Late this year, The Langdon Group welcomed two new team members to their staff: Dianne Olson and Gemma Puddy. We asked Dianne and Gemma to sit down and interview each other so we could get to know them a little bit more. Part 1 of this story was posted last week – get to know Dianne! Part 2 of this blog post features Gemma’s responses to interview questions.

Q: Gemma, where are you from?
A: I like to call myself a nomad. I was born in Chester, England (the northwest, near where the Beatles are from) and moved to Wichita, Kansas for my dad’s job in aircraft management when I was 11 years old. After finishing my undergraduate in Landscape Architecture at Kansas State University, my goal was to move west. Salt Lake City is where I found a job. I moved here in 2008, and the City has treated me very well — I found and married my hubby, got a Masters in Professional Communications and discovered public involvement. By Christmas of this year, I will be living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where my husband was born and raised. I am excited to be closer to family in a smaller town, with less interstates and plenty of beautiful lakes.

Q: Describe yourself in 5 words.
A: Adventurous. Dedicated. Passionate. Open-minded. …Granola.

Q: Who has provided inspiration to you in your life/career?
A: Number one is my mum. She is compassionate, giving, supportive and fearless.

Q: What is it about Public Involvement that you love or that excites you?
A: As a PI professional, I get to combine my technical and communication experience to bring the two worlds together. Each world has its own perspective, agenda and passion, I LOVE being the middle person making everyone feel valuable and heard.

Q: What has been the most exciting thing about working for The Langdon Group?
A: Working with a group of communicators from diverse backgrounds on a variety of projects from transportation to wildlife to waste water – I am constantly learning and meeting new and interesting people!

Q: What are you passionate about?
A: Adventuring — learning new things about the world and myself through travel, cooking, creating, being active and reading. “Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.”

Q: What do you do to relax and recharge?
A: I love to be active. I do everything from walking my pug, Daisy, and practicing yoga to kick boxing and trail running – it all helps me stay grounded.

Q: Where is your favorite place in the world or place that you’ve traveled?
A: Nepal! I trekked the Helambu Circuit with my mum in 2015. The experience was life changing. I want to go to Vietnam next!

Q: Favorite type of music or band?
A: I am musically challenged. I listen to Pandora, so that she selects music for me. Right now, I am listening to the N’Sync Christmas CD. N’Sync was also the first concert I went to.

Q: What are you currently watching on Netflix?
A: The Crown. The show is teaching so much history that everyone expects me to already know!

Q: What is your spirit animal?
A: I actually took a quiz to answer this question once. Spider was the answer — a remarkable figure of feminine energy, high receptivity and creativity, that helps people tune into life’s ebbs and flows and ingeniously weave every step of her destiny. The description is fitting, but I would prefer a whale, such a calm, powerful and beautiful creature. Plus, the ocean represents the Universe to me, and whales get to explore its vast depths. Yes, I have spent a lot of time thinking about this, haha. #granola.

Q: What is your secret talent that no one knows about?
A: I can do a head stand with my eyes closed.