10th Edition: Feedback Gym, Reverse Brainstorming & Admirable Qualities

Thanks for being here

Hey everyone, hope you’re having a wonder-full week :)

I’m headed to NYC on Saturday and I can’t freaking wait.

I’ve always found New York fascinating and if it wasn’t so hard to get a US Visa, I totally would’ve lived there at some point in my twenties.

The upside to immigration laws killing that dream was the realization of several others—like living in London, Sydney and Paris. Had I been able to move to New York, I don’t know if I would’ve ventured overseas.

I like to think the universe was working its magic to lead me where I was meant to go.

How could it not be with sights like this:

One of many magical evenings at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia

Having grown up in The Laurentians—in a quaint ski town 45 minutes north of Montreal—I’ve always felt most at home surrounded by nature. But there was something about the grandness of the ocean and the beauty of its surroundings in Australia that gave me a profound sense of calm. I miss it.

Someone once called me a “city girl” when they learned I’d lived in London and Paris. It made me laugh because in London I gravitated toward an apartment by Hampstead Heath—one of the city’s largest and most untouched green spaces wrapped around a small murky lake (which my Australian roommate was mortified to see people swimming in). And in Paris, I was hell bent on being a short walk from the Seine, where I’d stroll by the water daily and make my way to the Tour Eiffel at least once a week.

My first morning stroll through Le Marais—my favourite area— as a Parisian

I was also quick to opt in to Ubisoft’s annual ski trip. I’d skied all my life—mainly in Quebec and also in Vermont and Queenstown, New Zealand—but this was my first time blazing through the Alps. It was like being in a snow globe. One of the coolest experiences of my life—despite fracturing my tailbone and being taken away by ambulance. But that’s a story for another time.

The good news is I wasn’t deterred from skiing in the Alps. I was back the following Winter and came out refreshed and rejuvenated. Tailbone intact.

My first ski trip to the Alps with my Ubisoft colleagues

Anyway, back to NYC. I’ve always dreamt of seeing it in full Christmas galore so I could not be more pumped for this getaway.

If you’re in the city, let me know and we can try to catch up.

💌 For more updates (and photos of NYC), stay tuned!

In the meantime, here are three gems I want to share with you:

An Experience To Inspire: The Feedback Gym

When it comes to being a student, a great way to shortchange your ROI for a course is to not sustain your practice. Everything we learn in the classroom needs to be applied repeatedly over time in order for us to reap the benefits.

But momentum and accountability are driven through community. Which is why I’m grateful a number of my fellow writers continuously show up to a daily “Feedback Gym” that we started during a course called Write of Passage. The course ended in October and to see my friends continuously putting in the reps over two months later is incredibly inspiring.

From now on I’m only investing in courses with community at heart.

✍️ The next Write of Passage cohort kicks off in Feb. Click here for info and feel free to message me with any questions if you’re on the fence.

A Resource To Consider: Start With Reverse Brainstorming

How to approach brainstorming from a new perspective (Image source: HerPower2 Lead)

Reverse brainstorming is one of the coolest exercises I learned in 2020. It’s simple: instead of brainstorming optimal ideas, you brainstorm awful ideas first.

For example, let’s say we’re trying to think of a breakout activity for an online course. Instead of jumping to ideas for what could be enjoyable, we start by listing ways it could suck—like forcing people to do cringeworthy ice breakers, giving them a ton of time so they get bored, or not providing instructions so they get confused.

By getting clarity on what to avoid, we actually get clarity on what’s essential. So now when we begin brainstorming optimal ideas, we have a baseline to work from. We know we need a non-cringeworthy icebreaker, we need only as much time as will keep them engaged, and we need to provide clear instructions so they don’t get confused.

🤔 Try it out and hit reply to let me know how it goes.

A Question To Ponder: Admirable Qualities

Yesterday I shared this list of qualities I admire in others—be it peers, mentors or students.

💭 What qualities do you admire and how are they showing up in the people around you?

Alexandra Allen @AlexandraAllen_

I admire people who build their careers through: • empathy • kindness • joyfulness • humour • loyalty Those I admire most are also patient and unrelenting in building their dreams.

Thanks for reading my *tenth* newsletter

My goal is to prompt reflection within this vibrant community of ours, so I’d love your feedback on how I can make future editions beneficial.

Got an idea or burning question I could address? Hit reply and we’re off to the races!

Have a wonder-full week,

Alexandra