Ciao!

I'm writing this from beautiful (and delicious) Southern Italy. I know, rough life. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I only spend money on travel (and now childcare). I've been lucky to escape for a month the last three years, and with my oldest kicking off kindergarten next fall, this will be the last big trip for a while. I'm savoring all of the pizza and gelato I can eat.

In this quarterly newsletter, I share my favorite writings, tips for your communications toolkit, and fun news from my consulting clients. Today, I have a new blog about surviving international travel with toddlers (timely), tips to be college move-in ready (written for Rainier Scholars), a shout out for the upcoming GlobalWA conference, a few must-see job listings, and a favorite blog about toenail loss from the archives.

Interested in learning more about my consulting work or have something you'd like me to write about for an upcoming newsletter? Shoot me an email! I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Kristina

10 Tips to Survive International Travel with Toddlers

I survived a 4-week trip to Sicily with an 8-month old and 2.5 year old (and a husband). It went so well, we took another month-long trip to Spain a year later. As I'm writing this, we're almost-thriving on a three week sojourn to southern Italy - our third hop to Europe with two littles in three years. You might be asking yourself how we survive international travel with toddlers. I've got tips.

7 Tips for College Move-In From Rainier Scholars

As I shared in my last update, I'm thrilled to be supporting Rainier Scholars as their Interim Marketing & Communications Director. This organization has such a cool mission to transform young people of color and their communities through rigorous academic programs. The people I get to work with have already made a huge impact on me.

My role is small - just 10 hours a week to "keep the boat afloat", if you will - and I am primarily working on the Annual Report and the bi-monthly eNewsletter. Which means I get to uncover and amplify stories in their community. This blog for eNews about college move-in tips was fun to put together. I'm so excited to share more incredible stories of impact with you soon (most are under embargo for the Annual Report, but I'll post in the next newsletter!).

GlobalWA Annual Conference

Global Washington reached out a few months ago for help on their messaging framework and brand identity. Messaging framework serves as the bible of your brand: outlining your core messages and unique value proposition for use across different channels. It's the basis on which all of your communications and visual brand identity are built.

In non-consultant speak, messaging framework is like pouring the foundation and framing the walls of a new house. The goal is to create the "vibe" of your organization. We build a house and you can decorate it however you want, as long as you only use specific colors and communication tones.

Through our work together, I've grown pretty fond of GlobalWA. A member-based nonprofit, GlobalWA provides support and community to organizations based in Washington state that work globally. Without their coordinated effort and support, this international work becomes even harder (as many of you know, 2025 was the year USAID programs were cut by 83%). GlobalWA builds intentional connections and community to help their members grow capacity, scale their impact, and gain recognition - aka, make the world a better place.

If you work for a WA-based company working internationally (which includes nonprofits, academia, and places like Amazon, Microsoft, etc.), consider coming to their Annual Conference in Seattle on November 18, 2025. The speakers look incredible, and I can only imagine how valuable some of those connections will prove to be in the months and years to come.

Arboretum Foundation and Rainier Scholars are Hiring

Both the Arboretum Foundation and Rainier Scholars are hiring right now. Check out the listings via the links below for your next dream job as Director of Advancement, Front of House Coordinator, Literacy Specialist, or Math Teacher.

So, You're Gunna Lose a Toenail

Congratulations! Your toenail turned all of the colors and is going to fall off. Don’t despair. Follow these tips* to embrace the 6-12 month regrowing process to welcome your new nail with grace and dignity.

*These tips are based on zero-medical knowledge and are solely a reflection of my experience having lost 1.5 toenails (one is mid-stream) in my lifetime. I haven’t even Googled to make sure my blabbering is remotely grounded in reality. Your toenail might be just fine actually, and you aren’t even going to lose it. I don’t know! This post is 100% alternative fact-based.

A Quick Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who took the Naming survey for the Arboretum Foundation from my last newsletter. I can't share the results with you just yet, but suffice it to say, some exciting stuff is in the works!