Debuting The Other Half
Welcome to my substack that explores creative living and working through my experiences of living life in the other half of certain societal norms.
Welcome to my substack–The Other Half. In reflecting on the forty odd years of my life personally, and professionally, I often found myself sitting in the other half of a segment in life. When I was young, my family struggled to go from low income to middle class. I was raised as a southerner in a small, secluded town with poor public school education. I clawed my way into higher education battling imposter syndrome. I’m sensitive and neurodivergent, unable to thrive in highly stimulating environments. I’m a woman who has spent her career in the white male dominated tech culture in California.
Living these experiences has shaped who I am, my values, and beliefs. Certainly those situations had challenges, but I can also now see the benefits they afforded me.
Being part of the lower to mid income class taught me a strong work ethic and an appreciation of my successes, and those who also had enough grit to rise above their lack of privilege.
As a southerner, my parents instilled in me honesty, treating others as you would treat yourself, and humility. I remember a time in tee-ball when I threw the bat on the ground after striking out. My dad came out on the field and told me that I should never show frustration, those experiences are something to learn from. And conversely, I should never boast about my accomplishments and make others feel less than me.
When I started my master’s degree at NYU, I was grossly behind others in my program due to lack of strong education in North Carolina public school’s and access to technologies like the internet. I was up twenty hours a day for a year catching up to those in more privileged situations.
Being a sensitive child, introverted, and discovering my neurodivergence as an adult, I’ve spent years in therapy and a roller coaster of medications to unlearn the habits to cope with my behaviors and come to appreciate them.
I started my career in tech over ten years ago at Airbnb as a product designer. I spent the next five years climbing into leadership amongst the male, hoodie dominated environment. In order for myself or my team to be heard, I had to compromise my values and take on the values of more masculine behaviors, like interjecting to get heard, or other tactics that would give me even a second of the upper hand. I’m in my last week of being part of the Netflix design leadership team, and am on my way to Berlin to join GetYourGuide as a VP of UX. I’ve grown tremendously as a leader over the ten years, and had wins and losses, but all have made me the leader and person I am today.
It’s been my misfortune to have been close to two major terrorist attacks in my life. 9/11 and the Paris Attacks of 2015. I’ve developed PTSD in large group settings or natural disaster situations like the fires in LA. I’ve learned that moving on in difficult situations, or positive transitions in life, to not hold on to them. Carrying these experiences with you has long-term effects. I now take the time to grieve the good, like leaving Netflix for a new role in Europe, and the bad to make space for new experiences in my life.
In the last year, I’ve been considering what matters to me in life, and how to balance the personal and professional. At this point in my life, I work to live, not live to work. I bought a property in Provence a couple of years ago where in my next phase of life, I will produce olive oil, lavender oil and honey. Until I get there, my ideal days are spent walking, writing, reading and meditating. I prefer a life of solitude, but not one of loneliness. Recharging for me is a lot of time to reflect and tap into my creative self outside of work.
This substack will explore new ways of living and working from my experiences in the other half of society in various situations. My goal is to share a post once a week, and I look forward to hearing from others, their experiences, wins and losses.