spring time with flowers

Spring Cleaning: Out With The Old

Self Awareness

03/27/19

Teague

Did you let out a big sigh of relief last Wednesday? I know I can’t be the only one who is ready for a change in this ridiculous winter weather. Spring is officially here, and with this new season comes longer days, less hurried walks between the car and the office door, and a reminder that growth and change are underway. You know I couldn’t make it through a time of transition without a newsletter talking all about it, right? Here are my thoughts on what spring means to me, and suggestions on how to embrace all that this season has to offer no matter what stage of life you’re in. Release what is no longer serving you. Spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to your physical space – it applies to your personal life as well. Throw open the windows of your mind and let go of what you don’t need. Negative self-talk that holds you back from taking the next step in your love life? A half-finished resume that isn’t landing you any interviews? A cluttered workspace that distracts you from getting into the zone? Whatever doesn’t have a purpose or a place is worth considering whether it’s truly worth the space and effort. Plant seeds that will grow into flowers. When I think of spring, I imagine strong and steady development. As the season passes, the magic of what’s been brewing underground – complicated systems of roots, nutrients, soil, and water – begins to poke upwards toward the sun and reminds us that good things are worth waiting for. Consider this time as preparation for things your future self will thank you for. Want to be in a new role by summer? It’s time to tighten up your application materials. Dream of being healthy enough to chase your kids around the yard until they wear themselves out? Lace up your shoes and get moving. Practice patience as you form habits that will build upon themselves. Know that the work you are putting in today will pay off – and enjoy the process along the way. Connect and celebrate the ties that bond us. With winter officially on its way out, it’s easier to make and keep plans without weather getting in the way. Now is time to emerge from your cocoon and reconnect with the ones you love. Remember that function is more important than form, so if your house isn’t perfect or your meal isn’t Martha Stewart approved, it’s all good as long as you’re acting from a place of love. Some of my favorite ways to connect in the spring are potlucks with friends (what light and fresh recipes have you been eyeing?) and networking with folks in my industry (this includes mentorship, taking continuing education classes, and attending events to meet movers and shakers in my field). Shake off the dust and get out there. Cheers to winter for the coziness and slow moments it brought, and welcome spring in all its new and bright and sunny (!!) glory. –Coach Teague This week’s challenge For each of the three categories above – releasing the excess, focusing on personal growth, or strengthening connections – choose a meaningful and achievable goal that you can accomplish within the next week. Feel overwhelmed by the prospect of doing something outside your comfort zone? That’s okay – it’s where the magic happens. Starting now, you’re a person who gets things done even when they’re not easy. (Bonus points if you forward this email to a friend and work on your goals collaboratively. Teamwork makes the dream work!) We know you want to learn more. Here are some of our favorite additional resources: “Virtually every time I push my clients to go deeper with their gathering’s purpose, there is a moment when they seem to wonder if I am preparing them for World War III. Yet forcing yourself to think about your gathering as stand-taking helps you get clear on its unique purpose.” A 6 Step Guide to Spring Cleaning Your Social Media Feeds, because our closets aren’t the only cluttered spaces “My question is what, if anything, is wrong with being chilly? It seems like a good, efficient way to get along.” Spring Cleaning: Meditation to Tidy Up the Mind (initiate zen state now!) Declutter your life and make room for possibility (by ALV Coach Erin)

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Growth & Adventure are on the Other Side of Your One-Way Ticket

Overcoming Fear

03/25/19

Kristin Vierra

Touchdown, through sleepy eyes I looked out the window as we landed in Guatemala City. My first thoughts were, “I hope they have wifi. Please tell me they have wifi,” since finding an Uber asap was top of mind. I had heard about Guatemala City being unsafe and was paranoid that this was my first place of arrival as a solo female traveler. I collected my oversized backpack, walked outside in a fog from the lack of sleep and anxiety meds, and hopped into the first cab I could find to head to Antigua, Guatemala. As I sat down, it settled in that this was happening. I was here, and there was no turning back. An expected one-month backpacking trip transformed into three months of unforgettable, life-changing adventure through Central America and Colombia. I entered a timid, SF Marina girl who could barely navigate her way a few hours outside of her own city and left a strong, courageous solo female traveler who felt she could take on almost anything. If you want to gain perspective and grow, throw yourself into the unknown and get really uncomfortable. The beauty lies in the transformation from the challenges that you overcome. So let’s take a journey down the bumpy, winding, jerky (often held up by roadblocks) but sometimes smooth, memory lane of my backpacking adventure. The Beginning (Guatemala): Antigua, Guatemala The adventure began in the beautiful Spanish colonial looking city of Antigua, Guatemala. A small town in Southern Guatemala full of colorful buildings and cobblestone streets surrounded by volcanoes. Volcan Acatenango: My trip started with a bang when I booked an excursion for an overnight hike of Volcano Acatenango on Day 2. Acatenango is a volcano towering 13,041 ft over Antigua, Guatemala. This urban hiker had no idea what she was getting herself into signing up for this hike. Following the directions of the hostel, I packed for the overnight trek and ended up loading ⅓ of my body weight onto my back. I had heard it was challenging but oh my, was I in for a surprise as I walked up in my Nike Frees and saw the other hikers tie up their hiking boots. I made two mistakes on this hike that I would advise anyone under 5’2 and of petite stature not to repeat: 1.) I chose to carry all of my things rather than pay someone to help. (They have seasoned local hikers who offer to haul your things at a cost.) 2.) I didn’t buy a walking stick at the hike entry. (I guess I was overly confident in my abilities, or I just didn’t do my research.) Thankfully, the amazing local guide broke off a tree branch for me to use as a hiking stick mid-way through the hike. Unfortunately, I had to carry my things the entire time. Four hours into the hike, I was close to tears as I climbed the volcano taking one step up and sinking two steps back. My Nikes filled with dirt as my backpack weighed me down and dragged me backward along with the force of gravity. I contemplated turning around to head back multiple times, but I couldn’t imagine failing the first challenge I set out for myself. So I pushed on through the hours of sweat and aching calves to finally reach our campground. The struggle was all worth it as our group bonded sipping hot chocolate around the campfire that night. Our guide awakened us from our slumber to watch the spontaneous eruptions of the neighboring peak of Volcan del Fuego. I watched in awe as the red and orange active lava spouted from the earth and flowed down the sides of the peak. The next morning we hiked the final steep 45-minute climb with the sunrise, watching as the sky transformed from a watercolor painting of pink to orange. At the top, I stood on the edge of the volcano looking down at a surreal view of clouds and neighboring volcanoes peaks. This hike challenged both my physical and emotional limits beyond what I imagined I would experience on Day 2 of solo traveling. I finished feeling stronger, extremely sore and with some great new friends from all over the world. Lake Atitlan, Guatemala After Antigua, the next stop was Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. A beautiful crater lake surrounded by villages that each have their own unique flair. Throughout my time here I was able to visit local markets, practice yoga, hike Volcano San Pedro, meet like-minded travelers and relax on the docks overlooking the beauty of Lake Atitlan. The highlight of my time on the lake was a homestay with a local Guatemalan family in the village of San Pedro and daily Spanish classes at Orbita Spanish School. I was living with a family of four: a mother, father, son and young daughter. While living with them, I attended 4 hours of daily 1:1 Spanish class and had afternoons free to study and explore. In those 4 hour sessions, I didn’t just improve my Spanish grammar and conversation skills. My tutor taught me about Guatemalan cultural values, the challenges he faced growing up in the country, and the struggle to maintain the culture in modern society. These conversations expanded my mindset and gave me a greater sense of self-awareness. Certain things I would say to a friend back home may not come across the same to someone with a different cultural upbringing or native language. One of my favorite things throughout my travels was hearing stories like his that introduced me to new perspectives and transformed my way of thinking.   Two weeks flew by, and I gained perspective on the simplistic happiness of family life on the lake. The mother prepared all of the meals and played the traditional role of homemaker. The father worked as a teacher during the day and played on a local fútbol team some evenings. Dinner was a meal that the entire family attended and we would go

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How To Best Quit Your Job

Confidence

03/25/19

Nicole Wood

After you’ve given so much of yourself to a job, it can be very difficult to say goodbye. You don’t want to burn bridges, and you want to go out with grace. But how do you do it? No one teaches you how to quit your job! Luckily we do! And the fact that you’re here reading this tells me that you have a lot of loyalty to your employer and respect for the people there, so even if you don’t follow my advice precisely, you will be just fine. So take a deep breath and read on. I’ll break down for you everything you need to know about how to quit. When Not To Do It You’re not going to like this, but I’m going to start my guidance out with an ‘it depends!’ But before we get into the different options for when you should give your notice, here are a few times not to do it: When you’re in the heat of the moment It’s never good to quit when emotions are high. You may say things you regret. In this Refinery29 article, we hear from 8 people who rage-quit their jobs. Though it’s not a good look or an ideal scenario, what I love about this is how positive most of these people are now. Again this is reassurance that even if this process doesn’t go exactly according to plan, you are moving onward and upward! When the team has a huge deadline the next day When it’s all hands on deck, dropping your news could make the stress level go off the charts. That being said, if your team seems to always be in crisis mode, then you need to move forward with your plan regardless of what’s going on. If you’re out on a vacation and give less than 2 weeks This is very unprofessional. It may be tempting if you are very unhappy, but you need to have the courtesy of wrapping things up in person. In my opinion, the tried and true two weeks notice still stands. I wouldn’t give less than two weeks, but in some cases, it may make sense to give more: If you have project-based work If you know you are moving on but want to see a project through to completion, it may make sense to give notice sooner. You can let your employer know so they can plan accordingly as they staff future projects, but you can wrap up your current one. If you plan to take time off and your timing is flexible If you plan to be “funemployed” after you leave, and you have no set timeline for this to begin, you can give your notice and make your end date somewhat negotiable based on the company’s needs. Maybe they will ask you to stay on through a certain meeting or maybe they will wish you well and have you depart in 2 weeks time. This is a courteous thing to do, but be careful not to let it drag on. Even though you don’t have a firm deadline, you have committed to this time for yourself, so make sure you have a cutoff date that you won’t let work slip into. If you are in a very senior role… and you want to be active in supporting the company to backfill. When you are in a VP or C-suite position, it takes way more than 2 weeks to find your replacement. You may want to give a significant amount of notice so that you can help recruit and interview your replacement and ensure a smooth (as smooth as can be!) transition. One thing to note is that there is definitely a mental shift that takes place once your news is out in the open. This can be good because your excitement for your new path can grow, and you are less phased by the things currently happening around you (especially if you are in a less than ideal work environment). However, it can also be challenging to stay focused. Keep this in the back of your mind because even though some degree of disengagement is expected, you want to show that you aren’t slacking off because you’re leaving. Who To Talk To In most cases, the first person you should tell is your direct supervisor. They are who you have the closest working relationship with and who will be most impacted by your news. You’ll want to tell your boss first and then discuss with them when and how to tell the rest of your team. In some cases, it may make sense to speak with someone else first or involve others in the conversation. For example, if you work in consulting where you don’t have quite the same formal reporting relationship, I’d recommend that you start with the person who is responsible for your career development. Then you can tell the person you are reporting to directly on your current project. Then finally it’s time to formally report your news to HR. Alternatively, if you work in a very small company, you may want to include your boss and a founder right off the bat. This is completely situation dependent. Think about it like this, who would you not want to find out your news from someone else? Make it a priority to tell those people first. Who Not To Talk To Depending on your role, the news of you leaving could cause some concern and confusion within the company. Of course, it is your news to tell, and who you share it with is ultimately up to you. But it is courteous to have the conversation with your boss about the best time and place to break the news to the team. How To Quit It is best to have this conversation in person if possible to show respect to the person and the company. By looking the person in the eye when you deliver the news, it shows that

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9 Cool Jobs to Check Out

Cool Jobs

03/22/19

Randi Hill

We are back with 9 more cool jobs to inspire you! Whether or not you are actively job seeking, these may give you some interesting new career path ideas. Don’t forget to submit your jobs to us to publish if you are currently looking to hire for a cool job!  Our clients and community are looking for unique jobs in a fun environment. These jobs should reside within organizations which prioritize people and culture and provide exciting ways to make an impact beyond the mundane 9-5. We are particularly interested in positions which don’t neatly fit into an obvious career path box (e.g., doctor, lawyer, accountant). If you know of a job that you think would be great for us to share with our community of driven career-transitioners, you can submit it here for us to consider for a future post! Title: Director, International Expansion Company: Pampered Chef Location: Chicago, IL/Travel Why we like it: While this role is based in Chicago you’re looking at 20% travel. I mean, I’ve always wanted a job that would send me to cool international places for work! With an on-site gym, unlimited PTO, and two offices the choices are endless as to what your workday could look like. Topping it all off with casual dress, happy hours, and some neat kitchen gadgets, it’s no wonder they are expanding globally everyone wants in on this!  Read more and apply here. Title: Junior Video Editor, Atmosphere Company: Chive Media Location: Austin, TX Why we like it: This position is for proactive and driven, video editors with a couple of years of experience. If you’re competent with Excel, Google Docs, Photoshop, WordPress, and Adobe Creative, your dream job may be right around the corner! What’s cooler than the job is the company! 3 lunches a week provided at the corporate office, it’s unlikely you’ll want to be a commuter despite the wonderful benefits they have for their commuters. With flexible work hours and an open vacation policy, the possibilities are almost limitless. Read more and apply here. Title: Creative Director Company: ezCater Location: Boston, MA Why we like it: The Creative Director is responsible for elevating the brand materials while maintaining a consistent voice and style. They are looking for someone with strong communications skills, who is ready to drive the brand forward while building a world-class team to meet ever-increasing creative demands. With a focus on innovative employees who are willing to “just figure it out,” it’s no surprise this company is focused on creating a strong and open company culture with a focus on kind, loving, and supportive employees, in their words, “we do not employ jerks, even brilliant ones.” Read more and apply here. Title: Director of Strategic Programs Company: FoodMaven Location: This position is ideally in Denver or Colorado Springs, CO but may be remote for the right candidate Why we like it: FoodMaven captures and creates a market for food lost in the system that’s oversupplied, out-of-spec, or local food without effective access to the market. They sell this food through an online marketplace to commercial kitchens and donates it to hunger-relief organizations to fulfill its mission of all food used with good purpose. The Director of Strategic Programs will be responsible for developing, launching, and managing strategic programs, tracking the efficacy of various initiatives, and working with the general manager to drive process improvements. Read more and apply here. Title: Customer Success Associate Company: BloomNation Location: Santa Monica, CA Why we like it: This role is focused on relationships and cultivating business within the b2b world. It’s a perfect fit for someone who is passionate, empathic, and driven. They’re looking for someone who loves to serve small business, with a friendly, optimistic, and caring demeanor. It’s a dynamic environment laced with diversity, great benefits, and lots of flowers! Top it all off with transportation benefits and a game room, I mean how could you not love this job?! Read more and apply here. Title: Product Consultant Company: ThoughtWorks Location: New York City, NY Why we like it: You will be working with clients across a variety of sectors and making sure the business-critical software solutions we develop deliver real business value every time. Some of your responsibilities include generating ideas and content, delivering custom software products, mentoring others, and working in a dynamic, transparent, and collaborative environment. With generous parental leave, commuter benefits, and professional development this job is a win! Read more and apply here. Title: Specialist, Public Relations Company: Accolade Location: Seattle, WA Why we like it: You’ll be working closely with the marketing, Sales, Business Development, Customer Partnerships, Product and Executive teams to support the build, promotion, and management of the Accolade brand and reputation in the market. This role requires strong communication skills, creative nature, a “can-do” attitude, and experience in the healthcare field. If that sounds like you, what are you waiting for? Read more and apply here. Title: Benefits Administrator Company: FabFitFun Location: Greater LA Area, CA Why we like it: FabFitFun is at the intersection of commerce, content, and community. You get to hold the keys to all the great things. A few of your responsibilities include designing and negotiating compensation packages that align with the company’s values, evaluating employee benefits policies, and responding to all employee inquiries relating to benefits. You get to do it all with generous PTO, casual office attire, and a stocked kitchen. Um, Hello, LA! Read more and apply here. Title: Social Media and Community Intern Company: Ama La Vida Location: Chicago, IL Why we like it: I may be a little biased here, but we’re a pretty fun bunch. We’re looking for an intern to help facilitate a large majority of our social channels. With a big emphasis on engaging with the ALV community slack channel we have plans for you to be involved in the content creation, copywriting, and video editing. Plus, you’ll get the chance to work in the “Happiness Hub” (aka the ALV office) with 3 of our stellar team members! Email a resume to randalyn(at)alvcoaching(dot)com if you’re interested! If you’re

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Guilt is the Thief of Joy

Self Awareness

03/20/19

Nicole Wood

I sometimes think of my brain like a cul de sac. There are let’s say 10 houses around it, and each one is a component of my life which is currently demanding my attention. Refinancing my house has a spot. Taking the dog that won’t stop puking to the vet – that’s got one right now too. Planning that trip with my parents – haven’t done any maintenance to that one in a while, but I know it’s still there. Running ALV – that’s a big, gaudy mansion that you just can’t miss. There are only so many spots. I can only fit so many things in my brain before it feels like it’s going to explode. Something needs to clear out of a spot before I can let something else in. My husband doesn’t operate like this. He’s a dabbler. He likes to have a million little apartments sitting on his cul de sac. Each day 3 or 4 will grab his attention, but none are so demanding that they require all of his energy. Neither system is right nor wrong. It’s simply how different people function and prioritize. The problem with my cul de sac, however, is that there’s a toxic pollutant in town. Guilt. It’s a thick smoke that can permeate the walls no matter where I am. When I’m worried about spending too much time in one house over another, the guilt seeps in. Feeling bad about all of the things that don’t even currently have a spot on the street? Guilt again. I’d argue that when most people, women especially, become parents, the toxicity of the guilt becomes a crisis. Even for the dabblers. No matter where we are, we’re blinded by the smoke, feeling constantly that we’re doing something wrong. Or not doing enough. An important component of minimizing guilt’s impact is understanding your values and ensuring that the things you allow in your cul de sac, and the corresponding size of each, is a reflection of those values. But I think a bigger solution is just giving ourselves a gosh darn break. We are doing the best we can. We are running this thing with no manual. We are focusing on the things that are most important to us at that time. Why should we feel bad for that? Like mine, guilt may always have a presence in your neighborhood. But please, let’s stop letting ourselves be consumed by it. This week’s challenge Figure out the top 5 things you want in your cul de sac right now. Take a look at your list of values, and determine which 5 things are the most direct reflection of them. For everything else, practice saying no. And practice allowing yourself to say no without feeling guilty about it. We know you want to learn more. Here are some of our favorite additional resources: Read: 5 Tips for Dealing With Guilt Watch: 9 TED Talks to Liberate You Prioritize Your Time: Being Involved or Overcommitting and How To Tell The Difference Read: Daring Greatly, Brene Brown Did You Miss Our Latest Coaching Corner? In this video, Coach Danielle talks about how many employees don’t feel appreciated at work and a few ways to increase that number.

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Networking 102 + Best Networking Groups for Women: Seattle Edition

Confidence

03/19/19

Randi Hill

Last time we chatted we talked about how to approach networking and how to have a great experience meeting new people. This time, I want to give you my favorite tips about how to crush the follow-up.  via GIPHY  Get the Business Card Have you ever tried to follow up with someone without contact information? Chances are you haven’t because you can’t. If you don’t have contact information of some sort, I don’t even know how to go about following up with them? Maybe you rent a billboard and put your number on there? Aside from the logistical nightmare of publicly displaying your contact info, there is the whole other train of thought that they may not even see it. You can bypass all this by just asking for a business card! Be prepared to give one of yours, however, it’s best to take ownership of the follow-up and make sure that you don’t leave the ball in their court.  Connect on LinkedIn. If you aren’t a huge fan of business cards, make sure that you pull out your LinkedIn app and get a connection request sent. You can either do the classic name search or you can follow these simple steps and use the LinkedIn QR code option. In the LinkedIn App, you can push that little icon in the search bar box and this screen will pop up. You can either show people your code or tap the word “scan” to scan someone else’s. LinkedIn has made connecting easier than ever!  Take some action. If you went the business card route, let’s talk about that email. Try to send a follow-up email within a few days. It doesn’t have to be an over the top email, however, make it clear that you had a great chat and are looking forward to chatting/seeing them again soon. I recommend using a subject line like “Nice meeting you at <place you met them>” or “Super Glad we got to chat at <place you met them>.” Make it easy for them to know what the email is regarding before they even open it. If you haven’t connected on LinkedIn yet it’s helpful to take the same approach in a note when you send a connection request. Be intentional about where you met them and potentially suggest another day to reconnect.  Follow up, again. I know, you’re probably thinking, “Randi, this whole article is about following up, I don’t understand.” Well, let me assure you and hopefully regain your trust. People are busy. They are really busy. Chances are your email may get lost in their inbox, or after you connect on LinkedIn the conversation may drop off. Don’t be afraid to shoot them another email or another LinkedIn Connection request after a week or so. Ready to put your networking and follow up skills to practice? Here are some of my favorite networking groups in Seattle for you to check out! Group Name: General Assembly Seattle Where you can find them: @generalassembly Why I like them: I love General Assembly because they are at the forefront of teaching technical skills to the majority of society. They believe that you don’t have to work a technical role to have the skills and knowledge to work in a technical company. They are always busy hosting workshops, events, and classes to help you launch your career. Group Name: The Riveter Where you can find them: @theriveterco Why I like it: The Riveter is a female-founded co-working space in Seattle, Los Angeles, and soon to be Austin! They are a great place for members and non-members alike with classes, events, and programs for all. They are the best of both worlds when it comes to connections and community. Group Name: The Creativity Loft Where you can find them: @thecreativityloft Why I like it: The Creativity Loft is an up and coming space for women to work, meet, and take classes in. It’s a female-founded space created for artist expression and healing. Founded right after tragedy struck this space is both a dream come true and an adventure waiting to happen. With a full calendar of events for artists, creatives, and entrepreneur’s maybe it’s time we joined a co-working space!  Group Name: Seattle Womxn Collaborative Where you can find them: @SeaWomxnCollab Why I like it: This group plans events that are across women’s groups. My friend personally knows the women in charge. Events are hosted quarterly around the city. An informal collection of professional women’s groups in Seattle coming together to build a supportive, resourceful community. Group Name: Collective Seattle Where you can find them: @thecollectiveseattle Why I like it: The Collective Seattle is a diverse community of members built on adventure, shared ideas, and purpose. It’s a genuine place to cultivate relationships and find a voice for conversation. They pride themselves on being a refuge from an active busy life creating space to reset and reenergize with lots of evolving experiences. Group Name: Women Catalysts – Seattle Where you can find them: @womencatalysts Why I like it: With mottos like “Networking doesn’t have to suck” & “kick ass, take names, send thank you notes” how can you not love this group already? With events in SEA, LA, and SF they are catalysts for women all over the west coast. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up, show up, be curious, collaborate, and celebrate! Event Name: Daring Women Seattle Where you can find them: @daringwomensea Why I like it: Here the most fearless females in Seattle will come together to talk innovation, growth, inspiration, and leadership, where women from across all industries will share stories on the challenges and triumphs in business and life. The conference will feature interactive panel discussions and talks by executives on diversity and inclusion, owning your leadership style, cultivating a balanced culture and challenging standards. The day will conclude with a power hour cocktail party to build authentic connections and a community of Daring Women.

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The Seesaw Of Life: A Lesson In Finding Balance

Career Enrichment

03/15/19

Foram Sheth

I don’t know about you but I’m like a kid in a candy store when it comes to life. I want everything – I want the light chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate covered almonds, espresso chocolate, hazelnut chocolate. All the chocolates. I love chocolate and I don’t want to have to choose. This is how most people I know are about life. It’s a stark realization when you think about all the things you want in life and realize that it’s just not physically, mentally and emotionally possible to have everything at the same time. You can have anything you want if you work for it but you can’t have everything. We want a promotion at work, to be more present with family and friends, to have more time to exercise and build better relationships – does this sound like you? This is a lot to ask for and for me, an impossible task. I’m learning this the hard way. As a new mother, an entrepreneur of a growing business and a dreamer of wanting the perfect harmony of life and work, I’ve driven myself crazy to find my harmony. When I’m at work, I’m driven with guilt thinking about my daughter and what I might be missing out on. When I’m at home, I’m thinking about the clients I want to check in with. And when I’m with my husband, I’m thinking about how I need to go work out. When I’m with friends, I’m thinking about how I should spend more time with my parents. It’s emotionally and mentally exhausting. Finding Balance Imagine a seesaw. There are two sides: life & work. With pressure from both sides, it’s difficult to maintain a steady balance. Typically, one side is going to be weighed down compared to the other. And when that happens, we find ourselves being pulled to achieve our balance again. Let’s say work has been crazy for you and you’ve been slammed with meeting deadlines. The work side of your seesaw is low to the ground. You recognize that and double down on the life side so that you can get to some balance. What’ll end up happening is now the life side will be low to the ground and you realize you need to shift your focus on work. Our seesaw shifts again, and it’s a cycle causing us to be frustrated that we haven’t found a balance. I was recently watching Final Table, a show on Netflix that selects up and coming chefs across the world and makes them compete with one another with the goal of being seated with the best chefs in the world. I learned a lot about chefs and the food business and the incredible amount of sacrifices chefs make to build a brand and establish themselves in their industry. More importantly, I learned a very important life lesson. I learned that no matter what profession or vocation you have – whether you’re a stay at home parent, working in corporate, an entrepreneur – you have to sacrifice something when you’re building yourself up. You sacrifice to first learn the craft. You then sacrifice to maintain your status quo and for the go-getters, you sacrifice to climb the ladder or to perfect your craft. All of which require time, energy and money. The sacrifices aren’t small. You miss out on vacations, holidays, quality time with friends and family. You do it because at that moment, that’s what is important to you. And you shouldn’t feel guilty about it. You made a choice based on the information available to you and you made a conscious decision on what matters at that moment. For example, currently, my seesaw is towards work. It’s a critical time in the business and I want to give it my all to make sure we’re growing and building on the momentum we have. This is a conscious decision. Do I feel a pull towards wanting to dedicate more time towards life? Absolutely. I’ve realized that as long as there is no one extreme, then it’s okay. Everything is okay in moderation.  And I’m done feeling guilty about finding a balance. I’m in control of my seesaw. If you’re staying true to yourself and acknowledge the sacrifices you will make in order to achieve your goal, then perhaps you should take it easy on yourself when you make that choice. Recognize that this is a temporary time in your life and temporary is a subjective term. Temporary could be a day or weeks or years. During the growth stages of our lives, we won’t always achieve perfect harmony. We won’t have a work/life balance. But we made that choice because that is what was important to us at that time. What does this mean for the new parent or the newly married couple or the consultant who wants to enjoy life and make money? It means that there will be moments when you’ll have one of a lot. For the new parent, this could mean a lot of baby time and not enough time for yourself or your partner. The newly married couple, it could mean a lot of quality time together and not enough time for your existing friends. And for the single consultant, this could be a lot of hours away from home and not much time for a healthy lifestyle. What do you do when you’re guilty about your one-sided seesaw? Know that we live in a state of equilibrium When we aren’t finding the balance in life, we somehow find a way to get back to equilibrium. We either define it as a new normal or we pivot to bring back a sense of peace. It doesn’t happen simultaneously or when you want it to happen without proactive action. Recognize you’re too far on one side and get back to moderation. And equilibrium doesn’t mean perfect balance. It means having just enough from the other side so that you don’t feel that void.

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It’s Time To Get Creative

Self Awareness

03/13/19

Nicole Wood

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. My town bordered the city. It didn’t feel so much like a blend of urban and rural but like a battle between the two. We sometimes walked through metal detectors on the way into school, but you could see a deer pass at any time. Sandwiched between my subdivision and the strip mall on the main road nearby sat a small wooded area. “The woods.” Just enough space to get lost in childhood adventure but not enough to worry your parents when you played there. I remember going there with the neighborhood kids to play for hours. An entire day could pass of us building forts, finding creatures, jumping back and forth across the creek (or “crick” as most people called it). When I see kids now entranced by their phones and iPads, my heart often breaks a tiny bit wondering if they ever have space for imagination and adventure. If they ever invent their own game or create their own language. If their aptitude for technology isn’t coming at the cost of their sense of wonder. Then again, I image all generations feel this same heartbreak as they contemplate the upcoming one. Get Creative What’s funny is, I’m currently depriving myself of this type of joy as an adult. I’m always on my phone. I’m always double-screening. And I’m rarely left alone with my own thoughts and imagination. I often do my best thinking in the shower. I thought perhaps it could be related to the calming nature of it. How relaxed I am. But could it honestly be the fact that it’s one of the only places in my life where I physically cannot bring my phone? Even as I sit here and write this, I’m on a Spirit Airlines flight with no wifi (#entrepreneurlife). Even 30k feet in the air, I’m still usually distracted. Responding to emails. Sending off a slide deck. Watching a movie. If I’m very very lucky, asleep. But on this flight, none of those was an option. Today I just sat here (forcibly) alone with my thoughts. And it was magical. I thought of a million new ideas for ALV (stay tuned!). I unintentionally crafted 5 notes of gratitude to people in my life (not as a set practice but simply because I felt compelled to). Taking off I felt exhausted. Now I feel completely energized. I want that for you. Find a way to force it. Go somewhere in nature. Lock yourself somewhere away from devices. Take a Spirit Airlines flight for Pete’s sake. I don’t care how you do it. But let your brain go play in the woods. This week’s challenge Spend one hour of uninterrupted time to get creative. Put the phones and gadgets away, and do something that awakens your creative spirit. It can be as simple as reading a book, journaling, coloring, you name it! Just give yourself the time and space for your brain to wander. We know you want to learn more. Here are some of our favorite additional resources: Take a class: Sign Up For a Creative Class With Dabble Here’s some screen time to help you to spend less screen time: 6 TED Talks That Will Change the Way You Look at Your Phone Immerse yourself in nature: Forest Bathing: How Talking to Trees Helped Me Heal Get Creative: 9 Ways to be More Creative in the Next 10 Minutes Unsure where to stay when it comes to finding ways to get creative? In this video, Coach Danielle explains the concept of passions and why they are so important in our lives and careers. She then walks us through 3 questions to help us identify them!

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Founding Females: Grace and Grit

Women Empowerment

03/12/19

Nicole Wood

There is no better way to kick off our Founding Females: I Declare My Independence series than with Heather Stark, founder of Grace & Grit. Grace & Grit is a subscription box service designed to empower young girls. Each Grace & Grit box highlights a special character trait of a historic female who achieved great things. Girls are learning about women in history, the contributions they have made to society and how powerful the female narrative can be. In addition to the boxes, Grace and Grit also provides a curriculum for school counselors to use in their girl groups or for guidance lessons. One amazing aspect of the gift boxes and curriculum is the “Play It Forward” cards. After the girls learn about the historic woman and what she accomplished in her life, the girls are asked to “Play it forward”. Every box has nine play it forward cards that encourage girls to share the lessons with other girls. Some cards ask girls to recognize other girls who show courage, leadership, and/or empathy. Other cards ask girls to buy another girl a drink at the local coffee shop, assist a girl who is having a hard time, or encourage the girl to be curious about her community. Heather didn’t always know she was going to be an entrepreneur. She, herself, was a school counselor and thought she would be for life. One day her husband came home and said, “I think you are supposed to start a business for girls.” She laughed it off. But she couldn’t shake the thought, and the idea began to build inside of her. ALV: What inspired you to start your business? HS: For the majority of my life I thought I was broken. I was unworthy, I didn’t belong, the story of my life was shame. I went through an eating disorder, anxiety, depression, thoughts of ending my life. I believe every female needs to know she is worthy. She matters, her story matters. Every girl should feel empowered. The stories of our lives- those formative experiences that shape us- place a huge role on our self-worth and I want females everywhere to know that you get to be in control of your story. Your story is not a place of shame. It is a place of growth, wisdom, and empowerment. I want every young girl to know she is worthy and her potential is limitless. I do this through telling the stories of women. I believe people’s stories should be celebrated- no matter how gritty, muddy, or marred we need to use our stories to connect and empower instead of shame. I was inspired to start Grace and Grit when an influential woman gifted me the idea of a subscription box company for girls. Telling the stories of women throughout history who overcame adversity and obstacles to become the women we know them to be today is a powerful tool for today’s young girls. Too many times in life we start comparing ourselves to one another and we forget that everyone has a dry season and a fruitful season. Understanding that everyone has the same seasons helps us be resilient and resilience leads to empowerment. *** Fast forward two years and Heather had started a nonprofit and written a curriculum to help girls overcome self-doubt, work through “drama” and build authentic relationships with other girls. Nine months later, she started a separate LLC called The GgBox – Grace and Grit Box – that works to empower girls through the stories of women in history that overcame adversity. Then two years later she started the blog and podcast series – This Is Me – that celebrates the stories of women. While Heather says it “all happened so naturally,” we know that an incredible amount of work and courage went into making it happen. But when you absolutely love what you do and know you’re on your path, all the sweat and tears are worth it. “I could never go back to my traditional job. The love and passion I feel now when I work it is beyond anything I could have ever imagined feeling.” ALV: What are you most proud of in your business: HS: I am most proud of the impact Grace and Grit has had on our customers. I get the most precious stories from moms, dads, and counselors about how the girls have enjoyed the learning and empowering experiences in each box. A few years ago a grandmother bought our Devotion Box for her granddaughter who is visually impaired. Our Devotion box features Anne Sullivan who was Helen Keller’s teacher. I was able to meet this sweet girl a few weeks later. Sitting and talking to that sweet young lady was a very impactful experience for me. I remember her telling me how she liked reading about people like her because she knew she wasn’t alone. Whoa. This summer I had the opportunity to travel to India and work with 38 girls living in an all girls home. At this home, they are given an education, medical and dental care. I was there to help them work through some of the traumatic events in their lives. In doing so they started to understand their potential and work to change the narrative of their story. From now on, they get to decide how their story will be written. Hearing these stories and was an honor. While I was in India I also had the opportunity to speak to a group of women about what I do for a living. Afterward, several women came up to me and asked me to pray over them. One of the women brought her older daughter up to me. Her daughter wanted to attend college and asked for prayers of support. *** If you’re anything like me, Heather’s words have given you chills by now. Her genuine passion for making others feel supported loved and not alone is truly inspiring. And her business is undeniably making an

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3 Health and Wellness Tips You Can Implement Now

Physical Health

03/08/19

Sara Dawson

I finally learned how to prioritize my health and wellness after 20 years of struggles with weight, shame, and self-doubt. I am so grateful for all the ups and downs in my journey. They have truly helped me learn how to embrace life to the fullest. Through much trial and error, I learned the right strategies to elevate my health. While there are so many ways we can improve our health and wellness, the following three are the tips I find to be the most impactful for me. Enjoy! Create a Morning Routine The first of our health and wellness tips is creating a morning routine. Most of us begin each day dreading the buzz of our alarm clock. We hit snooze as many times as possible before we begrudgingly start our day. Instead of rushing around doing the basics, try adding some extra time (all you need is 5 minutes) to create your own morning routine. This routine is all about you and doing things you enjoy. Some ideas include reading a good book, listening to a podcast, journaling, or exercise. When you have something to look forward to in the morning, it makes getting up actually enjoyable! (And bonus – you will feel more productive and energized too!) I recommend reading Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 am) if you want to learn more about developing your own Miracle Morning. Prioritize Sleep The second of our health and wellness tips is prioritizing your sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing. And I couldn’t agree more. The latest Sleep in America 2018 Poll highlights this disconnect between the value of sleep and our reality of not making it happen. While most Americans know sleep contributes to the next day’s effectiveness, only 10% of people are prioritizing it. While our individual sleep needs vary, figuring out the average amount of sleep that is best for you (and scheduling that time in) is key. For example, I plan my schedule (as part of my morning routine) to include eight hours of “in-bed time”. If I fall behind my schedule, then I shift the next day as much as possible to maximize sleep. While some of my “in-bed time” is used towards winding down (like reading or listening to an audiobook), I often fall asleep fairly quickly and can count on getting at least 7 ½ hours in. I also recommend turning off your screens at least one hour before bed and creating a simple evening journaling routine. I also take a few minutes to write down what I am grateful for and jot down any to-do items for the next day. This helps clear my mind and de-stress before bedtime. Meditation The third of our health and wellness tips is meditation. Meditation is becoming increasingly popular as more people realize its benefits. A meditative practice is a process of habitually training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. There are many ways you can go about meditating, and it can be as simple as taking a few depth breaths to focus on the moment. According to findings from Johns Hopkins University, meditation can help ease psychological stresses like anxiety, depression, and pain. Personally, I enjoy meditating using my headspace app each morning. I also focus on taking a few deep breaths throughout the day anytime I start feeling stressed. This pause helps me get grounded and allows me to disconnect from any thoughts that aren’t serving me. Health is a “state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing” as defined by the World Health Organization. This definition highlights an important shift we are taking towards a proactive approach to health and wellness. By proactively focusing on your health, you benefit by also improving your overall well-being and quality of life! Who doesn’t like the sound of that? Knowing where to begin can be tough. That is why partnering with a coach is such a powerful tool to help you achieve your goals. With Ama La Vida’s health and wellness coaching, you are guided towards true transformation through self-reflection to gain clarity and focus. This is exactly what your best version of you needs to combat self-sabotage, create healthy habits, and harness your personal power! If you are ready to elevate your health and realize your potential, schedule your free coaching consult with me today! I look forward to connecting with you!

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How To Leverage New Spaces

Self Awareness

03/06/19

Randi Hill

January is my least favorite month of the year. This deep-rooted dislike stems from a few places. However, the main reason is that everyone insists on committing to at least one unrealistic way to change their life. I feel very strongly that you can change your life any day of your choosing whether it be January 1st, June 19th, or December 26th. Change happens in our life throughout the whole year, not just in January. I believe in steady habit change. One achievable habit at a time. I’ll admit I’m all about the easiest way to make a habit change instead of uprooting my entire life over one habit. To my dismay, I can’t control the world (shocker, I know right!). However, when my world seems to change, I do get to choose how I’m going to react to it. I can embrace the change or fight it tooth and nail. The ALV Chicago team just recently moved into a new office! It was loads of fun despite being chaos for a day or two. We have cute new lamps, llama mugs and lots of lucky cats. Despite all these great new amenities, change can be hard. I’ve spent enough of my life-fighting change, so this time I decided to embrace it. Here are 4 of my favorite ways to embrace change, leverage a new space and create healthy new habits: 1) Build a new starting work routine Sometimes it’s really easy to go into work and start each and every day the same way. We spend too much time looking at emails and catching up on notifications that we lose so much of the day. Before we know it, it’s almost noon and we haven’t even started our real work. Chances are those emails can wait 30 minutes to an hour, just enough time for you to kick start your day be accomplishing a whole task. Pick something on your todo list and start your morning off with completing things, in place of looking at 20+ unread emails that are screaming for your attention. For me, it’s 20 minutes first thing in the morning to go over my to-do list, find the smallest/quickest/easiest thing I can accomplish and do it. Then, I think through my day and begin tackling the bigger things. 2) Create a distraction-free environment When we get comfortable in a location it seems like the littlest things can be a distraction from our daily responsibilities. Our lamp is turned 90 degrees to the left, our desk is ½ an inch to the right, someone disorganized all your pens. It’s really easy to let those things distract us. Use this opportunity to create a working space that is only the necessities. If you only need one pen, put the rest out of sight. Embrace the unknown and uncomfortable feelings of a new space to recreate and refine the environment. Take time to design a space you can be the most productive in. 3) Refocus your leaving work routine I’m sure we have all heard the stats about how important it is to manage your “work-life balance,” and we have all read an article or two on how to create a leaving work routine to help you unplug, but let’s be real. It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in all our responsibilities; it’s hard to make a clean cut when we leave work. We want to be on top of things, catching up on emails, and setting ourselves up for success in the days to come. Adjusting to a new space gives you a natural chance to redefine and implement a better leaving work routine. For me, it’s leaving work at work. I don’t care if I spend another 45 minutes to an hour here, but once I’m out, I’m out. Don’t expect me to reply to emails, be working on projects, or reading blog post submissions. 4) Assess your work schedule. For me, I know I can’t focus on Friday afternoons but I work incredibly well in the mornings. Since my commute is shorter I wanted to start leveraging my mornings and seeing what I could do about my Friday afternoons. I’ve been able to rebuild a routine that allows me to be here when I’m focused and be gone when I’m not. This week’s challenge Pick one of the things I’ve listed above and implement it! Maybe you aren’t actually moving to a new space, but how can you remove distractions and create a place for your productivity to thrive? How can you rethink and redesign your schedule to make sense for your personality? What could be better about the way you start your day? Write down one commitment about how you’re going to make a cleaner cut from work to home. We know you want to learn more. Here are some of our favorite additional resources: Unplug: 3 Ways to Unplug After Work Hours Set yourself up for a great week: Monday Morning Begins on Sunday Evening Adjust your schedule: 5 Steps to Asking for the Perfect Flexible Schedule Stay positive: 7 Tips for Creating a Positive Workplace Culture Come See Us In Person! The new office I describe above is open and ready for business! It was important to us that this wasn’t just a place to conduct business and hold coaching sessions – we wanted this to be a hub for happiness and growth and development in the community. Here’s how: 1. Book Swap Take a book, leave a book. You can come by at any time to get your read on and not spend a bunch of money or clutter your apartment with books. Share with the ALV community instead! 2. Dear Universe We know that when you write down a goal, you immediately become more committed to it. Write down your goal and drop it in our Dear Universe box so that you can send your dream out into the world, even if in a small way. 3. Weducation We will be hosting Wednesday evening learning sessions and round table discussion to continue our mantra

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How to Fall Well: Tales From an Amateur Figure Skater

Achieving Goals

03/04/19

Randi Hill

What a lot of people don’t know about me is that I was a competitive figure skater for 13 years. My childhood dream was to be an Olympic level skater. I wanted to be the next Sasha Cohen, Michelle Kwan, or Tara Lipinski. I had my Olympic year picked out – I would be a part of the US team for the 2018 Winter Olympics. No one tells you when you want to be a figure skater, you are actually signing up to become a professional faller. You see, when you start taking lessons, the first thing an instructor teaches you is how to fall. Now you may be thinking, “I don’t need any help falling. I’m already clumsy, and when you add in a slippery surface it’s bound to happen!” While your experience with falling may be inconvenient, there is a good chance it’s never hurt for more than a few minutes, or at worst, a few days. You may rest a few days, but eventually, you get back to life as you know it. What most people forget is that some falls can be detrimental if you don’t know what you’re doing. The ice hurts. It’s unrelenting and unforgiving. If you fall once, it does nothing to ensure that it hurts less the second time. In fact, because you’re already sore, it will actually hurt more every time after. I know what you’re thinking. “Why are you telling me this? I have no desire to become a figure skater, nor do I want to have to learn how to fall!” The point, however, is that if you don’t know how to fall correctly, you can really hurt yourself. It’s not because the figure skating world wants to make all newbies feel dumb; it’s because we want to make sure you don’t get hurt. We want to make you a “smart” faller. Think of it this way, if you slip and fall landing on your hip, it’s going to hurt a lot more than if you land on your butt. When you learn to fall you practice falling onto your butt again and again and again. The point is to build a habit of falling on the most protected part of your body. They lay the groundwork of skating by showing you how to fall so it doesn’t hurt as much. Then you have a much smaller chance of getting hurt. If they never taught us how to fall, I wouldn’t have made it through my figure skating career without major injury. No matter where you fall, at the rink or in life, it can be detrimental. How many of you would say you’re willing to fall for multiple hours on end every day in the slim hopes that you will catch the right edge on your landing and stay on your feet? I spent anywhere from 10-25+ hours a week at the rink growing up. If you ask my mom how much of that time was spent quite literally with me “on” the ice, versus skating she will admit a large majority of it. When you spend that much time falling you’re bound to learn a thing or two. So here is what I learned from 12 years of falling: Resilience. Call it resilience, call it persistence, call it grit, call it a never give up attitude! When “practice” means going to commit yourself to falling for hours on end, you learn a lot about how to stick with something until you get it right. Trying a new jump, chances are you’ll be throwing it about 100 times a day for 2-3 weeks until you can “land” it. When I started making cold calls I could make a hundred calls and they all would flop, hard. The sting of rejection is a beast to manage. But after you land the jump, it’s another series of 100 times a day for 2-3 weeks until you can call it consistent. The more I practiced cold calling, the more consistently I’m able to wrangle the conversation, predict the outcome, and get a meeting. Skating taught me that there is a really big difference between landing a jump once and landing it consistently.  Consistency. Speaking of consistency, I was taught at a young age the importance of delivering steadily. You can have the best program but if you can’t execute the skills almost flawlessly every time, you won’t win. The judges don’t care about your last performance, or how you did last week, they only care about now. Learning to show up every time you step on the ice is challenging. No matter what’s going on outside of the rink, you have to clear your mind, focus, and execute the task at hand. The bottom line is that the judges don’t care if you didn’t sleep well, or if you feel sick, or tight, or if you are having problems with your best friend. They only care about how well you’re going to perform right here, right now. I would attribute the character trait of consistency to my past academic achievements. I mean, you don’t graduate with a GPA of 4.2 if you don’t know how to show up on every paper, every assignment, and every project. This ability to give the tasks at hand my all each and every time I’m asked has also directly affected the amount of success I have in my current job at Ama La Vida.  Courage. I’m sure you all know the saying “you have to get back on the horse when you fall.” The same goes for skating. You have to throw the jump again. You have to be open to knowing that you’re going to fall and be willing to try it again. Courage, as Harper Lee says, “is when you know you’re licked before you begin and choose to see it through no matter what.” Nothing builds courage like knowing you’ll be working on a jump for two weeks before even having

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