What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been told in your career so far?
Someone explained to me once the physical reaction of our brain during work stress, which has fundamentally helped me better manage high-pressure situations. Essentially, the brain goes into “survival” mode shutting down all non-essential activity and thus literally physically less able to do our work effectively. That’s why short breaks are essential to “restart” your brain and bring it back to rest mode. Suddenly, previously overwhelming or impossible tasks will seem manageable.
What is your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of the job is without a doubt the people. The Berlin office is a relatively small team and so we are quite the tight knit group of people that always has each other’s back. At this point in my career, the most rewarding part has been being able to support others in their development and seeing them grow as professionals.
What has been your favourite experience at Portland so far?
This is a difficult one to narrow down. There have been so many fantastic experiences over the years with clients and with the team. But if I have to name just one, it must have been the opportunity to reunite in-person with colleagues from Brussels and Paris after 1.5 years of pandemic separation at a summer party last year. And even meet for the first time some (not so) new colleagues, that had started their jobs fully remotely.
What advice would you give your 20-year-old self starting out in comms, or to someone entering this field of work?
Our job is in so many ways understanding different perspectives and bringing them together to offer a creative and productive solution. Trust that whatever experience you have gathered before will give you a unique perspective on creating these solutions. No one has your CV or your experience and so no matter where you are at in your career, you will be able to provide insights or ideas that have value.
What do you do to switch off from work?
I love to put on a podcast and cook and just shut out the world for a little while. Beyond that it’s the classics really: taking a walk, reading a good book, binging a TV show, or playing a video game.