Posts tagged ‘benefits’

I met Lizzy on Christmas two years ago when Charlie, Bi, Lizzy and I spent it the Jewish way, movies and Chinese.  Lizzy is so delightful and knows how to keep it real. She’s hilarious and a major go getter working at one of the best companies in the world and absolutely killing it. I think this FWB is really important and I feel really grateful to have Lizzy to teach it to me.

Topics like this seem so elusive to me because I just did not receive this information anywhere up until now.  I think there are probably a lot of reasons for this including I never really connected with any adults in my school career aka I had pretty bad teachers.  Side note: This is one of the main reasons why I currently work in elementary schools…to be the adult I never experienced in my school career and of course, the sweet vacation schedule;).  I also spent very little time in a corporate america environment and do not have anything close to a straight forward career path trajectory.  But what I learned from this conversation is just how important having a conversation like this really is….

I felt really empowered learning about the mentor relationship from Lizzy and hope that this inspires others to take action to look for a mentor, become a mentor or just get more clear on the subject.  This relationship seems so important and helpful to have.  The definition of mentor is an “experienced and trusted advisor.” To have one or more successful, experienced and trusted advisors in your life and have them share their experiences and knowledge for the benefit of your success, yes please.   I would love to hear your experiences with this topic…do you have a mentor? are you a mentor?  where did you learn about the importance of having a mentor?  Please leave a comment below.

Thanks again, Lizzy, for sharing your wisdom.  Your mentees are lucky to have you!

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This FWB could not be more useful.  This is the skill of all skills that everyone references as the skill to know yet a large portion of us don’t know how to do it.  And now, I have Stuart to thank for making me and all the viewers of FWB no longer feel inferior about this lack of knowledge.  I now know exactly what to do with a flat tire but let’s be honest, I’ll probably still call AAA for assistance.

Stuart and I met in July 2014 at Northern Nights.  If you couldn’t tell, Stuart is originally from Scotland (Shetland Islands) and moved back home shortly after we met but not before falling in love with Ashley.  He just moved back to San Francisco to make a long distance relationship no longer long distance.  He’s such a talented mechanic and fixer of all things and I feel so lucky to have learned from the best.  Stuart is the nicest guy you’ll meet and is never without an interesting story.

Thank you so much Stuart for helping me feel like a more capable human and making one of my bests so happy!

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I loved everything about this FWB: the topic, the location, the teacher and it’s timing.  Olga and I met at a silent disco party a year ago at Gauntlet Gallery.  We became friends on FB and would run into each other around the city.  She is also the number one person who is always the mutual friend on Tinder;).   We reconnected after her travels a year later at the same silent disco party where she agreed to do an FWB.

This topic is near and dear to my heart.  I, too, took the risk of leaving my life in NYC in 2012 to travel and relocate to SF to honor my truth and happiness sans job.  As Olga said, it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows but I don’t regret that decision for a minute.  The same day as filming this FWB, I attended a Women Catalysts event where Elle Luna was guest speaking about her new book. My main goal for going was to network for SMITH & STARR (stay tuned) not really knowing much about the organization or the speaker.  Well, my mind was blown.  The Women Catalysts founders truly created an empowering environment and Elle’s message that there are shoulds in our life and then there are musts and we must honor our musts spoke to me on so many levels.

Talk about a “concrete signs” day.  This day proved to me that I’m on the right path, things are falling into place and I have honored myself to be true to my musts. My musts include traveling (booked a trip to the Galapagos for Christmas), working for something that I believe in (children, emotional intelligence, innovation, self development, entrepreneurship), sharing my art and creativity (FWB), work/life balance, being part of support networks, yoga/self care, and continuing to develop and nurture my big dreams.  Of course, self-doubt, sadness, distraction, fear and confusion all tend to creep in at any moment but I’m so appreciative to have had this day and such a concrete reminder that yes, it’s happening.  And remember, for whatever you’re going through right now…as Nicolle says, “It has to work out. There is no other option.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy Summer Everyone!  This was one of the impromptu FWB’s which I always love so dearly.  I ran into my friend and neighbor, Charles, at the pool on my birthday when we decided to whip out the IPhone and get the lesson of The Clam on the interwebs.  I’m so glad that I have the whole summer to perfect my skill.

Charles and I met at the pool in March when he was nice enough to let Ashley and I use his bathroom.  Meeting Charles like so many other new SF friends is always a refreshing reminder of how many awesome, smart, fun and interesting people are here and how many more potential FWB lessons are to come!

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Watch and learn how to make the most delicious of treats from my friend, Jessie!  I was so excited when she wanted to teach me how to make Puppy Chow but I must warn you.  This is a very dangerous skill because there is definitely a tipping point when the Puppy Chow takes over and you lose complete control.

Jessie and I met a couple of years when we both worked for Livingsocial.  I was living in NYC and she was in DC at the time.  I didn’t really get to know her until I moved back to SF and I’m so happy that I did.  Jessie is so great.  She keeps it real and hilarious.  She has a zest for life that is like no other.

Thank you so much, Jessie, for being an amazing teacher and cooking show host.  Also, a big thank you to Michael Seiler for being an amazing videographer and co-director.  It was truly a team effort.

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I was so happy when my friend from home,  Erica, better known as Sperberg in my world (or Sperm, Spermy, Sperminator) decided to make a trip to SF to visit the Canton girls.  We’ve been talking about her FWB for a while and I was so pumped when we made it happen while hanging out at Dolores Park.  Erica is a very talented dancer, choreographer, and teacher.  She is the director of The Dance Academy in Newton and they are so lucky to have her.  She’s the best.  Hang out with her for five minutes and you’ll soon realize that.  You can always count on her giggling, smiling and having fun.  We’ve been friends for so long and I appreciate our friendship so much!

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I was so excited to have Rob teach me an FWB.  Rob and I worked at our first corporate america job out of college together in SF.  It was quite possibly the worst job ever especially when seated near the water cooler during the month of March when all it did was rain and everyone felt the need to discuss the rain at the water cooler, everyday.  But I digress.

Rob has since moved to many places and is now living in Nebraska. I, of course, harassed Rob to teach me something for FWB when he was visiting SF for the weekend.  He was hesitant but came out on top highlighting one of his many skills that I definitely did not know he had.  He’s really good with a Yo-Yo.  As most of you know, my hand eye coordination and fine motor skills are not my strengths so I was excited/hesitant to take on the old school Yo-Yo.   I grew up with Yo-Yos but never really mastered it and soon switched over to the ever popular Yo Yo Ball in ’92.  As someone on youtube once put it,  it’s the yo-yo for kids who suck at real yo-yos.  And how I remember the pain of losing control of the Yo-Yo Ball and having it slam into my front teeth……Hey Man It’s a Yo-Yo Ball!

 

Thanks Rob for playing along.  Great reunion and I hope it’s not another 4 years until our next one!

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I loved everything about this FWB. The topic, the way it came together and, of course, the people involved.  C-Love is so talented and you need to follow her on Facebook and Instagram to see her amazing art and also to find the best parties in SF.

Chelsea and I met Cassandra in September at Mighty where she FaDazzled our face for the first time.  We continued to see Cassandra around town and on FB FaDazzling the beautiful people of San Francisco.  On New Years Day, we ran into each other at Breakfast of Champions, where C-Love once again FaDazzled our faces and discussed that an FWB needed to happen.

I love this FWB so much because C-Love’s talent brought our friendship together and I love supporting her because she is following her purpose on her own path and making it happen one amazing FaDazzle and party at a time.

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In this Friendships With Benefits, Charlie helps me spice up my apartment by teaching me an awesome way to make art.  We had a lot of fun and my painting is now hanging above my bed.  Friends like Charlie is one of the many reasons why I love SF.  I met Charlie through my friend, Tracy (who taught me how to make a mean margarita).  They went to college at UNH together.  In SF, it’s so easy to connect with friends of friends. He’s an awesome and hilarious guy and obviously, an amazing and resourceful artist.  Thanks Charlie for teaching me how to do a geometric painting and again, if you want to buy one of our pieces, just let us know!

(Cameo by the most famous dog on Dolores-Ginger!)

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My friend, Leigh, taught me sign language this weekend while celebrating her birthday.  We were brainstorming a couple weeks back where she claimed she had nothing to teach me but that was far from the truth.  She grew up communicating with her voice but also her hands.  I remember signing a lot as a child thanks to Linda from Sesame Street and was reintroduced while working with toddlers with autism.  It’s an amazing skill that opens your world to so many more people and I would definitely like to become more fluent.  We had a great day celebrating as well as reflecting on how lucky we all are in our lives while appreciating and recognizing the challenges and strengths of other people, families and communities.  Thanks again, Leigh, for my ASL lesson and here’s to a great year ahead!!!

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