The good news: you made it through the most challenging school year in history, during which we were all collectively making it up as we went along.

The bad news: the school year is now over, as is the structure and the hanging on by a thread reason for your kids to be occupied and leave you to get at least some work done.

If you’re anything like me, you’re having the same nightmare vision every time you let yourself think through the realities of this summer.

It’s Lord of the Flies time, people.

Most in-person camps are cancelled. My kids are not thrilled about the idea of virtual camp. I don’t want to invest in camps they’re rebelling against before day one.

While I’m typically the person who has every day of every week of summer white boarded and accounted for—the uncertainty of the life we’re currently living is driving me to try it a different way.

Welcome to The Garrett Improv Summer.

I’m working with a few guiding principles. (Plus, a reminder that my daughters are 9 and 12, so this will be tougher for kids under 7 or 8.)

There will be:

1. Fun

2. Creativity

3. Alone time off screens (meaning make your own fun instead of watching 6 seasons of Glee)

4. Learning

5. Movement

6. Rest

7. Nature

8. Helping others

To drill down into some more detail here:

We started with a Summer Ideas Workshop this past weekend. 

1. I wrote down the principles on a big pad and then gave everyone a big piece of paper and markers.

2. With pictures and words, we listed activities that fit under each category on our respective Summer 2020 blank slates.

3. We presented our ideas to the rest of team Garrett.
   
   Example brainstorming for me:
   Fun: Outdoor weekend day trips, games, date nights!Creativity: Writing daily (blog/book), Writing workshop with girls 2x per week
   Alone Time: 9 - 4 work hours for sessions/writing/learning
   Learning:  Online course, continued racial equity learning, reading as a familyMovement: Yoga/walking
   Rest: In bed by 10, journaling
   Nature: Prospect Park, Upstate NY—walks, hikes, swimming (not sure where or how)
   Helping Others: Bringing supplies to Uncle Ray, Working on political campaigns aligned with my values.
   

4. We attempted to map it all together into a loose schedule. That’s where team Garrett lost patience and came to terms with our disappointment for the summer we are collectively having, one that is not the summer we wanted. There were tears and frustration.

5. Instead of setting a schedule, we decided on boundaries and guidelines that included when the adults must be left to do their work and when the kids can "finally" get onto their devices. All other activities can be chosen by each kid or adult based on their lists.

6. To make it all work, we’re bringing back a former babysitter for a couple of weeks to hang out with our younger daughter and she may be able to help sporadically for the rest of the summer. But again—we’re playing it by ear and taking extra precautions to make sure it’s safe for our sitter and for all of us.

7. We have selected some free learning options for the kids to include into their schedules, like Camp Kinda and Camp Khan Academy.

Summer Ideas Workshop results aside, we’re going to learn from our rocky start to virtual learning in March. For those of us planner types, we will remember to shoot for loose guidelines and not rigid schedules. We will remember that our first priorities are still the physical and mental health of our families. We will ask for help when we need it. Of course, I’m grateful that my business is designed for the flexibility of cutting my workday, during the summer—and yet I have never run this experiment before. I’ve always had camp and childcare coverage to keep the same pace as in all seasons.  

So, onward we march...into the great somewhat unknown of Summer, 2020. Ready for smiles, tears, insights and boredom. We are here for all of it. Because...we have no other choice.

Job seekers and career-transitioners often come to me in a panic, feeling they are unemployable. They believe they will never find a job that pays them what they want, let alone with a company that’s aligned with their values.

 They fear:

 Their experience is fragmented and all over the place.

 They’ve stayed at one company too long.

 They’re too old and their experience will not be valued.

 They’re too young, appearing green and naïve.

 They’ve spent too much time out of the work force.

 All of this may be true, in the version of the story they are telling. Before we get to any of their materials—elevator pitch, resume, LinkedIn and beyond—we rework their narratives.

 If you’d like to begin this process, I invite you to push your thinking with this free writing exercise:

Rewrite your narrative as if you’ve stepped into an alternate reality where every career move you made was intentional, and you learned something important from every role and every change.

 As you move away from the formality of your resume and the salesmanship of LinkedIn to view your story from a different perspective, you will find:

 Meaning
There were deep relationships built and lessons learned that could only have been found in what seemed to be failures at the time. There were risks taken that prompted you to grow. Moments where you discovered a true purpose behind your work AND moments where you found you needed to rediscover how you could best use your talents.

A Through Line
Even if it is not obvious at first, there is connective tissue that bonds each career move into a cohesive, contained package. Whether you find it in your values or in a certain strength of yours that was often leveraged or amplified in others, there is a way to pull a disjointed or fragmented seeming career into one that makes sense to you—and one that can be more easily explained to others.  

The Skeletons
Every career has its fair share of challenges. Toxic bosses who give you an eye twitch for many months. Microagressions in a corporate culture built on white supremacy. Being passed over for a promotion while on parental leave. These are critical offenses and issues that shaped what you are striving for in your next role to feel safe and valued. And yet now, you get to choose how much or how little you share about them in your narrative. I highly encourage you to work to heal these career-related traumas with a therapist and reflect on how you shape the story so that you both advocate for what you need, and also share the version that helps you connect to your confidence and your worth.

 Once you’ve completed the exercise, share it with a friend, former colleague or your coach. Notice how it feels to tell the story in this new, all-true and yet intentionally shifted perspective. Practice this retelling when you’re networking or discussing your career change with friends. Start with your close-in circle so that your narrative seeps into your muscle memory. This will create a more fluid process when writing all your other materials, and help you step into your interviews with the clarity of what you have to offer.

Written by Guest Blogger, Belinda Levychin

I sit here at my desk as a Black woman and a mother of two young Black men, unsure of where to begin. As the creator of Tournesol Kids, a non-profit committed to building our children’s resilience with research-based tools, I am turning to our own toolbox, to find my balance right now. So, I start by looking for “Water Power”, which will help me find grounding and some new perspectives, even in the most troubled times. Yet I know, before there can be any movement forward, we must begin to “Listen Deeply”.

As a Black person, it has been so hard to take in the events not just of the past week, but the past several years. Growing up, I was taught that I had to work hard, to play by the rules, and to create change by being on the inside. I was willingly following the social contract and had a measure of success. Often in my life, I was the lone Black person in the room. I pushed any discomfort I may have felt to the side, telling myself this is what it takes to be successful. I fell in love with the advertising world and saw the impact that I could have on how things were communicated. Luckily, I had an opportunity to work at one of the larger multicultural agencies, which led to a lot of opportunities at some very big companies and for a while, that was enough.

Then, I became a mother of two Black sons. Through their eyes, I have realized my own complicity in the so-called social contract that Trevor Noah spoke about so eloquently this past week. It is no longer enough to work hard, to be the best, to just turn the other cheek. The reality is the kind of life I live is still a rarity in the African American community. The reality of a good life — and more importantly, a safe and healthy life — should not be relegated to luck of the draw. As most Black mothers know, it is a scary proposition to raise a Black child and while it is not safe for Black women, it most certainly isn’t safe for Black men. Even Michelle Obama made mention of the fact of this virtual luck of the draw during a 60 Minutes piece when she said that her husband was always at risk, even just going to the gas station. Going outside has always been a gamble when you are Black. I am no longer interested in living in a world where I hope both my boys drew the lucky stick. We must be a part of the change — right now, not later, not when the election is over, or when the pandemic is over — but now.

More than 50 years ago the civil rights activist Fannie Mae Hamer spoke about the idea that when our communities were burned down, no one said anything; but when Black people burn things down, somehow, it’s different. The reality is that the Black community learned destruction from how they were treated by those who were in power. To hear similar words in 2020 from a current civil rights activist, Tamika Mallory, is more than unsettling, and I repeat her words wholeheartedly — enough is enough. It has become clear that we need to start over. And while my “Fire Self” wants to see the system figuratively burn down, we must create a new social contract, this time with all parties in the proverbial room. 

Tournesol Kids’ basic philosophy can provide a spark. Tournesol Kids is based on the idea that we all have innate powers: Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold (Metal) and Water. All powers working together can create transformation. One power, “Water Power”, focuses on going within, retreating, listening deeply, and yes — using the power of metaphor to better understand what is really happening. The exercises that make up “Water Power” are used to improve mindfulness and the capacity to accurately self-reflect and grow our social intelligence.

As someone who is “Fire Power”, I have used one “Water Power” exercise recently and I encourage others to try it as well. You see, the exercises we teach at Tournesol Kids are not just for kids, but for everyone. Our methodology is meant to bring wholeness to us all. So, right now, while the world is burning try this exercise called “Listen Deeply”. The “Water Hero” walks the path of peace by listening deeply to the world and sharing deep insights with others. “Listen Deeply” is designed to help us gain perspective and confidence and to shift us into growth-mind thinking – because all of the unrest we are experiencing is coming from a fixed-mind perspective and that is not going to fix anything!

The “Listen Deeply” exercise works well by yourself or with others. Here’s how you start:

1. Find a small bell or something that can create a fading sound. (If you do not have a bell, just find stillness.)

2. Find a quiet space and close your eyes.

3. Take a few cleansing breaths.

4. Relax your body, from the top to bottom.

5. Feel the weight of your body as you relax.

6. Ring your bell to “clear the air” and listen closely to the sounds of the space re-emerge as the bell fades.

7. Whispering whatever you hear in the space.

8. Don’t forget to notice the sounds of your breath.

9. Now notice the sounds of your thoughts and how they can sometime distract us from hearing the world around us.
   

This exercise is designed to help you understand your relationship with what is going on around you in a deeply personal way. It will help you gain deeper insights into your life and your responsibility to the people you love and your community. 

I know that right now I am in listening mode. I know that what I am supposed to hear will be clear if I can be still enough. I hope we are all beginning to listen and then, as Spike Lee says, “Do the Right Thing.”  Because enough is enough.

Belinda Levychin is a marketing professional with experience across several industries, including consumer packaged goods, automotive and banking. She is also an adjunct professor at NYU and consults for emerging businesses in the health and wellness arena. She is most interested in the tools, technologies and texts that focus on how individuals can understand themselves from a holistic perspective as the bridge to becoming their whole selves. She has enjoyed building the Tournesol Kids brand from an idea to an entity that can continue to grow and impact kids and their families for years to come. She is also a certified Yoga teacher and encourages the universe to just breathe.

Tournesol Kids was developed by Stephen, Carey and Belinda Levychin to provide a toolbox to help build a child’s resilience.  They provide bite sized neuroplasticity based exercises designed to build brain function in a fun and proven manner. Because they offer an assessment free on the Website, kids can understand their own innate super power before they get started, and in that way it’s highly personalized. Here’ more information about how to donate to Tournesol Kids.

In a week of pain, the only conversation I can and will have here is one about standing with black people in America. 

To the people of color in this community, I will never understand the depth of this pain, but I see you and I am with you. You matter. 

To my fellow white people, we have a lot of work to do. And to begin this work, we must first listen to the words and the voices of black activists, writers and artists who are leading the fight toward racial equity. 

In addition to sharing weekly career-related tools and insights, I'll be using this space to highlight some of the black leaders that are inspiring me. I'll be sharing their platforms so you too can continue on your personal journey to confront your own biases and your privilege. 

This week, I want to share the work of Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, an academic, activist, speaker and writer who released her first public address on May 30th on the realities of the revolutionary moment we're in. She developed a three-part framework for moving forward that includes: Critical Knowledge, Radical Empathy and Intentional Action. Watch the video to learn more. 

You can follow Rachel on Instagram or Facebook. One tangible way to get into action around her work is to do her FREE #DoTheWork 30day Course listed here. She offers a daily action so you can stay on your path. 

As for me, I am committed to continuing to look into my own privilege as a white woman, to understand the exclusive history of feminism and work to create a new version that allows for multiple voices and perspectives. I commit to address racism when I see it, to support local organizations and elected officials committed to equity. With compassion, love and an outstretched arm, I ask that you join me. It will be uncomfortable, but there's something beautiful on the other side. 

White Allies: Educate Yourselves

White Allies, our work toward racial justice is in educating ourselves.

Listening more.

Talking less.

We must not make these stories about us.

We must not change the narrative experts of color are sharing.

We must not speak for people of color.

I will be highlighting resource guides, books, articles, podcasts and names of influencers to follow.

1. Read: Anti-racism Resource Guide created by Tasha K. Ryals (Twitter - @tatortash)

2. Read: Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay — Chances Are They’re Not by Danielle Cadet (Twitter - @dbcadet, @refinery29)

3. Follow Illustrator Danielle Coke on Insta - @ohhappydani

4. Listen to: Natal: A podcast/docu-series about having a baby while black in the United States

At the beginning of the shutdown two months ago, a close friend/colleague and I started doing something wild and out of character.

 Calling each other. On the phone.

 We didn’t schedule time. There was no text warning. There wasn’t even a set topic in mind.

 I wanted to hear her voice. And she wanted to hear mine.

 We covered everything from where our businesses were headed in the pandemic, to swapping NYC quarantine safety tips, to confessions about how many times we had watched Stella jump into piles of leaves, to the raw, “I’m scared and I don’t know how to do this.”

 Then we hit on a variation of all these themes the following day.

 Intuitively, we knew we needed this level of connection to refuel, to ground ourselves in the familiar, and to spark new creativity. We built our own safety in an unsafe world.

 While we’re not talking as often now, that go-to approach in the early days has become a guiding principle for how I’m moving through this moment which is extending to an indefinite length of time.

 Here’s what I’m doing to make sure I get the connection I need:

1. Virtually circling up with different communities of colleagues at least once a week.

2. Joining online classes with other business owners so I can tie in learning with a personal interaction.

3. Scheduling zoom coffees (or wine!) with close friends, former clients, and future collaborators.

4. Being the realest of real me’s with my high school friends on a hilariously snarky group text thread.

5. Eating dinner as a family almost every night for the first time in our lives together. Sharing what we’re grateful for at this meal which ranges from mac and cheese, to our teachers, to each other.

With all of this connection, I am mindful that I also need the time to rest, to be alone, to read (slowly), and to process even a fraction of what is happening in the world right now. I do my best to fit in this quiet time, but I know for this extroverted woman, being with my people even at a distance has been the oxygen I’ve needed to continue to feel alive.

Spring is my grieving season.

The anniversary of my parent’s car accident is May 16th, marking 34 years since they passed. That date is flanked by Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day; and in the past five years, I’ve added two more significant losses to a one-month span between April and May. Amidst the rebirth of spring blossoms, I’m often moving between the dull ache of longing for the memories I want to hold on to, and the anger for those I will never have.

And that’s just spring status quo.

Currently, grief is all around us. We’re mourning the loss of life as we knew it. Emotions are heightened and yet my usual process for moving through them has been upended. 

There’s no hugging friends or gathering with people who knew and loved my mom and dad.

There’s no feeling the energy, the empathy, and the compassion from the group of motherless mothers with whom I meet monthly at a local wine bar, with a full glass of happy-hour-white in hand.

Without my time-tested ways to move forward while my senses are absorbing a new level of noise, somehow the people I’ve loved and lost feel distant. My connection to them is dampened. My memory is cloudy.

Lucky for me, creativity struck when I asked myself, “How can I acknowledge both the new grief of life in the pandemic and find my people again?” The answer came in a place I often find my flow: writing. But this time, not with a blog post or a journal entry. Writing in the form of an old-fashioned letter.

Pen to pretty piece of stationary, I’ve been writing each of my lost loves a letter about what this time is like, what I miss most about them right now, what I need from them, and my thoughts as to why they may have been spared living in 2020.

I write through tears and occasional smiles. I’ve found each letter to be a visit. An invitation for us to stand in a new memory together, even for just a few minutes. The details of this new connection flood my mind, followed by the old memories I thought I lost.

In this new budding practice, I am learning that there will be times so fraught, complex—and even identity-shifting—that talking about my parents and others I’ve lost is not enough to be with them. In times like these, I need to set up a direct line, with focus, attention, and presence. To bring them into my world—through words—even though this moment will never truly be part of any of our lives.

When I start working with new clients, I ask them to choose their top five values and then define what those values mean to them.

Inevitably, a third of clients ask, "Should I choose my professional values or my personal values?"

This a moment where I smile, pause and lean into curiosity. "What do you think?"

After 30 seconds or so of quiet, the insight lands on them like a cozy sweater. They smile back. "Ah, they’re the same, aren’t they?"

Yes, exactly.

This is one of the most powerful keys to unlocking a meaningful career: defining what is most important to you and then using it to build a bridge between the professional and the personal.

Right now, in the face of the pandemic I am bearing witness to widespread acceptance of this truth—rather than the typical instinct to fight it, to compartmentalize, to play the role we think others expect of us.

For me it looks like:

Joining a group of coaches, each with our own businesses in a weekly meeting to provide space for each other. Our emotions. Our fears. Our silver linings.

Opening my corporate leadership trainings with a quote about the grief we are collectively feeling right now. Naming it. Giving permission to go there. Being in it.

And for my clients it is:

Choosing vulnerable leadership. Scheduling team meetings where the agenda is, How are we doing?

Encouraging employees to take their days off, even when they know they will not be leaving their homes.

If you’re a leader, take note that we are in an identity-shifting moment where ignoring the personal will be received and called out as callous, apathetic and tone deaf. Even if it has not been your style in the past, dig deep and find a way to see and hear people fully. Be gentle and compassionate. And not just with others. Also with yourself.

As one might imagine, I’ve been supporting many unemployed and furloughed job hunters right now. Because none of us have ever navigated this process in a pandemic before—my clients have reasonable concerns and questions.

 How do I stand out in the crowd of candidates?

 How do I strike the right tone when there are people still sick and dying out there?

 How can I network when we could be living an indoor life for months?

 How would I explain a career pivot at a time when safety and security seem like a priority?

 The answers I continue to return to for all of these questions are:

 Be real. Be vulnerable. Acknowledge the identity-shifting moment we’re in. And if there’s a point where your superpowers match up to what the world needs right now, run towards it without asking for permission. This is part of your new narrative, and it will be met with different expectations that have never existed for career shifts. Your pivot can be seen as a moment that you’re stepping into flexibility, resilience and the leadership needed for our new world.

 As I’ve said many times, in several different ways, the best tool to set you up for success in your search is your elevator pitch—and it will be critical to chisel it within the context of our times.

 Here’s how to write your—Pandemic Elevator Pitch:

 Sentence 1: Who are you? What’s the headline of your career, expertise and/or industry experience?

 I’m a marketing professional with 15+ years of experience in digital strategy and execution across several top tier financial services brands.

 Sentence 2: Name your strengths, passions, a “why” and/or a career highlight.

 I’m passionate about developing content that brings the untold stories of real people to life–with detail, empathy, honesty and at least a little bit of fun.

 Sentence 3: Acknowledge the current moment and a shift you are making to adjust.

 During this time of COVID, I’ve been truly moved by the stories of healthcare professionals, their resilience, and their commitment to not only saving lives on the frontlines but also to share information and tools with the public to help with prevention. It’s prompted me to want to pivot—using my marketing and storytelling skills to continue to bring these stories to light for inspiration and hope in this moment.

 Sentence 4: What you’re looking for…the ask

 If you know of health systems or healthcare organizations who are looking for digital marketing and content support, I would love an intro. Thanks!

 Bring it together:

 I’m a marketing professional with 15+ years’ experience in digital strategy and execution across several top tier financial services brands. I’m passionate about developing content that brings the untold stories of real people to life--with detail, empathy, honesty and at least a little bit of fun. During this time of COVID, I’ve been truly moved by the stories of healthcare professionals, their resilience, and their commitment to not only saving lives on the frontlines but also to sharing information and tools with the public to help with prevention. It’s prompted me to pivot—using my marketing and storytelling skills to help organizations continue to bring these stories to light for inspiration and hope in this moment. If you know of health systems or healthcare organizations who are looking for digital marketing and content support, I would love an intro.

Now that you have your pitch, please do this important next step: Use it. Of course this looks different than it did pre-pandemic. I’ve been known to say in the past, network where you are—a coffee shop, birthday party, school drop off or the dog park. In our current times it’s more like—your couch, your bed, your dining room table and for those lucky few—the home office. You must make more of an effort to be visible and that means getting uncomfortable. Attend virtual events, set up zoom meetings and informational interviews, reach out to your contacts with a note to let them know what types of roles you’re seeking. Remember, people want to help. It makes them feel good—especially right now, when we are feeling helpless about so much in our changing world.

If you’re looking for a little extra support in honing your Elevator Pitch, please consider the Nail Your Elevator Pitch Mini Course!

The Mini Course includes…

Five short videos that walk you through:

• A welcome and setting you up for success

• Identifying your strengths

• The strategy and approach to writing your pitch

• The formula for three different types of pitches based on your situation

• Getting into action with your pitch

Plus, a workbook where you can write the first drafts of your pitch.

All for $60!

Add a 45-minute 1:1 session to workshop your pitch with Rachel for $125.

Let’s get you out there networking with a pitch that will give you the momentum you need to make that next big career move. Take the next step here: https://www.rachelbgarrett.com/pitch