We were lucky to catch up with Meera Sharma recently and have shared our conversation below.
Meera, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I had always wanted to host my own show and over the years I had built up a good amount of experience having reviewed films for BBC radio, starring in film campaigns for brands such as Nokia, and covering UK music events all whilst at university. However, as my twenties went by I ended up going down a different path.
It wasn’t until I turned 30 that I had the opportunity to appear on a famous UK dating show, Take Me Out. Once the show aired on ITV, in Nov 2019, a ton of opportunities come my way – I made appearances on BBC radio, wrote for the likes of the Independent, Metro, to name a few. And then the pandemic and lockdowns hit. Like most of the world, I had to stay inside and I decided to use all the extra free time I had to work on an idea I had. I wanted to build a motivational platform to inspire women to live their best life. I had ticked a lot of things off my bucket list, from traveling to numerous countries, working at music events, and interviewing celebrities, that I grew up watching, to appearing on TV. And I wanted to inspire and give women the tools so they could live the life they wanted!
Turning an idea into execution requires time, planning, and of course action! I started by creating a vision board of what I wanted my platform to be (a website with blog posts, an Instagram account with daily motivation, a radio show and eventually 1 to 1 coaching) and then I started working on it. I used YouTube tutorials to help me build my website. I planned out my social, from designing templates, my logo, and branding to actually just posting and growing my Instagram account. I also decided I was going to revisit that dream I had, all those years ago, of having my own show.
I came up with the idea of a motivational radio show, where I interview notable women to find out how they achieved the life of their dreams. I pitched it to Rukus Avenue Radio, which is part of DASH Radio and they loved it. In July 2021 my weekly show, The Sass Life, launched and I’ve since interviewed the likes of Maya Vander, Sydney Cummings, Charithra Chandran, Ericka Pittman, and Roxie Nafousi to name a few. I’ve spoken to women I’ve admired for years to find out how they got to where they got to! It has been a dream!
I also used my spare time to become a certified life coach so I can now give 1:1 coaching to further help people achieve the life of their dreams.
For those wondering where the name of my platform, The School of Sass, came from, well a few years before I had written the Little Book of Sass, featuring ‘sasspirational’ quotes to perk people up when they need it the most. I decided to add to this and at the same time I wanted to give the word sassy a positive spin. When I’m talking about channeling your inner sass I’m talking about being self-assured, spirited, and strong.
If there’s something I’ve learned over the past few years when it comes to turning ideas into execution it is to write a plan, create a vision board and then just begin! Consistency is key, don’t give up when things don’t work out – evaluate what went wrong, pivot and try again. Don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone, apply for your dream job, start that social account or pitch an idea. If you don’t do it, you will always wonder what could have been. And you never know where sending a DM could get you – it got me my own radio show!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
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 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, and Meaghan B Murphy to name a few!
The School of Sass was created 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.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I love reading – books are a great way to learn a new skill or improve oneself. I also love reading about other business leaders’ and entrepreneurs’ journeys as it’s a great source of inspiration:
The Ride of a Lifetime – Bob Iger
Do What You Love, Love What You do – Holly Tucker, MBE
How Women Rise – Sally Helgesen & Marshall Goldsmith
Radical Candor: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean – Kim Scott
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It – Chriss Voss
Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead – Tara Mohr
The Millionaire Mind – Thomas J Stanley
Unlimited Memory – Kevin Horsley
The 10 Pillars of Wealth – Alex Becker
Your Fully Charged Life – Meaghan B Murphy
Everything is figureoutable – Marie Forleo
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
My degree is in fashion design and my intention was to become a designer and set up my own fashion brand. My graduate show was featured in numerous publications, collection was worn by celebs and I subsequently got a fashion PR. I was on my way to making it in the world of fashion. However, I realized that when I’m passionate about something I put my all into it and there was something missing with fashion. I was doing a lot of media-related work on the side, which I loved. I decided that I could continue down the fashion road (after all I had spent years on it) or I could pivot and follow my passion for media. I pivoted and I haven’t looked back!
When it comes to life and careers you have to not be afraid to start again – it’s never too late and you’re never too old.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theschoolofsass.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofsass/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeeraSharmaOfficial/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeeraSharm
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1368370758/goal-planner-printable-and-digital-pdf?click_key=ad951d5fc586ca819db4b5073c359e2b0c5a2102%3A1368370758&click_sum=42279921&ref=shop_home_active_1