Today we’d like to introduce you to Sybil Clark-Amuti.
Sybil, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2015, I had a vision to create a digital mentorship community for women, beginning with a podcast. We started the podcast and it immediately grew to thousands of listeners per month. Shortly after, we were on the road to our first conference and national speaking engagements where we shared our message of the power of friendship and collaboration to build community and connection.
Because of that message we’ve been able to partner with amazing brands such as Pine-Sol, Essence Magazine, Prudential, Wal-Mart, Shea Moisture, and more to support their brand messaging and engage with community with our direct message of peer to peer relationship as the centerpoint for choice in our lives. Now we have over 240 episodes of the podcast that was started in my living room reaching over 20,000 listeners each month from over 100 countries and 178 US markets and a digital Facebook group with over 21,000 members. Our next goal is to develop new content to help shape the narrative of women in media.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No! Bootstrapping has been a huge challenge. Over five years, I’ve wanted to quit at least three times a year. However, my why keeps me at the center of my mission to connect women with authentic relationships that serve as the center point for the growth and development in their personal and professional lives.
Struggles included but are not limited to: financial support, being seen as a community that supports all women versus a minority community, being taken seriously as an independent podcaster, women believing that what is possible for some can be possible for all.
The Great Girlfriends – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Great Girlfriends provides personal and professional development content for women to help serve their growth for more meaningful relationships, first with themselves and then with others. We specialize in content that cultivates personal growth and accountability for women on an everyday basis. I’m most proud of believing that this podcast was needed as a tool for women and going after it, leaving behind a 6 figure job and a title to start something from scratch.
I’m most proud that women use this podcast as a destination for their growth and accountability. I’m incredibly proud to have created an honest platform, a safe space where community can thrive and feel vulnerable without being judged. I am most proud to have taken on the power of the word friendship and optimized it in the marketplace. We’ve still got a ton of work to do, but we’ve accomplished a lot in five years.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Partnering with Pine-Sol and Essence Magazine to award a $100,000 prize to an entrepreneurial woman of color! Giving juices me up and helps generate hope to those in need!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegreatgirlfriends.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @thegreatgirlfriends
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheGreatGirlfriends/
- Twitter: @the_greatgfs
Image Credit:
Images by Noemie Tshinanga.
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