#7 - Monday Musings - Making Moves

TL;DR: I am happy to share that after six and a half years in New York, I am back in Oakland, California! To my network - please don’t be shy in reaching out! I would also love your help in connecting with local artists, creatives, small business owners as well as not-for-profits and philanthropists focused on direct-aid based programs.?

Professional Life

I am taking a three-pronged approach to how I dive back into life in the Bay Area from a professional perspective. I am seeking to re-engage with institutions I know, reach out to former colleagues and clients, and meet new people who are operating in creative fields.?

Institutions?

As a graduate of Mills College, it has been great to go back to campus and reconnect with familiar faces. I enjoyed catching up with Ekaterina Karniouchina and learning about the Business Programs at Mills at Northeastern. I attended the “Advancing Equity in the Age of AI” event, and bumped into Joanne Christina da Luz, MEd, MBA , who is always up to something exciting (next up, checking out the XR/VR lab on campus). Kristen Stain and I were able to see Dean Spade speak at the Empowering Change through Radical Care event. It was great to be back amongst the trees (if you know, you know) as well as see how the Mills legacy will be carried forward under a new program.?

I am also looking forward to re-engaging with folks from the Financial Women of San Francisco. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to be a scholarship recipient and went on to serve on the Board from 2016-2018. I feel fortunate that I made lifelong friends and mentors through the organization and look foward to seeing what the group is up to in 2025!

Former Colleagues + Clients

I have slowly, but surely, been reaching out to folks in my professional orbit. My calendar is flling with coffee chats, hikes, and lazy weekend game days to reconnect. I can’t wait to catch up on the changes and shifts in folk’s life and hope to catch up with as many people as possible. Message me!

New Connections

I am also seeking to expand my horizons and would appreciate warm introductions from my network. As some of you may know, I have a consulting business, Shelby Taylor Duncan Consulting, where I focus on helping creatives run a business that meets their financial needs and allows them to focus on their craft. If you happen to know any folks who are artists, freelancers, or small business owners who could use one-time or continued help in striking the right balance between business and craft, I would greatly appreciate an introduction. Additionally, I would be curious to meet folks in the not-for-profit and philanthropist spaces who seek to design and implement programs focused on direct aid.?

Personal Life

In coming back to the Bay Area, my greatest focuses in my personal life are community, spending time doing what I love, and learning new practical skills.?

Community

I am so happy to be back with the deepest roots in my community. I am living 10 minutes away from my best friend of over 15 years (!!) and am three hours from another best friend and my goddaughter. My heart is so full knowing I am so close to the people I love most.

My personal calendar is continuing to swell with hikes, COVID-cautious dinners, and coffees with friends I have not had the chance to see in over five years. I can’t wait to catch up and see how life has shifted for us both.?

I am also learning more about local organizations I would like to join that are aligned with my political beliefs and am engaging in direct aid and actions where I can find them. If anyone is aware of mutual aid groups in Oakland (that are not associated with the mayor) please share with me as my search continues).?

What I Love

Two exciting things happened in this move - I am back in good weather with easy access to nature and I have a functional kitchen! I am enjoying spending my evenings and weekends amongst the Redwoods in the regional park that is a five minute drive from home. While eucalyptus trees are not indigenous to California and present a significant wildfire risk, I confess that I love walking through the hills and breathing in their scent mixed with a breeze off of the bay and dirt warmed by the sun. Up in the same hills, I have been taking horseback riding lessons, which is such a joy. Riding horses has always been one of my favorite things to do and I feel fortunate to be in a position to have access to the sport again (in 2020, I spent time learned some cattle and roping skills!).?

I am making good use of our beautiful kitchen with abundant counterspace and cabinets by sticking with my habit of baking one sweet treat a week. I cannot speak highly enough (and neither can my downstairs neighbor who is enjoying splitting the sweets-bounty) about Justine Dorian’s fudgy orange-flavored brownies from her new (and amazing) cookbook - Justine Cooks.?

I have also been exploring old stomping grounds and finding new treasures. It was great to go back to Oakland’s Main Library location near Lake Merritt and see the refurbishment of the space. I encourage folks to check it out - the seed library alone is worth a visit! During the holiday season, I headed to a new favorite, Spectator Books, to get books for loved ones.?

Learning New, Practical Skills

If the last few years have taught me anything, it is that I happen to know a lot of things, but there are a lot of things I don’t know, and the things I don’t know are pretty critical to day-to-day life! I’ve been doubling down on practical skills each year (cooking, baking, bread making while in New York) and this year I am taking up gardening.?

I am fortunate enough to have landed in a space that already has some raised beds and I find myself in a neighborhood of gardeners who have been harvesting from their backyards for over 20 years. I currently have a stack of books and notes about knee high and have been spending time weeding, hoeing, and sowing. Here’s to hoping I have some fresh produce to share with my community come summer!?

It feels surreal to me, in the best way possible, to be back. I pinch myself several times a day as I look out onto the Bay, Downtown San Francisco, Downtown Oakland, and on a day when Carl is away - the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges. I am so grateful to be home.?

I look forward to reconnecting - connections in the Bay Area - please don’t be shy! I am still making my rounds as I get settled, but I would love to catch up with you all.