Next up in our Meet the Team series is Brittany Clark, our amazing marketing specialist. She shares her favorite (secret) thing in her house, tells us about how she makes working remotely work for her (and her family), and lets us in on her love of historical fiction.

ABA: What do you do at ABA? (What did you do prior? Or if part-time, what other work do you do?)

Brittany Clark: I develop and manage all the marketing and social media for ABA as a company and for each book! I’m also a full time (plus some) mom of three cute kiddos and one big Doberman Pinscher, Louis.

ABA: Where do you live and what do you love about your home?

BC: I live in St. Louis, Missouri and I love that my home was built in the 1930s because it has so many unique features. It has a little mini door on hinges in the hallway that drops down to the basement—we assume it was a laundry drop at some point. My kids think it is pretty funny to toss stuffed animals and clothes through the door so they drop on me while I’m down in the basement. Mostly we use it as an intercom system to talk to whoever is downstairs.

What’s the first thing you do every morning to start your day on the right foot?

BC: With a lot of little humans in my house, I tend to get everyone fed before focusing on myself. So I try to make sure I take a minute to have something good for breakfast (turns out, a handful of dry Cheerios doesn’t count as breakfast).

When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?

BC: I love spending time with my kids and husband. We love visiting the zoo, botanical gardens, and museums, and we love riding our bikes together visiting parks and exploring trails. I tend to be a little too active in adult sports leagues (soccer, basketball, volleyball). In addition to a lot of sports, I really enjoy reading. Lately I made it a priority to read and take time for myself every day to unwind. Historical fiction books centered around women are my absolute favorite. I can get really passionate about something that happened eighty years ago, and I have found that most stories from the past can help us acknowledge and understand what to fight for today.

 

What book have you read and loved lately?

BC: I just finished Radium Girls last night! Of course it is historical and centers women :). I loved it so much and am so grateful for those who fought and sacrificed endlessly for the rights of workers and women in the 1920s.

What traits of yours are you most proud of?

BC: I usually can find common ground with anyone I talk to or meet. I really enjoy talking to people. My husband says a random stranger will share way too much information with me in ten minutes, but I think it's because I genuinely do care about people. I love getting to know new people and believe everyone is unique and interesting. A family member once said about me, “Brittany accepts and loves everyone as they are.” Hearing that made me feel really good. If I die knowing people said that one thing about me, then I lived a good life.

Is there a quote or saying that inspires you to be yourself or do your best work?

BC: I’ve heard this saying from a variety of sources: “Never suppress a kind thought.” If I think to do something nice for someone, I try to do it. Sometimes it takes a little effort or it’s uncomfortable but I find it can lead to incredible experiences.

How do you make working remotely work for you?

BC: I have a little bit of a flexible schedule (thank you ABA) so that allows me to get what I need to get done, when I can. I have found I am more successful when I have a priority to-do list. I really love crossing things off a list. I write down what I need to get done the next day for work (and my full-time mom job too) and then I rank what is most important and make sure to get those done first. Whatever I don’t finish I push to the next day. I also break up tasks into more granular steps on my to-do list. I won’t just write “dishes.” I write “unload dishwasher” and then “put dishes away” and finally “load dishwasher.” I might even add “start dishwasher” because crossing stuff off the list helps me realize how much I am really doing, and I feel very accomplished when I get to cross off four things rather than just one (“dishes”). This applies to any task because breaking it down makes anything manageable.

What is your favorite thing about your workspace?

BC: I’ll be honest. I don’t use my workspace very much. I am a floater. I work from home but also have three kids, so I am moving around a lot. My favorite place to work is in a soft chair, couch, or really even from my bed. I know I should really try to be a little more professional, but I am just really into casual working—and really, what is “professional” anymore?? If I am comfortable, I am happy, and if I am happy, I enjoy my work more!

In moments of self-doubt, how do you recharge and rally to keep going?

BC: I tend to need to talk to someone, so I can manage my thoughts and realize what actually is fact and what is a story I’m telling myself. I might talk to my husband, one of my sisters, or someone I am close with at work (which I’m very grateful to have). I am able to process anything if I can talk to someone about it. Saying it out loud helps me synthesize and understand things I hadn’t before, and having an outside perspective tends to always help.

What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without to get you through a week?

BC: Y’all already know this, but my planner and to-do list. I have so much going on and so many moving pieces being a working mom in the home. I have to write everything down or I will forget the most obvious things. If I need to send an email in one hour, I immediately write that down and set a reminder. My to-do list really never stops and that is why you will find me planning multiple family vacations every year—and my to-do list isn’t invited.

Is there a piece of professional or life advice you’ve gotten that has always stuck with you? What is it?

BC: I grew up on a farm on the border of Utah and Idaho. My dad spent his nights in a swather cutting hay and his days checking cows, teaching his kids how to move hand lines, and the secrets of growing alfalfa. He worked around the clock and he didn’t really complain about it to any of us. (I am also a strong advocate for a work/life balance.) He expected all of us to work really hard at everything we did. Even if we didn’t win or get the outcome we wanted, he told me once it was the grit I put into it that really mattered. Whatever my work in life has looked like—whether farm work, managing a family and household, or marketing, I give it 100%.

•••

Get to know more of the people who make A Book Apart go—browse the rest of our Meet the Team series!

•••

PS: Our next title is launching February 2nd! Learn more about You Should Write a Book by Katel LeDû and Lisa Maria Marquis—and preorder now!