Scoutlook is an interview series where we highlight Scouts from across the company. To kick it off, we spoke with Gabriela Nishanyan, our assistant strategist and resident positivity guru who runs a bimonthly wellness series.
Location
Queens, New York. The Eastern European community is huge in Astoria. The food and pace are similar, so it feels like home.
Onboarding Experience
It’s like joining someone’s family, and everyone is your cousin. There was so much positivity that I didn’t know how to react. When someone joins, Redscout asks you to answer some icebreaker questions the week before you start, and they send an email with your answers out to the company. A couple of Scouts contacted me based on my favorite books or trips I’ve taken, and we connected right away. It was super welcoming.
Morning Routine Before I Start Meetings
That’s my favorite time. My morning routine starts at 5:30, and I go to the gym and stay for two hours. I make breakfast, have coffee, and then sit and work. Redscout has a no-morning meetings policy, so they respect people’s space.
Favorite Place to Work Outside My Home
I love going to local coffee shops. I didn’t know every New York restaurant has a secret backyard. My favorite coffee shops are Gossip Cafe and The Grand.
Why I Started the Wellness Series
I wanted to speak up about wellness and mental wellbeing, because it is a passion—and I wasn’t hearing people openly talking about it. I’m touching on topics people may know but are not thinking about everyday, like how wellness works or how to take better care of our being. I wanted to share it with Redscout because I really care about the people here, and if we are well, then the work is well, and the company’s well, and we’re all happy. So every two months, for 40 minutes, we talk about wellness, and hopefully, people walk away feeling better after those sessions.
My Favorite Redscout Rituals
I couldn’t stop smiling at my first wrap, our end-of-week all agency meeting, listening to everyone’s shoutouts. Never have I gone somewhere where we’re thankful for something every week and appreciate people.
My Favorite Project
A CPG project we did for a food company. I loved the idea of exploring new categories of customers that they could serve. I also love the Piaggio work we’re doing right now. Piaggio is an Italian automaker with a breakthrough consumer robot product called gita. It’s interesting work to figure out who the early adopter is for gita and to speak with people interested in tech. We talked to someone who works with NASA—and she’s going on expeditions!
My Favorite Working Tools Right Now
Figma. It is so fun to brainstorm with other people at the same time. And we use our brains! That’s my favorite tool.
