THE WOMEN BEHIND TIME
IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE THE WOMEN IN OUR LIVES
Being a woman-founded, and women-operated agency — we’re in our feels today. We prioritize our relationships and community-building, which can lead to stronger bonds between colleagues and yeah... better services. Today and every day we celebrate the women surrounding us because they all deserve it!
The women of TIME answered a series of questions in celebration, and their answers ✨didn't✨ disappoint
How do you balance your work and personal life, and what strategies have you found to be effective in managing this balance?
KATE: I schedule everything in my calendar — workouts, meetings, downtime, date night, focus time, dinner with my family — literally everything. This helps me time block better, which has become one of my biggest hacks. TRACY: This has always been a bit of a struggle for me, but after a too-close-for-comfort brush with burnout, I am conscious of asking more for what I need than I used to be. And thankfully, when you are part of an amazingly supportive team, it isn't that scary! Also, communication in general — with the team, with my friends, with my partner... definitely helps check me when I am not getting the balance right.CHANEL: I actually think that your work life is your personal life since work takes up the biggest chunk of time during daily life. It's about balancing what makes you happy (and if you're not happy at work, that's a red flag) and prioritizing well so you can do more of what makes you happy.EMILY: It's all about listening to what you need and feeling empowered to actually take it. As an introvert, I like to check in with myself before making any plans to see if my social battery can handle it and try not to force myself into anything that doesn't feel right. This is obviously a little bit harder for work, but leaning on your team when you need support is critical.EMMA: It's obvs really hard but reminding myself that work is important but not that serious is helpful, taking a break is beneficial in the long run, setting intentional "no-phone" time, and walking the dog (in my case, my brothers' dog) is a huge help. I find I won't prioritize myself but the thought of the pup at home without a walk gets me up and off my ass.TANNER: I’m still getting used to what my flow should be, as I’m only a month in! So far I’ve been ensuring that I'm prioritizing carving out time for friends and family after work hours! And making sure I’m still doing things for me like spin and reading! Having a running agenda has been helpful! Google cal is my friend! What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
KATE: “Evolve immediately” has always been a piece of advice I’ve hung on to and something I constantly sit with. Working in marketing, every day looks so different and things are always changing. This is a constant reminder for me in both my work and personal life. TRACY: Probably some variation of "We're all going to die one day." It sounds morbid as hell, but honestly, it's such a great reminder to live in gratitude and to just throws everything right back into perspective. If today wasn't the worst day of your life, it was a good day. CHANEL: Invest in yourself. OR we're big advocates of "working smarter, not harder" - Kate/Michael Scott/I don't know who actually said that.EMILY: My grandad always said, "You'll never know unless you ask." This mindset has led to some of my most favourite memories! From dancing backstage at concerts to watching sunsets on the beach an ocean away.EMMA: Maybe like, the ball juggling analogy. Imagine we are juggling 5 balls named work, family, health, friends, and spirit. Know which balls are rubber and which are glass, and make sure the glass ones don’t break. These “balls” are our priorities in life and we need to balance them. Sh*t happens, we're only human - do your best and everything else will work itself out.TANNER: Work-related: To be a sponge. Listening and asking questions has been my saving grace!What is your favourite part about being a part of a team of all women?
KATE: The support and inspiration I'm met with each day and working in an environment where everyone can thrive. Oh, and our Slack channel sharing our Sephora faves ;)TRACY: There is nothing that is not my favourite part of it. The joy and fulfillment of being able to openly bond and connect with such an empowering and inspiring team literally puts every crappy trope about women being in competition to bed. That shit isn't real — women supporting women is always the vibe.CHANEL: The ability to connect and understand what each other is going through. Showing empathy for one another and being able to lift each other up.EMILY: The mutual love, respect, and understanding we all have for each other. We have this shared lived experience that bonds us!EMMA: The friendship, the support, the prioritization of taking care of ourselves; and not being sexually harassed is a strong plus, too. TANNER: There are so many different types of personalities on our team. Everyone brings something different to the table and seeing us all come together to make cool stuff happen is unreal. What do you think are some of the unique strengths that women bring to the workplace?
KATE: I've spent the majority of my career working on female-only teams and from my experience women bring a diverse range of strengths to the workplace: excellent communication and collaboration skills, empathy and emotional intelligence... the list goes on. TRACY: I think there is more of an openness to vulnerability and learning, and a distinct lack of ego (that sometimes goes too far, leading us to experience imposter syndrome more than is warranted). I also think women are often supreme multitaskers (for better or worse), and often lead with empathy and compassion, especially in team settings. CHANEL: The ability to empathize and multitask.EMILY: It's the understanding, care, and empathy for me. As women, we've probably all *unfortunately* been in a situation where we have been misjudged and underestimated. By experiencing these things firsthand, we learn how NOT to make others feel.EMMA: The sense of compassion without taking bullsh*t, there's a way to empathize and understand while setting expectations and boundaries. There's also just the fact that most women are a lot more independent and self-starters in my experience; probably because we're trying not to be a burden for others.TANNER: We want to ensure we’re giving all we’ve got no matter the task. Exceeding the expectations is always our expectation.What advice would you give to young women who are just starting their careers?
KATE: Put your hand up for everything, even if you don't have the experience or qualifications. Men do it all the time. You'll learn fast and quickly understand your strengths and areas of growth. Oh, and no one actually knows what they’re doing, we're all just figuring it out.TRACY: Don't let people intimidate you. Being self-sufficient, flexible, and tenacious will get you far. No one knows everything, so never stop being hungry to learn. Over-communication is always better than not having enough. Speaking with vocal fry or sending emails with one or two too many exclamation marks in no way defines your intelligence — don't let anyone undermine you for it; just prove them wrong. CHANEL: Nothing is out of reach. Just start.EMILY: Be transparent about your goals and go forth confidently! And if you don't feel confident, fake it till you make it, baby!EMMA: Apply for jobs you aren't qualified for, email connections -- men do it all. the. time. Nearly every professional is faking it or doesn't know as much as they appear to. You're also not supposed to know how everything is done, systems, etc. that's part of the company's "responsibility" to train you... even if you know everything there is to know about a subject, you're not going to know all of the details!TANNER: Ask for those opportunities and stay persistent! Just ask — the worst they are gonna say is no. Fun fact, that’s how I landed a job on the TIME team. I continued to be persistent and I asked for a shot (long story short, I got the job and here I am) Also, asking questions is how you learn and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
