This week You! talks to Shehzeen, who is an inspiration to many young girls who want to do something of their own. Read on...
woman @ work
Shehzeen Rehman is a lifestyle content creator residing in Australia but she started off with a corporate career at one of the top multinationals in the country. However, all of this changed when Shehzeen decided to quit her job and start blogging, this was 12 years ago. A decade later she has multiple global brand partnerships, with Samsung and Emirates to Ideas and Sapphire. Shehzeen has released exclusive product collections with both and local and international brands. This week You! talks to Shehzeen, who is an inspiration to many young girls who want to do something of their own. Read on...
You! How did you first get into blogging?
Shehzeen Rehman: I love story telling. I used to send in my articles to US magazine at The News. I wanted to switch over from working in the corporate sector to doing something of my own. I had worked for 7 years at a multinational company within a top management role and at that point, it felt like I had taken enough from that experience and learnt the skills I needed to bring to my own small business. I put in the same amount of effort, hard work and discipline as I put in my 9 to 5. I started writing a traditional, old-school blog and soon it grew into a small community of very thoughtful readers.
You! Wasn’t it a tough decision to leave a lucrative job?
SR: Absolutely, at the time, it was a pay-cut for me but I didn’t want to measure my life goals from a financial aspect only. Yes, money is important and it was surely less in the beginning but my focus was that it should be enough.
Suddenly, I was really ‘behind’ versus many of my peers but life growth doesn’t rest in comparison but in assessing ‘what’s good enough’. I wanted a space to call entirely my own, where I had more creative control.
And I wanted a smaller life where I didn’t have the artificial pressures or very fast pace of a typical corporation. So I planned a little, relied on my savings, and gave it a shot. As social media evolved, I moved onto Instagram and other platforms, and that’s how I’m here today.
You! What is your blog about?
SR: I’m a lifestyle content creator, so everything to do with your daily life things, from subha ki chai to decorating a corner of your home to spirituality and life conversations. I look at it as being that warm corner on the internet, where you can come by with your chai or coffee and hang out for a few minutes every day.
You! What is your favourite thing about blogging?
SR: When you create content with thought and care, it allows you to be more responsible about what you say, the words you use, the posts you put out, and generally helps you see clearly how you contribute to the world. I think my 10+ year journey has helped me in shaping my own character.
You! How would you describe your line of work?
SR: One thing that I figured out for myself very early on was that I wanted my content to be a product of my life, and not my life to be a product of my content.
So, I’ve always focused on creating around things that are organically happening in my life and I don’t like to stage scenarios or situations. I also like to keep things relaxed, simple and as raw as possible.
Till date, I film all my own content and I consciously don’t want a very professional look to it, just keep things a little raw. Like homemade food, I want the same wholesome vibe for what I post.
You! What advice would you give a new writer?
SR: Write from the heart and all you’ll need to do is to then refine it, because everyone improves with practice. Our truest self comes through when we’re not forcing our expression to be like someone else’s or to fit a trend. Write with love.
You! What is your greatest achievement with your work?
SR: Two projects are my absolute favourites. The first is my own podcast called ‘The Friday Catchup’ where I chat with one of my best friends about different topics related to women. It was #1 on Apple Podcasts all across Pakistan. The other project is my newsletter called ‘A Slow Afternoon’ on Substack, where I have tried to bring back the love for slower reading. Every month I send out long articles to all my subscribers about mindful living, tehrao in life. It was a bestseller within the first month of launching so that’s been going well too. The links to all of these are on my Instagram @shehzeen.r.
You! Being a woman, what kind of challenges did you face while setting up your venture?
SR: The influencer space has rapidly expanded over the last 5 years, most people still don’t consider content creation or influencing a legitimate job or source of income, and most women are seen as doing this as a hobby or not something that requires intelligence and thought. When I started, it was even harder and I frequently found myself within conversations, where my work kept getting minimised. I have noticed that whatever women do, whether it is blogging or working 9-5, people look at it as though it is easier, it’s simpler than what men do, that’s why they were able to do it.
You! What is the most important advice you can give to women?
SR: Be the person you want to be. There is way too much advice for women in today’s times - to work, not to work, to do more, to do less. You don’t find the same level of instruction for men and that in itself creates increased workload on women; the so-many-hats that they’re told to wear. The only hat you need to wear is for the person you are and then live life offering your service to different roles as they require it - similar to the way men do.
You! How has your blogging impacted the society?
SR: Being able to do community work, hands down. Through my platform, my audience and I have been able to raise millions over the years for various causes; flood relief, education for underprivileged children, Palestine aid. Just last year we were able to raise 50 million PKR for TCF. I never imagined giving back to the community on such a large scale and I absolutely love that about my work.
Besides that, what I truly love and value is when someone messages to tell me how following along helped them live life more simply, or enjoy a slow morning chai, spend more thoughtfully, make time for hobbies. Those are things that change one individual’s mindset, but then go on to change the mindset of their whole home. And what is society but a collection of homes. That’s the impact I value.
You! Where do you see yourself in five years?
SR: I’d also love to be doing more community work, and be working on a legacy that lives on, not in worldly milestones or achievements, but in real people.
