We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Pooja Shah a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Pooja, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

A few months ago in February 2023, my husband and I moved to London from New York City. We packed all of our personal belongings in suitcases and carry-ons and shipped bigger items via cargo. Since being in the UK for the past few months, I would have to say this decision has definitely been an interesting, yet hard one. Whether it’s my career as an attorney or my journey as a journalist, I have been forced to step outside my comfort zones, meet new people, and develop new relationships. Back home in New York, I had my core group of professionals I would talk about career issues with, and a close knit group of friends and family to call my own. Being here and trying to start from scratch has been difficult, especially because cultures and work expectations are different. It’s also hard to move countries in your 30s and to be comfortable knowing it’s going to take some time to find your bearings.

Pooja, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been a practicing attorney for 7 years with experience in the areas of compliance, regulatory law, IP and corporate governance. At the start of the pandemic, I found myself having extra time where I was not commuting or spending time at work-related networking events. My now husband encouraged me to take this time to pursue my passion- journalism. I started learning how to pitch stories, connect with editors and other writers, and really take the time to hone my craft. 3 years later, I have over 200+ bylines in over 30 publications. I write on wellness, culture, lifestyle, travel, health, and more and I really enjoy how my stories are so different and varied in topics. I am really proud at my ability to be resilient, especially in an industry that is really fickle. Given the number of media layoffs and publications folding, it’s sometimes challenging to be a freelance writer because the work is never consistent or promised. This is where relationships are extremely important and to consistently vouch for yourself and your work.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

One of the biggest challenges I’ve personally faced is impostor syndrome. Whenever I publish a new story, there’s still a little (annoying) voice in me that tells me “no one cares” or “this isn’t well written.” As a result, I used to shy away from posting my stories on social media or sharing with friends and family. Over time I have changed that mentality and have begun to start posting my articles on social media platforms. This has really helped me grow my clientele and to get editors to be interested and well acquainted with the topics I write on. It’s also helped me connect to other writers. Being a freelance writer means there’s limited face time with other people, and this way we can become friends offline. It has also inspired a great deal of stories when people read something I have written and get in touch to share their perspective.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I always used to think that I needed to follow the “American Dream” which is find a partner, get married, buy a house, have kids and live a comfortable life with my 9-5 schedule. As a child of immigrants, this was the dream that my parents left their homeland of India for, so naturally I felt like I had to follow suit. Being part of this new age of digital nomads and professionals, I have started to realize that there’s no one fit all way of lifestyle for people. Though I am extremely happy being married to my partner, we are choosing to wait to buy a house or have children until we figure out what our careers look like. We are not afraid to try new professions, new companies, meet new people, and grow our intellects because we know that we are lucky to be able to explore. I am embracing the multi-hyphenated lifestyle, even if that means that things are not always consistent or stable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pooja-shah.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poojashah1130/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojasmistry/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/poojashahwrites?lang=en