onyx

Our CEO, Melissa Lopez, was featured in Go Banking Rates, in an article titled 5 Job Factors That Are More Important Than Compensation. The article goes discuss what...

The events of the past two years changed the corporate landscape significantly, as the pandemic exposed areas of vulnerability and gaps in company identity and...

Leadership training programs

Effective leadership training programs can determine the success of a team and organization. Take for example the great quarterbacks of the NFL, influential policymakers, and the implementers of lasting change in our society; they all most certainly had a close team of coaches and advisors.  Our company can act as advisors to your leadership and executives.

We utilize many resources to best advise and provide consultation for your business.  Specialized facilitators can administer and debrief the MBTI test, (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) as well as DiSC, a personal assessment profile.  While these are tried and true methods across the consulting industry, we have crafted some of our own methodologies to complement these mechanisms.

Taking the time to evaluate and retool the thinking of an organization takes an unbiased eye and expertise, but once you begin down this route of reflection and discourse it’s a road with unlimited rewards. Positive Adventures can help you.

Everyone wants to be part of a great team. When it comes to the professional world, a high-functioning team is one that consistently delivers results. They’re also...

Just about everyone loves to go on a trip. Vacations are an experiential reprieve from work, school, and the mundane. But whether you’re planning a trip locally or abroad, you’ll need to make sure you’re prepared. If you don’t plan your trip ahead of time, you can end up facing some serious obstacles that will harsh your vacay mellow.

For most people, planning all the details of a trip can seem daunting. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered with 5 essentials for planning your next adventure.

#1: Set Your Trip Budget

We want your adventure to be out of this world, but if you don’t start off with at least one foot in reality, you’ll end up way over budget or worse: stranded. There are a million ways to travel, so your first step should be to figure out your budget. Everything else you do should be based around this. If you’re on a shoestring budget, maybe camping or hostels make more sense than hotels. Taking a train can save you a small fortune compared to airfare.

Consider what you want to do when you get there. Are you planning to walk around the streets of Italy and take in the sights or go on a guided South Pacific scuba adventure? Factor these costs into your budget when deciding where to go and what to do. The last thing you want is to get to your destination only to find out that you can’t afford the activities.

Remember that time is part of your budget. How long do you have? A week? 2 weeks? A weekend? You want to spend as much time adventuring as possible, so try not to waste half your trip on a bus. Finally, ALWAYS leave some wiggle room in your available cash and time. You never know what may happen, and you don’t want to be stuck on a fiscal tightrope when the wind blows.

#2: Set Your Goals

Let’s be real: what you do is usually more important than where you do it. Once you figure out what you can afford, decide how you want to spend your time. Prioritize your objectives and build your trip around the most important ones. If your primary goal is to relax and unplug, great! If your main thing is to see new places, also great. No matter what, make sure you define your goals for the trip.

Look at your options and figure out what’s going to serve your needs best. Maybe traveling to a place less exotic will allow you to spend more time hitting the slopes. Prioritizing your goals is important if you want to get the most out of your trip, but don’t forget to be flexible. Things may change and you’ll want to leave room to enjoy the moment instead of chasing down your itinerary.

Remember that no one knows the town like the locals. While the tourist attractions and landmarks certainly have their place, there’s no better way to really absorb the culture and traditions of a new town than by hanging with the people who know it best. Check in with shop owners, bartenders, hostel employees, or anyone riding a bike to find the hidden gems in your destination.

Kati Thanda is an Australian term that has a lot to do with the Importance of Self-Care. Curious? Read on.Did you know that the deserts of central Australia are some...

Creating Culture, Connection & Change for Teams

How important is company culture in a productive workplace and what steps can you take to promote a healthy company culture? Our world has experienced and undergone times of transformational change that requires all of us to step outside of our past routines, look within and identify deep and meaningful ways to evolve and grow within the new corporate normal that stands before us.

Melissa Lopez stepped in as CEO of Positive Adventures in February 2020, less than a month before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the world and created an incredible challenge for Positive Adventures (as a team-building and group-based experiential education company) to survive. With her background expertise in both the digital space as well as her executive leadership skills, Melissa was able to successfully pivot the company’s team building programs into the virtual space, and within less than two months, Positive Adventures was successfully offering virtual team building and training programs on a global basis to corporations and schools that were struggling with the challenges of remote-based teams and groups successfully connecting and effectively communicating with one another, as well as maintaining cultural integrity within the organizations.

Listen to the full podcast on Apple Podcast HERE

Our co-founder, Ryan Shortill, wrote a piece for Training Industry Magazine, where he shares four key components to consider when building a roadmap to reintegration....

Every March, the world collectively celebrates the social, economic and cultural impact and achievements of the strong women throughout history who have paved the way.  It is also an opportunity to look around at the inspiring women who lead and work alongside us to empower the next generation of changemaking women.

Throughout the uncertainty of the past two years, woman who make up 57% of the active workforce, have faced struggles in finding work-life balance, combating burnout at work and managing their mental well-being. According to a recent study by CNBC and SurveyMonkey’s new Woman at Work survey, 65% of working women believe the pandemic has made things worse for women at work. This day also serves as a reminder to companies to take the time to celebrate employees and that creating an environment where people feel recognized, appreciated and valued is not a one-size fit all approach. Employees who feel valued and recognized for their accomplishments derive a powerful sense of meaning and purpose from their work. 

Demonstrating an appreciation for employees and actively recognizing the hard work they put in every day is essential to combat burnout and bolstering company culture. This includes celebrating holidays as well as individual milestones, but also ingraining celebration and recognition into the year round culture of the company. 

Here at Onyx, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible women who break barriers and lead with both strength and generosity every day. Read on to hear a little bit about just a few of the wonderful women of Onyx.

In this podcast, Melissa Lopez, CEO, Onyx Offsites and Trainings chats with Kattie Thorndyke about how she navigated the challenge and change of COVID-19 with her...