Shalom Lloyd (BSc MSc Pharm; MBA) is a proud mother of five, a wife, a serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and a workaholic. A global leader for over twenty (20) years in the Pharmaceutical (drug development) Industry, Shalom Lloyd is the founder of Naturally Tribal Skincare a company that uses Mother Nature’s gifts to create natural chemical free skincare products in the United Kingdom with ingredients ethically sourced from Africa. Shalom is also the Chief Strategy Officer at Emerging Markets Quality Trials (eMQT), a non-profit organisation focused on providing the global pharmaceutical industry access to patients in Africa.
Shalom is a Commonwealth Export Champion, a Mentor, a STEM Ambassador and strong believer in the fact that anything is possible!
What is your motto?
I try to live by three (3) principles in this order:
Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. (Saint Francis of Assisi)
Secondly, it is better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared (Whitney M. Young)
There will always be obstacles and barriers as we go through our life journey however, I do believe that ‘Failure’ is an option! Failure is the first step to success; multiple failures are multiple steps towards success. Name an idol, a mentor, someone you admire who has not failed multiple times to get to where they are.
What are three words to describe yourself?
My 3 P’s: Passionate, Positive, Persistent
What is the best part about your job?
Being my own boss which means that I can do what I love whilst making a different. I make decisions quickly, nimble and agile enough to change direction if something isn’t working. I get to be the one who puts pressure on myself knowing that my successes and failures are all down to me.
What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done – your greatest challenge?
I was fortunate enough to be given a full scholarship to study pharmacy in the former Soviet Union (Russia) in the late 1980’s. I was 16 when I arrived in Moscow and after a further five years of living and studying in a country to which I arrived without knowing a single word of Russian or knowing anyone, I returned home to the United Kingdom with a BSc and MSc in Pharmacy.
In addition to the language, there were many challenges and barriers to being a young woman of colour in Russia. This experience not only nurtured the scientist in me but gave me confidence, determination, tenacity, the will to succeed and the ability to adapt. I feel that if I could do that at the young age of 16, I can rise to any challenge.
How do you define success?
Happiness, however one defines it for ones self to me, is success! Good health, being content and at peace, a good home, a successful career, comfortable in my own skin and have nothing to prove – I feel secure and confident enough to take risks and pursue things that actually mean something, things I am passionate about – not just for myself but for others also – That to me is success.
What are you working on now that you are excited about?
I jumped, took that leap of faith! Left my full time job and now focused on my own skincare company – Naturally Tribal Skincare.
In 2014, after several IVF cycles, I gave birth to a beautiful set of twins! One of my twins, Joshua, was covered in eczema from birth and I spent months combining lotions, creams, emollients, teas – you name it – to stop his ‘scratch until drawing blood’ dilemma. I tapped into my African heritage and started to mix raw ingredients from Africa – the scientist in me took over, experimenting and testing using these natural ingredients. Then once I stumbled on the right formula, it miraculously only took three days for Joshua’s skin to become what it should have been at birth. Naturally Tribal Skincare was born from this personal experience and guess what – we are empowering African women in the process.
What are you grateful for?
I am grateful for my health and my family. So, if you had a beautiful loving, family, nice home, a job you were passionate about, wonderful friends and in the process could be someone that helped make the world a better place in some way – how fabulous would that be? I am super grateful.
What is your bad day backup plan?
I would like to say there is no such thing as a bad day but we know that’s not true as we all go through ups and downs. I am generally a very positive person who sees failure or a bad day as just another step to climb towards reaching my goal. When those bad days come however, i try to count the good days and be grateful for what we see as the little things. And also, I play one of my favourite ‘pick me up’ song on repeat!
What advice would you give someone with a broken heart?
Spend one day, eat as much ice cream as you can for a whole day and then move on! Time is a wonderful gift! It heals and mends.
What gives you goose bump?
The sound of my children laughing.
What is a rule that is made to be broken?
The unspoken rule that a woman cannot have it all. Some women don’t even try or fear society’s perception because they believe they can’t have a successful career and a family. Yes, it’s tough but like everything in life you have to work hard, believe in your own potential and have the correct mindset.
What woman has inspired you the most and why?
The Self Made ones – I admire and look up to business women and men who have built their businesses from scratch, from nothing, from just an idea. Oprah, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, JK Rowling, Zhang Xin, Henry Ford to name a few. Maya Angelou and Malala Yousifazi inspire me for their bravery and ability to use words to change lives.
PERSONAL HEALTHY LONGEVITY PROGRAM
- EXERCISE: Planking and stretching for 10 minutes every morning. A dear friend of mine taught me how to SmileFit which is perfect for someone like me who does not like to exercise – SmileFit is simply doing what you love and keeping fit while doing it. I love dancing so I dance with my children most evenings.
- MENTAL EXERCISE: Writing my blog – Random Rambles. It relaxes me and in a way burges my mind
- DAILY SUPPLEMENTS: Daily Vitamin C; Ginger and tumeric tea
- DIETARY PROTOCOL: I eat most things in moderation and treat myself to ice cream (a weakness)
- SLEEP: 6 hours
- RELAXATION AND STRESS RELIEF: Two weeks a year cruising the Mediterranean
- PERSONAL SECRET: It’s not a secret if I tell you now, is it?
- BEST HABIT TO CULTIVATE: Have a positive mindset! Our mind is extremely powerful and impacts our personal health and wellbeing.
To learn more about Shalom’s organic skincare products, visit www.naturallytribalgroup.com
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