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1/16/2022

EPISODE 206 - CASE STUDY w/ ENDORA'S BAKEHOUSE

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EPISODE 206: CASE STUDY w/ ENDORA'S BAKEHOUSE
Join hosts Ally and Kara as they interview Dallas-based cookier Danielle Poage about her cookie decorating business Endora’s Bakehouse. Danielle provides a candid view into the world of at-home bakers and small business owners. They dig into how to set prices, the pros and cons of social media, and why Danielle named her store after a witch (spoiler alert; it’s because she’s cool). Learn more about Danielle at www.endorasbakehouse.com! 

​Listen to episode 206 here!

​

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RESOURCES

More about Danielle’s business:
Endora’s Bakehouse is based in Dallas, Texas. Danielle has been a baker for a decade and currently focuses on decorated sugar cookies. She can make a cookie for any occasion! Danielle has graciously offered our YTOS listeners a coupon code for 10% off! If you’re in the Dallas area, be sure to mention the code YTOS when you contact her for an order! 
ALSO as discussed in this episode, Danielle just launched her cookie of the month! Be sure to check out the current offering on her website.
Lastly check out her Instagram for evidence of her beautiful cookie-based artwork.

And don’t forget these gorgeous YTOS cookies our husbands hired her to make for us last year!

OTHER STUFF

Danielle mentioned taking classes with Arty McGoo, if you want to check out her classes and cookies. She also referenced a book she was reading - Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy.

Be sure to read Ally's favorite article of 2021 Bad Art Friend. The story is FASCINATING.

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1/9/2022

EPISODE 205 - PROFESH DEVELOPMENT IN THE TIME OF COVID

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EPISODE 205: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE TIME OF COVID
How are you supposed to network when you can't get within six feet of another person? In this episode Ally and Kara discuss how professional development has changed in the time of COVID - and hey, some of it is actually for the better! Ally uses her background in coaching and consulting to provide great tips on learning and networking in the time of COVID while Kara talks about the increasing accessibility of virtual events and online communities. Come learn about how to connect and grow from the comfort of your pajama pants! 

Listen to Episode 205 here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Resources

NETWORKING
  • Use LinkedIn. 
    • Keep your experience updated. 
    • Be active! Like and share posts that are relevant to the work you are doing (or want to do). Post updates for yourself when you have them. 
    • Don’t be afraid to reach out to people!
    • Ally Tip: On a person’s profile, you can see their activity for the last 90 days to assess how likely they are to see or interact with you on there.
  • Use Instagram and Facebook to find your communities.
    • For example, in animation we have Rise Up Animation and Asian Queens.
    • But there are LOTS of communities for every industry!
    • Follow these communities, participate in their free events, and engage with their members!
  • Virtual events allow for access to conferences you never had before.
    • Many of them are free! Or the access is a nominal fee, which is so much more affordable than traveling to California or Italy to attend.
    • The conference I reference in this episode is LightBox Expo.

GROWTH
  • Online education is finally getting the validation it has long deserved!
  • Use this time to go back to school online - you could attend a school previously out of physical range that is now available. 
  • Not interested in a full degree? Be sure to check out accredited certification programs in your field. They probably run six months to a year. 
  • Not interested in a long form program? Be sure to check out online classes offered by local community colleges, your library, or even your Parks & Rec. For $50 you can take an online class in QuickBooks to help you jumpstart your small business!
  • Not interested in classes at all? You can still educate yourself with library apps!
    • Libby
    • Overdrive (the parent company of Libby)
    • Kanopy

Hot Tips from Ally:
  • Keep your resume updated at all times.
  • Keep a list of your running job responsibilities or tasks so that it’s easy to reference your experience.
  • Do NOT send your resume out as a word document - save it out as a PDF! More info here.
  • “Do not use Papyrus or Comic Sans on your resume. That is the hill I will die on.” - Ally Perkins, 2021.

Hot Tips from my sister Morgan:
  • Join local or online professional groups.
  • Vocalize - share what it is you are going through! You’d be surprised at just how many people are going through something similar to you. Let people know how they can help you.
  • Volunteer and/or get involved with a non-profit. “Community involvement is like a feel good spider web.”
  • Some questions to use at the end of a conversation:
    1. Any recommendations to explore additional opportunities in this area (could be city or field of work)?
    2. Are you aware of someone within this community that I could reach out to?
    3. What advice do you have for someone who recently moved to this area (or into this field of work) and is looking for a new job?

And follow @newhappyco on Instagram for pleasing visuals about your personal and professional growth!

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1/3/2022

EPISODE 204 - DELEGATION & THE CULTURE OF MARTYRDOM

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EPISODE 204: DELEGATION & THE CULTURE OF MARTYRDOM
Learning to share the load (both at work and at home!) is maybe the hardest part of being an adult. In this episode, Ally and Kara explore how our inability to delegate relates to our ridiculous self-imposed mission to complete everything ourselves. This leads to a textbook case of martyrdom, which in turn creates a troubling Culture of Martyrdom in our work and home lives. Follow along as Ally and Kara detail their struggles and provide suggestions on how to break out of this exhausting way of thinking and working!

Listen to Episode 204 here!

RESOURCES

Trust & Delegation
“Trust is choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.”

“Distrust is: what’s important to me is not safe with this person in this situation.”
- Charles Feltman, The Thin Book of Trust
(Recently featured on Brene Brown's Dare to Lead podcast!)

More from Brene - she has a great guide on how to build trust with others, which in turn will help you learn to delegate to them. 

The Worker Revolution
IATSE Strike details
Who is driving the Great Resignation of 2021? - Harvard Business Review
Revolt of the American Worker - New York Times

Personal Recommendations

Miro, Kara's new favorite browser-based collaborative whiteboard platform.
Ally is watching and loving Squid Game (which relates nicely to our discussion of the workforce and general frustrations with capitalism this episode!).

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12/27/2021

EPISODE 203 - PREPARING FOR A PRESENTATION

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EPISODE 203: PREPARING FOR A PRESENTATION
In Episode 203, Ally and Kara discuss how to prepare for a pitch or presentation. Listen in as your favorite powerpoint nerds explain where to start (logistics and location!), what content to emphasize (tailor your message to your recipient!), and what visuals to consider (all the visuals, none of the words!). Let us know your favorite presentation prep tricks in the comments below!

Listen to Episode 203 here:

QUICKSTART PRESENTATION GUIDE

LOGISTICS: Question to ask yourself
  • How much time do I have?
  • Is there time set aside for Q&A afterwards?
  • What’s the venue like?
  • Do you have tech questions or is there time for a practice run?
  • What time of day will I be speaking?
  • Who is the audience? What is their background?
  • Why was I asked to speak?
  • What do I want THEM to do after this presentation?
  • What visual medium is most appropriate for this?

CONTENT: What to include and where
  • Introduction
  • Elevator pitch
  • Objectives and goals, catered to audience
  • What’s the ask?
  • Methods / project plans / execution
  • Why now?
  • Conclusion

MORE RESOURCES

"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave." - Dale Carnegie 

"If you can't write your message in a sentence, you can't say it in an hour." - Dianna Booher

For some great examples of pitches and presentations, check out Ted Talks and Shark Tank pitches ! 

Speaking of presentations, Kara spoke at Trojan Horse Was a Unicorn this year. Find out more about THU here!

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12/15/2021

EPISODE 202 - DIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION

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EPISODE 202: DIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION
In this episode of YTOS, Kara and Ally discuss the importance of tailoring your message to your audience. They recount some pretty significant experiences in which asking the right questions made all the difference, and provide guidance on how to to communicate value to the people you're speaking with. Join our hosts as they explore how voice, intention and understanding what really matters to your audience can lead to more effective communication on a team, in the home and in your workplace.
​
Listen to Episode 202 here!

OVERVIEW
Directional Communication is more than simply managing up or managing down. It's about tailoring your message to the recipient, instead of focusing on what's important to you. The three questions you need to ask yourself:
  • Who am I communicating with? 
  • What do they care about?
  • How can I use this to my advantage / how can I align our goals?
This is about navigation, not manipulation! The intention is clear and honest communication, not winning.

We are at our best as communicators when we can assess where the other person comes from.
"Everyone is thinking about themselves, just like you are." - Kara's Mom

​
RESOURCES
More info on the Franklin Covey Emotional Bank Account
Brene Brown's Marble Jar analogy for trust
Food Producer June Xie 
  • ​IG account @thank9stars
  • Youtube: BudgetEats with Delish
Dare to Lead Meeting Makeover episode with special guest Priya Parker

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12/7/2021

EPISODE 201 - REFLECTING ON 2021

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EPISODE 201: REFLECTING ON 2021
Welcome back, YTOS friends! Join Ally and Kara as they recap their 2021 New Years Resolutions, discuss their major personal and professional life updates, and give you a sneak peak into what this season of You'll Think of Something is going to look like! We have some podcast format changes and exciting topics in store!
​
Listen to Episode 201 here!

Resources

Info on Kara's new job!
Amazon Alternative - Bookshop.org
Ally's favorite Daily Burn app

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11/27/2021

SEASON TWO IS COMING!

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Season two is on its way!
Listen to the trailer here or wherever you get your podcasts!

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1/4/2021

BONUS EPISODE 1 - RESOLUTIONS + SMART GOALS

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BONUS EPISODE 1: RESOLUTIONS + SMART GOALS
​It's a new year, and Ally and Kara are ready to take it on! In this episode, our co-hosts talk self-care, resolutions and how they go about setting their goals. Ally’s goals are traditional SMART goals with clear timelines and units of measurement in each goal. Kara's goals are influenced by the SMART model but with her own twist - she uses categories and dependencies to keep her goals focused without being restricted by more arbitrary timelines. 

As always, they discuss what works for them and why, in a fun and fast(er) conversation to jump start 2021!


​RESOURCES:

SMART GOALS DEFINITION

SMART is an acronym:
S stands for specific to keep the goal focused.
M stands for Measurable, which means that you need to be able to apply a unit of measure so that you will have a concrete indicator as to when you have met your goal.
A stands for Achievable OR Attainable so that you keep your goals realistic.
R stands for Relevant which is all about making sure that your goals align with your life and values.
T stands for time bound which is about giving yourself a deadline.

Alternate goal structure:

Gretchen Rubin’s List Structure from her Happier podcast

ALLY’S GOALS

1. I will complete 240 workouts by December 31, 2021 by working towards a goal of 5 30-minute workouts each week. To meet this goal I will use a combination of walking and my Daily Burn class app.

2. Post a video message or reflection on something that I learned once a week on LinkedIn. (Follow Ally on LinkedIn here!)

3. During the YTOS recording schedule, I will check my calendar before committing to outside activities to avoid double-booking myself thereby forcing us to reschedule our recording sessions. (SORRY, KARA!)

4. I will set up my Etsy store and sell 10 products by the end of the year.

KARA’S GOALS

ENVIRONMENT
  • Find a more ecologically friendly laundry solution
  • One vegetarian meal/week + limit beef intake to two times per week
  • Start composting by summer 2021.
  • Phase out Amazon prime and don’t renew in July 2021.
  • Purchase produce from local places (like farmer’s markets) after the vaccine.

FINANCE
  • Write will by end of summer
  • Open a 401k replacement for DFW Scavenger Hunts by June 2021
  • Disney World: Create budget and savings plan for a 2022 trip.

WELLNESS
  • 4 x week: Walk for 30 min
  • Yoga twice a week
  • Cultural Intake
    • Watch one movie a week
    • Read six to eight fiction books
    • Read four non-fiction books

CAREER & GROWTH
  • 2021 Siggraph panel or workshop
  • 2021 Women in Animation workshop
  • Grad School
  • 2 summer classes
  • 1 fall class
  • Record 1-2 more seasons of YTOS
  • What’s next for me?

FAMILY/TRAVEL
Audited for privacy!

HOME
OUTSIDE
  • Cement hot tub tiles before pool season.
  • Plant a lime tree in March.
  • Plant veggie garden in March.
  • Create plan for front yard landscaping.
INSIDE
  • Organize memory boxes + kid art
  • New hanging light in art room
  • Refinish kids’ bathtub
  • Hang frames in our bedroom

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12/15/2020

EPISODE 106 - CASE STUDY w/ DFW SCAVENGER HUNT

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EPISODE 106: Case Study w/ DFW Scavenger Hunt
In their final episode of the season, Ally and Kara interview small business owner Brandon Oropallo about how his company DFW Scavenger Hunt had to pivot from offering local in-person activities to international virtual experiences during the COVID 19 pandemic. They discuss all the creative pivots and management logistics Brandon had to work through in order to come up with a viable and successful product. 

Brandon’s story is the perfect example of how you WILL think of something!

Episode 106: Case Study w/ DFW Scavenger Hunt Worksheet

Episode 106: Case Study w/ DFW Scavenger Hunt 


​

DFW Scavenger Hunt

IG: DFWScavengerHunt
Website & info: www.dfwscavengerhunt.com
Promo code available for YTOS listeners!
On the website, enter “YTOS” in the Promo Code box for 10% off!

Recommendations

Kara: Love Craft Country on HBO

Ally: Second Hand by Adam Minter

Brandon: Richard Osman’s House of Games
​

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12/6/2020

EPISODE 105 - FINDING INSPIRATION

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EPISODE 105: Finding Inspiration
Ally and Kara have spent most of this season talking about how to bring structure and order to your creative project, but in this episode they focus on how to get inspired to create in the first place. They talk about their sources of inspiration, the relationship between inspiration and social media, and the difference between inspiration and stealing. 

Episode 105: Finding Inspiration Worksheet

Episode 105: Finding Inspiration



Books

The Creative Practice. Tharp, Twyla

Instagram Accounts

Kara Recommendations:
Movies: This Was Hollywood
Art: Lisa Congdon
Mom Art: Dr. Grace Farris
Quotes: Kelly Beall / Design Crush
Social Justice: So You Want To Talk About...

​Ally Recommendations:
Fashion / Process: Dressing Dawn
Iteration and development: The Art of Animation

Quotations

"I should have been a great many things..." - Jo March, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Ira Glass - The Gap

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." - Pablo Picasso

"The routine is as much a part of the creative process as the lightning bolt of inspiration, maybe more." - Twyla Tharp

Plugs

Kara: Night Shift - ATEC Animation Lab 2020 short
Ally: Follow Ally on IG orLinkedin to learn more about her career resources!
​

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11/29/2020

EPISODE 104 - SCHEDULING FOR CREATIVE PROJECTS

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EPISODE 104: SCHEDULING FOR CREATIVE PROJECTS
This episode is a deep dive into the wonderful world of scheduling, an incredibly important but often ignored part of the creative process. Ally and Kara dig into scheduling strategies, software advice (Excel all the way, baby!), and where and how to get started. They talk about task dependencies, gantt vs agile scheduling, and how to visualize your schedule for the correct audience.

​​Download Episode 104: Scheduling Creative Projects Worksheet

Episode 104: Scheduling Creative Projects
​

 Overview  
Agile versus Gantt
Creative Brief Templates 

Excel
Excel basics video
Excel intermediate video
Excel schedule templates

Other Software
Shotgun
Asana
Gantter
Smart Sheet
Wrike
Trello
Miro

Books
Ten Steps to Successful Project Management. Russell, Lou
Managing the Design Process - Implementing Design. Stone, Terry Lee
Educated - Westover, Tara

Other Fun Bits
Covid Playing Cards
James Baxter in Adventure Time

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11/2/2020

EPISODE 103 - THE JOY OF MEETINGS

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EPISODE 103: THE JOY OF MEETINGS
This episode’s focus is on the joy - and trouble - with meetings. After a spicy discussion on how effective meetings are, Ally and Kara use their worksheets to come up with some important ground rules for preparing and running meetings, to ensure the time is useful for all participants. They pay particular attention to virtual meetings and how to adjust to our new zoom-based society.

Oh - and don’t miss the drop-in visit from our unexpected guest!

​
​Download Episode 103: The Joy of Meetings Worksheet

Episode 103: The Joy of Meetings

Books

Read This Before Your Next Meeting. Pittampali, Al (plus other books)
Radical Candor. Scott, Kim

Podcasts

Freakonomics - Ep 398: How to Make Meetings Less Terrible

Programs

Deep Vellum book club - Book Cult

Other

Meeting Calculator
Calculate the cost of the people + time.

The Social Styles Model
A framework that categorizes people based on personality traits and how they interact with others.

The Marshmallow Test
Walter Mischel’s famous Stanford study on patience vs instant gratification.

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10/25/2020

EPISODE 102 - MANAGING YOU!

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EPISODE 102: MANAGING YOU!
This week’s episode is all about managing yourself and your time! Ally and Kara use the 102 worksheet to walk through all of their tips, tricks, and strategies around to-do lists, personal calendars, and general time management. Because it’s so important to create a system that works specifically for you, Ally and Kara really dig into their motivations, as well as their failed attempts at organization, that led them to their current systems.  See below for all the resources mentioned on the show!
​
​Download Episode 102: Managing You Worksheet
Listen to Episode 102: Managing You

Motivation/Frameworks

The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
Also check out this cute animated explainer video by RSA!

Vision Boarding 

Eisenhower Matrix

Systems of Organization

Trello
Software + app for to-do lists for individual or team use
 Bonus: Trello templates! 

Any.Do
AnyList
Paprika Recipe Manager 
 Apps for shared lists

Bullet Journaling
Analog to do list for individual use

Erin Condren Planners
 Personalized planners

Podcasts

Happier - Gretchen Rubin

Books

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKweon

Media

Trial by Media

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10/1/2020

EPISODE 101 - ICE BREAKERS!

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EPISODE 101: ICE BREAKERS!
In their first episode ever, Ally and Kara break the ice by introducing themselves and explaining how You’ll Think of Something came to fruition. Then they use the 101 worksheet to walk through their personal experiences with ice breakers, offering tips, tricks, and best practices. See below for all the resources mentioned on the show.
​
​Download Episode 101: Icebreakers Worksheet
Listen to Episode 101: Icebreakers!
​

Virtual-Friendly Activities
These can be done virtually in breakout rooms.

Ten Things in Common Icebreaker 

Blind Drawing Icebreaker 
Info found under "Activity 1" on this page

In-Person Activities
These are best in person. Both could be adjusted for social distancing tho!

Thumball

Form a Group Icebreaker 

Podcasts
​
Time to Act - Inclusion in Technology by 2030

Networking & Conferences

Southwest Learning Summit - ATD Dallas Chapter

Elliot Masie Learning
​

Spousal Shout Outs

DFW Scavenger Hunt
Offering virtual scavenger hunts and team building activities for corporate and family groups

H2OMG! Podcast
A podcast all about WATER & all the ways it touches our lives from Fort Worth Water!

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Details

    CREATORS.
    Ally Perkins & Kara Oropallo. 

    SPECIAL THANKS.
    Audio and Technology Support - John-Michael Perkins
    Beverage Provider - Brandon Oropallo

    .

    Categories

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    Ice Breaker
    Meetings
    Season One

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