In under a decade, Mirela Sula pivoted her life from being a housewife to becoming a nationally known television host and award-winning novelist. Today, the powerhouse entrepreneur shares how she later went on to launch Global Woman Magazine, a globally recognized publication sharing the stories of women who, like Mirela, refuse to say no to their dreams.
“All women need is a voice, to stand in their power, build their confidence and be able to monetize their work, their skills, and experience,” shared Mirela Sula, the founder of Global Woman, UK’s largest business networking and magazine publication platform empowering women.
For Mirela, her determination to create a community for women to uncover their power and monetize from their professional pursuits was one fuelled by decades of personal experience. Her upbringing in Albania followed by a toxic marriage shared with her firsthand the consequences of being reliant. Driven to create an alternate future, not only for herself but for the women around her, led to the launch of Global Woman in 2015. Just over six years later, the publication has grown to become a global community of women spanning over 30 countries coming together through empowerment.
But before Mirela was recognized as the leader of a global movement, she began her career as a writer, journalist, psychologist, and television personality. All these accomplishments were far from what her parents and husband had expected from her at the time, but Mirela was relentless in her pursuit of greatness.
With Mirela serving as a source of inspiration, we’re begged to ask the question, how did a housewife from rural Albania become one of the country’s most recognized television personalities in the span of a decade?
“It really began with writing,” Mirela recalled. “When I was in high school, I heard about a national competition that they hosted on the radio. They would give you 60 seconds to write a poem, and then they would pick the best poem and announce the winner on the radio. The winner of the first day could move on to the next round. I had to walk 30 minutes from my home to the post office to call in for this competition, and I ended up winning the national prize.”
This victory lit a spark within Mirela, showing her that she was capable of creating an alternate reality than the one she’d been assigned. Throughout her marriage and the birth of her first child, Mirela continued to write. The devastating passing of her child led to more emotions being conveyed into words as she processed her grief.
“What really saved me,” reflected Mirela, “was writing about her [in reference to her daughter]. That was a really dark time for me, and if I look back, those books reflect the darkest part of myself.”
Despite being defined as dark, those were the first books Mirela published, sharing with her that it was possible to create something from her natural talents.
From this point, the talented writer began to expand outside of the mold of the life that she’d been placed in.
She received a degree in language and literature. She went on to publish more books. She began her first professional job as a journalist. Every single accomplishment in her life further validated that she was capable of MORE.
“It really built my confidence,” shared Mirela. “I realized that I have experience, I have connections, I started reading a lot of books about self-development, and then I decided to start studying psychology.”
After obtaining her degree in psychology, Mirela accepted a role as the editor-in-chief of a psychology magazine and became a professor at three universities. Her combined skill set led to Albania’s national television station recruiting Mirela to be a television host speaking on the topic of psychology.
In under a decade, Mirela Sula had managed to turn from a small fish in an ocean, to a whale in a pond. Her passion for growth and her determination to succeed pushed her beyond the confines of her country.
“I resigned from everything,” Mirela recalled. “I said ‘I’m moving to London’. I had no clue how I was going to do it!”
Like many women, Mirela had found herself in a dying and abusive marriage. “One of the reasons why I wanted to move was because my marriage was dead,” she confirmed. Her ability to uncover financial independence and the confidence to break free from her toxic relationship created the space for her and her son to leave Albania and discover a new home for themselves in the United Kingdom.
London Calling
“When we moved from Albania to London, my son and I both had to adjust to a new way of living,” recognized Mirela. “In Albania, I was a celebrity, but in London, I had a lot of work to do before I could achieve the level of life we were used to.”
Undeterred by the challenge, Mirela pushed forth in her pursuit.
“I remember one time my son and I were walking through this beautiful neighborhood. He was having a really hard time with the move, the fact that I was working all the time, and all the changes that were going on in his life. I stopped us and pointed to a gorgeous home and said, ‘son, I promise I will give you a home like this before you go to the University that home one day,’” Mirela shared. “I remember he looked at me with sad and frustrated eyes and told me not to make broken promises. And I told him, ‘never question your momma’s word!’ I remember when he came back from holiday I drove him from the airport to the new home, and that was only a few weeks before he went to the University! This path hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve been able to show my son the power of perseverance, and that is a lesson I hope he’ll take with him throughout life.”
In 2015, Mirela launched Global Woman out of London. Since its launch, the publication has experienced immense growth and remains dedicated to helping women around the world discover empowerment. Backed by her personal experience, the mission for Global Woman has always been to provide women an alternate life than the one they’ve been prescribed.
“This is what drove me to stand in the power and be passionate about helping other women do the same,” stated Mirela. “So they become the leader of themselves and not a charity case.”
So for the countless women out there craving and requiring more from their life, what advice can Mirela Sula offer to inspire them to take a leap?
“I believe we all have that ability to find the light. Women have everything they need: the knowledge, the wisdom, the compassion, the emotional intelligence, the experience, degrees and qualifications,” shared Mirela. “The biggest problem I see most of the time is that they have enough competence but they need more confidence and as a result, they can increase their ability to make their own money.”
Creating confidence begins with taking the first step. For Mirela, this step was entering a national poetry competition while in high school, a decision that went on to forever shape her success.
What will your first step look like?
Discover Mirela Sula’s series of online courses dedicated to empowering women to find the confidence and success they deserve.