Breakfast all day every day

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1) Who are you?

I’m originally from Prague, but spent most of my life in California. I love to read almost any non-fiction books, play beach volleyball, and I miss shopping at Trader Joe’s. After college I briefly considered a legal career, but decided instead to pursue my MBA and graduated from UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2015. I joined McKinsey shortly thereafter, and have enjoyed rediscovering my roots in Prague and traveling around Europe for work.

2) What was your favorite moment from this week?

I had lunch with a client from a previous project, and it was amazing catching up with her after a few months. Thanks to taking over the lead of the transformation project we started, she has catapulted from a junior role to becoming the plant manager’s right hand in all things related to the transformation. It was amazing to see her personal transformation and her excitement about her role which my team helped set up for her.

3) What did you have for lunch?

There are not many options around my client’s, so I had an omelet from the cafe across the street... with salad instead of toast :) I love breakfast food at any time of day, so I eat there at least once a week and it satigies my cravings.

4) Why Prague?

During my MBA, I interned for the summer in McKinsey’s Prague office. It was an incredible 3–month experience that convinced me McKinsey is the place for me – and after receiving an offer to return full–time, I happily accepted and moved from California to Prague to start this new journey.

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5) What is special about your office?

After growing up in America for most of my life, moving back to Europe was an exciting life experiment. It was enormously helpful that the Prague office is like a big family and they helped me adjust and supported me every step of the way. Our Junior Consultants Club (JCC) really helped to make my experience phenomenal, and I’m thankful for all the sports events, charity auctions, and Friday afternoon beers that bonded us together.

6) What are your weekend plans?

My sister is flying in from Brussels this weekend, which I’m super excited about! On Saturday morning we’re planning a trail run to train for a 20k we signed up for together later this spring. Then we’ll stop by my new apartment to measure and plan the new kitchen – she is my unofficial interior designer. For the rest of the weekend we’ll be visiting our grandparents and spending quality time with family – one of my favorite activities.

7) What type of music makes you feel motivated?

I generally love hip hop and reggae music – but lately Rich Love by Seeb and One Republic has been on repeat.

8) What’s your favorite app or emoji?

I finally tried out Strava (the running app) in January, so that is currently keeping me busy and motivated to train for a half marathon – probably my most visited app aside from email :).

9) Why McKinsey?

One of the reasons I chose McKinsey is the firm’s reputation for providing a diverse experience and breadth of knowledge – a promise which my past two years have fulfilled above and beyond. I have had the privilege of working on projects from Canada to Bangladesh, and across many different industries. Some of my favorite McKinsey moments are from manufacturing transformations – something about orange hazard suits and safety goggles just speaks to me. Needless to say, this job is anything but boring and I am constantly excited for what is next.

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