Meet Andrea Pender | Chief Business Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrea Pender and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work/Life Balance has definitely changed over time. There were times when I did not think the 40-hour work week was enough. At times, it still is not enough, and I am sure we all feel that occasionally! At this stage in my career, I have put a few unwritten rules in place. My position requires quite a bit of client interaction, which has changed quite a bit with COVID. The biggest step in the right direction was when I made sure to limit my evening work events to one per week. Once I did that, I realized just how many people prefer to get work done during work hours – we all want to go home at the end of the day! That helped me prioritize my family and my health as well. Knowing it would be one evening…instead of four…was a huge step in the right direction! You can place these types of rules into your plan, but you do not need to advertise it. Years ago, I felt like I was doing all the work/life balance “stuff” such as yoga, journaling, meditation, but work/life balance actually came true when the shelter-in-place order occurred. At that point I could schedule virtual meetings, and this opened up quite a bit of time to really focus on what health means to me. For me that is prioritizing my family, sleep, exercise, and healthy home cooked meals.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We just recently launched a woman owned and operated engineering firm called Geisler Pender Consulting Engineers + RLG. After being in the engineering industry for several years I saw a need for more women owned firms. I am so glad Kristina and RLG decided to capitalize on this. We have a people first attitude and want that to show in the buildings we design. https://youtu.be/QJXkb3Ppcoc

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a huge vegan foodie! Our trip would involve a LOT of eating out….and visits to the YMCA! Must eat restaurants: Shoals – The Cuban Sandwich is out of this world! Tiki Loco – The desserts are AMAZING! Jin-Ya – After a long triathlon training day we always end up with a giant bowl of vegan ramen…and maybe even a refill on noodles! I Love Juice Bar – We just love the bowl options and that they refill growlers with green juice! Nature’s Plate – We always have meals from Nature’s Plate in the fridge for an easy fresh whole food plant based meal when we don’t feel like cooking! Banh Mi Station – They have some really great vegan options – banh mi options AND loaded fries! Yum! Cinnaholics – EVERYTHING is vegan here – and you would never know! The cinnamon rolls are melt in your mouth amazing. We would also spend quite a bit of time in our “Gain Cave” aka…our home gym with visits to the Semones YMCA to get some laps in to complete our triathlon training!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could not do all of this without the support of my husband, Will. He has always been my number one supporter and we have both flourished through the past year with regaining our work/life balance. We say it all the time….Life is good! We both desperately wanted the work/life balance and now we have it!

Website: www.andreapender.com

Instagram: theandreapender

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapender/

Twitter: andreapender

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreapender

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5JLhSHOr3DCRgwhmqbi-Mg

Image Credits
Vanessa Corral Photography