Our next story in the Changemaker Highlight Series, features Jamila Jones, co-founder of EmpowerHer Life – a community leader empowering women across communities.
On this episode, we hear how she transforms life experiences and healing into community leadership. We touch on identity, community, and the power of showing up authentically — even when the world tells you to shrink. With admirable strength and sincerity, Jamila shares how community became her anchor, how she learned to lead through faith, and why wholeness is at the heart of her work.
Listen to this episode on Spotify:
Who is Jamila?
Jamila Jones is a web designer, entrepreneur, and community leader dedicated to empowering Muslim women to build purpose-led businesses that reflect their values and create meaningful impact. She is the co-founder of EmpowerHer Life, an initiative that hosts events, workshops, retreats, and networking opportunities to support women in aligning their business goals with personal growth and community connection. A student of the Qur’an, a grandmother, and a lifelong learner, she brings sincerity, strategy, and heart to everything she does.
Connect with Jamila:
Websites:
Instagram:
@thevirtualclick
@empowerherlifenow
Facebook:
@jamilajoneswebdesign
@sisters4islam
Email:
info@empowerherlife.com
jamila@thevirtualclick.com
Read the transcript below:
Note: The transcript has been edited to improve reading flow.
Ruqayyah:
Welcome back to the Flock Differently podcast. Today we’re joined by Jamila, founder of Empower Her Life, a networking group for women. Thank you so much for agreeing to come on and share your story with us today.
Jamila, if you’d like to introduce yourself and tell us a bit about the work you do.
Jamila:
Thank you so much for having me. I was really looking forward to it. So, my name is Jamila. I am Jamaican, a Muslim woman, and I call myself an entrepreneur, but I am many more things than that. My core work is to empower women, and I do that through many different things that have come up during my life.
From age 25 up until now—I’m 62—I’ve been working with women through all aspects of my life. I started by working with women in domestic violence and helping them to secure homes. I worked with women who had experienced domestic violence and also homeless women for about 20 years.
After that, I accepted Islam. When I came to live in Leicester, I was introduced to a group of Muslim women who welcomed me into the community. Through that, we founded Sisters for Islam, where we help women, again, empowering those who are vulnerable in the community.
During that time, while working with them, we needed a website, so I built one. That is how my web design business started, where I again empower women with their businesses to help them get an online presence.
Throughout all this time, I was also studying the Quran. I wanted to understand what it meant and what it said. I started up a blog when I was learning, and that developed and grew. Now I’m helping to empower women and men who want to study the Quran and understand it as well.
That leads to EmpowerHer Life, which is a networking group I put together.
Ruqayyah:
Wow, that’s a lot of experience and I’m sure stories that bring you to where you are today. My next question was actually going to be about what led you to this work. You touched on it, but if you want to tell us more about the background.
Jamila:
Working with women in domestic violence for about 20 years really helped to put the foundations of who I am today. Not only did I help women, but I myself experienced domestic violence. That’s why I wanted to work with women and help them get through that. That experience helped shape me and gave me that depth of compassion towards women.
Then, when I embraced Islam, the work with Sisters for Islam came about because when I first came to Islam, I thought, “I’m going to be on my own. I’m not going to have any friends or anybody.” But I was wrong. I was met by a community of women that embraced me, helped me, and shaped me. They helped shape my deen (religion), taught me the Islamic way of life, and showed me the importance of community and how it can help you.
There were times when I was living in Leicester and wasn’t with family, but I was with family because the community was there to help me. I remember one particular time when I got really ill—I had TB in my spine and pneumonia—and I had no family there. But I didn’t have to worry because the community was there. They put rotas in, they came to visit me at the hospital, and they helped with my children. I can’t thank those sisters enough, many of whom I still have contact with today.
That’s one of the reasons why we founded Sisters for Islam: to help other sisters, especially if they’re new to the deen or new to Leicester. It’s important to have that support, especially if you’re new to Islam. I can’t emphasize community enough; I love working in the community.
From there, like I said, I built my web design business. That only came through because I was working in the community. The community gave that back to me. When I started to try and build a website, I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, but now I’m helping so many more women, empowering them to build their businesses and add impact back on their communities and their business.
Then, with the students of Quran, I decided to put all these aspects of my life together. I’ve been empowering these women for all these years, and I wanted to bring Empower Her Life in as one ecosystem. We can work on whether it’s their deen, their business, their personal development, or any trauma they may have gone through. That is how EmpowerHer Life has come about.
Ruqayyah:
Something I’m really interested by is the fact that you have taken on different ways to solve different problems. I think that’s a really great thing to talk more on. You’ve shared your story, and you have such a vast and varied range of experience. How do you feel that led you to running multiple projects? How do you manage that, and why do you feel it’s so important for you to do?
Jamila:
Even before I was a Muslim, I had this passion to work with women. I think that was because of my own experience, and when I came through that experience of domestic violence to the other side, I wanted to give back and help.
After I embraced Islam, I also found it was about seeking reward from Allah. We’re taught about intentions. I’ve got all these goals, but I want to be rewarded for it. My reasons became even more profound when I embraced Islam; it all came back down to serving Allah and helping others. I always come back to: “How can I, through my work, serve Allah?” and I am always renewing my intentions, reminding myself why I’m doing this.
How I’ve managed to do it is not on my own. It’s only by Allah’s will, putting people, places, and resources in place. I’ve done it through community and by asking others, “Would you like to join? Would you like to help?” and connecting with the other sisters and building something with them. That’s how I’ve managed. Even though I’ve led all these things, I cannot do it without other people helping me.
Ruqayyah:
I love that. Definitely getting the resources together is all part of leading in an effective way.
What would you say is the core problem you solve for your work overall?
Jamila:
For me, the core problem is that the women I’ve come across over the years have gone through different experiences and lose a part of themselves or hide a part of themselves.
That’s what I experienced: being a Black woman and being discriminated against, and then on top of that, becoming a Black Muslim woman, which brought further discrimination. Because of these things, I found myself beginning to believe some of the things that society placed on me, the shame about what I believe in. This showed up in ways where I segregated parts of myself.
When I was doing business, I was showing up, but when I first started my web design business, it was for all women. Thoughts would come up like, “Will these women want to work with me because I’m Black? Will they want to work with me because I’m Muslim?”
I also remember when I first embraced Islam and started to cover, wearing the hijab, I thought, “What are people going to say?” I was caring too much about what other people were going to say because some people were discriminatory. I didn’t realize how much it was going to affect me until I started my online business.
Then I thought to myself, “Jamila, what are you doing? You’ve embraced Islam, so you need to just show up and be true to who you are.” I worked on myself, and when I did that, I stood tall, embracing myself as a Muslim woman, a Black business Muslim woman, and I’m proud of myself for doing that. I grew into that and became more aligned with it.
It showed the world that it’s okay for me to be a Black Muslim woman who works with Muslims, and it showed me that I can then align with the people I want to work with. Those who don’t want to work with me don’t have to.
I found that this was the case for some of the women who used to come to me. One person who came to work with me was wearing niqab and was saying, “Will people want to work with me because I wear niqab?”
I found that in different aspects, a lot of women would push away a part of themselves. I don’t want that for them. I want them to embrace every part of themselves—the parts they need to heal, everything they need to embrace all of it—and show up as their true authentic self.
I’ve had to work on that, and I’ve done so. This is one of the core problems that EmpowerHer Life helps to solve, whether it’s in their business, their branding, their personal development, their deen, or the community: helping women to show up as their true authentic selves.
Ruqayyah:
I love the story that you shared and the reference to embracing all parts of yourself. It is a really relatable challenge that I’m sure listeners would relate to.
Can you share with us a moment of impact that you’ve had so far with your work at EmpowerHer Life?
Jamila:
When I first started EmpowerHer Life, it’s a new initiative, which I put together with my partner, Lucy, who is a co-founder. We decided to put on a retreat just before Ramadan. We wanted people to reconnect with Allah and everything.
We had about 20 sisters attend. Before they came, we asked some of them what they wanted to get out of the retreat. A lot of them mentioned reconnecting with Allah, the deen, and some needed time away for themselves, as they felt they had lost themselves.
On the last day, we all sat around the big dining table and asked each woman for one word and to explain why they chose that word. It really warmed my heart because it made me realize that we had helped them to transform and to have that impact.
Some of the words they used were that they became more self-aware, they felt nourished, and empowered. I also remember one particular sister who, after she’d left the retreat, said that her relationship with her husband had changed—it was more affectionate, and he was now praying regularly. You saw that knock-on effect.
We were also able to help women afterward with trauma that came up and was triggered. Lucy, because she’s a holistic coach and trained in that area, was able to work with them. Then there was one particular sister who came back to me and said she wanted to do more with her business and was looking for a website redesign.
The impact had a ripple effect because they came back and it went into their communities. They connected with each other and still connect with each other now. So, there was definitely a big impact. I thought, “This has worked, definitely, we’re going to do this again.” That is why we are putting on another retreat and doing networking and business events.
Ruqayyah:
When you see other people having that impact, something that, at one point was a passion that you had, has actually come to life.
Jamila:
Yes! That’s when it makes me feel like, “Yes, this is it.” You know, we have these doubts about what you’re doing, but when you see the impact it’s had on people’s lives and in their families and communities, Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), it makes me feel really good.
My word for that day was Barakah (blessing) because I saw so much Barakah in that. It was something we planned on the spur of the moment, but we said, “Let’s do this whether we make money or not. Let’s do this for the sake of Allah.” I think with that sincerity, we saw the Barakah that came with that and the joy that you saw on people’s faces. Barakah was definitely in that event.
Ruqayyah:
That’s wonderful. I love that you also touched on the sincerity aspect because that is related to what I was going to ask you next. The listeners I have and the people I work with often bring up the metrics of success. I would love to hear from you how you measure success beyond those traditional metrics.
Jamila:
I measure success by wanting people to feel seen. I want to know that I’ve helped people deeper than that.
Success for me could be having more freedom of time to spend with my grandkids. I always make sure that whatever I’m doing is aligned with my values, especially because of what I had gone through before. I make sure that the people I’m working for and everything are lined up, and I’m connecting with the right person who wants to make that bigger impact beyond just the money, in the community. I love that most of the women I work with are trying to achieve that.
For me, I measure success by getting to spend more time with family and having that time to study the Quran more as well. There was a time when it was just work, work, work, and you can get so blocked into it. So, having that balance and setting your intentions—it comes down to your intentions and what you’re trying to achieve—that’s how I measure success. I’m not what you call a money-driven person. To me, it’s the journey. I love the journey. That’s how I would answer that question.
Ruqayyah:
Thank you for sharing your perspective. That reminds me of what I was going to say when you were sharing about the event and the ripple effect: that the women you end up working with also have a similar approach in that they want to lead with the impact they want to make.
The ripple effect of the work you’re doing with your events and the way that it grows outwards toward families, communities, etc. I think that’s a really beautiful principle to remember, just by showing up authentic to yourself and your values.
Jamila:
Yes, because I’ve noticed that since I got really aligned with who I am and accepted who I am, women were coming to me instead of me having to chase. They were aligned with me and my values and my beliefs. Alhamdulillah.
Ruqayyah:
You can campaign for the marketing, the advertising, trying to get the word out, but at some point, it’s not really about how much we’re pushing, but about how much people want to come.
On to our next question, which is going to be about challenges. What would you say is the biggest challenge for doing the kind of work that you do, and how do you work through that?
Jamila:
The biggest challenge, the biggest thing I come up against, I think, is myself. I battle with myself every day—those voices, those limiting beliefs. Those are the biggest challenges for me.
But how I’ve managed to work through them is through the Quran, belief in Allah, and constantly working on myself through the support of my husband—who is very supportive of what I’m doing—and my family and friends. I have a good network of people around me. I’m in a group where those sisters are there, and every day we go in, and sometimes if we’re feeling down, they bring you back up. We remember to be grateful for what we have by gratitude.
I also remind myself that sometimes the things we’re going through—any challenge you’re going through—is part of it. It’s a part of your big dreams, part of what maybe you’ve prayed for and asked Allah for, but you have to go through the steps to get there.
I remind myself that I’m the biggest challenge to myself, but I manage to quiet the voices more now. Anytime I feel that resistance, I push through and say, “I’m going to do it anyway.” I know when I feel that resistance, it just means that it’s time to grow. I look at challenges now like a growing period for me. These challenges, not only with work, come into all aspects of your life. We are going to be challenged and tested.
I always look at the bigger picture that helps me as well. If I have this big dream, and I can see it far away, when I look at that, I think, “Oh, yeah, this is where I’m going. I’m going towards this.” So, we could say, “Yes, we’re going towards Jannah (paradise),” or “Yes, we’ve got this other big dream that we’re going towards.” That reminds me, so I’m taking those smaller steps. I’m driven more by the challenge of getting there and who I’m going to meet along the way, the sisters I’m going to meet, and creating things. That’s how I look at it; that helps me a lot.
Ruqayyah:
I really love your honesty and openness to share. I think that’s not spoken about enough. Sometimes it is just looking inwards. I also love that you said just pushing through—recognise this, but keep it moving, basically, because you have work to do.
Jamila:
Yes, it’s taking you out of your comfort zone, but I remind myself, “Growing pains! You’re growing.” It does help when I remind myself that I’m growing because otherwise, going back into that comfort zone means it’s the same old, same old; you’re not going to grow, you’re not going to develop.
Ruqayyah:
I’d love to speak a little bit about your HoneyBrand workshop experience. You were one of the first attendees. What was it that drew you to the workshop itself, and what were you hoping to get out of it?
Jamila:
You drew me to it! I’m a super fan because I know I’ve done some of your offers before, and they’ve always helped me to grow and to develop. I was in line with it because you’re authentic to yourself. I was lined up to what you had to offer, and I just knew that it was going to be good.
The last thing I purchased from you was to do with events, and at the time, I didn’t need it, but I thought, “No, I’m going to do this because I know I’ve got my big picture that I want to go towards. I’ve got this big dream I want to do.” And I said, “It’s going to come when I’m going to need it.” I’ve been using that, and it’s helping me with the events I’m putting on now.
I just knew that this HoneyBrand workshop was going to be for me, especially since I’m a web designer and I do a bit of branding anyway. I wanted clarity because I wasn’t so clear on what I was going to be doing with EmpowerHer Life. I had an idea of how I was going to put these things together. But after I’d done the workshop with you, I was clear on what I was going to be doing. That’s the reason why I took it. It’s been fantastic, money well spent. There was more in it than I thought there was going to be, especially the things that I got out afterward, like the templates, so I know I can go back to it anytime I want to. I’ve got the recordings to keep on developing it until I get it to where I want it to go, because it’s still growing.
Ruqayyah:
It was great to watch everything come together throughout the workshop experience itself.
Jamila:
What I loved about working with you is I felt safe. I felt safe because, when you’re going through something like this, you might have those doubts. Sometimes I might think how I’m expressing myself is not coming out right, but you made me feel really safe and secure. I loved every minute of it; I enjoyed it.
Ruqayyah:
What would you say is one of the key takeaways that already made a difference in how you’re approaching your brand?
Jamila:
This one, I love this: “It’s okay to be messy.”
I’m telling you, that alone has really helped me to push forward. I had to fight that perfectionism in me, but when you are creating, when you’re doing something new, you don’t have that clarity at first, and it’s okay not to have that because that’s the whole point—we’re going towards it. It’s going to be messy. Your words are going to come out all over the place because we’re creating, we’re building something. When you said it was okay to be that way and it was okay to be messy, I thought, “Okay, that’s fine then.”
So, now when I’m doing anything, I don’t wait. I feel like, “Let me just build this first, and I’ll put it out, and then I’ll go back.” I’m in the messy period; it’s coming. I don’t hesitate anymore trying to get things perfect. I just put it out there until I get the clarity that I want on it anyway. That’s really helped me because, more than nine times out of ten, it’s not messy; it’s just in my head because I’ve got this perfectionism. That was the main thing that I pulled away from that.
Ruqayyah:
I’m really glad that you’ve mentioned that because that’s something that went into the planning of the workshop and the way that I’m delivering it one-on-one as well. It has to have space for iteration because it’s so unrealistic to be sold the idea that you’re going to make it perfect once and it’s going to stay perfect like that forever. That’s just not how these things work: leaving that space to iterate, to come back to it, to keep building on ideas, but also having the structure that holds you each step of the way.
Jamila:
Yes, that definitely had an impact, and it’s helped me to shift my mindset and not wait. Just move, keep moving forward.
Ruqayyah:
Thinking ahead now, where do you see your mission with EmpowerHer Life taking you in the next five to ten years?
Jamila:
I’ve got big dreams; I dream big! I’ve already started looking into turning EmpowerHer Life into a Community Interest Company. I want it to be about community. I’ve got this love for community, and I want to make sure that the community is the main people that it’s going to have an impact on.
I see it growing bigger than me. I want it to end up being global. I was thinking, “Oh, it’s just going to be UK,” but I thought, “Well, no, you’ve got the internet, you’ve got online, you’ve got AI. You can reach so many people.” So, I want to make it so that it’s global so we can reach as many women as possible and have an impact on their lives.
I see training initiatives, workshops. It’s all messy at the moment, but I see mentorships. I see all these different things because I’m going to be combining it with the charity and other initiatives and hoping that other sisters will come on board as well. That’s how I see it.
Ruqayyah:
I can get behind that! Knowing that you want to go global and knowing that it’s possible is very ambitious, very visionary, and I love to hear it.
Jamila:
I think anything’s possible by the will of Allah if you ask Allah. You need to make that intention to Allah to accept it as well. So, having that intention first. I make sure I’ve done that. I’ve prayed Istikharah (a prayer for guidance) on it already. Yes, that’s my vision.
Ruqayyah:
Who or what would you say has been your biggest influence on this path, and how has it shaped your journey?
Jamila:
I’m going to say it’s a “who.” There are so many people that have really had an impact on my life—my dad, so many people—but I’m going to say Dr. Fatiha Saad. She is one of the trustees of Sisters for Islam, the charity that I founded.
When I founded that charity years ago, I met her for the first time, and I saw the qualities in her. I saw how she was with her deen because I’m still fairly new to my deen. I saw how she was with her deen; she was consistent with her deen, with Tahajjud (night prayer) and all these things. Not only was she consistent in her religion, but she was consistent in everything. When she started something, she always followed through and kept it up, no matter what challenges came towards her.
She’s helped me. It’s good to have mentors and other people who you admire and look up to, and Dr. Fatiha is that person. When we first started the charity, it just grew locally, and then I stepped out for a while, and she carried it on. Now it’s global; it’s reaching Africa, feeding the poor there, orphans, so many initiatives. It all comes from a place of just to serve Allah. I’ve watched her over the years, and I really, really admire her for that. My husband always says to me, “Jamila, when you see sisters like this, you keep them close.”
She’s had a big, big impact on me. She’s still there, and when we make this into a community initiative, I want her to be a part of it as well. She was a part of the sisters helping me and embracing me when I first came to the community and didn’t know my deen properly then, and they helped me. So, yes, Dr. Fatiha Saad, she’s one of the trustees for Sisters for Islam. All power to her, Mashallah (what God has willed).
Ruqayyah:
I think definitely seeing someone grow like you said from that stage and upwards is a big inspiration. We’re coming to the end, so just a couple more questions.
I’d love to know one piece of wisdom that you would share with someone who is also looking to create meaningful change.
Jamila:
This one’s easy. I would say: Whatever you are dreaming of, whatever it is that you want to do, don’t wait—act on it.
When you get that idea, that thought comes from Allah. He’s the one that’s giving you that thought. Just start moving, put it into action. Pray on it, and then Allah will help it to come. And Allah will help it to come through. So I’ve always acted on anything that I want to do. Some things have not come into fruition, but if you’re passionate about something, don’t wait, don’t say, “Oh, when I have this or when I have that.” Just step out and act on it. And then you will find what I found. You will find when you start with what you’ve got, things start to come into place. You’ll find doors open, opportunities come, things happen, you meet people and then they come. So it’s like, you trust in Allah and you just say, you know, you do trust in Allah and take the action, and He will help put things in place for you. So don’t wait, just start, is my advice.
Ruqayyah:
Beautiful advice. So for anyone who has been listening and they’ve been resonating with what you’re saying, what is the best place for them to find you and how can they engage with your work?
Jamila:
They can contact me in two main places. One is through my business, The Virtual Click, by email: jamila@thevirtualclick.com, or they can go to my Instagram at @TheVirtualClick.
Alternatively, they can contact me through empowerherlife.co.uk or through Instagram at @empowerherlifenow. They can also direct message me on Instagram.
Ruqayyah:
Brilliant. And also, do you want to tell us a bit about the event that you have coming up?
Jamila:
Yes, we have an event coming up called Back to Play, from the 11th to the 14th of August (2025). It’s about reconnecting with your childhood—having fun and playing. It’s for three nights in the countryside of Wales.
It’s a way of healing, but we wanted to lighten it and bring you back to the time when you were a child. When you were a child, you lived in the moment. You didn’t have any hang-ups, bills, or stress.
I was playing just the other day with my grandkids. We were going to have a water balloon fight, and all the adults backed out, but I thought, “I’m going in!” And I had so much fun.
We’re going to have different workshops. One I’m doing is goal setting and journaling, which we’re calling the Teddy Bears’ Picnic—an adult version of it. It takes you back to those childhood dreams, what you wanted to be when you grew up, and helps you tap into that childhood energy to meet your current goals. Lucy will also help with her sound bowls and meditation.
We have lots lined up for you. It’s set in a beautiful manor house with luxury accommodation, all-inclusive food, a heated swimming pool, and a jacuzzi. We’re going to have a Pyjama Jam Night, relaxing with cocoa. It’s a place for you to come and relax, get away from the stress, and be playful again. Find out more at Empowerherlife.co.uk.
Ruqayyah:
Definitely. I encourage anyone who is interested to go check it out. It sounds absolutely wonderful, and I love that you are lightening the healing.
Okay, so that brings us to the end of today’s discussion. Thank you again, Jamila, for coming on and sharing with us.
