Success Redefined - An Interview with Sonya Byers

Sonya Byers is the Chief Executive of Women in Transport, a non-profit membership network, that supports professional development for women working in the transport sector. She’s also been a trustee for parkrun Global since January 2023 and she’s mum to a two and a half year old.

As a child, did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?

No, I didn’t. My dad, who's a nurse, really wanted me to be a nurse. My mum is also a nurse and it seemed like a safe option to him. I definitely knew I didn't want to be a nurse, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do and I didn't really know what the opportunities were either. At one point I thought about journalism, and I thought about working in an airport because I saw it as somewhere you could do lots of different things. Honestly, career guidance at school wasn’t great. I really struggled with, where do I go? But now I've had this beautifully squiggly career because I’ve been able to take opportunities when they arise and not be bound to a particular idea of what I am.

What does a typical day as the CEO of Women in Transport look like?

It's very busy. We're a lean team and we've gone through a huge amount of growth since we became a national organisation in 2017. To put our growth into perspective, in 2017 we had 120 members, we now have close to 1,300. So my day to day can be managing our Advance mentoring programme and delivering training. It could be talking to our Events Lead or our Operational Leads across the various programmes that we're delivering.  I look at cash flow, plan our strategy,  speak to corporate partners and deal with new enquiries - every day is different. I'm also Co-Chair of a Diversity and Inclusion Bus Group, that collaborates to increase and promote diversity and inclusion in the bus and coach industry.

Do you remember knowing what success meant growing up?

Growing up, success was just covering the basic needs really. So having a job, a house and financial stability. That to me was success.  It was really drummed into me by my parents that you should make sure that you are financially stable and were able to take care of yourself. They taught me you should never let anybody, especially as a woman, take that independence away from you. And I was able to achieve that at quite a young age.

Has that idea of success changed as you've got older?

I think there's a privilege that comes with not having to think about those basic necessities. So then success is, are you doing something that has purpose and fulfils you and is it meaningful? I feel like that’s what I'm doing now. So it's going beyond meeting those basic needs, it's something that’s really fulfilling and feels worthwhile and is challenging as well.

What are your passions, either in your work or your life in general?

parkrun, definitely.

Talk to us a bit about that. How did you end up being an ambassador and trustee for parkrun?

I got into it through my parents and my brother. My parents had been doing parkrun for a few years and my brother saw junior parkrun, the 2k events, and decided he really want to do something like that for the local children in our area. We’re quite a close family and so my mum said if your brother’s doing this, you have to come and volunteer and help out. So that's where it started. I volunteered most Sunday mornings and I did that for two years before I ever went to a 5k event. At the time I wasn’t interested in running but then I signed up, stupidly, for a Tough Mudder for charity and decided that I might actually have to practice running to complete the 11 mile obstacle course. So I started doing parkrun to train for that and it just became part of what I do every weekend. My husband does it as well and I take my daughter. I became an Ambassador and now a Trustee.

But to answer the wider question about passion I guess it’s helping others. It’s the same with diversity and inclusion I know that I have the ability to help with that, in some way, and support others to feel included, to find their place and to have a network. I've been able to help people through Women in Transport and now also through parkrun. But helping others isn't selfless because there’s a gift in volunteering and in helping others - you get back more than you give.  Really seeing the impact that your help has on somebody else, seeing somebody meet their full potential and get access to opportunities that they wouldn't otherwise have had.

What's been your proudest moment and did that make you feel successful?

I think one of my proudest achievements is our Women in Transport Advance programme, which is a mentoring programme. I didn't realise when we first started doing it, that it would be the success that it’s been. I've seen the impact it’s had on the individuals and also the butterfly effect of impact it has on others. I'm really proud of doing that programme together with Angela Gainsford, who designed it with me.

What would you say has been your biggest challenge when it comes to trying to achieve success?

I think it’s not having enough time to do all the things that we want to do. I have these big ideas and concepts but I can also do all the detail, so I have to focus my energy and make the most use of my time. There have been lots of different challenges along the way; whether that's personality clashes or personal or professional challenges, like redundancies or finding myself in a place where I didn't really fit and overcoming all of that but now it’s definitely time. Especially when you become a mum, even though I was busy before that, your time isn't your own in the same way.

How do you deal with failure or making mistakes?

I try to look at mistakes and failures as a learning curve. Things will always go wrong because that's just the nature of life but I think it's how we react to those things that counts. What I try to do, and I try to do with my team as well, is say okay, this has happened and we can't change it but how do we move forward positively, what lessons can we take from it. I always think things happen for a reason as well and I think it's better to have tried and not fear the failure.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing women in the workplace when it comes to success?

Big question. I think there's actually two things. One is stereotyping; for women, it is  automatically assumed, regardless of whether they do have children or not, that they will want them at some point and that definitely holds them back. There are a lot of challenges around motherhood penalties and so I think just by the fact of being a woman, you're on the backfoot. Unfortunately, that’s the case even in 2023 and it shouldn't be like that.

The other thing is that unpaid workload of having a family. I know there's lots of different iterations of how families are made up now but you can't get away from the fact that women are doing four and a half hours extra of unpaid work, on top of everything else. I think that’s a huge challenge and until we have a society and a culture that balances it out a bit more, like the Nordics or other countries, where it's a bit more normalised that everything doesn't fall automatically to a woman and we have the structure in place to enable that to be a reality, including childcare, then I don't think much will change.

How do you feel about the phrase “having it all”? What does that mean to you?

I honestly don't think it's possible. I think it's something that sets women up even more for failure. We have to genuinely accept that it’s impossible to have everything, at the same time and we have to make a sacrifice somewhere. You just have to make choices, really thoughtful mindful choices about what is right for you at any given moment. And accept that, maybe in the future your choices will be different and that's absolutely fine. I think we shouldn't set ourselves up for an expectation that we can have it all and do it all because I think it's just really challenging in the modern world.

What's the biggest challenge you find balancing your life and your work?

It's definitely having a little one. Trying to manage that dynamic of being present and being there, even though I’ve got great family support. The challenge is trying to juggle, time management and being clear about where my priorities lie.

How does wellbeing play a part in your definition of success?

We have to look after ourselves. We have one mind and one body. I've been in that place of burnout and recognising when I go through that cycle of doing too much and then having to be really mindful all the time of saying, where am I going to put in time for myself. Whether that’s  making sure I walk to school and back so I've got that half an hour of just me time and fresh air or whether it’s something like parkrun.  So for me, wellbeing comes before everything else. You have to look after yourself because you can't pour from an empty cup.

How important has relationship building been in your career?

Oh, incredibly important. I definitely wouldn't be where I am now without the relationships and network that I've built over the years.

Who would you say has helped or influenced you most along your career journey?

There's too many people! Actually, my parents were my first role models. Their work ethic and attitude that we could do anything, that they instilled in me, has enabled me to have a wonderful life and career. But I've had so many people that I've met, all the managers that I've had and people that I've met through Women in Transport, including the Board and other volunteers, that have just changed my life really.

What's your biggest goal for this year?

My biggest goal is to help get Women in Transport to a place where it would still keep going without me. I'm definitely not looking to go anywhere but at the same time I often think I'm a single point of failure because of the rapid growth we’ve had in recent years.  It's really important to me that there's that resilience in the way we work so that it could continue to thrive without me.

If you could give your 15 year old self some advice, what would it be?

I would say keep taking risks, be open to everything and join Women in Transport!

If you had to share one “secret to success”, what would it be?

Find a network. It might not be Women in Transport but definitely find your support network, a group of people who are going to be behind you and be your cheerleaders, because it's really, really important.

If you’d like to find out more about Sonya’s work please visit her website at Women in Transport or connect with her on LinkedIn.