UNLEASH – Gretchen Loves Anchorage

Graying and staying: Alaska’s growing senior population (UNLEASH Magazine)

A couple months ago I read What the world’s best cities will look like in 2030, an article about how cities can prepare for and attract aging populations, and shared it on Facebook with the question, “What can we do to become more age friendly and keep our seniors here?” Most responses cited the cold, dark winters and a few others mentioned the lack of affordable housing and challenging transportation as deterrents to staying. The general consensus seemed to be that once Alaskans hit retirement age, it’s snow bird time: relentlessly sunny skies and outlet malls, here we come!

Continue reading “Graying and staying: Alaska’s growing senior population (UNLEASH Magazine)”

Millennials in Anchorage – Why attracting them, and keeping them, matters to our city (UNLEASH Magazine)

The annual “Best Cities in America for Millennials” ranking was released last week and Anchorage came in at 117 of 217 cities ranked .

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Give Experiences, not Things (UNLEASH Magazine)

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. The horribly coined term “Thanks-getting.” Even Santa Claus. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the holidays were all about THINGS. Buying things, giving things, getting things: Americans expect to receive an average of 12.9 gifts. This is, of course, a boon to the retail industry; Americans will each spend approximately $700 on holiday related items this year, totaling more than $465 billion (it’s also a boon to the debt industry, as the holidays lead to credit card overspending by an average of 16 percent).

Continue reading “Give Experiences, not Things (UNLEASH Magazine)”

Career Breaks and Sabbaticals (ULEASH Magazine)

Touring France on a bike with her sweetheart.

A summer living in a van and exploring western American.

Providing transportation to scientists in Antarctica for six months.

These are just a few of the adventures friends taking career breaks or sabbaticals are in the midst of or recently completed. Other friends taking extended time off work cited the opportunity to focus on health and wellness, giving themselves time to reconnect with family, or simply enjoy summertime in Alaska as the reasons they’re taking a break. Whatever the motivation, it seems like an increasing number of people are carving out time from work to focus on a different areas of their lives.

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Talent-matching, Co-working, and Freelancing in Anchorage (UNLEASH Magazine)

One of my favorite new publications is The Boardroom’s UNLEASH magazine, and not just because they asked me to write for them; I love the variety and depth of articles included each month. It’s a unique voice about inspiration, culture, and opinions in our community, and I hope that you check it out!

Here’s the article I wrote about talent-matching, co-working, and freelancing in Anchorage for this month’s publication. Continue reading “Talent-matching, Co-working, and Freelancing in Anchorage (UNLEASH Magazine)”