Reflections from the seaside: What May and June offered

Emotions of building professional connections, transferable skills + nervous system care

My dog Remi’s alter ego in Croatia - Illustration by Beatriz Camaleão

Field Notes is a monthly-ish series where I share observations, impressions and insights from my work and life. If you’re navigating new opportunities, challenges, or transitions in your professional life, I’d love to support you this summer - email me to connect and explore options for 1:1 coaching.

Hello from sunny Croatia!

I’m currently sitting at a cafe next to the sea enjoying an iced coffee while I work. I’ve been meaning to write for a while now, but the last few months flew by.

May and June were a whirlwind filled with a trip to Sicily with my parents to visit the village where my great-grandfather was born, an unfortunate week-long flu, and a wonderful trip to Seattle to attend an in-person retreat with my new Plum colleagues. Now I’m finally settled in Croatia for the next few months and easing back into a bit more of a routine.

In today’s field notes, I’m sharing a few reflections and insights from the last two months and some new practices I’m trying out for nervous system care.

Emotions of building professional connections

Last month, Tomomi and I were invited to host a 2-hour workshop for alumnae from my alma mater Scripps College on emotions of building professional connections. It was such a treat to be back in the Scripps community and to get to share our work with alumnae that are navigating the ups and downs of the job search. Over the course of my own professional life, I’ve learned the value of building connections, especially early in my career and now as a business owner. And, I recognize from experience that it can feel overwhelming, especially as emotions like anxiety, fear of rejection, or self-doubt pop up.

What I’ve learned is that “techniques” are not effective without tending to my emotional experience - I can have a list of people I want to connect with and a strategy for doing so, but what will determine whether I reach out or not is how I feel. It’s with this perspective in mind that we guided participants through the process of thinking about how they want to feel and don’t want to feel (but might from time-to-time) when reaching out to or meeting new people, and ways they can support this desired emotional state.

If this sounds like something you’d be keen to explore, we’re planning to host a public event later this summer - keep an eye out for the invite!

Systems for personal finance

Speaking of events, Tomomi and I also hosted our first invite-only event for Emotions at Work in June on a topic we’re personally super curious about - systems for personal finance.

As we build the business of Emotions at Work, the two of us have regular discussions about money. Recently, we’ve been talking about (personal) spending and saving, in relation to making money – and all of the emotions involved. In particular, we’ve been struck by the power that organizing and visualizing our household finances have for decision-making and distinguishing between real vs perceived scarcity.

As we both love a good system, we got excited to share our respective systems and thought, wouldn’t it be great to have that conversation with a slightly bigger group?! That idea turned into a bit of “show and tell” and an enriching discussion with five other friends and collaborators.

Given how much fun we had, we’re excited to offer more opportunities for small group conversations on other topics through the lens of emotions - more details soon!

An exercise in understanding my transferable skills and experience

As part of my onboarding with Plum, I was asked to share a short professional bio. Simple enough, except I hadn’t updated my resume since leaving my full-time job or written anything that captured the full arc of my nonprofit experience. Working with clients to connect the dots between their past experience and future direction is something I do all the time. And yet, I found it surprisingly hard to do for myself.

So, what did I do? I brought it to a coaching session. My coach’s thoughtful questions and support were just the unlock I needed. After our conversation, I was not only able to better understand, but also articulate how my nonprofit experience allows me to blend strategic vision with practical execution in my coaching. The skills I used to design multi-million dollar peacebuilding and conflict mediation programs - articulating a vision, leveraging past organizational experience, and mapping out a clear implementation strategy - are the same ones I use now to support my coaching clients to clarify their vision for “what’s next?” and take intentional steps to get there.

This exercise reminded me that sometimes the hardest story to tell is your own and reinforced the value of having a sounding board - whether that’s a coach, partner, friend, or family member - to help you see the through line in your experience.

Nervous system regulation that’s not meditation

A few weeks ago I attended a group workshop for coaches in a coaching collaborative I’m part of. During the session, the facilitator shared how our nervous systems see complexity as a threat - and there’s no shortage of complexity in the world right now. She asked how we’ve been taking care of ourselves, and it was refreshing to see all of the ideas shared in the chat. It reminded me that nervous system care doesn’t need to be fancy or complicated - it’s about pausing, checking in with myself, and doing something to feel more grounded. Here are a few practices that inspired me, maybe one will spark something for you.

Walking, gardening, swimming, sleep, fresh air, setting boundaries, slowing down, cuddling with pets, talking with friends, soothing music, coloring, dancing, laughing, humming, limiting media exposure, rage sessions, time in the sun, naps, community, and therapy or coaching.

Alright, I’m off to have a quick dip in the sea before my next call. As always, thanks for being here and if you have any thoughts to share, hit reply or drop a comment below.

Oriana