#ShineOn Member Claire Abdo
Name
Claire Abdo
Role
Creator
Company
Beyond Juicery & Eatery
Shine & Rise member since:
2020
Why did you join Shine & Rise?
I joined Shine & Rise at the recommendation of another member, Tara Taylor. I reconnected with Tara while I was looking for a job last September and she immediately suggested looking up Shine & Rise. Having been laid off due to COVID-19 related set backs at my former startup, I was so glad to hear her advice about the group. When I saw the website I knew it was the right place for me. I had a sort of empty space in my life since graduating college, and I needed a team, and community, a support system of strong people in my life again. I saw an opportunity to learn about some of the best and most relevant jobs to my interests on the East Side of Michigan, but more than that, I saw an opportunity to be apart of something again. A community full of like-minded individuals and people who wanted the best of one another.
How does Shine & Rise add value to your life?
I love the sense of community that Shine & Rise offers. The Slack group helps me break up my day with fun messages and encouraging stories from other women, both about their work successes and their personal lives. I also greatly enjoy meeting other women in the area, the differences in backgrounds, interests, hobbies, and just overall personalities Shine & Rise offers is wonderful and I have learned so much from my fellow members already.
What most fills up your cup?
Art! I love making and crafting of all kinds and could spend hours just creating.
What feels like a work in progress for you right now? (Question borrowed from Sophia bush’s podcast: Work In progress)
Managing my work load, personal life, and psychical and mental health in a pandemic. I know it's been over a year but I feel I am not alone when I say I am still learning how to best balance everything! I work everyday to better my habits, I push myself to be my best, but am being mindful around getting rest and relaxation time when I need to.
One thing people always come to you for is...
Creative requests! I am asked by many friends and even strangers to create websites, logos, social media posts, marketing plans, etc.. I love to help out and create and will almost always say yes if I have the bandwidth to take on the work.
What does diversity in the tech/startup ecosystem mean to you?
Having grown up in a neighborhood where most everyone was like me, going to college was my first true taste of what diversity could really mean. Since then, I strive to keep my circles diverse as I saw first hand how much I could learn from people different than myself. Not only noticing differences between myself and others, but learning from those differences and respecting someone for what makes them unique. Hearing their point of view, their background, and/or their stories, can really help me change my lens when looking at certain situations. I enjoy problem solving and find that the more people I talk to, the more lenses and I have in my tool kit to see the world through. Though their experiences are of course not mine, learning about them helps me consider things I wouldn't have before when approaching new obstacles. Having diversity among the tech and startup community is something I feel is crucial for the future of the working world. Startups as an entity are so heavily focused on problem solving, and problem solving goes best in my experience with brains that just see things differently from one another.
What's the best last article/blog post/speech/book (provide link) you read/heard, and what was its impact on you?
I'm currently working my way through a few Masterclasses. Right now I am watching Sara Blakely (the founder of Spanx) speak on entrepreneurship and engage in some marketing and branding case studies. I love listening to her speak, honestly her confidence is just inspiring. Like many other successful entrepreneurs she didn't know much when she started but it's amazing to see all she's learned since the beginning and the advice she has to give now as a highly respected business woman.
My favorite Ted Talk, by Phil Hansen is called "Embrace the Shake". I watch this honestly every few months because I just find the message so inspiring. He touches on creative block and how his health began to affect his making process. Instead of letting this stop him, he found a new way to create. This just really helps me get out of my head sometimes when I can't think of a new idea or get a design to come together just right. Check out the video!
What's one piece of advice or what are some words of wisdom you'd like to share with people who are thinking of a career in tech and/or joining a startup?
Go for it! I think the startup space can be really scary to jump into, it almost feels like once you go there, you can't come back unless you become wildly successful or something. I have found the "startup culture" to be the most exciting, creative, and challenging. For someone like me, these aspects are crucial in order to push me to continuously do my best work.
How can people get in touch with you (LinkedIn, DM on S&R, etc.)?
LinkedIn Message, Shine & Rise Slack DM, or Instagram DM! For Instagram - I have both a personal and an art account that I check on a regular basis.
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