Seven months ago, I planned to focus on my personal passions. I planned to write more often about career and culture. Then, of course, life happened and I ended up infusing these loves into my life in a different way than writing about them on my blog.

I’ve accomplished a number of things I never anticipated in the last seven months (and some that I did):

• Promotion! Very shortly after my last blog entry, I was promoted at work from Account Associate to Account Manager. This had been my goal for more than a year and now it is my reality. As an Account Manager on my team, I became the point person on many more projects and took ownership into my own hands. It’s been an incredibly rewarding time and I feel so much more empowered in my work. Now, I also get to take on more clients and lead other team members. I’m excited to continue pushing myself and my creativity and to break down my own barriers.
• GIRLPOWER! After moving to Los Angeles last year, one of the ways I found that helped me meet new people on this coast was through an internal resource group called Women@Disney. It’s an employee-led grassroots organization focused on career development and empowerment for women. I started out by networking with members and attending events. Then, I volunteered over the summer to help with programming. And then, having enjoyed what I’d experienced so far, I applied to be on the leadership team. Now I am one of the Communications Leads for Women@Disney! In addition to my day job, I get to share this organization with other women across the company to help them feel as motivated as I do.
• Adventure! I’ve also been on a mission to explore new parts of Southern California at least once per month. In February, I found a venue where I love to see live comedy shows. In March, I visited The Forum where some of the biggest artists perform when they visit LA. In April, I visited Malibu and Santa Monica to celebrate my birthday. In May, my family came to visit and we went to see the La Brea Tar Pits, the Urban Light display at LACMA, and rounded it out with a baseball game at Dodgers Stadium. In June, I got an annual pass to Universal Studios Hollywood. In July, my friends visited for a week, so we went to The Broad Museum, Griffith Observatory, the Last Bookstore, and Broad Beach. In August, I went camping and hiking on Mount Pinos in Los Padres National Forest. And I still have a day and a half to come up with something for September! (Does Halloween Horror Nights count, if I’ve never been on this coast before? I’m going tomorrow night!)

The transition from September to October always feels like a new chapter for me, since it’s the end of our fiscal year at work. Time to refresh, set goals, and make moves. I’m excited to see where this fall takes me.