5 minutes with Autumn Nazarian

#TeamMindshare believes in Speed, Teamwork and Provocation. As we adjust to working differently, we're continuing to empower people to challenge the status quo, through what we call Provocation with Purpose. We’re proud to be unmistakably #TeamMindshare and make it the place where we do the best work of our career, grow and have fun. Hear from Autumn on how she's adapted, what her biggest learning is and how she keeps being inspired.

Your biggest learning?

That you can conduct business with kindness. All of my business heroes have found ways to be the best at what they do, and do it with kindness. Kindness is a verb, a skill set, and something you have to practice. You can be kind and negotiate the hell out of a deal. You can be kind and be critical and analytical. Kindness is not being passively nice or fake. It’s tapping into empathy and humanity, and doing your best to bring integrity into every interaction. It’s an endless work in progress, but I think it’s key to building the best types of connections and relationships throughout your career.

One word to describe the last few months?

Tough. I know we are all growing somehow from our experiences in 2020, and I’m grateful for what I have - but it’s just been a tough year in so many ways.  We’ve had to get tougher. We’ve been through tough things. Tough.

Best advice you gave out about working differently?

Take breaks. Give yourself permission to feel off-kilter or unbalanced; it’s a very normal reaction to an abnormal situation. But reach out if you need a helping hand. Choose days to be off camera. Limit screen time when you can. Try and get some sunshine or fresh air every day. 

How have you stayed inspired?

I’m constantly inspired by the people I work with. 

Going to nature has been the best outside inspiration for me. That can be a walk in my neighborhood or heading to the park or the beach. I’ve also been so thankful that we are living in a golden age of content. Sometimes it’s the only way to turn my brain off.

I also lead something called Ted Talk Tuesdays, and it's always a highlight. It's a weekly session, where we learn about new ideas and then have philosophical conversations about our own experiences. It’s a great mental break from client projects but then somehow always ends up being immediately relevant to the work.