I am a big believer in reflecting on your year. Why? At the end of the year, it’s easy to forget what truly happened over the past 365 days. As a result, I started looking back on my year. My process involves looking back month by month to reflect on what was happening – both good and bad – across my personal and professional life. I go through my calendar, my camera roll, this blog and my business site, JessicaGioglio.com, to help jog my memory.
Why do I do this? I want to fully process and reflect on all of the things I did across work, my travels, times with friends and family. I find that I have a tendency to forget things that happened or to summarize my year if I do not thoroughly reflect. I also believe that in order to be mindful about goal setting for the following year, you need to have an honest assessment of how the previous year went.
Instead of doing this privately for 2019, I wanted to use this blog post to share my process with you. In this post, I’ll share my 2019 highlights and key learning’s with you. I’ll also summarize how my reflections are shaping my 2020 goal-setting process. Are you ready? Let’s jump in!
January: Budapest, Hungary
The year started with a work trip to Budapest, Hungary. I love getting the year started with meetings that are productive and set the tone for the year. I also love that my year started in Budapest. It’s a city that I have been to many times and is always a joy to visit. While this trip was about work, I did have the opportunity to enjoy two exceptional meals, one at the New York Palace Cafe in Budapest (pictured below) and the other at Oinos Wine Bar & Bistro. Check out my blog post on Budapest for travel tips, plus many more great restaurant recommendations: https://thesavvybostonian.com/2019/11/travel-see-do-eat-budapest-hungary/
February: Moving To A New Flat
February marked a big but important change for me in London – moving to a new flat! For three years, I lived in a small flat in Marylebone. While I love Marylebone, I had outgrown the flat. I realized that moving out a little further out meant that my budget would go a lot farther. The decision to move was such a good one. I love my new home. Want a sneak peek? Check out my vlog below.
March: Flat Furnishing, Public Speaking & My Spice Girls Moment
I didn’t travel in March, so I took the opportunity to take care of business – literally. I took for granted that furnishing a new flat from scratch is actually a LOT of work. I had thought I would have my new flat completely set up by the end of February. Boy, was I wrong!
However, in hindsight, I’m so happy that I embraced the journey and slowly let my new home come together. This meant living without things for a bit, but it also allowed me to be mindful of what I really needed.
In March, I also had the honor of moderating a Daemon Solutions panel discussion on top role models in tech with Christelle Heikkela, IT Director at Arsenal FC, Emily Sappington, Product Director at Babylon Health, Aubrey Stern, CTO of Nationwide Digital Accelerator platform, and Oana Garnett, Head of Support at Jetstack. The event and insights from the panelists left me energized and inspired. Read key takeaways from the event here: https://medium.com/daemonthinking/inspiring-role-models-in-technology-7a62a6f4cdb6
Lastly, I wanted to share a fun March discovery in London – the staircase from The Spice Girls music video for Wannabe! The famous staircase is located at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in King’s Cross and worth a visit if you’re in London. More on the hotel here: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lonpr-st-pancras-renaissance-hotel-london/
April: Speaking at Sesame Summit in Valencia, Spain and A Girl’s Trip To Dover, UK
In April, I was back on the road again! First up, I traveled to Valencia, Spain for the first time to speak at Sesame Summit. Sesame Summit is an annual event dedicated to the future of technology and the people building connections between startup ecosystems. At the event, I gave a talk on brand storytelling in the food industry, which went over really well! I actually used to work in the food industry, so sharing how food brands can tell their story was wonderful. I packed my talk with juuuust the right amount of food puns too! You can watch my talk below.
I also stayed the weekend to see and explore Valencia. I need to write up a few of my recommendations in a blog post, so stay tuned. However, I will say that I loved Valencia and would highly recommend a visit.
Later in the month, my friends asked if I wanted to do a day trip to Dover Castle and the White Cliffs of Dover. We had such a fun day and I covered our experience at Dover Castle on my YouTube channel and on this blog. The link to the blog post is here – I’ll embed the video below: https://thesavvybostonian.com/2019/09/travel-a-day-trip-to-englands-dover-castle/
May: Speaking in A Castle and A Defining Portrait
May was a very glamorous month. The month started with a speaking engagement in a castle before The Next Web event! I still remember the email I received discussing booking a car to pick me up at the airport to transport me to the castle. The event, called the Tech5 Founders Day, was fantastic and I was so honored to be part of it. A photo of the castle is below.
I was also invited to speak at The Next Web, where I hosted a discussion on brand storytelling. I loved my time at The Next Web as well and hope to be back in 2020.
May was also the month that I was photographed by my friend, Dan Taylor. This was not the first time Dan photographed me, but this is the first lifestyle photoshoot I did with him.
I was absolutely speechless when I saw the results. I’m not a natural in front of the camera – as in, I can stand and smile for the camera, but having lots of different poses like a model? It’s not something I have a lot of experience with and is a lot harder than it looks! Dan made me feel so comfortable and guided me, making the end result even more special – see below.
Whether you’re looking for a new headshot, beautiful photos of yourself or an amazing wedding or event photographer, Dan is London-based but also travels for work, so do not hesitate to reach out to him! http://www.dantaylorphotography.com/
A big thank you to Dan for capturing me. I know in my heart of hearts that I’ll treasure this moment and photo of me in my 30s, in a hot red dress, feeling every bit the strong, confident and graceful woman that I am proud to be.
June: Touring Gardens In London
I stayed in London for the month of June – which turned out to be just wonderful. I mostly spent the month seeing friends and working. However, there was one London bucket list item that I checked off – finally going to London’s Open Garden Squares Weekend!
Every year, London Parks & Gardens Trust hosts a special event called the Open Garden Squares Weekend. During this weekend, you can buy a ticket and explore private gardens throughout the city. These gardens range from beautiful squares to office buildings and a few historic landmarks. As someone who loves parks and gardens, I could not resist the opportunity to peek into some of London’s hidden gardens. Here are the highlights from my day, plus tips on how to make the most of your Open Garden Squares Weekend! If you prefer, I also write a blog post on my day: https://thesavvybostonian.com/2019/06/londons-open-garden-squares-weekend/
July: A Daytrip to Greenwich
July was also a blissfully quiet month, filled with SO many great catch-ups with friends, both local and those visiting London. While I won’t share all of the details on the many dinners, brunches, drinks, and long walks, I will shine a spotlight on a fun day trip to Greenwich.
Greenwich is a borough in London, England, on the banks of the River Thames. It’s been on my list for ages to visit and our day trip did not disappoint. We visited the Old Royal Naval College, Queen’s House (see photos below), Greenwich Market and discovered the most delightful restaurant, Champagne + Fromage. The charcuterie plate at Champagne + Fromage came with a goji berry tapenade. I NEED to re-create the goji berry tapenade at home! Photo below…
August: Berlin, Boston & Batvik – Oh My!
After a low key June and July, I hit the ground running – or should I say flying – in August. I traveled to Berlin in August for an influencer campaign that I was working on around 5G & Gaming. Amazingly, our influencer, Force Gaming, was from New Hampshire! I loved meeting Dennis and his wife, plus discovering the Computerspiele Museum. The Computerspiele Museum is the world’s first museum for video games. The best part? You can actually play almost all of the games. Such a cool museum to check out if you’re in Berlin: https://www.computerspielemuseum.de/1210_Home.htm
Here’s the video from our campaign on YouTube – check it out. Would love to hear your thoughts on the future of 5G and gaming!
Next up, I actually took a vacation! I went back to Boston and Connecticut for a good long stretch of long walks, catch-ups with friends, family time, and more. Here’s a recap of the Boston portion of my trip, filled with lots of restaurant and bar recommendations: https://thesavvybostonian.com/2019/10/where-i-ate-and-drank-in-boston/
After less than 24 hours back in London, I hopped back on a plane to Finland for another special film shoot – this time in Batvik. Our shoot was about life-saving advances in drone technology and focused on a search and rescue scenario. Not only was the shoot incredibly successful, but we were treated to a gorgeous sunny day for filming. Our video, which was created by Arun Maini, aka MrWhoseTheBoss on YouTube, an incredible influencer and creator – so talented, humble and wonderful to work with. In less than 48 hours it had over one million views and the comments were incredible. I would love for you to check it out and let me know your thoughts!
September: The Arrival Of Our Audio Book & A Conference Travel Adventure!
September started with a very special delivery – copies of our audiobook for The Laws of Brand Storytelling! My co-author Ekaterina and I had recorded the audiobook last year in Portland, Oregon.
While our Audiobook was already on audible, it was really special to get tangible copies in hand in London! To check out our audiobook, visit: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Laws-of-Brand-Storytelling-Audiobook/1260440184
For a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our audiobook, check out the fun video I made!
Later in September, I traveled to Prague for a speaking engagement on visual storytelling at WebExpo in Prague. WebExpo has a wonderful mix of speakers across deep tech, dev, design, UI/UX, product management, and marketing. I had not been back to Prague since 2004 and it was such a delight to experience this vibrant city 15 years later.
I’ll add my talk in here soon, but in the meantime, here are a few photos from my experience in Prague and at WebExpo!
October: Around The World – London-NYC-LA-Delhi-London (Yes, really!)
October was the best kind of crazy. I literally circled the globe with so many exciting travels. It started with a whirlwind stop in NYC to see my family and speak at NASDAQ about our book, The Laws of Brand Storytelling!
After NYC, it was off to Los Angeles for work. As I was planning my time in Los Angeles, a lightbulb went off. I realized that I had only been to Los Angeles for work! How crazy is that? I decided that I should try to see more of LA and was grateful on this trip to go to West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and take a day trip to Malibu. It was perfect!
For example, I arrived in Venice Beach just in time for the most epic sunset! Thank you Mother Nature for this wonderful gift and moment.
Another highlight of my trip was my Malibu road trip. One day was not enough, I really want to explore more of this beautiful place! The below photo is from El Matador State Beach.
The cherry on top of my LA trip? In the airport security, I met a nice fellow traveler in the TSA pre-check security line who offered me his guest pass for the Delta lounge. He wasn’t trying to hit on me, he was just being nice. What an awesome and unexpected gesture. And yes, I enjoyed the free champagne!
Next up, it was off to Delhi, India….again…for work. It’s moments like these where I pinch myself. When I was working in the travel industry, I never got to travel, so getting to a place in my career where I get to travel to such incredible places fills me with such gratitude.
While in Delhi, we took a day trip to the Taj Mahal. Can you believe I went to the Taj Mahal!? Located in Agra, the Taj Mahal was completed in 1653 and at the time cost an estimated 32 million rupees but experts estimate the actual cost today would have been 52.8 billion 😱🤯.
It is a three-hour drive from Delhi and well worth the visit. The sheer size and grandeur are incredible in person – and for good reason. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan designed the Taj Mahal in memory his second (and favorite) wife after she died giving birth to their 14th child. The Emperor’s love for symmetry and demand for perfection is evident in all of the elements of the Taj Mahal, from the construction style to the layout of the grounds and special techniques used.
My visit to the Taj Mahal was a wonderful one. We organized it on VERY short notice through our hotel and it all ran so smoothly. From our driver to tour guide and feeling like celebrities with the number of selfies we were asked to be part of, I’ll be writing a blog post on it soon. Leave any questions you have below so I can cover them!
The detail it picked up is mind-blowing!
November: Speaking At Digital Freedom Festival in Latvia & A Lovely Thanksgiving With Friends
After an incredibly busy October, I enjoyed some much-needed downtime in November. From afar, all of the travel looks so glamorous, but what you do not see is how exhausting it can be with jet lag. Months like October with the constant travel are not my ideal, as I would prefer to have 1-2 trips per month spaced out. However, I won’t turn down great opportunities when they arise either :).
In November, I had a great opportunity to travel to Riga, Latvia, for the first time to speak at Digital Freedom Festival. I had heard great things about the conference and it did not disappoint!
At the event, I gave both a deep dive workshop and a keynote talk on brand storytelling. Both were incredibly well-received!
While I do not have the video from my talk yet, I can share an interview I did with the amazing Albert Bright after my talk.
I also took some time to enjoy Riga, which is such a beautiful city. I only had a few hours to explore, so I really want to come back, preferably in warmer weather!
After returning home from Digital Freedom Festival, I was grateful for my wonderful friends in London for planning a Thanksgiving meal at Balthazar in London. The meal was delicious and the company divine. It made me so happy to have a London family to celebrate the occasion with.
December: Christmas Cheer, A Birthday To Remember & New Year’s With Friends
December in London is always a special time of year. London does Christmas like no other, with so many beautiful Christmas light installations and massive trees all over the city. The festive spirit also translates socially, with most of my month was filled with Christmas parties, plus festive catch-ups with friends before we all go home for the holidays.
One example that really blew me away this year was the Christmas tree installation inside the famous department store, Liberty London. Called ‘The Tree of Liberty’, it was inspired by the Christmas Liberty print Jeweltopia. The teal and pink bonsai Christmas tree is even more spectacular in person (although I was quite pleased with how my photo below turned out!). I also highly recommend Liberty London’s special Christmas floor. Filled with unique ornaments, it’s a great place to get a special gift.
December 17th also happens to be my birthday, presenting an interesting dilemma every year. I always want to celebrate, but it’s not the easiest time, with many of my international friends already heading home for the holidays. As a result, I always plan something small yet fun each year. Last year, my birthday was on a Monday night so I booked a cozy gastropub in Marylebone. However, as this year’s birthday fell on a Tuesday, I decided to go for something a bit more unique.
I decided to go anti-Christmas and booked a big table inside Peony, a hidden bar in a place called Opium in Chinatown. Peony has fantastic cocktails and dim sum and was the perfect spot to celebrate!
Check out how cool the cocktails are – this one is the Macau, which comes with blue cachaca, guava, coconut, mint, lemongrass, pineapple, lime and poppy seed. The best part, it comes with dry ice, resulting in smoke pouring out of the pineapple!
After a wonderful birthday, I was off to NYC and Connecticut for the Christmas holiday. Between catch-ups with friends in NYC and lots and lots of family time, it was a perfect holiday. Here are a few photos from NYC all decked out for the holidays.
After Christmas, I returned home to London just in time for New Year’s Eve. To be honest, I am not a huge NYE fan – I don’t love fighting the crowds and drink people to go out. This year ended up being a last-minute scramble, but the plans ended up being really fun. A few friends had dinner at my house, followed by a house party at a nearby friend’s place. Just perfect! Plus, it gave me an excuse to wear one of my favorite sparkly tops :).
Final Reflections & Key Learning’s From 2019
Gratitude For An Incredible Year Of Travel: Between Helsinki, Malibu, Delhi, Riga, NYC, Valencia, Prague, and more, 2019 was an incredible year of travel. I used to work in the travel industry and dream about traveling the world. Now I am actually doing it and am so grateful that my work and public speaking has given me so many opportunities to travel and see so many wonderful places around the world. Travel inspires me and gives me perspective. If I had one wish for 2020, it would be to plan a few leisure trips just for me. As in, no work, just selecting destinations to enjoy and explore. I would also like to make sure that I can get home to see my family 3-4 times per year!
Moving Flats Was THE BEST Decision: Leaving my old flat in Marylebone was not an easy decision, but I continue to be so grateful for my new flat. Not only is it so much bigger, but it has the most wonderful natural sunlight and it’s SO much quieter. I was so worried about leaving a “buzzier” neighborhood for a more residential one, but it has had a profound impact on me. I mostly work from home, so more space, the sunlight and being able to decorate with my own furniture have resulted in a higher level of productivity and comfort. I’ve also become very fond of my new neighborhood and the many great local businesses. As I look at 2020 in beyond, this flats pros and cons have given me more perspective on the type of flat I would want to buy in the future, creating the goal to save, save, save and to re-evaluate my work and how I can earn more income to eventually make my dream of investing in my own flat a reality.
I’m Growing As A Public Speaker – And Want To Take It To The Next Level: This was a successful year for me as a public speaker. Brand storytelling is a topic that runs across so many types of conferences and I am grateful for being sought-after as a speaker on this topic. Every time I speak, I get feedback from the audience, from the conference and it’s been very positive. However, I also make myself watch every talk with a critical eye to ensure I keep upping my game. I see so much potential for my public speaking career to grow and be a way I can earn additional income. In 2020, I need to do a better job of marketing myself as a speaker and to get to the next level of monetizing what I do. I do already earn income as a speaker, but it’s about getting to the next level.
Invest More In YouTube: I really love video! This year, I got a lot of great feedback on my YouTube travel vlogs. I also personally LOVE watching videos on YouTube – I watch travel, fashion and lifestyle vloggers like one would watch TV. I want to work more on this in 2020 with my two YouTube channels. I have The SavvyBostonian YouTube channel, which is focused on this travel and lifestyle blog. I also have a professional channel, Jessica Gioglio, focused on educational content for people looking to learn more about brand storytelling, marketing, social media.
Work On Health & Fitness: With all of my travels, 2019 was not a good year for health and fitness. It wasn’t a bad year, but it also wasn’t a year of improvement. I am lucky to have a naturally thin frame, but because I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk/computer, I’ve noticed an impact on my fitness level and have developed some upper back and neck problems. In 2019, I found a great physio who helped me keep my back/neck problems at bay, but I maxed out all of my employer’s private insurance coverage. In 2020, I’ll either need to pay personally or work out how to keep these problems at bay on my own. Per my amazing physio (who moved to Scotland sadly), the solution is a good mix of stretching and strength training, so I am intent on improving and getting my fitness to the next level in 2020.
Be A Better Social Planner: A downside of working and traveling so much is that it’s easy to lose touch with people. I had an ‘aha’ moment at my birthday party this year seeing friends that did not know one another really connect. It inspired me to plan more social gatherings in 2020 – even if it’s every other month or once quarterly, I would like to try to be a better connector and have more fun memories with my friends.
If you have made it all the way to the end of this SUPER long blog post, thank you! For more of my Life Updates blog posts, click here: https://thesavvybostonian.com/category/life-updates/
Wishing you all an amazing 2020!! xoxo, Jessica