In this episode of The Sally Steele Show, I sat down with New Yorker, Lydia Gobena. Lydia, born in Ethiopia, describes herself as a multipotentialite – she is a partner at a leading intellectual property law firm, a passionate jewellery designer, a wife, a mother to two fierce daughters and a full-blown fashionista.

Lydia championed countless court and trademark office decisions and also secured one of the first criminal convictions for trademark infringement in Chile.

When Lydia is not protecting some of the world's most well-known and beloved brands, she is creating bold unique jewellery under her Birabiro brand, inspired by the beauty and imperfection of nature and her birthplace Ethiopia. Lydia is also one of the 36 women featured in my book Dare More Care Less® and we discuss her incredibly inspiring life to date.

In this episode we also chat about:

• The story behind Lydia's Instagram handle, @birabiro and how she began promoting her jewellery and style on Instagram and the opportunities and people it has connected her to.
• Lydia's tips for protecting your own trademark and what to look for when starting a business.
• Living in New York during the COVID pandemic, her new appreciation of Central Park, nature and Harlem and spending more time with her children since working from home.
• The impact of the recent US political race, The Black Lives Matter movement and the conversations that have arisen in her household as a result.
• Lydia's childhood growing up in the US as an Ethiopian immigrant and how her parents and she maintain their connection to culture.
• Meeting Instagram fashion blogger @Diana Gabrielle at a house party and how they came to be good friends.
• The confidence and self-esteem boost she gained through working with jewellery.
• Lydia's tips for boosting your confidence through fashion and the impact it can have on our mental state.
• Her body image journey and how she ended up on billboards across the USA.
• How Lydia, as a lawyer, manages to express her playfulness, youthfulness and vitality through her style.
• Her experience of the MET costume museum and meeting Iris Apfel.
• Lydia's process of using creativity as a way to deal with the grief of losing her mother this year.
• The music, books and films that bring joy and have impacted her life's journey.
• And finally, we shine a light on others and hear about Lydia's favourite charity The 'Abebech Gobena Orphanage,' which is where her daughter was adopted from.

So, enjoy this insightful episode with Lydia Gobena.

 

Links:

Follow @birabiro on Instagram

Visit the Bira Biro Etsy Store

Be inspired by Diana Gabriel on Instagram

Be inspired by Debra Rapoport on Instragram

Read 'The Broken Wings' by Kahlil Gibran 

Read 'The Little Prince' by Antoine Saint-Exupery

Buy Sally's Book "Dare More, Care Less"

Follow the show on Instagram @thesallysteeleshow

Find Sally on Instagram

@STEELEmystyle

@ItsSallySteele

@DareMoreCareLess

Sally Steele