We’ve all done them at some point or another. They go by names like Meyers-Briggs, Style of Influence, or even the errant “which sandwich are you” quiz on your social media platform of choice. These tests are all designed to help you understand yourself better (those sandwich ones might be a bit nefarious though). What […]
Category: Personal
Giving Good: Mentoring As A Service
Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate to have been part of mentorship opportunities. Some of them have been informal, like those with co-workers or ex-co-workers (a.k.a. friends), and others have been more formal like my work with undergraduates through Global Mentorship Initiative or having structured mentoring sessions with specific guidelines and goals with […]
Community: Traffic Calming
UPDATE: WE DID IT! After 15 months, countless emails with Alameda County policy makers, +50 Google form and in-person signatures, multiple traffic surveys and architectural designs, and one unexpected rain delay, we’ve accomplished a major milestone for our street. Two speed humps have been installed and we’re already seeing the positive impact to our community’s safety. Many […]
“Do You Have Everything You Need?”
I don’t know if it’s the late nights of working, the steady flow of trance music, or the working out, but my brain recently unlocked a vivid flashback and thought it special enough to share. It was one of my final trips to New York with MediaMath in January 2019. It was dark, cold, and […]
Giving Good: What I’ve Learned After 20+ Years of Interviewing
I’ve been toying with the idea of a series of posts (which is what “Giving Good” refers to) dedicated to navigating the process of interviewing and securing a new job. Two main reasons why I’m doing this now, 1) COVID-19 has wiped out decades of job growth and some people need more guidance than others, […]
What a year…
Just about a year ago I got laid off from MediaMath. I received a 9AM meeting on my calendar as I was getting off the BART at 2nd Street around 8:50AM. I know what’s about to happen here. I dialed into the Zoom and saw one of my favorite leaders not shining as brightly as […]
So, I Joined a Cult
Over the past 3 months I’ve been devoting between 3-4 hours a week to one of the two Peloton bikes at my work’s fitness center. When I’m on the bike, I’m plugged in and fully engaging my body and mind. When I’m off the bike, I’m thinking about the next time I’ll be able to […]
I got that Cake, Cake, Cake
While baking may not be one of my strongest skills, I could not turn down the chance to support my friend, Rosette Kalajian, in her new venture, Rosette’s Baked Goods. I’m so proud of Rosette (and the ever increasing list of friends that are going into business for themselves) for taking this leap. Before I […]
Rise Against Hunger
One of our family goals is to volunteer our time on a regular basis to help both local and global communities. This past weekend we participated in a Rise Against Hunger event at our local church (which happens to be the same denomination as the church I grew up in back in NY, go figure). […]
Q: Tell Me About Yourself? A:?
If there’s one question that I had the hardest time answering it’s “tell me about yourself?” It could be at an interview, or with clients before/after a meeting, or even just striking up a conversation with a stranger while waiting for a train/plane/coffee/etc. The problem that I and most others have with this question is […]
The Best Decision I Ever Made (When I Was 17)
It’s been over a decade since I graduated from Drexel University with my Bachelor of Science in Marketing & Finance. I’ve been fortunate to have held 9 different roles at 10 different companies (as of August 2019) and feel like I’vebeen in control of my professional development. Although it’s been over a decade since I’ve […]
7 Years in California
Is it even possible to fit in the last 7 8 years of my life in a blog post? As you can already see by the title, I’ve taken some time to get this one post off the ground, so here we go. I moved to northern California in the summer of 2011. I didn’t […]
Why Build A Site?
I’ve owned this domain for many years but have never really done much with it. All those years ago I believed it would be a place for me to mark my territory on the internet. With the advent of social networks, both personal and professional, the need for a managed site was becoming less and […]