Kalia D’Angelo is a Marketing Manager of Status and Fulfilment at Velocity Frequent Flyer. She is also completing a Master of Management part-time.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
Sure, so I started out in Marketing, working for a FMCG business. I then moved to a small Marketing agency that works predominantly within the Automotive industry and I now work at Velocity Frequent Flyer as the Status & Fulfilment Marketing Lead.
I am about to commence my final semester at UTS undertaking a Master of Management which I have been doing part-time alongside work.
I’m proud to have also commenced freelance consulting with 2 small B2B businesses, helping them to pivot and remain competitive.
2. What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
Haha I love this question as my days are super inconsistent, which people might find surprising as I am an extremely organised person by nature.
Here’s an example of the way I approach the beginning of each week, with a focus on balancing efficiency at work with wellness and mindfulness during my downtime.
Sunday night: I always write down my goals for the week and one thing I am grateful for (using my Mi Goals journal). I create a prioritised task list for work and make sure I am on top of my calendar.
To start my days, I wake up and exercise for ½ hour with a friend (she comes over every morning). Since lockdown, we have adapted our workout routine to be more convenient.
Then I head to a coffee catch up with a Marketing Manager from one of the businesses I freelance with.
By 8.30am I am home commencing my day at Velocity, responding to weekend emails and attending the Team Huddle.
I always leave a couple of hours free to get through my task list. As I work in a collaborative cross-functional team I often have a few meetings locked in the calendar. Our daily tasks consist of strategic initiatives and optimisations to the Status lifecycle and experience.
At 5.30pm I (try) take the dog for a walk to wind down, help cook dinner, do some freelance or Uni work, watch some Netflix or read and make sure I am in bed by 10.45pm.
Whilst no two days are ever the same, it’s the variety of my work that keeps me coming back for more!
3. Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Yes, thank goodness, because I don’t think I could manage without it! I am so lucky that even before COVID-19, Velocity had a flexible work policy established.
It is the simple things that remote working offers like: attending a town hall company meeting (whilst squeezing in an afternoon walk) or saving time on commuting and being able to enjoy a coffee at breakfast time with your partner.
4. What does your work life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Work life balance and mental health come as a unit to me. Without exercise, family or friend time in a day, I feel drained, unmotivated and lethargic. I love working, however sitting at a computer from 8.30 – 5.30pm (let’s be honest) is tiring.
So, if you are one who struggles to do both, make yourself a life calendar (that seems to work best for me). Plan to take time off. I once read that people who schedule in time to sleep end up having a better routine overall. Take the time to work out what suits you!
My motto is: It is possible to manage more than just your job – write it down, make it happen and listen to your body.
5. In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Definitely. Since COVID-19, I have become more comfortable with less structure.
This has resulted in me trying not to plan my weekends, months in advance and having my calendar always locked down. It has been a breath of fresh air being able to take my weekends more slowly and just roll with it!
I feel like this small change has empowered me to appreciate the small things in life, that I was taking for granted.
6. Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Turia Pitt’s book Unmasked was inspiring, as it gave me a lot of perspective. I think it was once I read her book that I became more appreciative of my surroundings and opportunities (read resilience!) and the power of storytelling.
One of my favourite quotes from her book is: “is it not a goal unless it is a stretch goal”. Now for some people, that would not be true, but for me, I feel like that’s how I live. Always wanting a new challenge. She made me realise that this is completely normal and is not a bad thing!
One of my go-to podcasts-to-escape a long day is Hamish and Andy. Sometimes we are all too serious and although their episodes sometimes leave you thinking “what the hell did I just listen to”, I always walk away with one new piece of knowledge and a sore face (from laughing so much).
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
There are probably four things I use daily to help me stay on top of my crazy schedule and lifestyle:
1) I use my Fitbit to stay on top of my step count so that I ensure I get up and move during the day.
2 & 3) I would say, my Google Calendar and Drive hold my life. I even made a joint calendar with my boyfriend (yep) to ensure we have visibility on our social events in both our calendars.
4) My Mi Goals journal has also been an amazing tool I started using this year to create weekly goals, track my habits, ensure I write something down I am grateful for and work on some weekly wins.
Because of this, I have become self-accountable and it has really helped me get some stuff done that I had been putting off for years!
8) If you could read an interview about work life balance by anyone who would it be?
Emma Issacs for sure.
Emma is a power woman who manages balancing being an influential leader, author, mother and coach. I mean, she live-streamed the birth of her 6th child. I need know-how on earth she had time to schedule that in too!
She has this infectious positivity towards life, which I would love to read more about.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Sure, here are some of the principles I live by:
Never expect of others what you expect of yourself. People are different for a reason, instead see it as a learning opportunity, what do they offer that I don’t? What story do they have to tell?
Failing needs to be fun. Once you fall down, there is only one way to go, up. Someone told me once that work colleagues cannot be friends. Wrong, some of my closest colleagues have become best friends to me.
Trust your instincts and bounce off one another. Some of the best work I have accomplished has been with a close friend from work.
Taking it all on is not always the best answer. I am lucky to have an amazing family, a close group of friends and an incredible partner who help keep me down to earth and are constantly reminding me to relax.
Write everything down. It has helped me get to sleep if I have been restless, manage my schedule, prioritise what is important and make time to enjoy life.
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