been inspired by my radio show or taken my advice and seen the difference it has made in their life is certainly my most proudest achievement. I want women to feel good about themselves.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I’ve had great mentors over the years – mentorship is a great way to bounce ideas or discuss ways that you can grow in your career, not to mention learn from someone who is where you want to be in life.

When it comes to finding a mentor, if you work for a company I would recommend applying to companies mentorship schemes. Depending on the industry you are in there are plenty of platforms who offer mentorship schemes – have a look for those schemes that are relevant to the industry you are in or want to move into.

Another tip, many guests have given listeners on my show, is to reach out to people via social. Of course with this have a mini elevator pitch ready as to why you want them to be a mentor, what you admire about their career, and what you can bring to the table. Again, don’t just send generic messages to a ton of people and hope one sticks – instead, be mindful, make it personable, and approach if the person is open to such requests.

A lot of my roles have come from connections I had made from networking. With networking, I find it’s important to make genuine connections. Don’t just speak to people because you want something – find some common ground and show what you can bring to the table. If you get nervous going to networking events then remember that everyone is likely feeling the same, people love to talk about themselves so go up to them and ask them about thoughtful questions. Have some talking points that you can use to initiate conversations – maybe something you’ve seen in your industry that you thought was cool, something that shows you’re switched on with the happenings in the industry. Be yourself and show your personality.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://theschoolofsass.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofsass/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeeraSharmaOfficial/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeeraSharm