Next up in our Meet the Team series is Candi Lemoine. She leads our customer support efforts and helps keep us super organized with her expert project management skills. Read on to hear how she manages working remotely, what she loves about where she lives, and her favorite things about the books she’s read and loved lately.

ABA: What do you do at A Book Apart? What did you do before joining ABA?

Candi Lemoine: I am the lead customer advocate and a project manager for the website side. I’ve worked part-time for A Book Apart since the publication of book three, The Elements of Content Strategy. I think what makes me different from any other customer support person is that I’m also a full-time front-end developer. I can provide better recommendations to readers based on their current skill level. I also oversxee support for higher education, book clubs, and conferences. 

Prior to A Book Apart, I worked part-time as a podcast producer with 5by5. I helped produce shows like The Pipeline, The Conversation, and The Big Web Show, which is how I got the gig for A Book Apart through Jeffrey Zeldman. I also worked as a full-time web developer for an advertising agency. I mostly worked on sites for local restaurants and hotels.

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

CL: I’ve lived in various parts of coastal Virginia all my life, but currently living in Chesapeake. I live just outside of the city so it’s nice and spacious. I’m able to see the stars at night and hear the sounds of nature around me. But when I need to get into the city, it’s just a 15–20 minute scenic drive.

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

CL: Once my husband leaves for work and before my daughter wakes up, I meditate with Headspace for about 10–15 minutes. I find myself worrying less when I make meditation a daily habit. The featured topics are very useful in bringing a different perspective to my daily life. Afterwards, I write down one thing I’m grateful before planning out my day. I make sure to choose my Highlight or top 3 tasks. Writing it down and seeing it helps me focus when I start wandering down various rabbit holes. Can’t forget coffee. My Nespresso machine has helped with my Starbucks addiction. Though I still visit my local shop to see some of my favorite baristas.

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

CL: In my free time, I LOVE reading and listening to both fiction and non-fiction audiobooks. I try to read in the middle of the day at a library or somewhere where I won’t be disturbed. If I’m listening to audio, it’s mostly while I'm driving or cooking.

I’m also heavily involved with Roc Solid Foundation, a non-profit organization. They provide hope to kids with cancer by building play sets and creating Ready Bags for their hospital stays. Because cancer has largely affected my family, I wanted to be able to help other families. With my skills in web development and user experience, I’m able to apply those same practices to help implement improvements within current programs, or develop new ones. I’ve never volunteered for an organization that inspired me to be so passionate and fulfilled.

When I’m not volunteering or reading, I’m goofing off with my lovely husband and energetic little girl. We love going to car shows or taking road trips to fun places!

ABA: What book have you read and loved lately?

CL: I struggle with this since I love a lot of books lately. I want to pick two: Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky and Brave, Not Perfect by Reshma Saujani.

I’m always iterating my workflow and Make Time is just the perfect book for this process geek. Because of this book, I started meditating and trying to view my to-do list as something more meaningful rather than just a list of things that need to be done.

Source: Girls Who Code

Brave, Not Perfect is powerful! Reshma is the founder of Girls Who Code. Growing up, I’ve always worked towards presenting perfect work or presenting myself in a certain way. She encourages all girls and women to strive to live up to their own expectations rather than society’s. Getting out of our comfort zones is going to help us move further than before.

ABA: What traits of yours are you most proud of?

CL: I'm very resourceful—almost to the point where most people rely on me for the answer. I’m trying to teach others that they can be resourceful without me! I'm a good listener and empath. I love motivating people and bringing people together. I’m always thinking of how to make processes more efficient.

ABA: How do you make working remotely work for you?

CL: I try to keep a daily routine and plan out my day. The more plan, the less I have to think about what to do next, when I complete a task. I enjoy having the quiet environment to focus on tasks. I make sure to work somewhere other than home once or twice a week to get some human interaction. I also have weekly 1-on-1 sessions with coworkers to keep that “water cooler” feeling. I make sure to shut off from work once I leave to pick up my daughter—that’s when I turn off email and Slack.

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

CL: There are a few people who make up an amazing support system for me. Sometimes I just talk things through with them and they provide me the encouragement I need to be confident again. Katel is definitely a part of that support system. Everyone needs a Katel in their lives.

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

CL: Get out of your comfort zone often! The more you push boundaries, the faster you’ll progress to what you want to achieve.

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