In previous years, being awarded as a Microsoft MVP was my biggest achievement of the entire year. This year, however, it’s my second biggest achievement. What could possibly beat that, you may ask? Oh, you know, just fighting and surviving another major depressive episode.
Earlier this year, all I could do was survive. Now? Now I’ve kicked my depression in its big ol’ rear-end as far away from me as possible. My creativity is returning and ideas are popping up every day. Life is finally worth living again. Receiving this MVP Award was just the (most delicious) icing on the cake 😊💙
I feel ready to get back into speaking again, and I already have a few events planned this year, yay! At work, I’m involved in several Microsoft Fabric projects and I finally get to play around with Power BI, yay! In my local community, the kickass ladies Marthe, Emilie, and Ioana are all inspiring me to get more involved again, yay! I’m finally excited about the things I love and it feels amazing 🥳
Oh, and look at this shiny badge I got:
I’m ready for another year as a Data Platform MVP. Thank you so much to all of you for all your support, and to Microsoft for seeing my value when I didn’t. Let’s gooo! 🤓
On Friday, May 5th, 2023, I will be speaking at the Data Platform WIT/DEI Mental Health and Wellness Day. This is a free, virtual, all-day event for anyone working in technology. Topics range from dealing with stress, burnout, depression or chronic pain, to working in tech as a queer or neurodiverse person.
I will be presenting a session called Stressed, Depressed, or Burned Out? The Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore. This is a deeply personal session based on my own experiences from the past decade, and it’s one of the few sessions I can’t and don’t want to rehearse. It won’t be an hour of incoherent rambling (don’t worry! 😉) but it will be fairly raw and unfiltered.
Nope, I did not get a new job 😄 But! My company has officially merged with four other awesome companies into one super awesome company, and I got a promotion! I’m happy to announce that I’m now a Solutions Architect in Evidi, yay 🥳
New Employer: Evidi
We used to be Skill, AITC, Communicate, eSeven, and Pilaro. Today, we are finally Evidi, one of Norway’s largest independent consulting companies with over 300 people specialized on Microsoft technologies. Our name comes from evidence and reflects the importance of data-driven decisions.
…seriously, it couldn’t have been more perfect for me. I’m already proud to say I work in Evidi, and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and do my part to help make Evidi the go-to partner for all things Microsoft in Norway 🤓
I’ll keep it short here, but if you want to learn more, check out these Norwegian articles:
If the new company announcement wasn’t enough… I ALSO GOT A PROMOTION! 🥳
Ok, so, this wasn’t a surprise. I started working as a Senior Consultant with a goal of getting promoted to a Solutions Architect within a year. And I did it! It was important to me to have a goal to work towards, to get the opportunity to prove my worth, and to show that I do in fact have the skills and experience necessary to call myself a Solutions Architect.
I did it, I’m proud of myself, and I look forward to new goals and challenges, yay 😊
July 1st is an important day for all Microsoft MVPs: It’s the day we find out whether or not we have been re-awarded. This year, however, we had to wait until July 5th because of technical maintenance. Gulp! 😨 That meant a few more days of nervous hoping, waiting, and nail-biting…
When we finally got to July 5th, my Twitter timeline and LinkedIn feed exploded with happy announcements, yay! I’m so happy and thankful to receive my 8th MVP Award this year and become a Microsoft Data Platform MVP 2022-2023! 🤓🥳
This award means even more to me because I’ve had a rough couple of years. Many of us have been struggling, and I think most of us have had our lives changed in some way during the pandemic. For many, the pandemic meant new opportunities. Those who were previously unable to travel to events could suddenly participate in all kinds of virtual events, which was amazing! Others turned around and used the opportunity to start blogging or creating video content or podcasts. I have seen so many existing and new MVPs emerge and shine these past couple of years, which makes me so so so happy 🤩
At the same time, I felt completely lost. I was not able to turn around and try new things. I tried, I failed, I let people down, and I had to prioritize handling several personal issues over contributing to the community. In many ways, I let myself down. At the same time, I know I did the right thing taking care of myself first, and I know I did as much as I was able to. I had accepted that if that wasn’t enough to be re-awarded, it would be ok. But it was enough, and I’m so grateful to be recognized by Microsoft again 🥰
Receiving another MVP Award gave me such a boost of inspiration and motivation to continue being involved in this amazing community. Receiving some cool swag made it all even better. (I can now properly cosplay as a hacker, woohoo! 👩🏼💻) I will totally be smiling proudly whenever I wear this hoodie 🤓
Imagine that you are organizing an event. You have been working for months to make it the best possible experience for everyone, the big day is finally here, speakers are ready to deliver their sessions, and attendees are starting to walk through the doors. Everything is finally coming together! Then you hear that one of your attendees has a history of stalking and harassing someone who is already at your event.
What do you do?
How would you handle a sensitive and difficult situation at your event?
I want you to think about this for a minute. Be completely honest with yourself.
Would you immediately take action? Would you know exactly how to handle the situation, what to do, who to talk to? Would you approach the offender? What would you say? Would you hear them out? Ask them to leave? How would you respond if they deny everything? If they tell you that the victim is lying and trying to ruin their life? If they tell you that they are the real victim? What if they cause a scene? Do you have on-site security to ask for assistance? Would you notify the victim? What would you tell them? Where would you go for privacy? What support would you offer? How would you follow up during and after the event if they are visibly scared or upset? How would you ensure their safety inside and outside the venue? Who would be taking care of your tasks while you are handling the situation?
On July 6th, I received my 9th MVP Award and became a Microsoft Data Platform MVP 2023-2024, yaaaaay! 🤓🥳
