Morning Brew - 🥗 Health is wealth

Time-saving tools and products we’re really into rn.

Keep up with your Netflix series even in the kitchen with this SmartMat, which serves as both a trivet and an iPad stand. Just try not to burn the house down.

Don’t miss the emails that are actually important; respond to the ones that matter with email assistant Superhuman.

Set boundaries with your coworkers to avoid awkward venting sessions. You are not the office’s emotional dumpster!

“I feel as though I’m the strategist and the consultant for the future world that we want to live in for women of color.”

Lauren Maillian is a serial entrepreneur, as well as CEO and board member of digitalundivided, a social organization dedicated to raising VC funding and promoting economic growth for Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs. She serves as an investor and advisor to several startups, including Ephemeral Tattoo, Kroma Wellness, and Ruggable.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kickoff: “I wake up with natural sunlight, which has been a really big change in my life since we moved to Puerto Rico [from New York]. I get up and read the news while in bed—30 minutes of news and 10 minutes of gossip, because I have to find some balance. And then I have to start my day with working out, because I need to start, not at 100, but at 300. I’ve got to always show up with a certain level of energy, innovation, ideas, and strategies to create the change we want to see for Black and Latina women. Within innovation, venture capital, private equity, and tech it’s a completely different challenge than trying to just have more diverse faces in a room…we want to actually change not just what rooms look like but how systems are created and how opportunity is divided and shared.”

The not-so average, average day: “It’s a mix of touching base with my team, my chief of staff, and my strategic assistant, who’s helping me pinch hit on all things and stay organized. I speak to a lot of the decision makers—C-suite leaders, EVPs, SVPs at our banking partners, everyone from JPMorgan Chase to Prudential Silicon Valley Bank. We’ve got an incredible partnership with NASDAQ. [I’m remote] in Puerto Rico, so I’ve been traveling a lot, but I’m not complaining. It’s definitely a different way of life.”

Handling setbacks: “I’m really big on overcommunicating. I believe that a lot of people make assumptions that can be avoided with clear communication. We often panic around missteps or delays, and I’m someone who believes in intent. So as long as the intent was good and positive, I think you can always turn around missteps and delays with good communication.”

Passion project: “This is not just work, this is personal. It’s work that is emotionally draining, mentally draining. What I really love about the job is that it’s part marketing, branding, storytelling, shifting public perception by way of setting a living example, and changing the storylines in the narratives and the headlines that we see. But then continuing to make that kind of external change possible by the internal work that we do every day...[finding] the solutions that I personally have always thought would help shift the paradigm. And then to actually be able to put it into action and see the fruits of my labor come full circle has been incredible.”

Setting goals: “I just recently had a conversation with Daymond John of Shark Tank, and he says he reads his 10 goals every night before he goes to sleep. I’ve actually started doing that, and breaking down my goals into what’s achievable right away or on a monthly or quarterly basis, and others that are annual goals or 10-year goals or even lifetime goals.”

Finding balance: “​​In Puerto Rico, one of the most magical things about living here is that the culture prioritizes family over everything else. So I picked that up in the last almost two years of being here. It’s not a balance, it’s like a bifurcation of life. It’s about having my time to be a mom and a wife, and to [work] and have fun. It’s creating boundaries that you can respect and that other people have to learn to respect if they want to work with you. I don’t seek to have balance between those two. I very much seek to have separation between those two, so I can enjoy them both.”—SS

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Plan: Spend your free time more productively using this crafty system from @laurmonroe on TikTok, which involves preplanning activities based on your mood.

Try: As Pilates continues to reign supreme in the workout world, you can hop on the trend from the comfort of your home with YouTube’s help. Some fan favorite instructors include Isa Welly, Move With Nicole, and Lottie Murphy.

Drink: While a dirty Shirley may or may not get you immediately ID’d at the bar, it has officially been crowned the “It” drink of the summer. Celebrate this win for the sweet drink community by whipping one up this weekend (with tequila).

Learn: Are you the boss because your coffee mug says so, or because people see you as a leader? Learn the skills and tactics you need to level up your leadership with Morning Brew Leadership. Download the syllabus to learn more.

Your brand, our voice. Ahem (*clears throat*). We take pride in what we put out into the world, and that includes crafting custom branded content for our beloved partners. Tell your brand’s story in new and exciting ways with the Morning Brew Creative Studio.

Burning questions of our time.

Your thoughts on talent vs. skill:

My two cents as a talent development professional: ALWAYS hire for talent. Don’t discount a candidate for lack of experience, education, etc. Most skills can be trained with a good onboarding program and direct manager coaching + involvement. Something you can’t fix or train? Attitude and effort. Every time!—Meray

I used to completely believe you needed the traditional arc (college, internship, etc.) to qualify for a good job. Then I worked part-time at a restaurant to make a little extra money and met amazing, smart, and talented people who had left traditional education for myriad reasons. Some people had to become caretakers to elderly parents, some people couldn’t afford college, and others realized their university didn’t offer the courses they were looking for. And now “post” pandemic, those same people are struggling to find 9–5 corporate work because they don’t have the certificate. TL;DR: College degrees are a gatekeeping measure.—Claire

Reference honesty hour:

A glowing reference can be the final step across the finish line after a marathon job search.  But when you’re the one giving a reference, you may discover that with great power comes great responsibility—especially when you’re standing between a person and their new job. So, if your ex-coworker or direct report had some flaws or weaknesses, is it your responsibility to tell their potential employer? Is there such a thing as being too honest in a reference? What about the legal repercussions of dishing the dirt? Share your thoughts by hitting Reply.—MW