Tackling Workplace Burnout Through Creative Community

Selfmade alum Sohad Saleh wants to help young professionals break free from burnout through creativity and community. Thanks to our partnership with Office Depot OfficeMax, we are sharing her founder story and how our 10-week virtual business course helped her narrow her focus and not wait for perfection. Her motto? Progress over perfection! Here's how she's honing in on her big ideas one day at a time.

B + C: What motivated you to start UnWind UrMind? What problem are you trying to solve for your customers?

Sohad: After a lifetime of helping my mom co-parent my two younger sisters with autism, I moved 1,000 miles away from home to accept a teaching job in July 2019. After being an educator for 11 years, I walked away from my job in December 2020 because of severe burnout. This was the inspiration for UnWind UrMind.

I want to inspire and show individuals that there is light at the end of the burnout tunnel. Burnout recovery is possible with the right community, mindset, and support. I want to create an online community where people can turn when they need encouragement and advice in their journey to becoming the best version of themselves.

B + C: How has the company evolved since your initial "aha" moment?

Sohad: My "aha" moment happened during the Summer 2021 cohort. I gave my undivided attention, time, and full effort into truly thinking about who I wanted to serve and how as I went through my Selfmade classes, listened to Brit and her team, our mentors, and all the amazing guest speakers. Originally my idea was to have a creative space for adults, but I wanted to dig deeper and take it a step further. I still want to interweave the idea of creativity but now I want to apply it to helping people with burnout recover and be the best version of themselves.

B + C: What startup challenges have you faced along the way?

Sohad: The hardest part was showing up and making peace with imperfection. I was dealing with serious imposter syndrome. The idea of simply posting on Instagram terrified me. Tech has always been a struggle for me in general. Add that to starting a business, I felt stuck. Also showing up for social media. I'm an introvert who enjoys her privacy.

B + C: What strategies helped you overcome them?

Sohad: Honestly, I just had to get my mind off the hamster wheel and tell myself to just post and embrace what may come of it. One of the best feelings ever to overcome is peace with not being perfect or ready. We polish and become more ready by taking action.

Social media and tech slowly came together for me when I started to challenge myself to make reels and edit them. It literally took me 5 hours to edit my first reel. It was painful. While I still have not mastered the art of editing, I'm proud to say I have not spent that long editing a reel since!

B + C: What would you say are your top 1-3 successes so far?

Sohad: Making and editing reels! This is huge because it is a reminder of the courage I have found to be in front of the camera as well as challenge myself with tech. I'm flexing two muscles at once and it's great!

Another big move for me is posting multiple times a week for now and slowly growing my community and engagement.

This may sound trivial but I assure you it is not. Writing the word "entrepreneur" on my Instagram bio made everything else feel real.

B + C: How have you approached marketing your brand and raising awareness?

Sohad: I'm working on getting the word out through my Instagram by showing my community I empathize with them and their struggles and that I am a real person just like them. I also finally created a landing page and added it to my IG bio that way when I do launch, my community will know about it. My next big project is working on creating a podcast by the people, for the people. I want to interview real people who have also been down the dark road of burnout and pick their brains about how they were able to set themselves free as well as offer advice to others who are currently trying to move forward.

B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?

Sohad: Reminding myself I am enough. I don't have a business background. While I'm still putting the entrepreneurial pieces together as I go, I can say with certainty that I do have a fire and a passion to be my own boss and serve others.

B + C: Who and what inspires you?

Sohad: My mother and two younger sisters with autism are my soul. My heart beats for all three of them. Everything I have done and do is for them. I want to make them proud and also be able to financially support them one day. My sisters never cease to surprise with the things they do or say. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my sisters grow and be happy.

I also have a special place in my heart for individuals with special needs. I find so often they are treated as the underdog when they deserve so much more. I have never seen more passion and love in a community of individuals.

B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?

Sohad: As someone who is guilty of over-thinking and talking myself out of things because they aren't perfect, I 110% suggest they do the same! Go for it! Make mistakes! The beginning is never going to be perfect. And the beauty of making mistakes is that you learn from them! Progress over perfection!

B + C: What's next for UnWind UrMind?

Sohad: I hope to launch my podcast by the end of this year. I'm still researching and investigating what direction I want to go in but the fire is lit and it's not burning out! Prior to Selfmade, the idea of me sharing my voice on a platform like Spotify was not even on my radar or a thought in my head. I can now see it slowly coming to life.

I am also playing with the idea of offering these experiences through live/interactive theme-based workshops, courses, and creative coaching, including, but not limited to, drawing, painting, writing, mindfulness, and yoga. I would also like to create a monthly membership.

B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot OfficeMax scholarship to Selfmade done to help you grow your business?

Sohad: Office Depot OfficeMax has given me the confidence to own who I am and how I show up in my business. When I received my scholarship for the program, I thought, if they believe in me, then I most certainly need to believe in me! I now do, thanks to them. Thank you, Office Depot OfficeMax for offering me the stepping-stones into a new life chapter for me. You have allowed me to give myself permission to show up and be myself in my business.

B + C: How have Office Depot OfficeMax services/products helped you accomplish more in your business?

Sohad: I love all my office supplies Office Depot OfficeMax sent me; specifically, my phone clip is working wonders for recording my reels. My TUL notebook is the most amazing and versatile notebook I've ever used. I love that I can move pages around and rearrange the order of my notes! This gives me permission again to do things messy and not worry that things aren't in the right order sometimes. Lastly, my planner is a lifesaver for staying up-to-date with everything going on! The aesthetic is absolutely beautiful and inviting to use.

Thanks Sohad! You can follow Sohad's journey @un.wind.ur.mind.

Perfection is an impossible task. Start where you are and keep going. Office Depot OfficeMax can help you get there with signs, posters & banners to help get your business noticed to marketing materials to keep your customers informed. Office Depot OfficeMax offers a full suite of business services & solutions to help you bring your business to life. Learn more at Office Depot's Selfmade page.

Want to join the next Selfmade cohort? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.