Female Disruptors: Shyla Day On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview with Candice Georgiadis
Show up, and show up with your best foot forward. I can’t stress enough that if you don’t show up for yourself, no-one is going to show up for you! You should always represent yourself the best way you can, you never know who you’ll meet even on a normal day.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shyla Day.
Shyla Day is an Award-Winning Music Artist, TEDx Speaker, Best-Selling Author, Social Media Mega-Influencer and International Humanitarian. She has garnered dozens of global awards, nominations and recognitions in the fields of music, humanitarianism, social media, and entrepreneurship. Claes Nobel, of the Nobel Prize Family, stated “Shyla…represents our very best hope for the future”.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I am a big city girl on a mission to make a positive difference in the world. I know, that might be a lot to chew! I am a music artist, inspired by the works of the music activists — for a quick example, LIVE AID, Bob Marley, and Tom Morello. I was inspired as a young 14 year old girl, when I joined a music group called “Tunes for Tots” — I spent many summers touring with that organization, raising millions for charities as a teen only to realize how impactful playing music can really be. Today, I use my gifts, talents, and passions to create positive change in the best way I know how. Music!
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
I founded “Influencers Impact”. Influencers Impact highlights influencers and change makers utilizing platforms on and offline to spread positive messages of kindness, while also creating awareness about social issues that are important to them. Many influencers have a bad reputation- and as a person who’s been in the public eye since my teens, I do know how difficult, and downright intimidating it can be to share those important (and sometimes controversial!) parts of us so publicly so I set out to highlight and elevate those voices that are speaking out even further.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Always pack another dress!! One year, I believe this was in 2017 I was a top-nominee for a prestigious Entrepreneur Award by The World Networks. When I was invited to attend the red carpet celebration in Los Angeles, of course, I accepted the invitation! I live in the city of San Diego, which is about 2 1/2 hours from Los Angeles on a good day- and this particular day it took a little under 4 hours. My dress, however. Had fallen into a peculiar position in the car, and ended up sitting scrunched up and wrinkled the entire way. I didn’t have another dress, so I had to rock it! That one, was a tough lesson learned the hard way. Im pretty sure there are stock images of me in that wrinkled dress all over the internet. No big deal!
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Many of my greatest mentors in life have been my family, my mom, my sister, and all of my supporters online helping guide me along the way. Nothing would be possible with out every single one of them! Im actively looking to align myself with heart-led mentors in the entertainment and humanitarianism spaces who also have a greater goal to do good and create a positive and measurable change in the world. You can never have too many people cheering you on!
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
The main difference between good and bad disruption, has everything to do with intention. This reminds me of a quote by the civil rights activist, John Lewis about good trouble. For example the recent BLM protests are good trouble — although they are doing the right thing fighting for the collective, some were jailed. This is called ‘altruism’. Altruism is selfless concern for others, sometimes at their own expense. Bad disruption, would be the moment it went from peaceful protest to a riot — where people were hurt, and the whole message was ultimately polluted. A greater point would have been made had we stayed in good trouble.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
- Find a way to find the way. Growing up with a single mother, we had to get pretty creative in order to achieve our goals. Whether it was a creative dinner, or a creative Halloween costume, we always found a way.
- Show up, and show up with your best foot forward. I can’t stress enough that if you don’t show up for yourself, no-one is going to show up for you! You should always represent yourself the best way you can, you never know who you’ll meet even on a normal day.
- Seek opportunity. One thing I think is often misunderstood, is that opportunity will just knock at your door one day. Every single person you look up to, searched for opportunities that aligned with their greater mission!
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
I have so much up my sleeve for the next couple of years! There are many projects in the works I wish I could share more about with you, but Im not cleared to at this time. What I can say, is that I hope to inspire future generations to use their unique talents, backgrounds, and skillsets to raise awareness about the causes they believe in. Just by one person following a bigger mission, they can then inspire many others and like cause & effect, it will continue to be the catalyst to a larger positive change in the world!
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Ive had many of my peers and male counterparts alike try to minimize what I achieved through many forms of harassment, and straight up malicious pre-meditated bullying. Ive even been asked on live radio if I had slept my way up! This is the kind of treatment that, if I was a man, wouldn’t be tolerated; let alone wouldn’t happen in the first place. Regardless, I am a woman who learns, who grows, and who elegantly handles each adversity.
This is a perfect time to pull out some Taylor Swift:
“Wondering if I’d get there quicker, If I was a man
And I’m so sick of them coming at me again
’Cause if I was a man, Then I’d be the man
They’d say I hustled
Put in the work
They wouldn’t shake their heads and question
how much of this I deserve”
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
The best book, is the book of life. The lessons learned from each of your steps and how you can continue to get 1% better every single day. The best podcast, is listening to your mentors. They will hone in and guide you in the right direction. The best talk, is talking to supportive family and friends. Speaking about things that are concerning you, and asking for advice from your friends and family make all the difference.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Thank you endlessly for those kind words. If I could inspire any movement, I would say to use your talents to serve the world! The world is so balanced in the way that we each have unique talents that go hand-in-hand with each other, if we were to work together instead of against each other, the world would be a much better place!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I adore this quote from a fellow musician who goes by the name of Aphex Twin; “It’s not about what equipment you have, it’s what you do with it.” The biggest lesson I’ve learned throughout my career is that you already have everything within you, to achieve your biggest goals. Your equipment IS YOU! Utilize your biggest asset, and brainstorm how you can use what you already have to achieve what you are looking to achieve.
How can our readers follow you online?
My official website is www.ShylaDay.com, and my Instagram and Twitter handles are @Shyla_Day.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Thank you for having me, and thank you again for continuing to publish feel-good, positive content online!
