AWL Alumni Spotlight

Describe the six months you spent in the Bloombase experience for Advanced Women Leaders.
I entered the AWL experience with skepticism about the content and what value it would bring to me. I was definitely slow to get started. My coach stayed by my side, encouraged me to move forward, but at a pace that was comfortable for me. She had the tough job of mentoring an engineer through emotional over-processing, and she did so beautifully. Eventually I regrouped, dove in head first, and hit my stride. My skepticism was gone and it was time to focus. I began the work to build my foundation, set plans, and started putting into practice the things I was learning, in my daily life and my career. My relationships flourished, I walked through challenges with “better” grace, and I generally understood myself better. 

Describe the benefits of the AWL experience. 
Previously, I would segregate my personal and professional life, both in my behaviors and my interactions with others. I realized through AWL that this was a wall that didn’t serve a purpose and I was ultimately doing a disservice to myself by not being fully authentic. As I began to remove this wall in AWL, I was able to open up in ways I didn’t know were possible and I had a support network there through the experience. 

What did you get out of the Executive Coaching sessions?
My coach was there through the entire journey keeping me aligned, centered, and focused. She helped me out when I started to spiral and, most importantly, she provided a listening ear with a new and refreshing perspective that aligned to my current journey.

What would you say to someone else considering this experience?
Go into this experience with an open mind and heart. Think of it as an investment in yourself. It requires work, development, care and nurturing to get the most out of it.

What is the greatest ROI for this investment you made in yourself?
The time spent on value prioritization has provided me with such clarity of me as a whole individual and how I generally operate. As I consider new opportunities, personal or professional, I can more clearly examine how these fit in to my values and making decisions is easier. It has also helped me understand my feelings when something I am working on is in opposition to my values.

My favorite way to spend an afternoon by myself is… doing some kind of do-it-yourself project. During COVID, I become the “I can make that” person. I generally scrap more than I actually get right, but that is part of the fun. It actually fits my personality quite well as an engineer; I am really just reverse engineering my projects. It has also made me appreciate others’ skills immensely. My husband is a huge enabler - new tools keep showing up unannounced.

The kind of work I’m most passionate about is… bringing multiple disciplines and individuals together with a common purpose to achieve results. I love the dynamics of a diverse team and the perspective each person brings.

The legacy I want to leave is… she was always “present.” I want people to always feel like when I am with them, I am present and focused on the time we are spending together. That means putting social media away, removing distractions, and actively participating in listening and conversation.

Something that makes life ridiculously fun is… I like to go on adventures and try new things and I take my husband and friends with me - backpacking, hiking, zip line, rafting, mountain biking, zorb, skiing or whatever I can think of. It’s a running joke with my friends to not let me have a say in the vacation planning if they want rest and relaxation.