We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shayla Unik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shayla below.
Alright, Shayla thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?
COVID was a life changing time for everyone! With many people not having the means or ability to work, employers and employees were placed in compromising positions. As a certified Human Resources professional I began to feel oblique to the people on social media crying out for help and understanding. This provided me with the opportunity to share my knowledge and behind the scene teachings for employer and employee rights, laws, and temporary changes in business. One of the best things to come about during this time was the ability for people to discover their true talents and purpose while being “stuck in the house”. As people began to solicit their talents as a business, they began to turn to me for the “back office” legal paperwork and business development understanding. I began to discover my talents, knowledge, skills and abilities were best used to help small business owners who needed more detail and support behind the scenes. I also rediscovered my “word play” abilities while developing resumes for those who were seeking job or position transitions. This is where I receive the title “The HR Guru”.
Shayla, 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?
Unik I Am was created to empower young ladies and women to not allow bad decisions and mistakes to define nor confine them. I share my story of making a bad decision in 2012 which caused my children and I to be homeless. However, I did not allow the bad decision and my circumstances to keep me in a dark space. Through hard work and persistency, I was introduced to the field of Human Resources and never looked back. By 2019 I became certified in HR, won awards and single-handily became the youngest person to hold the director position in the HR seat for the corporate company. The Unik I Am products are reminders to people, “everyone has a story, but your story is what makes you Unik”. My HR experience transitioned from corporate to entrepreneurship in 2022, providing resources to help business avoid common costly mistakes. Shayla Unik speaks and had been featured on many, many platforms and networks sharing the story from homelessness to Conquering Corporate. Conquering corporate doesn’t mean conquering your corporate position, it’s conquering the mindset! You are the CEO of your life, You are Unik!!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My reputation was built on authenticity and being relatable. I have the ability to perform and explain Human Resources task and processes in a way everyone is able to understand. Human Resources is looked upon as a “corporate need”, however with my clients they understand Human Resources as a business need. The processes and implementation of the processes can be difficult if you do not have the right information and people around you and your business. Thats where I come in….I help simplify and implement the things businesses needed to avoid common costly mistakes in a simplified manner.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the biggest lessons I had to learn along my journey is that I belong! I belong in every room I walk into because I am enough. For a long time I would attend business events, conferences, etc. and felt out of place. I felt as though the people already in the room belonged there because they’d accomplished so much and had “it all figured out”. I felt small amongst some big people with big names. A few years (yes years) had passed before I heard someone say “everyone in this room, belong in this room and every room you walk in”. That was all I needed to hear. From that day forward I vowed to own every room I walked into, because I belonged there too. Far too often, we face imposter syndrome, not know or understanding our sense of belonging. I had to unlearn the thought or feeling of “not belonging”. However, once we discover and allow our true selves to flourish and conquer our mindset, we identify our sense of belonging. I belong, because I am Unik! I am Shayla Unik! Who are you? What rooms do you belong in? Get in the room!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.unikiam.com
- Instagram: unik_I_am2
- Facebook: Unik I Am
- Linkedin: Shayla Unik, SHRM-CP
Image Credits
Michelle Collins