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Working from home and living just a few short blocks from the beach means that I can spend my lunch hour like this:

I must say it's a pretty great arrangement! On the flip side, seeing my co-workers twice a week is a lot of fun, too, especially since we go for lunches together and bond. Today, my boss even brought in three Single Grain shirts for me to wear, which I will proudly be sporting around town.

In news from the other coast, my adopted hometown of Montreal experienced a sinkhole recently. During my years in Montreal, I often passed through that particular street corner, so it's freaky to think about the incident.

In happier news, I came across an article about simplifying your life. As anyone who knows me well is aware, I try to live my life by two credos: "Simplify your life" and "Under-promise and over-deliver." With that being said, I am excited to share this article's tips so that others can live by my ideology, should they choose to.

Full Stack

I am happy to say that my first week of work went very well! My new team is amazing! For the first month, I'll be training for two days a week at Coloft, a co-working space, and the rest of the time I'm working from home. For the two days this week when my coworkers and I were all together, my boss took us out for lunches, including a fun one at a nearby shabu-shabu restaurant (photo below).

When my boss asked for information about networking events for startups, I was excited to share all that I know about the local Silicon Beach community. On the topic of networking, I thought this article presented some helpful tips on how to ask for an introduction. My co-worker Eric Siu also has a great blog, and I found his entry "The Beginner's Guide to Becoming a Full Stack Marketer" particularly essential.

In addition to work, I also packed my week with a ton of fun. On Wednesday night, my friends and I competed in bar trivia. Though we didn't win, I was ecstatic that I was able to contribute my knowledge of pop culture for the team's earned points. Thursday night I returned to the Santa Monica Pier's Twilight Concerts to see Nikki Jensen and Xavier Rudd. Lastly, I've spent this weekend soaking up the sun and enjoying a couple movies at the theater - The Way, Way Back and Twenty Feet From Stardom. Both were great! I leave you now with a live performance of my favorite Xavier Rudd song "Messages," as I recall the wonderful memories of Thursday night.

Last Hurrah

This is my final weekend before starting my new job, and of course the Santa Monica weather is not cooperating. Although I haven't been able to sit out on a warm beach, I've certainly been enjoying a last hurrah prior to my new grind.

On Friday, I volunteered for the TechZulu Final Friday. I got to meet another b-school graduate from the east coast, as well as learn about cool new startups. In fact, one company called Recruiting For Good is funding free safaris!

In related news, my friend Robert Lambert who runs Silicon Beach LA just released a video from his Summer Hiring Blitz. If you want to learn about how to get a job in this community, check out the video below.

I am also continuing my musical tour of LA and got to go to Angels Stadium in Anaheim for Kenny Chesney's No Shoes Nation tour, which also featured Kasey Musgraves, the Eli Young Band, and Eric Church. The concert was so fun that I might now be a country music convert!

Sand and Stars

This week I have continued to enjoy my LA summer, particularly in Santa Monica. I attended the Lesbians Who Tech July LA Happy Hour where I met women who were involved in a range of non-tech and tech companies, including Google and WordPress. See photo below.

Lesbians Who Tech July LA Happy Hour

Last night I enjoyed a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier where I saw the Tijuana Panthers and No Age perform. It was a beautiful night of sand and stars, and I'm hoping to attend another show at the beach soon!

Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier

A New Start

It's been over four months since I last posted, but I assure you it's for good reason. There have been a lot of big changes in my life and I'm excited to share them here.

On a professional front, I will be starting a new job in a week and I am eager to begin! I am also now working as an Independent Team Beachbody Coach so I can help people realize their fitness goals. As you may have noticed from my Mix and Match entry, I am passionate about physical fitness and even more so about motivating others. If you're interested in joining me on a fitness journey, feel free to check out my coach page here! Just so you know, I'm following the Body Beast workout and drinking chocolate Shakeology. It's only been a couple weeks but I can already see muscle growth and I'm feeling great!

It's a good thing I've been getting into shape because I recently played the part of Wonder Woman in a Buzzfeed video: "How To Throw Your Own Comic-Con." See the video below.

What else have I been up to these past few months? I've done some traveling around California and elsewhere. My destinations in California have included Solvang, Santa Barbara, Big Bear, Huntington Beach, and Hermosa Beach, while I have also traveled domestically to Ft. Lauderdale, New Jersey, and NYC. I've also attended some concerts and seen Garfunkel and Oates, Cyndi Lauper, and Billy Ocean. And of course, I have continued to be an active member in the Silicon Beach community, having recently attended a Santa Monica New Tech event and volunteered at Women 2.0 Founder Friday - Los Angeles. My first LA summer has certainly been off to a great start!

Californication

My parents were in town this weekend, so I got to play tourist in my own (new) city. Together, we walked along the Santa Monica Pier and drove to Griffith Park to see the Hollywood sign in the distance (pictured above). We also went our separate ways, as they explored other areas of town and I saw Looper at Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema, followed by a Q&A with the writer and director Rian Johnson (photo below).

In other entertainment news, the film Status Quo? that I worked on for my marketing consulting project during my MBA had a free online streaming to celebrate International Women's Day. The documentary is now available for 48-hour rental here.

I am also excited to share the link for C2-MTL volunteer opportunities, which have recently become available. As you may well know by now, I can attribute my current job to my experience as a volunteer for that particular amazing conference in Montreal! I strongly recommend getting involved in C2-MTL - it is a conference unlike any other!

Additionally, I wanted to note that C100 is accepting applications for 48 Hours in the Valley. As explained in the video above, this is a great way for Canadian startup founders to learn from fellow Canadians who have relocated to Silicon Valley. More information can be found on the C100 website.

Lastly, someone recently shared with me Business Insider's "Career Advice from LinkedIn's Billionaire Founder." I hope you like it as much I do!

Mix and Match

We had the most amazing weather here from Thursday to Saturday! With the high temperatures and sunny skies, I happily went for daily jogs along the beach. I am truly enjoying the fitness culture in LA and I have embraced it through my jogs and gym rat habits. I even realized that I have started to collect matching sunglasses for my workout gear (see below).

Matching to the max!

Speaking of health and wellness, there was big news at bLife this week as we launched our newest app, a 30-Day Stress Less Challenge in partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). As I monitor bLife's Twitter account, it's been great to see such positive feedback regarding Stress Less.

Interestingly, as I've been following news concerning stress, I felt that my worlds were colliding when I read a press release about preventing chronic pain with stress management. The study, which was led by professors in Montreal, clearly combined my old world (Montreal) with my new world (stress management).

I also continue to stay abreast of news in the startup world, particularly here in Santa Monica. I recently caught two Daily Muse articles that I wanted to share: "5 Ways to Work for a Tech Start-Up - Even if You Can't Code" and "5 Great Reasons to Consider a Job in Tech." As for local news, it was great to discover "The Rise of Silicon Beach: The Disruptive LA Tech Scene." Of course, I haven't just read about the goings-on in the startup community, I've also attended some more events, including a Tech Coast Angels (TCA) LA launch party and the TechZulu & Digital LA 5-Year Anniversary Bash (photo below).

Me and Josh Dubinsky, Business Development for At the Pool (Photo courtesy of PhotoBoxi)

I am happy to say that I have spent some time doing non-tech events, too. I went to a friend's amazing birthday party in a park that was complete with cotton candy, bubbles, tiaras, hula hoops, fairy wings, etc. (photo below). I also attended a screening of a crazy Ron Howard and George Lucas film called Willow at the Aero Theater that had a great Q&A with the screenwriter afterwards. This has definitely been a diverse, but awesome week!

Birthday party in the park