Woman Wednesday Issue #27

Name that Woman Trailblazer: She is recognized for her decades long fight for women’s rights and journalism work, and also co-founded Ms. Magazine and the Ms. Foundation for Women.

👉 Click here to reveal this woman.

Hi, I’m Alexys!

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, where I currently reside, so naturally I’m a huge sports fan. Shout out to the Lakers, Dodgers, Rams & Kings!

I’m extremely close with my family and love spending time with them. I’m also a proud dog mom to the sweetest cock-a-poo named Theodore who I absolutely adore.

I love The Assist and really resonate with their goal of empowering women to achieve their personal & professional goals, so I’m stoked to be featured for this Woman Wednesday edition!

🔗 Want to connect with Alexys? Say “hi” on LinkedIn.

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See more templates

Q: How did you get into your current role/industry?
A: Short answer is I kind of fell into it and happened to really enjoy it!

I spent the first decade of my career taking on different roles at Westfield, an owner & operator of some awesome retail assets and shopping centers. As a bright-eyed college graduate, I started there as a temp in the leasing department and navigated my way over to the media/advertising arm of the company where I worked my way up from coordinator to manager over the years.

I’ve taken that experience and now work on the marketing agency side of the media business and learning a ton!

Q: What’s something you do to help boost your productivity?
A: Time blocking! I swear by it.

I have a few recurring time blocks dedicated to completing a set of weekly tasks. I take a few minutes at the start of each day to add additional time blocks for that day based on priority outputs or projects that need some love.

I also block out my lunch breaks to ensure I’m stepping away from desk to take a break.

Q: How do you find work-life balance?
A: I used to be really bad at this where I was constantly checking work emails or answering pings while on vacation, but I’ve finally reached a point in my career where I’ve learned from those mistakes and really prioritizing the life part of work-life balance.

Especially when working from home, it’s way too easy to feel like you have to be “always on.” I shut down my computer around the same time each day and have a plan in place with my team if an emergency arises, so I don’t feel the need to check emails after-hours or on weekends.

Q: What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received so far?
A: Speak up for yourself.

It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. As a woman, it can be a bit intimidating speaking up during meetings or voicing a differing opinion, but it’s so important to push outside your comfort zone and speak your mind.

Q: What’s your favorite software or app that helps with your workflow?
A: For collaboration, I love Microsoft Teams & SharePoint.

Teams has a user-friendly meeting interface where you can record/transcribe meetings and collaborate using the whiteboard feature. I also use Microsoft One Note for note taking and love it. You can also easily convert your notes into checklists which is one of my favorite features.

Q: What’s a book or podcast you’d recommend to a colleague?
A: I mainly read fiction, so I always have a novel or two on my nightstand.

If you’re looking for a thriller novel with a twist, I’d recommend The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I also recently finished reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and can’t wait to see the film adaptation later this month!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time outside of work?
A: I have a passion for reading and creative writing, so I try to do as much of that as possible in my free time.  I’m also a sucker for a good brunch spot and love going to karaoke with my friends.

During the summer, you can usually find me at the beach or poolside working on my tan. I’m also relearning how to play guitar, so that’s been a fun challenge!

💡 Check out these 22 SharePoint tips.
⚡ Learn how to improve productivity with OneNote.

Learn from your colleagues and leadership team.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some amazing individuals over the years who have shared so much knowledge with me and supported my career growth. Soak it in.

If your company offers a mentorship program that you’re interested in — do it!

If you want to get involved in your company DEI initiatives — go for it!

If your company has a softball team — step up to the plate!

Not only are these awesome personal growth opportunities, but they’re also great ways to network and get to know some of your coworkers on another level.

🌐 Thinking of starting a mentoring program at work? Check out this step by step guide on how to launch.

CultureBot is the first ever Slack app for remote and hybrid teams designed to improve company culture and team building overnight.

Office Otter is the free automated to-do list you didn’t know you needed (until now).

Weve offers over 100 games you can play with your team to build stronger workplace culture.

The Daily Upside helps you rethink your financial news diet and gives you crisp, unbiased business insights each morning for free.

👉 We’ve launched our Private Facebook Group! Join today.

P.S. Follow us on Instagram & TikTok for additional tips.

Do you have a mentor, colleague, family member or friend who inspires you on a regular basis?

Give them some much deserved kudos and shout them out to our growing TA community.

Nominate someone here