Episode 90: Multi Story Mentors - Safoora Biglari on championing community

Safoora Biglari (MA International Relations, 2015) shares her brilliant advice with Nilufer, talking all things community, optimism and hard work in developing a social enterprise. 

Join Nilufer and Saf as they laugh, share anecdotes and discuss student and post-university life - the ups, the downs and the next steps in it all. 

Safoora worked with non-profits such as One Young World before developing her own company, Beyond.Representation, a talent agency working with influential leaders of impact. Safoora joins us ten years on from graduation, with insights, laughs and a confidence only experience can earn! 

“Put the ladder behind you for others to climb up it.” - Safoora

About Multi Story Edinburgh

Multi Story Edinburgh is a student-produced podcast that brings you the stories, experiences and wisdom of University of Edinburgh alumni. We hope they will inspire you, reassure you and remind you that you are part of the global University community that is here to support you as you make your own way in life.

The podcast is run by the Alumni Relations team at the University of Edinburgh. 

All opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Edinburgh.
 
Music
Detective Begining Adventures by KonovalovMusic. Sourced from Tribe of Noise.

Transcript

[Theme music] 

Nilufer 00:05 
What would you have to say to yourself at graduation? What was your mindset then versus now? 

Safoora 00:12 
I would probably ask the me now, in very simple terms, “Will everything be okay?” And just say yes. 

Nilufer 00:35 
Hello and welcome to Multi Story Edinburgh, the show where we sit down with some of Edinburgh's alumni to talk all things post-graduation. I'm Nilufer Aumeerally, your new host, and this season's theme is Multi Story Mentors. If you've just graduated and don't know what comes next, don't worry. Our alumni are here to offer advice, share insights from their careers and reminisce. 

In this episode, I chat to Safoora, the founder of Beyond Representation, a company taking the world by storm by acting as a talent agency for communities and underrepresented Champions of Change. Her work has led her from her home in the US to a life in the UK, going on to work globally. From there, she shares her knowledge on post-Edinburgh life, finding your purpose and the importance of community. Safoora, it's great to have you. 

Safoora 01:22 
Hello. Thank you so much for having me. What an honour. I'm Safoora, or I go by Saf, which became my moniker while I was at Edinburgh. I was born in the US to two Iranian parents, and when I was 17 and exploring my options, the University of Edinburgh was very much on my radar. After visiting on a beautiful, sunny day, I was convinced this was the place for me. I studied there from 2011 to 2015 — the four most beautiful years of my life up to that point. After graduation I moved to London, and fast forward, I’m now in Mexico City. 

Nilufer 02:12 
So cool. It's also such false advertising to visit Edinburgh when it's sunny. We're glad to have you. We’re looking forward to chatting with you. Would you mind just talking a bit about what you studied at Edinburgh and what you do now? 

Safoora 02:30 
Sure. I studied International Relations at Edinburgh, a subject I was inspired to pursue because of my family history, though I wasn’t fully sure what I’d do with the degree. I knew I wanted to be connected to a global perspective and community. That led me to a career in leadership, advocacy and strategising on how to mobilize individuals across a range of issues. Today, I’m one of the leaders of Beyond Representation, a talent management and advisory firm focused on supercharging the work of individuals and organisations building a better world. 

Nilufer 03:27 
So you are now one of our Multi Story Mentors. We gave you a bit of homework: if you could be mentored by anyone, anyone in the world — fictional, real, alive — who would you choose? 

Safoora 03:43 
This is always the hardest question, like, “Who would you like at your dinner table?” I was reflecting on where I’m at now, and mentorship evolves — what you seek in a mentor changes. In a nod to Edinburgh, I’ll go with Albus Dumbledore, the OG mentor. He presided over Hogwarts at a time of great division — good versus evil, darkness versus light. I think anything he would offer now would be solace, motivation to maintain optimism, and creative thinking about advancing justice. He also created environments that inspired, and he led with grace amidst upheaval. 

Nilufer 05:03 
That's really interesting. Because you’re talking about how mentorship comes in stages — do you think the advice you give is similar to what Dumbledore would give? 

Safoora 05:13 
Oh, that’s a big question. I’d be honoured if it was. 

Nilufer 05:16 
Do you think you're inspired by him in a way that influences your thinking? 

Safoora 05:21 
I’m sure. One piece of advice I once read was: if you’re ever seeking advice from someone, start writing the email. Think through how they would respond. By the time you get to the end, you’ve basically come to the answer yourself. 

Nilufer 05:45 
So the answer was within us all along. 

Safoora 05:47 
It was within us all along. Many teachings focus on the wisdom we already hold inside us. I believe we just have to listen to the compass steering us, and take from individuals what fuels that compass. It’s amazing to have personal mentorship, but we can also learn what inspires and motivates us from within. 

Nilufer 06:25 
I think what people look for in mentorship is assurance. A sense of certainty from someone who’s done it. People often already know what they know, but confidence is what they need mentorship for. That ties into my next question: what would you have to say to yourself at graduation? What was your mindset then versus now? 

Safoora 06:53 
When I think back to where I was — exactly 10 years ago — I remember graduating with optimism that things would work out, but also anguish. I was an American student who wanted to stay in the UK, and my options for sponsorship were shrinking. I had done internships in corporate spaces, reassured by managers that sponsorship could happen. Then, three months before my visa deadline, I realised it might not. 

It ties into my professional trajectory — it took almost a year after graduation to find a job, go through sponsorship, and finally land in the UK in May 2016. What pulled me that far was the reassurance that it would all fall into place. That was what I told myself every day. Peers ask, “What are you doing?” It’s easy to compare and think, “I could have done that differently.” 

I would probably ask the me now, “Will everything be okay?” and the answer would be yes. It does fall into place if you stay focused. At some point, you have to commit to a path, and deviate only if it doesn’t work. Was I in a wait-and-see mode after graduation? Yes. But I had cultivated a few options for myself instead of starting from scratch. 

Nilufer 09:45 
It’s quite beautiful and cyclical that at graduation you thought, “It’ll all fall into place,” and 10 years later you can say, “It did.” 

Safoora 10:04 
Are we ever fully right? I don’t know. But a mantra that motivated me was, “Leap and the net will appear.” When you have faith in yourself, grounded in who you are and what you offer, life becomes more manageable. We’re constantly evolving. Change is part of life. If you internalize that, you can handle volatility better. Every challenge builds your capacity to respond. 

Nilufer 11:06 
You touched on how, as an American student and international student, you experienced a real challenge with the visa deadlines. Would you say there were other challenges or opportunities during your university experience? 

Safoora 11:21 
In the years I spent at Edinburgh, I felt so culturally connected to my community and to the UK more generally. I have a lot of love for Scotland in particular and its values. It made me realize everything I was cultivating — the work culture, the interpersonal culture I was growing through — was very different from the US. I had spent summers experiencing both and realized the UK was my place. I felt the warmth, collaboration, and openness to growth. 

In the UK, people often study one subject and then pursue something adjacent or unrelated, which shows an openness that the degree is a value add, not a limitation. But because I had such an attachment, and many of my peers were going down to London, that was where I wanted to be. It was hard to find someone who would vouch for you and carry you through something like a visa process. 

I also studied in a pre-Brexit world. I arrived in the UK just before the referendum, so the laws and requirements changed. To get to a place where sponsorship was on the table, I had to cultivate personal relationships and put myself out there harder than others to gain visibility and support. Today, students can often stay two years after graduation, but it’s still hard to stay competitive when companies must invest heavily in sponsorship. They will do it if you show yourself to be a valuable asset. I think it’s one of the UK’s greatest strengths that it has such an international student body, but the timeline moves quickly. 

Nilufer 14:17 
So you’re fighting to stay in the picture as well as succeed. It’s like a double shift, which must be a whole different type of challenge. But what you’ve mentioned a lot is community — in London and in Edinburgh. Would you say that’s something that has followed you through the rest of your career? 

Safoora 14:51 
Community has been integral to my path, my growth, and my exposure to so much. University is an exceptional period to cultivate closeness with people from many backgrounds. Edinburgh offered that. I had friends from every continent, so many accents, so many mixed-culture people like me. That community included my initial friend groups, the societies I was involved with, and my professional communities. All of them created the conditions for me to succeed. 

I wouldn’t underestimate the power of that community — they supported me, cheered me on, reassured me, and introduced me to others. Much of my work after university focused on community. It reaffirmed for me the power of relationships. They’re important and take work to nurture. 

Nilufer 16:40
You mentioned you were part of organizations and societies while you were in Edinburgh. 

Safoora 16:47 
I had a fantastic stint at the Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show, or ECFS. I got involved in first year after seeing calls for the production squad. I’ve always loved event production and editorial production, so I joined. I worked under a phenomenal student manager who nurtured me, and later I led in the production side. By third year, I became Chairwoman. 

It was a phenomenal role because it’s such a big creative endeavour with brilliant people strategising fundraising and the show itself. We hosted it in the National Museum of Scotland. It was spectacular and sold out. 

Nilufer 18:22 
I’ve seen pictures — I’m in awe. 

Safoora 18:25 
It’s one of my most prized memories. The show was curated by a phenomenal student who went on to do great things in fashion. It was also an ode to Scotland, which touched me — its history, its roots, its fierce independence. We thought about how to bring that through the show. There were sleepless nights, risks, and challenges, but it was a great success. 

Nilufer 19:23 
For listeners who aren’t from Edinburgh University: being Chairwoman of ECFS is genuinely awe-inspiring — the bravery and fearlessness it requires. 

Safoora 19:47 
It really did mould me. I went on to a job that built upon that experience tenfold. In 2014, during third year, I came across an organisation called One Young World. At the time it was an annual conference bringing together 1,300 young leaders from every country. The idea was to mobilize a connected, inspired generation to lead change across issues from climate to gender equity, transparency, free press, sustainable business practices, and more. 

Imagine I find this organisation, essentially the baby of my degree in International Relations and my ECFS experience. I crossed paths with the right people during a summer work placement that led me to volunteer at the 2014 Dublin summit in my final year. It was a four-day conference with opening and closing ceremonies, speeches, talks, workshops, and social gatherings. It featured Nobel laureates, heads of state, and other global leaders. 

I was energized by the environment — running around sleepless but purposeful, troubleshooting, growing on the spot, being seen by others who said, “She’s got potential.” When I left that experience and returned to Edinburgh, I felt moved by the idea that I could make a difference, that a platform could mobilize people. 

Fast forward to November 2015, the next summit was in Bangkok. By then I had graduated, and my visa expired in July. By September I thought, “I’ll get to Bangkok, work my behind off, and figure it out.” Those four days in Bangkok were some of the wildest work days of my life. By the end, they said, “How hard could it be to get you a visa?” My phenomenal manager led the process of getting me to the UK. That led to me arriving in May 2016 to start my true adulthood, working in the UK. 

Nilufer 24:00 
It’s a happy middle between “everything happens for a reason” and “hard work opens doors.” 

Safoora 24:22 
Absolutely. Cultivating learning is crucial. Stopping learning is where a lot of anguish comes from. When you’re ill-equipped, you create distance between where you are and where you want to be. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, just start with one step. It leads you somewhere else, and suddenly you’re ahead of where you were even 24 hours ago. 

Nilufer 24:22 
Could you explain a bit more about what you specifically do at Beyond Representation, and why you like to do it? 

Safoora 26:09 
For sure. During my time at One Young World, I was managing a community of leaders. Much of my work was at the macro level: advancing narratives and solutions that weren’t getting enough visibility, and amplifying voices left out of decision-making spaces. For years, I created initiatives and programs that enabled that. 

One of the members of One Young World and I developed a fantastic working relationship over the years. When I left in 2022, after getting my UK residency and completing a part-time MBA, I decided to take a sabbatical. Breaks are valuable if you can take them. 

Before traveling, which brought me to Mexico, he said, “In the same way an actor or musician needs a manager, so do these women leaders I’ve been working with.” I thought it sounded fantastic, but I was taking time off. Fast forward a few months: the idea became a plan, the plan became a company, and that’s how Beyond was born. 

It started with a roster of over 20 phenomenal women from diverse backgrounds — leaders in sport, entrepreneurship, activism, and more, covering many regions, particularly the African continent. Quickly, we also saw demand from organisations and foundations, which led to the advisory side of the business. 

So we do two things: 

• Solicit opportunities for our clients. 
• Support their initiatives — applying for grants, developing policies, securing funding, and providing research or expertise they may not have in-house. 

We became a consultant-practitioner addition to organisations, helping them succeed. In the past three years, we’ve produced projects with some of the world’s biggest foundations, and our work has taken us across the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. The most phenomenal part is constantly engaging with people with powerful mandates and creating portals for them to succeed. 

Nilufer 30:52 
You mentioned the women you work with are often uniquely talented because of their lived experiences. Do you think your lived experiences help you give back to them? How does your background — being part of different communities in Edinburgh, London, and now Mexico — inform your work? 

Safoora 31:19 
Interesting question. My upbringing was very multicultural: multiple languages, interacting with people from around the world — from the Pacific Islands to Central America to the Arctic Circle. That gave me the ability to create space to listen. 

We’ll never fully understand someone else’s lived experience, but we can engage with it and leverage it for impact. I see myself as an enabler. 

I’ve faced some racist comments in life, but compared to what many of the women I work with endure, my challenges have been limited. My experiences gave me an understanding that opposition will always exist, but you can’t let it poison who you are. You cultivate optimism that darkness can become light. If you live through that principle and combine it with skills to serve clients, it positions you to succeed. 

It’s a constant learning curve. People live under very different circumstances. One of my cardinal rules is never assume — never assume you have the full picture of someone just because of their background or what they share. Depth of understanding takes time, listening, and focus. With those principles, I can harness my experience to be of service to others. 

Nilufer 34:20 
You volunteered as an Insights host. For those who don’t know, the university’s Insights programme helps students build confidence and skills by connecting with alumni in different sectors. Could you explain what you did as a host and your key takeaways? 

Safoora 34:43 
I follow a principle: always put the ladder behind you for others to climb. That’s what drew me to the Insights programme. Not everyone has equal access to experiences that can unlock growth. 

When I first started, I hosted six students at the One Young World office. I spent a couple of hours explaining the mission, sharing what I’d seen people do in the UK, and answering questions. They ranged from workplace practicalities to mental fitness in approaching work. 

Year after year, I hosted groups. It evolved into me running a workshop at the start of the weeklong programme of office visits. We focused on their intentions for the week, talked about imposter syndrome, and reassured them they deserve opportunities after university. They have the ability to secure them — it’s up to them to drive forward. I encourage anyone to do it. 

Nilufer 36:52 
It’s lovely that your passion is enabling others to be their best selves. Why is it your purpose to help other people find theirs? 

Safoora 36:52 
I think it accidentally happened to me. I enjoy making people feel energized, helping them have breakthroughs, and unchaining them from negative experiences that may hold them back. As a self-described extrovert, I gain a lot of happiness and pride from that. 

Being in service of others has always been built into me. It’s an effortless way to generate gratitude and kindness. Helping others is rewarding, and studies show it’s healthy too. My old boss used to say, “To whom much is given, much is asked.” If I have the ability, knowledge, or tools to pass on words, I see it as part of my responsibility to society. 

Nilufer 38:38 
I think we live in a culture where it’s very dog-eat-dog — forge your own way, self-made. But there’s something to be said for a society where we owe each other kindness and help where we can. Insights and your work put helping society and building connections at the forefront. 

There’s a huge idea that we’re in a constant race. To an extent we are, but you’re not going to lose if someone else wins. That’s important. I think your work helps unpick that idea. 

So, in summary: if you had to give one key bit of advice to new graduates — hopeful changemakers, extroverts, people who want to help — what would you say about finding and nurturing purpose? 

Safoora 39:52 
I’ll cheat a little and borrow from anthropologist Wade Davis. Two things he said in an interview have always stuck with me. 

First: optimism is the purpose of life itself. If you boil it down, optimism equips you with the energy you need to move forward through ups and downs. 

Second: be patient, never compromise, and give time for destiny to find you. Bitterness comes from choices imposed from the outside. If you own all your decisions — right or wrong — they all become the right ones, because together they form the path of your creation. 

Nilufer 41:05 
I really like that. What we’ve been discussing today is there’s no such thing as a misstep. It’s all part of the path, and you’re still moving forward. You obviously didn’t know Beyond Representation would exist when you graduated, but you built it. Just understanding that something’s going to happen — it’s going to be okay. 

Safoora 41:50 
Say yes to things. And know when to say no. That’s also valuable. But don’t be afraid to say yes. 

[Theme music] 

Nilufer 42:02 
Lastly, we devised a quick-fire quiz for our guests. Quick as you can: Arthur’s Seat or the Castle? 

Safoora 42:28 
Arthur’s Seat. 

Nilufer 42:28 
Edinburgh Castle or Holyrood? 

Safoora 42:28 
Edinburgh Castle. 

Nilufer 42:28 
Greyfriars Bobby or the Scott Monument? 

Safoora 42:28 
Greyfriars Bobby — I miss that doggy. 

Nilufer 42:31 
Princes Street or the Royal Mile? 

Safoora 42:32 
Royal Mile, all day, every day. 

Nilufer 42:33 
Arthur’s Seat or the Castle? 

Safoora 42:36 
Arthur’s Seat — volcano! 

Nilufer 42:40 
Greyfriars Bobby or the Mile? 

Safoora 42:43 
The Mile. Sorry, Bobby. 

Nilufer 42:47 
The Mile or Arthur’s Seat? 

Safoora 42:50 
Arthur’s Seat — the volcano has to come out on top. 

Nilufer 43:08 
Okay, best restaurant or café in Edinburgh? 

Safoora 43:14 
My answer is the Brazilian crepe stand. 

Nilufer 43:18 
Oh my God, it’s so good. 

Safoora 43:20 
I dream about those crepes. 

Nilufer 43:24 
Have you been back recently? Next to the crepe stand they’ve built Edinburgh Futures Institute — half modern, half old, an Innovation Centre. 

Safoora 43:38 
I went last year. It’s probably advanced even more since then. 

Nilufer 43:44 
The best part is you can finish a lecture and go get a crepe. Life-changing. If you had to sum up your Edinburgh experience in three words? 

Safoora 43:56 
Beautiful. Revolutionary. Unforgettable. When I became a British citizen, I wore my tartan, had a whisky, and said it was for Scotland. 

Nilufer 44:12 
Brilliant. Do you want to say a little goodbye for listeners? 

[Theme music] 

Nilufer 44:33 
So there you have it, folks. Our conversation with Saf revealed that sometimes a leap of faith is the way forward. Hard work and dedication is half the journey, and apparently extinct volcanoes outweigh adorable dogs — who knew? 

I hope today’s episode has shed some light on post-graduation fears and offered advice on the different paths life can take — expected and unexpected, but never wrong. 

Thank you for tuning in. To hear from more of our alumni, search Multi Story Edinburgh wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll see you on the next one. 

[Theme music] 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai