Emma Sijuwade

Emma Sijuwade - She/Her

Social Media Marketing Strategist, Founder and CEO of Socibelle and Vibes of a Black Girl

Emma Sijuwade is a social media marketing specialist and founder of Socibelle - a social media agency working with leading organisations and Vibes of a Black Girl - one of the UK’s largest social-first empowerment platforms for Black women and girls. Emma has a track record of creating successful strategies, campaigns and award-winning initiatives for clients. Socibelle's sole purpose is to help purpose-driven brands build authentic communities and navigate the world of social media in the most effective way possible. While creating an atmosphere of total transparency and taking pride in understanding the vision of their clients. Emma is super passionate about the user experience and regularly speaks at conferences and events on a variety of topics including digital marketing, social media, current trends, content creation and community building.

Please tell us about your career

Vibes of a Black girl is a digital media platform that develops thought-provoking, authentic and digestible content that aims to empower, inspire and educate Black women and girls worldwide. I am passionate about equipping Black women and girls with the tools and resources they need to feel confident, capable and celebrated.

Throughout my teenage years, I really struggled with the lack of representation in the media and very rarely felt confident or empowered in my skin. I also think that being both Black and Neurodivergent was difficult when growing up as it did feel like a bit of a taboo topic and something you wouldn't share publicly. On top of that, I felt like there was a huge lack of representation when it came to Black women in the Neurodivergent space, so growing up I felt there weren't really any voices of people to look up to that really understood my lived experience. It wasn't until I was a lot older that I felt more confident to speak up about being Black and Neurodivergent and I wish there were more role models for young Black Neurodivergent girls.

I created Vibes of a Black Girl out of a need to see real change happen for Black women and girls who may have felt like I did growing up. I wanted to challenge the false narrative and negative perception that continue to impact so many of us. I have worked in the digital and social media space for over 10 years, and I wanted to use my creative skills and experience to develop something that would encourage Black women and young Black girls to take up space, be bold and live in their truth, unapologetically.

I feel super proud and fulfilled in my career path. Once I finished studying for my MBA I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do but I focused on my skills and leaned into my strengths. I now run a social media agency that works with leading organisations, brands and charities. Last year my agency was the 1st ever agency to run the global social media comms for the historical Lambeth Conference - which only takes place once every 10+ years. Vibes of a Black Girl is also one of the UK’s largest and most engaged social platforms for Black women and girls - in 2022, all content on the Vibes of a Black girl Instagram platform organically reached over 15 million people. I am so interested in the digital world and how we can harness it to build purpose-driven brands and worldwide communities, so I am very grateful that I get to make a change and play a part every day.

Do you feel that your career is a good fit for an Neurodivergent woman?

I believe my career is a great fit for a Neurodivergent woman because you get to be creative and express yourself in so many different ways. Things are always changing when it comes to Social Media so it can be challenging to keep on top of everything, but this enables you to try new things, take risks and trust in your skills.

What advice would you give to another Neurodivergent woman navigating their way through life?

Having a formal diagnosis really changed the course of my life. I would say if you have the opportunity to get those tests done, definitely do it. Also to not be afraid to ask for support and help (at work, school, or university). This was a crucial one for me as when I was in the final year of my undergrad degree and then also studying for my MBA I made my University aware of my dyslexia and they were so accommodating. I was given extra time, tech support and so much more. Lastly, to find community. There are so many great online spaces where Neurodivergent women can find support and feel free to be themselves.