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Lara Sandora
Owner and Founder at thepieceofmindretreat.com
Professional Background
Lara Sandora is a talented educator and entrepreneur whose passion for helping others is evident in both her personal and professional life. Living in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area, Lara balances her dual roles as a dedicated public school educator and a caring mother to two boys, one of whom is non-verbal autistic. With extensive experience in the education sector, Lara has served as a counselor in various capacities, including positions at the East Side Union High School District and the Sequoia Union High School District. Her commitment to supporting young people, especially those with special needs, has been the driving force behind her career.
As the Owner and Founder of thepieceofmindretreat.com, Lara is dedicated to providing a sanctuary for families navigating the challenges of autism. This initiative stems from Lara's own experiences as a mother, as she understands the importance of having a safe and welcoming place to create lasting memories. The Piece of Mind Retreat is designed to be both a vacation spot and a place of healing, helping families like hers reconnect and enjoy moments together.
In addition to running her retreat, Lara also shares her insights and tips through her blog, Refresh. Here, she provides valuable content aimed at busy women, especially those who care for special needs children. With lifestyle tips, delicious recipes, and hacks for a more enjoyable life, Lara's blog has become a go-to resource for individuals seeking to rejuvenate their daily routines.
Education and Achievements
Lara's educational background reflects her dedication to both counseling and education. She holds a Master's Degree in Counselor Education from San Jose State University, where she honed her skills in understanding and addressing the diverse needs of students. Prior to that, Lara earned her Bachelor’s degree in History, Sociology, and Educational Policy Studies from the prestigious Rice University. This foundation in both history and education policy has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of the educational landscape, informing her work with students and families.
Over the years, Lara's commitment to her profession has been recognized through various roles she has undertaken within school districts. As a counselor, she has worked tirelessly to ensure students receive the support they need, particularly those who face additional challenges. Her former role as Head Counselor at the East Side Union High School District allowed her to guide teams of counselors while ensuring students' well-being remained a top priority.
Additionally, Lara's experience in the educational field has allowed her to create a positive impact, influencing both her colleagues and the students she has guided throughout her career. Her devotion to fostering a nurturing environment has been a hallmark of her approach to education.
Contributions and Community Impact
Lara Sandora's commitment goes beyond traditional education roles; she champions not only her family's needs but also those of other busy families navigating similar paths. Her blog, Refresh, acts as a platform to empower and support women facing the obstacles of parenting, career commitments, and personal care, especially those with special needs children. She enjoys facilitating discussions around self-care and provides practical tips that encourage a healthy work-life balance.
As a family, the Sandoras enjoy exploring new avenues of travel, even if traditional vacations can sometimes be challenging due to autism. However, they have embraced alternative ways to “travel” through culinary adventures, exciting reads, and Netflix documentaries, fully embodying the idea that adventure can come in many forms. Through her experiences, Lara aims to show other families that it is possible to create a fulfilling life amidst the complexities of raising a child with autism.
Moreover, her involvement in fostering awareness and understanding about autism is crucial to her mission. She aims to provide resources and support for other parents, helping to dismantle the stigma often associated with autism. This community engagement, combined with her background as an educator, allows Lara to make significant contributions that resonate with many families.
In her role as a Color Street ambassador, Lara has discovered a unique avenue to promote self-care among busy women. She recognizes that a little time dedicated to personal grooming can significantly boost one's mood and well-being. The simplicity of fresh manicures in just a few minutes a week is a testament to her philosophy of self-care as an essential part of a busy life. Through this initiative, Lara creates a community of women who can share experiences, tips, and encouragement, fostering a supportive network that celebrates individual beauty and self-expression.
Lara Sandora's journey is one of resilience, passion, and unyielding dedication to her family and community. As she continues to share her story and resources through her retreat and blog, she not only uplifts herself but also strengthens those around her, paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future for families with special needs children.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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