Almavina Insights

Welcome to Almavina Insights, Reader! I am beyond excited to officially kick off Almavina Insights, twice-weekly nuggets of wisdom and truth about organizational culture, career development, and women in the workplace, delivered straight to your inbox. When I left my full time job last fall, I wasn’t sure where I was headed. I spent some time prioritizing my health, considering my options, looking at job postings, reading (a lot), and writing (even more). I realized two things – I loved...

Dear Reader, Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my 5th grade teacher, Miss Parasine. I’m pretty sure my desire to be a teacher started when I was in her class. I turned 11 that year. My brother was 4. Just old enough to sit in that little Playskool desk and be my “student.”. Lately I’ve been wondering – what exactly about my experience with her was so pivotal? I had very few “bad” teachers in my 13 years of public school, and all my teachers leading up to 5th grade were good. When I think...

Dear Reader, Last month, I ran a three-day workshop series for a group of talented women who had just experienced an unexpected layoff. I planned content for the first two sessions and invited the participants to suggest topics for day three. I wanted to make sure the time we spent met their needs at that moment in time. One of the things on their minds was ensuring a strong workplace culture in their next job. “I feel like when you ask about culture in an interview, you get lame answers like...

Dear Reader, It’s almost August and I feel like summer just kicked off. I’m trying not to panic. If you've kept up with your inbox this spring/summer, you know that I’ve been in the process of moving since April. We are finally nearing the end of the long process, but it’s been just that – a long process. When your move starts on April 17 and ends on August 7, it’s not a surprise that summer seems to have escaped me. On top of that, we have an extra college drop-off to do this year. In just...

Dear Reader, I love it when a book sticks with me. I just finished reading Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Winn-Williams. For those who haven’t heard of it, it’s a memoir written by a former senior staffer at Facebook. Given my interest in toxic work culture and women’s leadership in combination with Mark Zuckerberg’s rumored attempt to keep Macmillan from promoting the book, I immediately put my name on the library waiting list. I won’t include...

Dear Reader, Changing your setting, whether it be through travel or just shaking up your workday has many benefits: fresh perspective for problem solving, increased focus and creativity, and boosted mood or motivation. One of the surprising benefits that comes with a fresh perspective is a stronger appreciation of your day-to-day environment. For me, travel reminds me to NOTICE things. To open my eyes and ears and take in my surroundings. In my travels last month, I was blown away by the...

Dear Reader, I have been trying to build a daily journaling practice. I recognize the value of journaling, but I struggle with the execution. Right now I have a coach who is sending me daily prompts. Every day at 8 am. How hard can it be? I could pick any time of the day to build this routine, and all I have to do is check Slack for the daily prompt and write about it. Why is this so hard for me to do? When I was in Corfu last month, a portion of each day was dedicated to deep reflection and...

Dear Reader, I’m having a hard time tackling my writing this week. Ever since I got home from vacation, I keep moving it from one day’s to-do list to the next. It’s not that I haven’t been productive. On the contrary, I have accomplished a lot. I have packed up about 90% of my house, completed a number of required change-of-address tasks, closed out two lingering projects, met with three clients, and more. But what I haven’t done is write, which is a big open-ended task that ends up being the...

Dear Reader, It’s been quite a month. High school graduation, the ups and downs of selling the house, inspections, and the seemingly never-ending process of moving. In the middle of it all, I left the country for a trip to Corfu, Greece and Edinburgh, Scotland. I have just returned and am slowly but surely reintegrating into “normal,” although this summer I don’t think that word has a clear definition. The first part of the trip was a deep writing and reflection retreat with my coach and...

Dear Reader, In the last two weeks, I have talked to three different colleagues who are going through layoffs, restructuring, or other major pivots at their organizations. The conversations have reminded me how important the HOW is when you leave a job – both on the employee’s part and on the part of the employer. Last year I wrote a piece on “how to leave a job” that I’m resharing below. That took the perspective of the person leaving. Today I want to add a note about the importance of...

Dear Reader, Almost all of my current clients are actively seeking new roles right now. Are you? According to everything you read and everything you hear, the current job market is the pits. It’s tough out there. While it’s important to have a healthy perspective on reality, constant reminders of a tough market can have a devastating impact on your will to put in the work. You can’t control the market, so focus on what you can control. I wrote some tips for job seekers last year – and they...