Meet Mandi Ericson | Strategic Director of Communications

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

Hi Mandi, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As with all things in life what is important shifts and changes over time. I think being adaptable to life is an important life skill that I am still working to perfect. Each individual is a lot of things. I am a daughter, wife, mother, career woman and friend. At different times, my balance has to shift to what needs me most – sometimes for a period of time or sometimes hour by hour. The notion that we have to be one of these things at a time, is not only impossible, but discredits big pieces of individuals that makes us who we are. Since I spend a bulk majority of my days at work, creating limited time to spend with my family each night, my commitment to disconnecting from work, while not always possible, is what I aim to do on nights and weekends. However, if I need to work or visit a friend, having my children know that my career or other relationships are also important to me, has immense value as well. I believe most important is finding an organization or career that sees you as a whole person, made up of many things, that places value on their employees maintaining healthy balances for whatever is important to them, which was a driving factor in my decision to work for Live.Laugh.Denver. Real Estate Group. Lindsey Benton, our founder and owner, works hard to ensure her team maintains a proper work life balance, giving us the time to recharge, refresh and connect with things outside of work that we find important. Her flexibility, understanding and drive is what enables me to feel like I can be all of the things that make me who I am.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I spent most of my career in fundraising, marketing and communications for local nonprofits. My first year in nonprofit work was during the great recession. My team of five was cut to a team of one, myself. I was fresh out of college, no idea what I was doing, and had to figure out how to do it all. Through a lot of trial and error, I managed to keep it all afloat – sometimes not well, but afloat. While not ideal, when you have to, you do. I couldn’t lose my job, no one was hiring, the people we were caring for needed more and trying to fundraiser during a recession… well lets just say I heard more no’s that year than I did throughout my entire career. However, that year taught me that if people can, they will. I saw many individuals give more knowing others couldn’t, whether this was time or money. I learned being passionate about what you are doing, knowing your why, will pull you through tough times. I relied on my relationships and understood the importance of networking, asking for help and supporting a team. I also learned how to be resourceful and how absolutely invaluable Google is. I didn’t have anyone mentoring me, but you can literally find anything on the internet. However, Google doesn’t replace a good mentor. You can only get so far in life, without people helping you along the way. When I had the opportunity to switch industries and come work for Live.Laugh.Denver. the opportunity for mentorship from a successful business woman, and working mother, was a huge factor in my decision. Being mentored by a woman was something I had rarely had access to in my career and is something that Live.Laugh.Denver. takes great pride in. Women supporting women is incredibly important and we need more of that in workforce.

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?
Being born and raised in Denver I would stick mainly to the city of Denver. There are far too many wonderful places to eat and drink, but La Loma is a must for me. I would take them to some breweries, Denver Beer Co would top that list and we would go shopping in Cherry Creek. Lastly, checking out a concert a Red Rocks.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents. Cliche? Maybe, but true. My parents were young when they decided to get married and start a family. It wasn’t until me and my younger brother were born, and they were struggling to make ends meet, that they decided to go to college. My dad worked a security guard at night and went to school in the day, my mom waitresses and study when she could all while caring for two toddlers. I watched both of parents dedicate themselves to our family, their education and their careers. As we grew, so did they. Both my mom and dad have had wildly successful careers. They defied the odds and instilled in me the drive to push myself, value education, love family and achieve great things. I would be remiss if I also didn’t shoutout my amazingly supportive husband who is my best friend and number one fan, and my two boys who are the reason for everything I do.

Website: https://livelaughdenver.com/agents/mandi-ericson/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandi_ericson/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandi-ericson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mandi.mcintyre.ericson