Name that Woman Trailblazer: She helped pave the way for women in sports journalism. She’s a Hall of Fame basketball writer and former Boston Globe reporter and columnist who won the PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing in 2019.
👉 Click here to reveal this woman.
🗓️ Click here to see all of December’s Woman Wednesday Trailblazers.
WOMAN OF THE WEEK
Meet Alexandra Caffery 👋
Hey, I’m Alex!
I’m from Colorado and originally went to the University of Colorado for Environmental Studies — until I realized I didn’t want to be an Environmental Lawyer. I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I pursued a degree in Communication.
Never in my life did I think I’d be working in influencer marketing. My mom was a celebrity publicist and I swore I would never go into anything remotely similar. So, if someone told me I’d be where I am now, working with brands like the NFL with Fortnite influencers, I would have thought I had a bad tarot card reading.
I currently reside in Austin and absolutely love exploring a new city with my partner!
🔗 Want to connect with Alex? Say “hi” on LinkedIn.
TOGETHER WITH BONUSLY
Need Some Motivation?
Motivation is a crucial component for employee engagement and overall success in any organization.
So while it’s normal for everyone’s motivation level to dip from time to time, it’s a real problem when you and your team are consistently uninspired and disengaged.
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Q&A CORNER
Alex’s Secrets
Q: How did you get into your current role/industry?
A: I started my career in marketing which turned into more of a public relations role for a small food startup. During that time, I saw an opportunity to partner with athletes and fitness influencers to help increase brand awareness. I pitched this idea to our CEO and I developed that department. I helped launch their first big sponsorship with a major sports team in the NHL.
After finding a passion for influencers and partnerships, I moved to a new role that works with many brands to find the best influencers to partner with to promote their products.
Q: What’s something you do to help boost your productivity?
A: I use project specific time blocks in my calendar to let my colleagues know not to book meetings during that time unless it’s urgent. I find this tactic really helpful because it gives me dedicated time in my day to work on my campaigns and keep things moving smoothly!
Q: How do you find work-life balance?
A: It can be really challenging to find work-life balance in the influencer industry. It’s definitely not a 9-5 job – negotiating with agents, chasing talent to get content live, etc.
I set the expectation for myself and colleagues to end the day at a reasonable time as well as trying not to work on the weekends. My company also promotes a mentality of “no meeting Fridays” so this helps everyone in the company have a better work-life balance.
I also silence all Slack and email notifications when I’m offline and even delete both Apps when I’m on vacation so I’m not tempted to work!
Q: What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received so far?
A: When looking for a new job, getting along with the people you will be working with is just as important as the job!
It was very bittersweet when I got my new job because I loved the people I used to work with. But the team I work with now is AMAZING.
Even though we work on campaigns individually, we constantly lean on each other for support whether it’s finding solutions or hyping each other up after a tough day.
Because we all work remotely, we actively try to schedule team events such as trivia, Secret Santa, caramel apple making, etc., to keep up morale, and do Zoom working sessions twice a week.
Q: What’s your favorite software or app that helps with your workflow?
A: I use Monday.com for campaign management it’s a great way to keep campaigns organized and on track!
Monday boards are very similar to Google Sheets but I find their features are more user friendly for those not familiar with equations and it’s very easy to color coordinate which helps me find the information I need faster.
Q: What’s a book or podcast you’d recommend to a colleague?
A: Though not in my industry, I really enjoyed Bully Market by Jamie Fiore Higgins. Her book was an insightful look into another industry and it was interesting to hear about her experiences in a male dominated workplace. It was super eye opening and I highly recommend it!
Q: What do you like to do in your free time outside of work?
A: I’ve always been active and love to snowboard, hike, bike, and camp. I also hang with my dog, Paisley, who is either bouncing off the walls to go on a hike or a major couch potato.
I also recently moved to Austin, TX so I’ve been exploring the food scene out here. I’ve been meeting new friends and going to a wine bar that has natural wine tastings. Their selections are always unique and I’m liking wines I didn’t think I would normally go for. It’s making me really want to do a sommelier class one day!
Check out monday.com — the swiss army knife of project management software for free.
Read more about time blocking here.
TOGETHER WITH SUNSAMA
All You Do is Win, Win, Win — No Matter What
Some weeks, your to-do list is overflowing with tasks 🫠.
Other weeks, you may be straight chillen’ 😎 (and probably feeling guilty that you’re not super busy).
Either way, it’s hard to keep sight of your wins and everything you’ve accomplished — we’ve been there, friends.
That’s why we’re so excited to be partnering with Sunsama — an in-browser app that helps you keep focused each day to hit your weekly goals, no matter what gets thrown into your schedule.
It integrates with the tools you’re most likely using already, and gives you daily prompts and reminders to organize your day to help you build lasting habits.
But don’t take our word for it — try it free today and let us know how it worked for you.
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P.S. Their Focus Mode is a game changer 👌.
BLESSINGS IN LESSONS
Always Be Prepared
Always have a plan Z.
I’ve had a few campaigns that didn’t follow the blueprint because talent dropped at the last minute. I’ve found it’s always good to have a plan b, c…z because when content has to go live and the client is excited about the campaign you have to present multiple solutions when their #1 pick isn’t available.
The client really appreciates these options because it shows you’ve strategized and found great ways to still make it work!
PARTNER PICKS
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monday.com is the swiss army knife of project management software — and you can try it free today.
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Weve offers over 100 games you can play with your team to build stronger workplace culture.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
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