Interview with Online Magazine Editor Tinuke Bernard

A former teacher and financial services worker turned Online Editor for Poize Magazine, Nigeria’s first magazine for and about women entrepreneurs, Tinuke Bernard regards herself as a ‘Jack of all trades’. This keen parenting and lifestyle blogger is the mother to a vivacious little girl and a huge coffee enthusiast.

Describe a typical day for you?
A typical day for me starts with me checking emails and social media accounts before I’ve even left my bed. I tend to fire fight any emails that have come in overnight so I can enjoy breakfast and the school run without my head being concerned with work. I’m really happy that my job allows me to take my daughter to school myself, I chat with the other parents in the playground then head off to work from wherever takes my fancy, be it a hot desk in Shoreditch or my home office.
I love that working for a magazine means no two days are ever the same. I could be talking to potential contributors for the website, talking to clients wishing to advertise or heading into London to interview an entrepreneur.

I normally break long enough to cook dinner, read stories with my daughter and maybe catch up on some soaps before heading into late night meetings with the editorial teams way into the night. It’s all fun though, I’m living my dream so it never seems like work.

What do you feel are your biggest achievements?
For me, turning something that started off as a hobby into a job is one of my biggest achievements. I’ve been blogging over at www.circusmums.com for a couple of years now and my love for blogging made me curious to learn everything I could about social media, coding and design. In turn, my self taught skills enabled me to have the confidence to apply for a role in Media, something I don’t think I’d ever have imagined I’d do. Being able to marry my job and my lifestyle together is awesome.

What advice would you give your pre baby self that you now know having had children?
Time flies with or without you so you may as well pull up your sleeves and go for things regardless of how long they will take. There are so many things I wanted to do when I was younger, courses that took 2-3 years that seemed far too long. Pre baby me was impatient, now I’ve seen my twenties fly past in the blink of an eye. I really wanted to join the RAF as an Air Traffic Controller (yes, random but oh so true!) but I thought the process would take too long, now I really wish I’d have experienced it!

What’s in your handbag?
My handbag is always a mess. I normally use a gorgeous Leather Satchel Co handbag which looks so sophisticated from the outside but is actually filled with an iPad, wet wipes (essential when you have a child), business cards as you never know who you’ll meet, my Macbook and my MAC pressed powder as my nose is always shiny.

What are your ambitions in life?
I have many and they change all of the time, for now it is to have a happy and balanced home life, where I am able to watch my daughter grow and at the same time become an expert in my work. I don’t want to be a slave to the clock, my ambition in life is to get to a stage where there seems to be enough time for everything that I am passionate about.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
On a beach. No seriously, I would love to be working on a beach in five years time, under the shade of a massive palm tree, on a video conference with my daughter running in the sand somewhere. I hope to see the magazine I work for being a house hold name with spin off editions throughout the world. I’ll be thinner (too busy to eat and so much walking through airport terminals…) and go on regular short vacations with the family to recharge between work projects!

What advice would you give a budding Editor?
Take every opportunity presented to you paid or not, it is all about gathering experience. Writing and editing your own blog, volunteering for your local newspaper or charitable cause are all great ways to start. Gaining accreditation from recognised institutions is also useful but don’t scrimp on the practical experience.

Finally, happiness is… seeing my daughter smile. More than anything else in life, seeing my baby happy is the most heartwarming thing possible.

Tinuke can be found ranting and showing off her photos on www.circusmums.com. She also regularly contributes articles to www.poizemagazine.com as part of the Poize Team. You can follow her on Twitter @circusmum_ where she loves to chat and meet new people. Click here for Circus Mum’s FB Page too.

Photograph ©Tinuke Bernard.