BALI X<br>EVERYDAY<br>MASSIVE
The team farewells Jaxzyn and welcomes Everyday Massive over seven dreamy days in Bali. Offsite Bagus.
Ahh, Bali. The warm breeze carrying such beguiling wafts of incense and raw effluent. The tantalising lawlessness of the place calling to our civilised Western souls. The colour! The culture! The sweet freedom that only comes from riding a scooter barefoot and Bintang-singleted, helmetless braids billowing. There’s no denying there’s something about Bali that gets under your skin and stays with you long after you’ve left (it’s the tapeworms).
This year’s team offsite went down in Seminyak over seven balmy days. We worked, we swam, we ate, we drank, we surfed, we hung out. We returned unbraided and without parasites.
More importantly, we left Australia as Jaxzyn and returned as Everyday Massive.
What’s in a name? Turns out — plenty. Thirteen years is a lot of history, as we discovered while mapping our favourite Jaxzyn memories onto a lengthy timeline. There was laughter; there were tears (mine). We remembered a bunch of good times and great people who played a pivotal role in our journey. We (they) plotted every near-breakdown I’ve ever had. There were… a few. We wrote it all down. And we burnt it.
The ritual marked a shift from the business we were to the one we’d become. I’d like to claim there was a deep symbolism or cultural significance in the act, but it was mostly because burning stuff is very satisfying.
There were no shortage of other highlights either.
There was Nadeen’s anxiety-inducing spoon-grabbing game, escalated by Kerrie setting the tempo. And Narelle triumphantly brandishing a very authentic Balinese sculpture† after winning said scuffle.
There was the tangible contentment exuding from Jess as she floated around the pool at Single Fin sipping a steady stream of Pina Coladas, happy as an otter. Nic trying to teach us what is almost-definitely the loosest game ever. And Kenia getting existential.
There was a particularly vicious session in stormy 9-10 foot surf at Canggu with Tim. And Teus calling it early to go home to look after his sick daughter — not because we didn’t want him there (he’s excellent value), but because he made the right choice despite it being difficult.
By far the standout, though, was meeting B.
Bojana has been part of the team for over eight years. With a degree in Public Relations, a Masters in Work and Organisational Psychology, and a talent for illustration and design, she’s an indispensable part of the work we do. B is also based in Sofia, Bulgaria. And in all the time we’ve worked together, despite talking on almost a daily basis, we’ve never met face-to-face.
As the most timid of introverts, I can’t imagine flying around the world to spend a week with eleven people I’d never met — but she did, and it was wonderful getting a chance to know her better, outside the usual digital channels.
Beyond the change of scene needed to shift mindsets, the opportunity to hang out with people outside the typical work environment is a reminder of how much you actually love them as humans, not just workmates.
I can’t imagine working with a better bunch.
† A disturbingly lifelike silver phallis 🤭