The Youngest One in the Room

Dayna Adelman

• Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781964686271
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Business

What does Forrest Gump have in common with each of us? A life of unplanned yet meaningful escapades. At least, that is what Dayna Adelman believes. In her literary debut, Dayna takes you on a behind-the-scenes journey through the first decade of her career—as the youngest one in the [board] room. She showers us with personal anecdotes and adventures as she distills her lessons learned along the way—all while living Gump's mantra: "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." We first meet Dayna as a twenty-something straight out of college—in the waning days of the global financial crisis, and the book comes to a conclusion when she is a thirty-something—during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dayna regales her readers while meandering through a significantly defining decade—from the entry-level days at a New York City-based communications consultancy through her rise as a corporate affairs professional at a multinational corporation. Whether you are just entering the workforce, in a place of professional transition, or looking to understand the past to define the future, Dayna's human approach to sharing her lessons inside and outside the boardroom—while revealing both the joy and pain of the self-discovery process along the way—will resonate with you. Be forewarned: this book does not contain a magic list of what you "should do" to achieve success. Rather, this is one young professional's personal account shared in the hope that readers will feel inspired to continue seeking their own fulfilling adventures. If you've ever wondered whether you're qualified, ready, or even in the right room—this book is for you. Join Dayna Adelman on a journey that will leave you inspired to take your own seat at the table and shape your path, one bold, imperfect step at a time.

Table of contents

• The Youngest One in the Room
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Part 1 A Journey Begins
• Chapter 1 Chocolate
• Chapter 2 The Start of a Professional Journey
• Chapter 3 The Youngest One in the Room: The First Encounter
• Chapter 4 Building a Support Network
• Chapter 5 Identifying Early Superpowers
• Chapter 6 Everything I Learned in Life, I Learned from Broadway
• Chapter 7 The Youngest One in the Room: Another Encounter
• Chapter 8 Finding Your Purpose
• Chapter 9 Raise Your Hand; You Never Know Where It Might Lead
• Chapter 10 The Youngest One in the Room and the Only Female
• Chapter 11 Unleashing the Velvet Hammer
• Chapter 12 Learning to Take Care of Myself and Others
• Chapter 13 Start with the End in Mind
• Part 2 The Adventures of AmsterDayna
• Chapter 14 Becoming AmsterDayna
• Chapter 15 Having a Sense of Humor Outside & Inside the Workplace
• Chapter 16 Living a Dream
• Chapter 17 Encountering a Stalker
• Chapter 18 Work Travel is a “Privilege”
• Chapter 19 Boundaries and Borders
• Chapter 20 All Good Things . . .
• Part 3 Coming [Back] to America
• Chapter 21 The Start of the Repatriation Game
• Chapter 22 A Note on Resilience
• Chapter 23 A Story of Thanksgiving
• Chapter 24 Finding My Voice
• Chapter 25 Stepping out of the Rain
• Chapter 26 The Youngest One in the Room: COVID-19 Task Force
• Chapter 27 A Decade of Learning
• Chapter 28 The Road Ahead
• Acknowledgments
• About The Author
• Copyright