Some careers follow a straight line. Sofia Symonds’ career has been built by embracing change. From modeling in Morocco to launching a fashion brand in the United States, each step has expanded her perspective on creativity, business, and personal growth.
Born and raised in Morocco, Sofia grew up in a family that valued discipline, education, and hard work. Her father served as a police officer, while her mother taught German. Living in a multicultural environment encouraged her to stay curious and appreciate different ways of thinking from an early age.
Sofia entered the fashion industry as a teenager, where she quickly discovered that success depended on much more than appearance. Modeling taught her professionalism, adaptability, and the importance of building strong relationships. Those lessons stayed with her throughout her career.
In 2012, Sofia moved to Miami to pursue new opportunities in the international fashion industry. Starting over in a new country pushed her outside her comfort zone and challenged her to grow both personally and professionally. Along the way, she appeared on the cover of Grazia Morocco and was featured in publications including Harper’s Bazaar Russia and Vogue Ukraine.
Rather than staying on one path, Sofia became interested in the creative work happening behind the scenes. She studied fashion design and later launched Bellarini, a fashion brand that allowed her to combine creativity with entrepreneurship. Running a business taught her valuable lessons about leadership, branding, problem-solving, and resilience.
Today, Sofia continues to explore new creative opportunities while drawing inspiration from fashion, beauty, travel, and the different cultures she has experienced throughout her career. She believes that curiosity, consistency, and a willingness to keep learning open doors that talent alone never could.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I like starting my mornings before everything becomes noisy. I avoid checking emails or social media right away because I don’t want someone else’s priorities to become mine. Instead, I spend a few minutes writing down the three things I want to accomplish that day. Once those are clear, everything else becomes easier to organize.
Every day looks a little different. Some days I’m researching creative ideas, while others are filled with meetings, planning, or travel. I’ve learned that productivity isn’t about being busy. It’s about making steady progress on the things that matter most.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Most of my ideas begin long before I realize they’re becoming something bigger. I collect inspiration everywhere I go. It could be architecture, fabrics, street style, art galleries, or even conversations with people while traveling. I take photos and keep notes because inspiration fades if you don’t capture it.
Once I start noticing patterns, I organize everything into one place and begin refining the idea. I don’t wait until something feels perfect. I’ve learned that ideas become stronger through action, feedback, and revision.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m excited that more people are becoming intentional about what they buy. There is a growing appreciation for quality, craftsmanship, and products that have a story behind them. Fashion is becoming less about chasing every trend and more about expressing personality and making thoughtful choices.
I think that’s healthier for both consumers and the industry because it encourages creativity instead of constant consumption.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I keep a running list of ideas in my phone. Inspiration doesn’t always show up when you’re sitting at your desk. Sometimes it’s while I’m walking, traveling, or noticing something interesting in a store or on the street. Writing those ideas down means I never have to rely on memory, and many of them eventually grow into much bigger projects.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell myself not to compare my timeline to anyone else’s. When you’re young, it’s easy to think everyone else is moving faster than you. Looking back, I realize every experience taught me something that prepared me for the next opportunity.
I would also remind myself that changing direction isn’t failure. Sometimes it means you’re growing.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I think having fewer choices often leads to better creativity. People usually believe unlimited options create freedom, but I’ve experienced the opposite. When you work within limits, you become more resourceful. You stop overthinking and start solving problems in creative ways.
Some of my best ideas came from working with limitations instead of unlimited resources.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Put yourself in unfamiliar environments on purpose.
Moving from Morocco to the United States completely changed the way I saw the world. Every city I lived in exposed me to different cultures, ideas, and ways of thinking. Even now, traveling continues to inspire me creatively because it reminds me that there isn’t only one way to approach work or life.
You don’t have to move across the world to experience that. Even visiting a new place or meeting people outside your usual circle can change your perspective.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I step away from whatever I’m doing instead of forcing myself to keep working. Usually, that means taking a walk without my phone or finding a quiet place to think.
I’ve learned that clarity rarely comes from staring at a screen for another hour. It usually comes after creating a little space between yourself and the problem.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Building genuine relationships has been one of the biggest reasons I’ve been able to grow throughout my career.
Fashion is a creative industry, but it’s also a relationship business. People remember how you make them feel. Being reliable, prepared, and respectful creates opportunities that talent alone cannot. Many of the best opportunities I’ve had came from someone remembering a positive experience working together months or even years earlier.
Your reputation becomes one of your greatest professional assets.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Launching Bellarini taught me that creativity and entrepreneurship require different skill sets.
When I first started the business, I naturally focused on the creative side because that’s where I felt most comfortable. Over time, I realized that building a successful company also requires financial planning, operations, marketing, and making difficult business decisions.
Instead of seeing those challenges as failures, I treated them as an education. They gave me a much deeper appreciation for everything that happens behind the scenes and made me a stronger entrepreneur. Today, I approach every creative project with both an artistic and business mindset.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I would love to see a platform that connects travelers with independent fashion designers in the cities they visit.
Instead of buying souvenirs made in factories, people could discover local designers and learn the stories behind their work. It would support small businesses while giving travelers a much more meaningful experience.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use Notion every day because it keeps everything organized in one place. I save ideas, create project plans, write notes, organize travel information, and build inspiration boards there.
Creative ideas often appear at unexpected moments. Having one place where I can immediately save them helps me avoid losing ideas that could become something much bigger later.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
One book I return to often is The Creative Act by Rick Rubin.
I like it because it treats creativity as something everyone can develop, not just artists. It reminds me that paying attention, staying curious, and observing the world are often more valuable than constantly searching for new ideas. Those lessons apply just as much to business as they do to design.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I enjoyed Next in Fashion because it shows how much work happens behind the scenes. People often see the finished product, but they don’t see the pressure, the problem-solving, or the collaboration that goes into creating something. I think that applies to almost every creative career.
Key learnings
- Creativity grows by staying curious, collecting inspiration, and taking action instead of waiting for perfect ideas.
- Strong professional relationships are built through consistency, reliability, and trust over time.
- Living in different places and experiencing different cultures can lead to better ideas and broader perspectives.
- Successful entrepreneurs balance creative thinking with practical business skills.
- Some of the best opportunities come from embracing change instead of resisting it.