Shauna Moran is an entrepreneur, accredited coach & consultant and emotional intelligence practitioner. She is the founder and managing director of remote work consulting firm Operation Remote.

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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

My journey into coaching and working with remote teams and leaders started from the challenges I’ve experienced myself.

Building and growing remote teams for various SaaS and tech companies, I came across multiple remote-specific challenges when it came to leadership effectiveness, communication and company culture.

That led me on a journey back to university to study innovation management, and base all of my research around remote teams. Fast-forward to today, three years later- I’ve coupled that real-life experience with my academic background to build Operate Remote. 

Operate Remote specialises in leadership coaching and team effectiveness in remote teams. We work with leaders of fast-growing distributed and remote teams to guarantee highly engaged and productive teams.

Remote working is no longer the future- it’s the present and organisations need to be prepared to handle the complexities of remote working- of which there are many. The best way they can be equipped is to empower their leadership teams. 

I’m also living and breathing remote working as a business owner. I’m based in Vancouver, Canada and my team are based in Ireland and Spain and I have clients all over the world. I’m living and breathing remote working every day. 

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

After many years of working remotely, and experiencing the challenges that come with over-working at times, I’ve learned what’s best for me.

There is no-one size fits all when it comes to setting up your day and managing your time. Remote workers need to tap into self-awareness and take time to reflect to see what they really need. 

For me, I need to start my workday early and have a workout mid-morning. It’s also really important for me to have a full day away from calls and meetings so that I can focus on the most strategic activities. 

I work with many business owners and leaders who are just reacting to demands- by their team, clients or other and end up not being able to get the most meaningful tasks completed.

One of our most recent clients saved 64-hours per month by setting up a delegation and team structure, getting clear on what activities will move the needle for the business and tapping into self-awareness to understand the habits, structures and environment that works best for him. 

3) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

I couldn’t imagine not being an entrepreneur and a leader in my space, but I’m also so much more than just that. For me, work-life balance is being able to create time and space for who you are and what you value outside of your work. 

Everyone wins when we show up as the best version of ourselves. Work-life balance has never been as important as it is today and I think COVID-19 has helped people realise how remote working can support that. 

4) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

I’ve relocated my life halfway across the world on a completely different timezone to my team, my network and my clients- so yes, I’ve formed many new habits and routines. 

I’m usually on a coaching call by 6.30 am and finished with my client calls by 10 or 11 am. This allows me to enjoy my hobbies and friends at lunch and head back to the desk for some ‘deep-work’ time. 

5) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

In relation to remote working, there is so much out there right now, it can sometimes be overwhelming. 

My shameless plug is my own podcast, The Human Behind The Screen which is very different from just offering ‘remote working advice’.

I bring remote leaders on to the show to share their biggest insight, but also their biggest blocker. We have a coaching conversation around that which means our listeners can self-coach themselves through similar challenges. 

It’s huge learnings and feels very edgy but it’s incredibly authentic. 

6) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

My calendar and my Calendly link which allows me to set times and structures, create healthy boundaries and protect my time. 

7) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?  

Great question- was work-life balance a thing in Einstein’s day? 

8) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

Keep investing at getting better at remote working- whether that’s tapping into a more effective schedule for yourself, training your team on remote working best practices or improving your communication remotely. Investing your time and energy into this will only continue to pay off well into the future.

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