To SisterGolf’s Shella Sylla, girls run the world in Birmingham
For the last 10 years, Shella Sylla has called Birmingham home. She was born in Nassau, Bahamas, and grew up in Miami, but as the founder of SisterGolf, an organization that teaches women golf to help them in the corporate world, she said there is perhaps no better place to live and work.
That’s because Sylla believes Birmingham elevates and provides a great network for female entrepreneurs. It’s an element of the city she cherishes because she knows the challenges of being a high-power woman in the corporate world firsthand.
Sylla’s background is in commercial and corporate banking and commercial real estate financing. Early in her career, she was tasked with business development and attracting clients to her bank. She found that an already difficult job was even tougher just because of who she was.
“I don’t look like a traditional banker,” Sylla said. “When you think of a commercial banker, you think of an older Caucasian male. You don’t think of a young African American female. So getting those relationships and bringing them over became a little bit of a challenge.”
She noticed that her male counterparts were making it look easy despite leaving every Friday at 3 p.m. to play golf. When a colleague asked her to join them, she decided to take him up on the offer – not because she had any interest in golf but because she had a hunch it would be a pathway to career success.
Sylla was right. On the course, she networked and gained referrals. She also fell in love with the game. From there, she wanted to share this secret with other women.
We caught up with Sylla to chat about starting SisterGolf and how she feels about her adopted home. She told us her favorite place to tee off in Alabama and what she loves most about living here.
This is Alabama: What inspired you to start SisterGolf?
Shella Sylla: Once I started taking lessons, I was further encouraged to play in a company golf tournament. I totally thought I was not prepared for it, but I did it. When I got out there, it was myself and a hundred guys. But I created relationships that day that really helped me excel in my career because those guys became my biggest referral sources. The light bulb went off and I saw this as an opportunity for women.
So many women could benefit from golf, but so many of us are afraid because we think that the guys are playing better than us, or we’re not going to know what we’re doing or we’re going to embarrass ourselves. Well, I did all those things. I embarrassed myself; I didn’t know what I was doing, really. All of my balls rolled. It was like I was bowling! But despite all of that, I still was able to forge relationships. And the biggest secret that most people don’t tell you is the guys aren’t that great.
It inspired me to spread the word and tell other women. I want women to know they don’t have to be intimidated. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let fear of what you think you don’t know keep you away from the opportunities that go along with being out there.
TIA: What’s your favorite golf course in Alabama?
Sylla: It’s in Pelham – the Ballantrae Golf Course. Birmingham has beautiful golf courses. I love the RTJ Golf Trail. But just to get away on a weekend or even in the late afternoon during the week – my best golf buddy and I would just steal away to Ballantrae. The layout, the scenery — it’s somewhere where I can just let my hair down and have a great time. It’s one of the best little hidden treasures as far as golf courses are concerned, tucked away way deep inside Pelham. I truly enjoy it.
TIA: What is your favorite part about living in Alabama?
Sylla: So, this is going to sound really funny, but traffic is my favorite part. There really is no traffic here compared to living in larger cities. I come from Miami, where traffic is terrible. It doesn’t matter what time you get on the highway; it takes you forever. And I know that people complain about the traffic here, but for me, it’s a breeze. I listen to my radio and my podcasts, and I’m just doing just fine.
TIA: What is a place in Alabama that you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t yet?
Sylla: Rattlesnake Saloon. It’s in Tuscumbia and I’ve heard such great things about it. It’s this cool restaurant that’s in a cave. I’ve heard it’s a relaxed, funky watering hole where you can get food and drinks and enjoy the outdoors. I’ve seen pictures and I can’t wait to grab a weekend to go experience it.
TIA: What’s one restaurant you recommend people go to when they visit Birmingham?
Sylla: Blueprint on 3rd is one of my favorites. I go there as often as I can. The food is amazing. They have these new oysters on their menu now. As soon as I saw the pictures on Instagram I said to a friend of mine, “I think we’re overdue for a trip to Blueprint.” It was so great. The bread is good. The fish is good. I mean, there’s not a bad meal there.
TIA: If you had to make a soundtrack about your life in Alabama, name three songs you would choose and why.
Sylla: My first song is “Beautiful Day” by U2. Today is exemplary of just that. It is a gorgeous day outside. You can’t ask for better weather. In Miami, we have two seasons: hot and hotter. Here I get to experience the four seasons, but they’re mild. It’s not like a New York or a Chicago winter, and it’s not the brutal dead-of-heat summer in that you’re just literally dying and melting. I can just step outside and it’s always a beautiful day.
The second one is “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige. Before I moved here, I was a little nervous because I’d come to visit, but I didn’t know what living here would be like. I was worried about if I would fit in, if I would find my footing, if I would find my tribe. It turned out just fine. Birmingham is just the best little hidden secret. It’s a small, big city. There are so many different things to do, and the perception that people have of the city from the outside is so different from what it actually is.
The last one is “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyonce. As far as entrepreneurship is concerned, Birmingham has such a cool community of progressive women that are just doing amazing things in great organizations. I’m a member of commercial real estate women and I’ve participated in Alabama Women in Business. I’m on the board for the YWCA, and in all those organizations you find phenomenal women. So, I just feel like girls, we run the world in Birmingham.
This story previously was published by This is Alabama. Want to read more good news about Alabama? Sign up for the This is Alabama newsletter here.