Meet Abbie Mirata | Sr. Director & Intrapreneur

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

Hi Abbie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Balance used to be about separating yourself into two people, ‘work’ human and ‘personal’ human with measuring how much time you spend on each and ensuring you don’t tip the scale. I completely changed my view and definition of balance. I stopped looking at work and my life as being two separate things – you only have one life. So yes, work is life – it’s part of your life and you should enjoy it and look forward to it as much as any other part of your life. If you are trying too hard to create some sort of balance, you may be in the wrong job, company or career. Lean in to what brings you joy and if you get joy when you work, then do more of it, if you don’t, then find things that bring you joy and do more of those things. Balance is about how you feel each day, your energy level, your sense of accomplishment and your self worth.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I really am most proud of where I am right now. I am in such an incredible place as an Intrapreneur. I have an acceptance within my corporate career about where I am and I don’t feel the need to do more or be more. I like what I do and who I do it with and if my ‘corporate’ journey ends with this role, I’ll be so blessed. That’s what becoming an Intrapreneur did for my sense of self and my mental well being. I broke out of the stigma that you can be an entrepreneur OR an employee, but not both. I think the challenges we all face in our career is that we still believe the assumptions we tell ourselves. We aren’t willing to speak up or ask for what we want or even demand certain things because that’s ‘not how it works in corporate’. But that’s not true, you have to go seek out the organizations and leaders that match your values, you have to ask for what you want, and you have to be clear on your own value and what you bring to the table. I got a lot of no’s, but I didn’t give up until I got a yes. Being happy in your job starts with being happy in your own skin. With leading and working and showing up in a way that’s comfortable and leans in to your strengths. That’s what I help people do both in my corporate job and in The Intrapreneur Project.

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?
The valley is the best! We’d start super close to home in Chandler/Gilbert! There is so much to see and do here. My favorite places to eat are right in downtown Chandler. I could spend a good portion of the day there between the farmers market and the great little cafes. Mingle & Graze is perfect for lunch and then we’d head over to D’vine for some local shopping and goodies. We’d then hit Brickyard for a cocktail and an appetizer and then find our way over to Hidden House for dinner. A visit to the valley needs to include Scottsdale (and we’ll just pretend the visit is in February). Walking and shopping around Old Town is so much fun, there are so many places to eat and you can’t walk by Jeni’s Ice Cream without at least trying some! We’d also do some hiking, head out to Canyon Lake for a boat ride, maybe pop into Wonderspaces in the heat of the day and definitely go eat at Course in North Scottsdale. And obviously day trips to wine taste in Jerome & Cottonwood, or hit Sedona! We have a place in Pinetop where I take my friends when they come to town for a few days as well.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Do I have to pick just one! Professionally, my entire world changed when I began working for Graham Hughes. Graham is one of those leaders you read about and don’t think exists. He leads through love, compassion and empathy and he gets results because of it. I was just starting to grow in my career and I was young and had an ego. One of the youngest at the company to start moving up. I made a lot of mistakes and wasn’t making many friends, but Graham saw something in me and never gave up on me. I am sure there were times when it would have been easier to let me go or let me implode. But he kept investing, kept backing me up and kept helping see there was someone so much better inside me. And even when I no longer worked directly for him, he is still there guiding, encouraging and celebrating with me. But as they say, it takes a village, right? I have been so blessed to have family, friends and coworkers who guide me, connect me, cheer me on and make it possible to go after every crazy idea I have!

Website: https://abbiemirata.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/theintrapreneurproject

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-intrapreneur-project/

Other: https://instagram.com/abbiemirata

Image Credits
CDS Visuals Emily Kim Photography