Credit Karma’s Courtney Alev Refuses To Have “Sad Desk Lunches”

In Bustle’s Quick Question, we ask women leaders all about career advice, from the best guidance they’ve ever gotten to what they’re still figuring out. Here, Courtney Alev, the senior director of product management at Intuit Credit Karma, talks about holiday spending, her career journey, and why she refuses to have “sad desk lunches.”

Courtney Alev may have a busy schedule as the senior director of product management at Credit Karma, but you won’t catch her having a “sad desk lunch.” Quickly grabbing bites of food while hovering over your keyboard? She’s not a fan. Instead, she makes it a point to get up and moving during her lunch break.

“It’s really important for me to reset, so if I’m in the office, I’ll go to the coffee bar or have a nice hallway chat with a co-worker, just as a way to get away from my laptop,” Alev tells Bustle. “When I’m working from home, I’ll walk my dog. It’s a nice break from technology.”

After working in fintech for 15 years, Alev knows how to keep herself grounded, and she’s also brimming with financial tips, including some for navigating the upcoming holiday season. New data from Intuit Credit Karma found that half of Americans surveyed are worried about affording the holidays this year, and 40% are entering the season with existing debt.

Instead of skipping all of your usual traditions, Alev recommends setting a realistic budget for yourself. “The ‘B word’ can be very scary, but it's just about looking at how much money you have coming in, figuring out how much you have to spend on things — like your necessities, bills, rent, groceries, and gas to get to work — and then you can take a look at what's left over.”

From there, she recommends “loud budgeting,” which involves transparently telling the people in your life what you can afford this season, and perhaps offering a few alternatives, too. Maybe each family member gets assigned one other person to buy a gift for, or you focus on sharing experiences versus tangible items.

Here, Alev talks about her career path, getting ready for big meetings, and how she turns off her brain at the end of a long day.

How do you get ready for a busy day?

I cuddle my golden retriever, who’s usually in bed next to me. If I’m working from home, I’ll make oatmeal or some eggs, then I’ll do a morning workout, like a run around San Francisco or a Solidcore class.

I also read that long commutes are correlated with higher stress and lower quality of life, so I make the most of mine by getting in the right headspace. I do that by listening to work-related podcasts, like Pivot. I’m all about using my commute strategically.

Do you ever get nervous before big meetings?

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. To get ready, I love a good posture reset, so I’ll sit up straight and stare off into the middle distance for 20 seconds. I also keep a running to-do list so I know what I’m facilitating. Even just for day-to-day, I write a “top three” list of things I need to focus on. Taking that thoughtful, intentional moment to re-prioritize my goals really helps.

Have you ever doubted yourself?

I doubt myself every day at some point. I’ve had so many career hiccups, plenty of products that didn’t work, and promotions I didn’t get. We like to think of progress as a straight line, but I remind myself that it actually goes up and down.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Helping people. Credit Karma serves well over 100 million members, and they come to us for so many things, like building their credit score or figuring out how to get out of debt. Even when the days are long, it makes me really excited that I can actually see the impact of my work.

What’s your best career advice?

For people in stressful or overwhelming periods of their lives, you have to find that resilience within you and recognize that it’s also a great opportunity to grow. You can flip the mental script from “things are so crazy” to “what can I learn?” It’s a mindset that helps me show up in my career — and something I wish I had learned a little bit earlier.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.