Sadie Jones
Sadie Jones is the founder of the award-winning Community organisation She Beasts CIC.
Founded back in 2021 to help all females find their inner beast through well-being. Over the years the organisation has evolved from providing well-being programmes to providing employability and qualification for females across the West Midlands
- Tell us a little bit about your business… / or the organisation you work for.
She Beasts was founded with a mission to empower women from all walks of life, offering support and guidance as they climb their personal and professional ladders with the support of community allies. Building a team of beasts with lived experiences such as domestic abuse and varying traumas. This wide spectrum involves supporting females from marginalised communities and providing them with equal opportunities to thrive. Through the She Beasts Learning Academy, we offer transferable skills and accredited qualifications, empowering women to unlock their full potential.
2. How did you get into the industry?
She Beasts CIC was founded with a mission and desire for change, a change for females who have experienced trauma. Driven by the firsthand experiences of trauma and survival. Witnessing of domestic abuse as a child and being a survivor. I know all to well the domino effect that can be caused by trauma it can be a vicious cycle of adversity: I have used the skills that I share with other females myself, in my own journey. Movement via exercise, changing my nutrition and mindset literally saved my life and has allowed me to go from being homeless a teenage mother having addictions and number of other challenges to where I am today. I went back to learning, courses, training and self-educating over the last 20 year all experiences that allowed me to change my life.. She Beasts was created to change a narrative and remind other females they can be anything they want to be to
I reject the notion of survivors being reduced to mere statistics. Instead, it’s about harnessing the transformative power of exercise, nutrition, and mindset to rewrite females’ stories just like I did. Drawing from my own experiences, She Beasts aim is to empower as many women as possible to discover their inner strength and true passions.
Through She Beasts, I strive to create a community where resilience is celebrated, and every woman can thrive.
3. What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?
The greatest opportunity Is also the biggest challenge in the world of wellbeing and fitness, it’s the gap for females, so many females want to and enjoy movement through exercise, but the stigma media and safety so often hinder this and prevent females of all ages embracing a career and their own health. The opportunity we present to take females from marginalised communities and rebuild their confidence will open a door to show more females that they can do all the things they were told they can’t by having more female instructors who are not necessarily the insta image of fitness that come from all walks of life will encourage I hope more females to embrace their bodies and educate them and their communities on better lifestyle choices. It’s not just about the individual the fitness space has the power to transform who communities by bringing them together to celebrate health, positivity and life.
4. How would you describe your leadership style? (if not in a leadership role talk about your working style)
I lead by example I do not expect my team or anyone else to do something I would not myself, I am a big believer in interdependence this means allowing individuals to shine where they thrive but to engage and take the support of those around them where they might lack. It’s the ethos of communities and leaders only lead well with the support of their teams/communities.
5. How do you get the most out of the people who work for you? (or work with you)
By being human, offering real life examples supporting & equipping individuals with the tools and instilling in them the belief that they can achieve their goals, if I why can’t they. It is paramount to empowerment to be honest and share the good and the bad, so I ensure that I allow my past experiences to be an example when my team doubt themselves. In fostering healthy working relationships, we recognise their immense value and the positive impact they have on individual growth and collective success.
6. What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
A resilient mindset, diligent effort, unwavering commitment, consistency, and perseverance are the key ingredients to success, being consistent never giving up always bouncing back from life’s knock-backs. I am a big believer in consistency over everything else you might not get it right all the time but if you keep going keep adapting you will eventually get the results.
7. How has the past 12 months been for you?
Over the past year, we’ve made significant strides in supporting local organisations and community projects, impacting a total of 15 initiatives. Additionally, we’re proud to have assisted 81 females through impact community work. Being named a finalist for Black Owned Birmingham 2023 Social Enterprise of the Year and winning the BLAC Best Business 2023 award were truly humbling and honourable experiences for us. So its safe to say it’s been life changing for everyone involved.
8. What will the next 12 months look like for you or your business?
In the coming year, we’re committed to offering continued support and creating more opportunities for our community. Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, we’re now able to expand our initiatives even further. We will be offering women an opportunity to not just transform their wellbeing but to have meaningful careers and to bridge that gap we talk about. Our first licensed course is set to begin in March/Apr 2024, which is an exciting milestone being able to offer qualification to our females. Additionally, we’ll resume collaborations with organisations like Urban Heard and WAITS while also introducing new community workshops across the West Midlands, made possible through our partnership with SERCO.
9. What are the highlights of your career so far?
I think the biggest highlight to date is the change in how we work being able to follow my career as a female in tech in the HXM space whilst pursuing my business aspirations as a founder is so rewarding. No longer is it either or, which is exactly what I believe about life you can do and be whatever you want to be. This resulted in me being able to combine my skills and see She Beasts win its first award for Best Business which just reconfirms my mission and that I am on the right track. I have been so fortunate to date from a teenager with no formal qualifications I have managed to create a meaningful career in a sector I love and to build a space and business that truly impacts and changes lives.
10. What’s the biggest professional / business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
I took a role a while back for a company and they were acquired the new business did not really align with my values and it did not feel right but because of the salary I stayed in hindsight it was a big mistake. So, the lesson there is that yes financial gain is imperative in the society we live in, but it should not compromise our ethics and when it does you should always walk away as it will be inevitable that if you’re not happy you will not be successful and it will impact your mental health and wellbeing. And nothing is worth that.
11. What’s the best piece of professional / business advice you’ve been given or would like to give?
The best professional advice I was given and that I always share is that the more Nos you receive the closer you are to a yes, so basically don’t give up at the 1st hurdle as your Yes or success is just around the corner.
