Women Who Carry: Meet Sonja
Updated: Apr 1
Sonja Southerland is the "Chief People Officer" and the driving force behind Innovate Human Capital Solutions. Sonja has over 25 years of HR Leadership and has a passion for transforming workplaces by providing comprehensive HR solutions for businesses and professionals.
One of her many sayings is "Unleashing Workplace Harmony" and giving
"Work-Life-Harmony".
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What inspired you to build something that serves others?
Growing up, I always sensed there was more available to me than what I could see in front of me. I knew there were spaces, resources, and opportunities that could elevate my life I just didn’t know how to access them. That gap became my motivation. I built as I went. Every lesson, every skill, every experience I gained along the way became part of what I now offer to others. What I once had to figure out on my own, I now provide as guidance, access, and support for those coming behind me.
What challenges have you faced as a woman leading while also supporting others?
One of the greatest challenges has been discerning where my value is both recognized and received. I’m intentional about nurturing relationships that are reciprocal spaces where there is a genuine desire to grow and glean from what I bring. The challenge arises when you find yourself in environments that are not prepared or interested in your gifts. Pouring into spaces that cannot steward what you carry can leave you feeling unfulfilled and unseen. But growth teaches you clarity. When you know who you are, you become more confident in your “yes” and more disciplined in your “no.”
How do you balance ambition with purpose?
I don’t see ambition and purpose as opposing forces I see ambition as something that must be governed by purpose.
Purpose is the gift you were created to offer the world, but it must be nurtured and developed over time. Just like life itself, growth is a process you don’t come out of the womb running. Ambition, without the maturity to sustain it, can place you in rooms you’re not yet ready to navigate.
As your purpose develops, your capacity expands and your ambition begins to align with what you’re truly equipped to carry.
How do you stay connected to your “why” during difficult seasons in business?
I believe in having a plan a blueprint that gives direction, even when the path requires pivots. In challenging seasons, your “why” becomes the wind in your sails.
It’s what keeps you moving when things feel uncertain. When you know where you’re going and why it matters, you find the courage to keep pressing forward no matter what you encounter along the way
What advice would you give to women building something meaningful while also caring for family or community?
Don’t chase balance...embrace harmony!
Balance often creates pressure because it assumes everything must receive equal attention at all times. But life doesn’t work that way.
Harmony allows you to be fully present with what matters most in each moment, while managing expectations both your own and others’.
When you release the pressure to “do it all,” you create space to live aligned. And in that alignment, you find both peace and effectiveness.
What motivates you to continue showing up for others?
I remember what it felt like to need guidance and not have it.
That memory keeps me grounded and committed. As I’ve received, I’ve made a decision to give. I’m also driven by legacy. It’s important to me that the work I’ve started doesn’t end with me that someone else is equipped, empowered, and prepared to carry it forward.
What scripture or spiritual truth has guided you most in your journey?
There are many scriptures that have anchored me, but one that continually reminds me that I am not walking this journey alone is:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
This scripture reassures me that there is intention behind my path and that God is present in every step.
What does the phrase “Women Who Carry” mean to you?
“Women Who Carry” is powerful because it speaks to who we are at our core.
As women, we are created with the ability to nurture, develop, and bring forth life from a seed to something fully formed. That truth extends far beyond biology.
We carry vision.
We carry purpose.
We carry what has not yet been seen.
We carry hope, momentum, and the future.
And sometimes, we forget just how powerful that makes us. But when we remember, we begin to walk differently with intention, confidence, and a deeper understanding of the weight and the beauty of what we’ve been entrusted to hold.
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