Marketing & Instructional Design Portfolio
Laena is a multidisciplinary entrepreneur, instructional designer, marketing ninja, and educator, dubbed "extraordinary" by the New York Times. After launching Anarchy in a Jar in 2009, she helped launch over a dozen startups as a leader, instructional designer, marketing and growth strategist, and consultant. She remains an unwavering optimist dedicated to helping people live their best lives through tech, essential skills, and sustainable ecosystems.
As a true believer in the power of innovation to make the world a better place, Laena is passionate about creating business-changing solutions through branding, design, and creative storytelling. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Martha Stewart Show, New York Magazine, Food & Wine, and more. Her cookbook, Jam On: The Craft of Canning Fruit, was published by Penguin Random House in 2012.
Laena graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, received an MS in Information Science from Pratt Institute, and was awarded the United States Antarctica Service Medal by the Department of Defense for her work with the National Science Foundation.
As a lifelong educator and entrepreneur, Laena provides teams and individuals with a playbook to make their work better and navigate the pain points within a successful business, so they can realize their potential and solve real problems through innovation.
Laena teaches and consults through a number of platforms and with an array of fantastic companies, from Meta and Google, to Deloitte and Hinge. See notable success stories and testimonials at http://laenamira.com and http://anarchyinajar.com.
MARKETING AND COMMUNITY MARKETING | SAMPLE WORK
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PROCESS | SAMPLE WORK
SAMPLE DESIGN PROCESS FOR A CLIENT / INTRO TO DATA ANALYTICS
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN | VIDEO SCRIPTS AND DESIGN PROCESS
SAMPLE DESIGN STRATEGY FOR A CLIENT / INTRO TO DATA ANALYTICS
THINKFUL / VIDEO SCRIPT / COPYWRITING & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN 2019-2020
WATCH THESE VIDEOS MADE FOR THINKFUL/CHEGG IN 2020
Writing
Meet Laena
Let’s talk about….
🍽️ Anything food-related
I love everything food from cooking to history, and especially hot sauce. You can find some of my musings on my blog.
🏫 Teaching design
I'm passionate about design education and mentorship, as you can see from my work teaching at Pratt Institute and Thinkful. Reach out to me if you're looking for someone to teach a workshop or give a talk!
📚 Reading books
I'm a certified book nerd with a MS in information science. Most recently, my favorite read was Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
🎈 creating Piñata sculptures
What?! Performative piñata art is a thing? YES, and it's amazing. If you're new to it, you should checkout Justin Favela’s sculptures.
🌶️ transforming a tennis court into a farm
Some people have a green thumb, but I definitely think mine is red. As in, red hot spicy peppers. Checkout Pepper Court, my Hudson Valley Farm project.
Client Feedback & Reviews
“I GAINED MORE CLARITY AROUND THE WHO, WHAT, AND WHERE OF MY BUSINESS (THE NUTS AND BOLTS) AND HOW TO REACH MY AUDIENCE.”
“We needed a consultant who would understand our clients and their needs as they built our teaching platform. The attention to detail was much appreciated.”
“I WAS ABLE TO REALLY ITERATE ON THE PLAN THAT I WAS TAKING FOR MY BUSINESS. THROUGH THEIR GUIDANCE I LEARNED A LOT MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TACKS I COULD TAKE, AND WHICH ONE WAS BEST FOR ME. THEY ALSO GAVE ME MOTIVATION TO KEEP GOING FORWARD, WHICH IS ALWAYS VERY HELPFUL.”
“EXCELLENT (QUALITY), SUPER VALUABLE AND LOTS OF FUN!”
“THE TIPS AND TRICKS TO IMPROVE MY WORK, LIFE, HEALTH PARADOX WERE REALLY HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY THE MINDFULNESS EXERCISES.”
“With sales down and an exodus of clients in 2020, Laena and her team brought the sunshine and helped us turn around our strategy. Marketing guru and all-around cheerleader for our business!”
“THIS CLASS WAS SO FUN! IT WAS THE PERFECT BALANCE OF LEARNING AND TEAM BUILDING. THE KIT CONTAINED EVERYTHING THAT I NEEDED, SO IT WAS EASY TO SET UP AND COMPLETE THE PROJECT WITHIN THE TIME ALLOTTED, WHILE CREATING A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE. SUPER FUN! I AM RECOMMENDING IT TO OTHERS AS WELL.”
“...THEN CAME @BROOKLYNJAM, THANK GOD.”