My guest today is Khadija Kalifa, who is best known for being a finalist on Lord Sugar’s reality TV show The Apprentice in 2018. After that life-changing experience, she became a serial entrepreneur, blogger, motivational speaker, business mentor and consultant. Setting up an award-winning brand ‘Keeping it real with Khadija’, she has helped over 30 businesses to scale with consultancy and mentorship support, trained entrepreneurs in marketing and podcasting and was voted a top 10 motivational speaker in 2019. And all these achievements whilst being a devoted mother to three little girls, with the youngest being only a couple of months old. We recorded this interview with Khadija in the midst of the first lockdown and with Khadija being pregnant with her third daughter, so we did it over Zoom. And since then, Khadija has opened a soft play café Full of Beans Bourne just outside of Peterborough where she lives.

On this episode we peek behind the closed doors of Khadija’s home life, her relationships with her close ones, her wins and also the challenges that she has faced and is still dealing with.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• I like to choose my own things and follow the Kardashians style with quirky architectural pieces.
• My routine is built around my children and school. I could leverage the school run but I feel more connected and more hands-on as a mum if I do it.
• Being a part of the ‘The Apprentice’ gave me lots of confidence in myself and my ability in business.
• Since launching ‘Keep It Real with Khadija’ I’ve generated over a hundred thousand in revenue through mentoring and consulting.
• I’m just a normal person but being on the program has given me credibility and opened a lot of doors for me.
• My mindset is about understanding that everyone has problems but it’s about getting on with it and moving forward with an open mind.
• Having to grow up quickly means I’m achieving more now than some other people do in a lifetime.
• I’m open about everything that happened to me because I want others to understand that if they are going through something similar, it’s normal.
• I have learnt that you can channel anxiety and any worries in a constructive way.

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘The Apprentice experience and being away from my family was very intense’

‘What keeps me at peace is staying busy’

‘Being a part of the ‘The Apprentice’ gave me lots of confidence in myself’

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Beehive Household podcast

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Nataliya Lloyd is a finance expert and after 15 years of studying and working in the industry, she changed tack and went with her dream of becoming an entrepreneur and followed her creative call.  She is now the owner of Nataliya Lloyd Interiors, with an Interior Design certification from the Chelsea College of Arts. Nataliya is also the Finance Director and a supporter of the charity Professors Without Borders, which specialises in providing university-level short education courses in developing countries. She is a member of a pre-eminent members’ club for women in business - The Sorority. But most importantly, she is a wife, daughter and a mother. You can connect with Nataliya on:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliya-lloyd-32a24547/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nataliyalloydinteriors/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NataliyaLloydInteriors/

And her website: www.nataliyalloydinteriors.com