Instagram story viewer> @oakmonster> Tagged

oakley boren

@oakmonster

1.4K

followers

1712

following

🇹🇭🇺🇲 Creative. Social. Nerd. 🦸 Fangirl & Cosplayer 💍 Married to @jokerlorian 🐈‍⬛ Mama to @bastandisis 🍜 Cofounder @theasianaunties

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Spoopy / Spooky season arrives early this year. 🐈‍⬛🧙‍♀️🧹

Mama's note: The plumber is here so everyone is hiding. Bast found a new spot in the bookshelf, behind the Witches and Myths section. Natch. 😂 Took me a while to find her though, thank goodness for some books that she knocked over on her way in there.

#bastandisis #blackcat #voidcat #housepanther #spookyseason #spoopy #witchfamiliar #witchvibes #permanenthalloweendecoration

16

0

July was long. Maybe because it stretched out into August for me. Maybe it’s the long hot summer. Or maybe because I was just… here. This was the first time in a while that I had multiple birthday🎂 celebrations, you’d think it was a milestone or something 😉 I am grateful 🙏🏼 for my friends. Thank you, everyone - y’all are the best and I ♥️ you.

Last month I also visited my cousin in the hospital ( thank goodness she’s better now!) watched The Mellow Dees at Gerry’s Grill, hosted book club, went to Orange Coast Mag event, worked on some fun shoots, worked (a lot) and attended the Pageant of the Masters.

So now what?

We made it halfway through this challenging year - let’s power through the rest! We’ve got this.

And in the spirit of many a kdrama 화이팅 (Fighting!) or in anime がんばれ (You can do it!)

Or in the words of Lil Pump: Esskeetit

54

12

I think the last time I had any kind of party to celebrate my birthday was back in the 20th Century! 😂 It was held at a bar and all my musician friends performed and I even had a vodka sponsor.

It’s not that I don’t like birthdays or parties, I just don’t put too much importance on the day itself. So sometimes I’ll celebrate a full month later.

For many years, my friend @popbuffruchel has been asking if I wanted her to organize a birthday dinner for me and I always politely declined, besides we could never find a good time. I also have very diverse friend groups so it was also challenging to get a group together.

But somehow this year, the stars aligned and I gave her a list of names from my various groups. It was interesting seeing my @filamartsla friends combine with @theasianaunties plus family members and friends from the Philippines along with friends from OC but guess what? It turned out wonderful. Everyone got along and we had great conversations all around! I may suck at organizing events for my birthday but I’m great at surrounding myself with strong, independent, intelligent and creative women!

Thank you to Ruchel, Anita, Oakley, Giselle, MaryAnne and Marnie for making my birthday brunch @sevillatapasbar extra special.

For those who missed it - stay tuned for another gathering (even if it’s no longer my birthday, we can always use it as an excuse to get together 😉)

136

37

🚧 The Manager’s Roadmap Through Decline: Budget Cuts in 2025

This is how it unravels—step by step.

Step 1: Initial Cuts
Hiring freezes. Delayed purchases. “Do more with less.”
➡️ Strategy shifts overnight.

Step 2: Resource Strain
Roles eliminated. Training cut.
➡️ Burnout begins. Performance slips.

Step 3: Operational Delays
Processes slow. Innovation stalls.
➡️ Customer satisfaction drops.

Step 4: Morale Collapse
Rumors. Silence. High performers eye the door.
➡️ Managers manage emotions, not outcomes.

The Takeaway:
Budget cuts aren't just numbers.
They dismantle morale, culture, and leadership—one step at a time.

Managers deserve better. So do teams.

#ManagementCues #WorkforceHealth #LeadershipMatters #BudgetCuts2025 #TeamCulture #FutureOfWork #ManagerSupport #BurnoutPrevention #EconomicImpact

3

0

An interview with Bast.

#bastandisis #blackcat #voidcat #housepanther #stayathomedaughter

15

0

💡My idea was to have a little launch party for every print zine I published. Some live music and art, good friends, new friends, coffee, food and overall good vibes. ☕️ 🎶📚💕

The thing about ideas is they are useless until you put them into action. To do this, you need your tribe to support you and for FilAm Jam that’s exactly what happened. 🙏🏼💕🇵🇭🇺🇸

My kimono jacket is by @hatzumomo 😎

38

4

🧠 5 Ways Managers Can Ask Better Questions

Because better questions = better outcomes.

Save these for your next team meeting:

1️⃣ Lead with Curiosity
Instead of assuming, ask: “Can you walk me through your thinking?”

2️⃣ Go Open-Ended
Avoid yes/no traps. Try: “What’s getting in the way right now?”

3️⃣ Frame for Growth
Ask: “What would you change if you had a do-over?”

4️⃣ Clarify Intent + Impact
Dig deeper: “What result were you aiming for—and what happened?”

5️⃣ Create a Safe Space
Invite honesty: “Is there something you haven’t had the space to say?”

✨ Great managers don’t have all the answers—they know how to ask the right questions.

#ManagementCues #BetterManagers #LeadershipDevelopment #ManagerTips #AskingBetterQuestions #ManagerMindset #WorkforceWisdom #PsychologicalSafety #GrowthCulture

1

0

Come with me to @himalayan_delights_newport where @theasianaunties ie me, @themadhungrywoman and @oakmonster celebrated our 4th Anniversary as food-loving, Asian Auntie-talking, not-so-young-anymore women out to do good in the world, whenever and wherever we can.

The food and service was EXCELLENT! Here’s what we had:
Paneer Pakora
Vegetable Pakora
Chow Mein
Butter Chicken
Chicken Kadai
Goat Curry
Lamb Biryani
Gulab Jamun
Garlic Naan
Badami Naan

And yes we ate ALL OF IT and EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS! 😋

📍Himalayan Delights
3305 Newport Blvd.
Newport Beach, CA 92663

#himalayancuisine #indianfood #nepalesefood

33

5

I love my mama...with all four of my limbs. - Bast.

#bastandisis #blackcat #voidcat #housepanther #cuddlebug

5

0

Repost @itsthetinatinglish 💕 Which auntie are YOU?

Guess which one of us is the sweaty snack hoarding and Yappy TV Yelling auntie 😂

10

0

It’s so cool to see folks out there this weekend repping our Management Cues Workforce Equity hoodies and championing our incredible crowdfunding campaign backed by @ifundwomen IFW x Honeycomb Credit! 🙌🏽🔥

We’re on a mission to expand our reach—to equip more managers and leaders with a proven, neuroscience-backed training method that transforms how people show up and thrive in the workforce.

✨ Join us on this purpose-driven journey.
🎯 Help us hit our $40K goal so we can make a greater impact across workplaces nationwide.

👉 LINK IN BIO
Let’s level up the workforce—together.

Every little bit counts

SHARE, LIKE, COMMENT!

#WorkforceEquity #ManagementCues #Crowdfunding #IFW #HoneycombCredit #LeadershipDevelopment #NeuroscienceInBusiness #LevelUpManagement #fundmanagementcues

8

2

📣 We need YOU to help us grow our impact! 🌱✨

Our crowdfunding campaign with IFW by Honeycomb Credit @ifundwomen is live, and it’s more than just raising funds — it’s about building a community that believes in better management, better workplaces, and a better future. 💼🧠💪

💛 Want to support but can’t donate big? No problem. It doesn’t matter if you contribute $5 or $5,000 — you’ll go down in history as a funder on our Visionaries Wall on our website. 📜🌟

And even if you can’t give right now, you can still make a HUGE difference:

✅ LIKE this post
✅ COMMENT to cheer us on
✅ SHARE with your network
✅ FOLLOW us for updates
✅ TAG someone who cares about management that matters

Let’s show the power of our community. Every click, comment, share, and dollar counts. Let’s make some serious noise together! 🔊🚀

#Crowdfunding #SupportSmallBusiness #WomenInBusiness #ManagementMatters #LeadershipDevelopment #NeuroscienceInBusiness #SupportTheMission #ManagementCues #InvestInImpact #VisionariesWall #fundmanagementcues

6

5