What Is A Workfluencer? Workfluencer Wednesday Career Series with Sonya Barlow

My younger cousin recently messaged me, asking for advice on how to be seen, heard, and recognised at work. I sent her a list of actionable steps. Soon after, I received a similar request from the LMF community, and the WhatsApp group was popping off!

Over the past ten years, I've built a positive portfolio career, a strong public brand, and established myself as a thought leader. I've also experimented with various formats to share career insights and aid professional development. Some methods worked, others felt a bit cringey. In today's rapidly shifting world, where AI-generated content is taking over our feeds, many professionals feel left behind. They struggle to show up confidently, build authentic relationships, or navigate change with intention.

This is the driving force behind Workfluencer Wednesday – a weekly video series focused on career insights for professionals eager to thrive in our digital-first world.

Here, I'll explain what a Workfluencer is, why it's crucial for your career, and introduce my new series: Workfluencer Wednesday with Sonya Barlow.

What is a Workfluencer?

According to Pocket HRMS, a "Workfluencer" refers to a social media influencer who shares work-related content on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. I guess my old boss was right when he said I was on my way to becoming an influencer (eyeroll)... excuse me, sir, my "influencing ways" could have eventually helped drive 33x more traffic to the business (lol). Anyway, let my grievances be a thing of the past in this digital-first, "everything must be shared" B2B branding, working model we've all adopted post-pandemic.

Jokes aside, the idea that to stay competitive, we must now be online, build a profile, share on LinkedIn, subscribe to YouTube, and update our companies’ IG content beyond dances is daunting. Even for an outwardly confident CEO like me, embracing the whole content and intentional influencer thing felt cringey before it became comfortable.

However, becoming a modern-day Workfluencer has landed me two-week work campaigns in Kenya, Mexico, and the Maldives, invitations to the House of Parliament for keynotes, and a recent podcast hosting gig with Sutherland. Oh, and did I mention my BBC show, a book, and a global business?

Owning my status as a Workfluencer has also helped me to own my travels, my business personality, and the requirement to have fun at work – keeping my ADHD brain working in my favor. It's allowed me to wrap my multi-faceted, "squiggly" career into a presentable package with a unified vision, significantly boosting my self-belief, productivity, and profits as a neurodivergent South Asian businesswoman! This journey is about keeping up with our shifting world and reminding us all that we can build successful careers on our own terms, defined by our rules, while enjoying the changing landscape of tech and work.

But one thing I want to emphasise is that during that period, it wasn't always "video first." Workfluencing isn't just about showing up with content; it's about adding value through conversations, sharing insights backed by research, and having substance. Don’t confuse Workfluencing with wanting to go viral for a freebie – it's not the same.

So, let me type away how I’ve taken all my learnings into a new series titled Workfluencer Wednesday and how every Wednesday, just like the conversation with my cousin and our LMF WhatsApp group, I share a career tip that will help you boost your brand presence, along with a behind-the-scenes clip of where my business has taken me that week.

What is Workfluencer Wednesday?

Workfluencer Wednesday is a short-form, high-impact career series I started to share practical advice, workplace strategies, and lived experiences. It’s a fun way to answer your career questions, rather than just talking straight into the screen or doing a dance, cringe. Each episode is rooted in real stories from my journey: from tech consultant to CEO, presenter and author to global thought leader, and now magazine editor.

I've watched many online series over the last few years, recent favorites include Avni Barman and Jeanelle Teves , and thought, what can I create with a similar fun factor that also fits my natural personality and adds value to the viewer, all in under a minute?

The Workfluencer Wednesday with Sonya Barlow series is designed to provide quick, digestible insights that help you grow with clarity and confidence, while also keeping me accountable for consistent content and knowledge sharing!

Why Workfluencers Matter in 2025

In 2025, career success isn’t solely defined by job titles or performance reviews. It’s about building visibility, credibility, and connection in a way that aligns with your values.

The term "Workfluencer" reflects this shift – a professional who builds community and confidence, online and offline, while staying authentic.

So far, I have been testing the Workfluencer Wednesday series in public, taking on real-time feedback to improve weekly.

The series covers topics including:

Having coffee with Emma Grede from Skims:

Do You Have to Be an Influencer to Be a Workfluencer?

You don’t have to be an influencer to make an impact. Being a Workfluencer means showing up with purpose, even when it’s uncomfortable. Real growth happens when we move beyond “just doing the job” and start owning our space with confidence.

This can be achieved through writing, sharing, listening, learning, engaging, or commenting. Eventually, it’s about effectively communicating what you know to help someone else.

One Small Action to Take This Week

As I mentioned to my cousin, pick one way to increase your visibility at work each week. It could be:

Contributing a new idea in a meeting
Reaching out to someone you admire
Updating your LinkedIn bio to reflect your current goals

Small steps like these build your long-term presence. Over time, they'll also evidence your expertise and ultimately, your influence in the workplace.

So, What’s the Value in Workfluencer Wednesday?

Workfluencer Wednesday is more than a content series; it’s a career mindset.

It's a weekly reminder that you are allowed to define success on your own terms. So, whether you're rebuilding after redundancy, launching a new idea, or navigating uncertainty, Workfluencer Wednesday with Sonya Barlow offers guidance, motivation, and real-world lessons from someone who’s been there

Have a question? Let me know or slide into my DMs and who knows, next week you might be my Workfluencer Wednesday muse!

📩 Subscribe to the series so you never miss a midweek career boost.

Sonya Barlow is an award-winning entrepreneur, presenter and author with over 100K followers. She hosts her self-titled YouTube show "The Sonya Barlow Show", authored the business book "Unprepared to Entrepreneur" and runs a business inclusion consultancy and networking app the "LMF Network". You can work with Sonya for campaigns, content and conversation. Connect via email - Hello@SonyaBarlow.Co.Uk.