Wonolo
Let’s meet Anna!
Hi there! My name is Anna Morris and I’m a Regional Launcher here at Wonolo. All of us here at Wonolo wear a ton of different hats, but I’m primarily responsible for making sure that our strategic partnerships are successful for both the customer and our workers (aka our beloved Wonoloers). This role encompasses everything from consulting and streamlining operations on both sides of the marketplace, growing supply in locations across the country, building scalable systems, and providing product feedback.
I love my job because I have the privilege of cross-collaborating with various teams within the Wonolo organization. Each day is a little different — bringing a new challenge, a new team win, and a new perspective.
What events in your life have brought you to your current role today?
In kindergarten I was apparently adamant about becoming a taxi driver, but by the time I reached high school, I pivoted and decided I wanted to become a journalist and/or anchorwoman. I graduated with a Broadcast Journalism degree. I spent four years reporting, anchoring, producing, writing, editing, and filming for our local TV station in addition to marketing internships at the Boys & Girls Clubs, and freelancing for the local newspaper. I was involved in way too many clubs on campus and had multiple jobs to pay for my tuition/living expenses.
During college, I snuck in two study abroad trips to England + South Africa and as a result, I became completely enthralled with the world outside of rural Wisconsin where I grew up. Two days after I graduated, I started working full-time as a Study Abroad Advisor on campus. Although I learned so much, after about a year I realized a bureaucratic university was not the work setting for me so I applied to hundreds of travel jobs to see what opportunities were out there.
I eventually landed a position at a six-person travel startup in Berkeley, CA. I shipped two boxes, packed one suitcase, and moved across the country. After 4.5 years completely immersed in the startup world and in a job that quite literally changed my life, it was a bittersweet decision to move onto a bigger tech company where I focused on strategic operations for about a year and a half. However, I recently celebrated my one-year Wonoloversary and have loved every day!
When you have to make a difficult decision, what do you lean on?
When faced with a difficult decision, I analyze the situation from all angles, try to play out every outcome, and come to terms with the worst/best case scenarios. This exercise helps me to be empathetic, rational, and can help to clear the emotion that may be clouding my judgement.
I’m a big believer that EQ is a muscle and we all have the ability to strengthen our emotional intelligence by educating ourselves on the fundamentals and practicing it. This is way easier said than done because difficult decisions are often emotionally charged.
Another really important part of my process is talking through the situation with a trusted mentor, friend, or family member.
What is one piece of life advice you can give to anyone?
This is a hard one! Here’s two because I can’t decide: 1) fail often and 2) flex your curiosity.
I truly believe we learn way more from failure than from our success. One of the fundamentals I learned early in my career is how valuable it is to have a growth mindset. Don’t be scared of trying and failing, be afraid of becoming (or perceiving yourself to be) the smartest person in the room.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always asked a lot of questions and been curious about the world around me (maybe that’s why I wanted to be a taxi driver or a journalist? Who knows..). My specific advice is to engage in conversations with people who disagree or have a different point of view than you. Even if you don’t come to a place at the end of the conversation where you agree, in my opinion, to have a new perspective is a gift. Traveling or immersing yourself in a culture outside of your own is a beautiful way to foster this.
If you really knew me, you would know that…
I’m a bookworm and love public libraries. I prefer to read one book at a time, but without a doubt I read a book every day. Sometimes it’s only for 10 minutes, but the process of sitting down with a book to decompress from the day is one of my steadfast habits. I credit my Mom for instilling this habit in me. Every day after a long day at work, she’d always take the time to read me at least one story when I was little. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school my Mom would never say no to me if I needed help with my math homework even if she was exhausted (she’s a nurse). This wasn’t a strong subject for me, but I worked really hard and didn’t give up.
If you really knew me, you would also know that I strongly believe anyone can achieve their dreams with enough elbow grease and perseverance. I am inspired every day by the Wonoloers on our platform and their stories. I have a deep appreciation for their work ethic and we have a lot to learn from their experiences. I am humbled and grateful to work at such a mission-driven company like Wonolo.
