Connect Series: Meet Erin Monahan our Business Development Director!

Meet our Business Development Director, Erin Monahan. Erin joined the team in August 2019, and has since been an awesome asset to the Reportex team. Erin is known for her positive attitude and strong work ethic.

A highly experienced planner with a background in meetings and events, Erin has a varied background and worked as an education director (8 years at TLABC), actress, waitress and assistant cruise director, prior to joining the Reportex team.

When not at the office, Erin enjoys reading, hiking, knitting, travelling and all things that involve wine.

We recently interviewed Erin on our theme of ‘connection’ and to see how she was making out during these challenging times. Here is what she had to say:

How have you found meaningful ways to connect with your work during these challenging times?

This I have to say for me has been the most challenging. While the world is generally embracing Zoom as a way to connect with friends and family that we can’t see in person, I have found I am experiencing “Zoom fatigue”. Work relies quite a bit for me to be on Zoom meetings (which I know is common for everyone working from home) but I find at the end of the day and on weekends I lack the energy or desire to sit in front of my computer. I really do prefer the face to face interactions, and while we are incredibly lucky to be experiencing this in a time where we do have access to technology, it is still just not the same for me.

Have you found a way to connect with your community during these challenging times?

Not as much as I would like to, for the reasons above. However, I have made a commitment to support local business for all my needs. I had to replace my Blundstone boots recently (I walk quite a bit, and good walking shoes are an essential for me) and I made sure to find a local business that I could purchase them from rather than ordering online.

How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?

I have started to really recognize what I need in order to feel balanced. During the first few weeks of social isolation, I essentially just hid from the world. I worked (from home, obviously) in my “yoga pants” and was intentionally inactive. I was not sleeping well, had quite a bit of anxiety building up, felt listless and uneasy. It came to a breaking point when I had to take a mental health day and made a point not to look at any screen (especially social) media. I very quickly realized that I need exercise, and a routine, to stay sane. I do not allow myself to “work in my pj’s”. Every morning I shower, blow dry my hair, and put on “real clothes” for the workday. I only allow myself to wear yoga pants on the weekend, as that is the reward for a week of hard work. I also started running, which is an activity I have always avoided in the past because I had convinced myself that I did not like it. I found that not only I do like it (quite a bit!) but it is essential for my mental health to get out there and get my heart rate up. I have also found that when I feel the anxiety start to build, a good run or bike ride tends to shake out the anxiety and get me back on track.  

Speaking about connection generally, is there something specific that inspires you about this idea?

I find this time very interesting. We are discovering that for many of us, working from home is not only possible, but for some people preferred. Most of the services Reportex offers have traditionally been in person, but we had to adapt and start to offer them virtually, which was easier than one might have thought. I wonder, once the pandemic is over, how much of this “virtual world” will come with us. While I believe that access to justice and healthcare as well as other essential services can certainly be advanced by virtual technology, will we be as connected if we no longer make an effort to be face to face?