smoorelovin

July was quite the month. I made some really important steps toward personal growth! Here’s a little peek into what I’ve been up to lately 🙂

The Blog

There have been some fun things happening on the blog! Color palettes have returned which makes me super excited. I ALSO shared some of my favorite spots in Asbury Park + a beach day outfit to wear while you’re there 🤗

Career

1. I had an incredible opportunity to travel with my company’s executive team to Washington D.C. for the Microsoft World Partner Conference, Inspire. Working in the booth during the day, and taking advantage of the networking [read party] events at night gave me the chance to get to know the company that I have grown to love even more. As with any job there are pitfalls, but for the first time in my career I am in a place where I am challenged on a regular basis and encouraged to try my hand at as many things as I like.The conference was yet another moment for me to push my fear of public speaking out of the arena because I led the demo booth. I think what made the biggest difference for me is remember that everyone you talk to is just another person. This may sound silly, but it helps me gain some perspective on the significance (or insignificance) of any given conversation. It also took my focus off my fear of not having the right answer for every possible question someone might ask and allowed me to recognize that my knowledge is more expansive than I give myself credit for.While at the conference I also had the chance to attend the Women In Tech Lunch. Lunches like this are always inspiring, the best of the best speak about the things they’ve overcome and how well they’ve done and how far they have to go. It simultaneously puts your struggles in perspective, challenges you to up your game, and reminds you of the shortcomings in the group you are celebrating. Tech is notorious for it’s lack of diversity and the room was definitely representative of that. I am excited to work for a company who is focused on breaking that mold and hope that is a mindset that is becoming more common across the field.On a less happy note, I had to say goodbye to my new boss. Due to unexpected circumstances, he had to leave our company and I am so sad. It’s rare to find someone who is incredibly talented and also able to teach their skills to others. I feel like the more common combination is to be so good at what you do that you are unable to empathize with those that aren’t at your level’s struggle. For those of you that know me well, you know that having a new boss meant that my work-load was a lot more manageable and I was truly excited to sign in to work each morning. While I am still thrilled to start my day, there is a little bit of nervousness in the back of my mind that we are going to end up with an influx of unexpected projects and I am going to drown under a sea of computer files (this is irrational bc business does not work this way and we have an incredible support system set up to stop things like that from happening.)

Fitness

I am super invested in Muay Thai at this point. I started training at the very end of December and have found myself completely obsessed with the sport. Having grown up doing gymnastics it has been hard for me to find a workout routine that has the rigor, discipline and distraction that I found in gymnastics. Muay Thai has all of that. It’s a sport that I could do for 15 years and still learn something new each time I train. I think I’m at the point where I am about to dive in and push myself to get good enough to spar (non-competitively.)

Fun Projects & Activities

1. 1. I am currently working with a fellow PHLblogger on a new logo for her site. I can’t wait to share the final result with all of you!
   2. My best friend in all the land was in NYC for a bit on a work trip and I had a chance to spend a whole weekend with her and Tim! We wandered around central park (so many dogs) and had a chance to peek around red hook a little bit. It’s funny how the heat and humidity can slow you down so much, we normally cover a pretty long list of activities when we hang out but most of our time was spent lounging in the shade. I can’t complain, it was just the rejuvenation that I needed!
   3. I had to make the incredibly difficult call to step back from my role as Creative Director of PHLbloggers and The Blog Connect Conference. My involvement with PHLbloggers started with Chrystina and I getting together to talk about a logo for a group she had started and grown to 40 members and morphed into something so much bigger. The community ended up growing to have a pretty significant email list and a (now annual) conference. We went through a rebrand, two new websites and the branding and websites for two years of the conference. I got to pour myself into creating visual identities for events geared toward bloggers (what is more fun than that??) It’s with a (truly) heavy heart that I had to pull myself out of the mix after getting a look at what the next 6+ months of my work-life has in store for me. Luckily the team is awesome and I am super excited to see what they come up with this year!

I hope everyone had wonderful July’s!