Miki Reynolds is the Executive Director of Grid110, a non-profit she co-founded that supports startups and founders in downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).
When I moved to Los Angeles in early 2015 and started getting involved in the Los Angeles tech scene, Miki was one of the first people I met. And I feel incredibly lucky to know her.
She is a vocal tech advocate and is always supporting and promoting others who are doing great things in the world.
In this episode, we discuss…
- How she used Twitter to land a job at General Assembly.
- How weightlifting has improved her life.
- How she figured out the type of job she wanted after being laid off from a company she had worked at for 6+ years.
Find Miki online
The Path: How Miki Did It
Nobody will provide agency and advocacy for me better than myself. ~Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis
Her skillz
As Miki’s career progressed, the skills she developed to be successful in those roles include: proofreading ◆ being detailed-oriented ◆ how to be one step ahead of those she assists ◆ how to create templates ◆ basic HTML and CSS ◆ photo editing/photoshop ◆ product management ◆ project management ◆ program development ◆ business development ◆ how to establish partnerships ◆ how to get funding.
Career advice to her younger self
Do things you are scared of, get out of your comfort zone, and explore more. Take risk, knowing that where you think you will end up will not be where you end up. Things happen for a reason. Learn as much as you can along the way.
My Thoughts After the Conversation
More, please
I wish I would have asked Miki if the loss of those nice company benefits (insurance, retirement, etc.) factored at all in her decision to leave General Assembly for the Executive Director role at Grid110? How is she managing those things now.
What I learned
I learned Miki is hapa: half Japanese, half white. I also learned there was supposed to be a Revenge of the Nerds sequel. It never happened.
Up-level your game
Miki’s flatside in her current role as the Executive Director of Grid100 is Sales, specifically asking for money. If that’s a flatside you’d like to develop, the book, “The Ask: For Business, For Philanthropy” by Laura Fredricks is rated well on Amazon. Link below (see: Mentioned in this Episode).
If Miki was a song, she would be…
Mentioned in the Episode
- Craigslist (to view job postings)
- Movie: Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
- Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis on Power Moves
- Comic-Con
- Stoked (non-profit that teaches action sports to underserved students)
- Despacito (Original) by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee
- Young girl can’t resist dancing to Despacito
- Reality TV | Bravo Channel shows
- Listography Journal: Your Life in Lists by Lisa Nola*
- General Assembly
- Grid110
- Arlan Hamilton: Twitter | Podcast | Backstage Capital
- Kimberly Bryant: Twitter | Black Girls Code
- The Ask: For Business, For Philanthropy, For Everyday Living by Laura Fredricks
*An asterisk means the item is an affiliate link. Click here to learn what that means.
Music Credit: ballet by Ryan Little
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