Episode #12: Axe Throwing, Seeing the World Through Street Art, And Using “People Ops” to Increase Your Company Growth by 80% in 2 Years with Ali Greene

Episode Summary

Ali Greene talks about being a full time digital nomad for the last 2 years while working as a full- time salaried employee in a senior management position as “Director of People Operations” at DuckDuckGo. She explains the concept of “co-living”, discusses the different lifestyle infrastructure choices available for digital nomads, and shares which ones she likes best and why. She explains the importance of having control over your location and mobility, as well as the importance of curating intentional communities of people who inspire and empower you in meaningful ways. Ali then talks about her passion for street art as a transformative expressive medium. She also shares her analysis about how digital nomadism is transforming work, community and society at large, but emphasizes the importance of pro-active relationship building for long term sustainability of the lifestyle. She then moves on to talk about her professional work in People Operations, and explains how she helped her company grow 80% in 2 years through adjustments in their People Ops with a focus on gender diversity. She gives specific tactical advice on hiring practices, managing an internationally distributed team, and performing as a senior manager from different time zones around the world. She talks about what “company culture” really means, the importance of it, and how to build it meaningfully with a fully remote staff. She talks about some of the unique productivity hacks she uses, including “context switching” by physically changing work locations multiple times throughout the day to correspond with different tasks. She also shares why dyes her hair pink and blue and once joined an axe-throwing league!

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What You'll Learn

How the Digital Nomad Movement is Changing Personal, Professional and Romantic relationships as well Changing Out Concepts of Community and Belonging.
Why “People Ops” Is so Important for Workplace Diversity, Female Empowerment, building an Inspiring Company Culture, and Overall Business Growth.
How to Optimize Your Productivity and Reduce Stress Through Techniques like “Context Switching” and Changing Locations Multiple Times During the Workday

Links From the Episode

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BUY ALI’S BOOK

CHECK OUT REMOTE WORKS CONSULTING

WORK-TRAVEL PROGRAMS MENTIONED:

Hacker Paradise (Use This Link for $100 Discount)
Sun and Co

LOCATION WHERE THE EPISODE WAS RECORDED:

Nairobi, Kenya

BOTTLE OF WINE SHARED IN THIS EPISODE:

South African Pinotage

ALI’S TOP TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS:

ALI’S BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS:

STREET ART LOCATIONS DISCUSSED:

OTHER DESTINATIONS MENTIONED:

Check Flight Prices to Any of These Destinations

BOOK ALI RECOMMENDS:

The Giver

APP ALI RECOMMENDS:

Asana

ALI’S FAVORITE BLOG:

The Culture Trip

FAVORITE MICHIGAN SPORTS TEAM:

Detroit Red Wings

WINE MENTIONED

South African Pinotage

CONTACT ALI:

Time Stamped Show Notes

REMOTE WORKS CONSULTING [02:43] MATT AND ALI DISCUSS NAIROBI, KENYA

She shares her experience in Kenya

[06:14] JOINING AN AXE THROWING LEAGUE

Why Ali Joined an Axe Throwing League
How an Axe Throwing League Works

[09:00] HOW ALI GOT INTO THE DIGITAL NOMAD LIFESTYLE

Ali’s Upbringing
Moving Around and Learning How to Be Adaptable
Why Her Attempts to “Put Down Roots” Weren’t Fulfilling

[16:06] TODAY’s DIGITAL NOMAD LANDSCAPE AND LIFESTYLE CHOICES

Backpacking and Hostels
Co-Living and Co-Working
Ali’s Favorite Co-Living Space in Spain
Concepts for Nomad Community Formation
Professional Work-Travel Programs
Informal International Meet-Ups
Ali’s Organized Meetups in Serbia and Mexico
Curating Intentional Communities
What Ali Loves About the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Freedom and Control Over Your Environment (Location, People, Etc)

[33:56] HOW ALI DESIGNS HER LIFESTYLE AND CHOOSES HER TRAVEL LOCATIONS

Factors that Influence Ali’s Travel Decisions and Location Selection
Why She Now Travels Slower
Why She Prioritizes People in Her Travel Decisions

[36:52] ALI’s LOVE FOR STREET ART

What Ali Loves About Street Art
Why Ali Identifies with Street Artists
Matt and Ali’s shared street art experience in Vietnam
Street Art in Bogota, Colombia
Barcelona Street Art
Sao Paulo, Brazil Street Art
Street Art and Hip Hop Culture in Communa 13 in Medellin, Colombia

[54:13] THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF DIGITAL NOMADISM

The Impact of Digital Nomadism on Community and Relationships
In-Person vs. Virtual Relationships
The Importance of Intentionally and Proactively Seek Out Connection
The Distinction between Remote Work and Digital Nomadism
The Real Value of Location Independence

[01:03:46] HOW ALI PERFORMS A SENIOR MANAGEMENT ROLE WHILE TRAVELING THE WORLD

Ali’s Responsibilities as Director of People Operations at DuckDuckGo
How Ali Executes Her Role While Living in Different Time Zones
Remote Strategies for Hiring the Right People

[01:13:32] PEOPLE OPERATIONS AND COMPANY CULTURE

How Companies Should Think About People Operations at Different Growth Stages
The Distinction Between “HR” and “People Ops”
How and Why to Build Company Culture
Prioritizing Diversity and Female Empowerment in the Workplace
Strategies for Transparency and Equality in the Workplace
Progressive Policies Around Parental Leave and Flexibility

[01:30:41] OPTIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY, TIME MANAGEMENT AND STRESS REDUCTION

The “Big Rocks” Theory of Time Management
The Importance of Self-Forgiveness
How to Think About Time Management
Why Ali Rejects “Routine”
Ali’s “Context Switching” Technique for Optimizing Her Productivity
Ali’s Techniques for Manages Stress

[01:42:12] THE LIGHTNING ROUND

Ali’s Top Book Recommendation
Ali’s Top App Recommendation
Ali’s Top Blog/Website
Ali’s Top 3 Travel Destinations
Ali’s Top 3 Bucket Destinations
Ali’s Favorite Michigan Sports Team

[01:45:26] HOW TO CONTACT AND FOLLOW ALI

How to Use the Services of DuckDuckGo
How to Follow Ali on Social Media

About the Guest

Ali Greene

Ali Greene is an expert in Organizational Behavior, Human Resources and People Operations. For the last decade, her passion and focus has been on the future of work as more companies are opting for non-traditional work environments. She has consulted on People Ops for companies ranging in size from Start Ups to 200+ employees. She is currently the Director of People Ops at DuckDuckGo where she oversees the overall employee experience, and is responsible for intentionally crafting how business and operational decisions impact the company culture as an internationally distributed company. At DuckDuckGo she implemented a new hiring process strategy that helped the company grow over 80% in 2 years with a focus on gender diversity. She has also been a "digital nomad" since 2016 and has been to 30 different countries. She is passionate about learning through travel and the impact of remote work and nomadic communities on personal relationships, communities, and society at large. On a personal level, she is obsessed with seeing street art around the world, she helped paint a street mural in South Philadelphia, and she was a member of an ax-throwing league!