Out of Office: Issue #1
Welcome to our first official newsletter!
Hi folks,
Let’s bring this All-Hands to order shall we?
Whether this newsletter has found your inbox because you’re a friend (… hi!), a family member, or we stumbled across your internet some other way – welcome!
We’re Dottie, I-Yana, and Patryce and this is the first issue of our monthly newsletter “Out of Office”. As three Black Canadian women who work in various areas of tech, we’ve seen the range of joys, frustrations and triumphs that Women of Colour experience both in and out of the office. But what we haven’t seen, is a clear space to talk about all of those journeys.
That’s where we come in.
In Out of Office, we look forward to sharing and unpacking our own personal career experiences (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and our learnings interspersed with culture and lifestyle – because the world is rocky enough, sometimes we need a little sprinkle of sugar to balance it out.
Come to us for takes on the podcasts, books and shows that are keeping us entertained, the socioeconomic happenings keeping us up at night, and the career knowledge we wish someone had shared with us way back when.
We want this to be a space for all of us to come together and laugh, learn and thrive together. We hope you’ll join us!!
All-Hands Agenda
(Here’s what’s on the docket for this month)
Adventures in Therapy: After almost 2 years in therapy, Dottie took some time to reflect on what she wished she knew before starting her therapy journey. She shares five key lessons she learned in her article this month — recommended reading for anyone who is considering therapy or is looking to make the most out of it.
Is This My Flop Era? If you’ve ever contemplated why, how or most importantly when you should leave an unfulfilling job, then I-Yana’s story about deciding to quit what should have been her dream job is one that will resonate with you. It’s never easy and extremely scary but completely worth it…and did we say scary!
Reading Renaissance: What’s a reader to do when the last thing they want to do is read? From memorizing lines in well read books as a child, to a four book a week habit in later years, Patryce was an avid reader by all accounts. With all the changes that 2020 brought, she found herself unable to find joy in books. Wanting to reclaim the title of ‘Reader’ she ponders what she misses about the habit of reading, and the steps she hopes might get her back in the groove.
Watercooler Chat
(Things to chat about when you’ve joined that Zoom call too early)
The Work You Do, The Person You Are — a beautiful short essay and much needed reminder from Toni Morrison
Ever heard of a Decision Coach? We hadn’t either, but we’d definitely consider seeing one after reading this Interview with a Decision Coach
Sticking with I-Yana’s theme this newsletter, here’s another perspective if you’re considering quitting: I Quit My Job To Be "FUNemployed" For A Year
“Let’s start from the very beginning, a very good place to start…” and other thoughts on new starts for a new year
As those resolutions wind up, Ijeoma’s Biggest, Fattest Year Ever is here to reiterate that our size is the least important thing about us
In 2023, let’s continue on with not letting work ‘Break [our] Soul’
And finally, a handy New Year reminder from Elaine Welteroth:
Status Update
Each month we’d like to end the newsletter with a “Status Update” - think Slack status but make it fun, where we drop a piece of culture, word, thought etc. that sums up the energy we’re currently feeling.
We’ll go first!
Dottie: Ain't nothin' without a woman, no. Woman to woman, I just wanna see you glow! 🎵
I-Yana: It looks like my “boyfriend” is also leaving his job! 📰
Patryce: Feels like a good vibe to kick off the year 🎵
As we’re here in January and so many of us are thinking of what 2023 has in store, share with us in the comments how you’re feeling and what you're calling forward in the month ahead.
That’s it for this month, folks!
Happy January!
Dottie, I-Yana, and Patryce
I love this!