19 People around the World Share How They Prepare for a Post-COVID-19 World
Salome Isanovic is based in Berlin and is currently working at Careship, an online marketplace for companionship services for seniors, where she is responsible for Operations and Sales. Prior to joining Careship, she led Global Operations at Caterwings, a Rocket start-up. She holds an MSc in Psychology and has studied in Germany and abroad. During her university studies, she worked as a mental health consultant for several years.
April, 21, 2020
impactmania emails with Salome Isanovic based in Berlin, Germany.
What is your advice for preparing for post-COVID-19?
I think, above all, it’s important to be close to loved ones and cherish that closeness. Solidarity can get us through uncertain times. I believe when we decelerate from our busy lifestyles, we better understand what’s really important. We should support people who have become isolated and lonely. As much as we should prepare ourselves for a restart after the pandemic eases, we shouldn’t forget to understand and help those who have suffered and take all the learnings from this pandemic into the next phase.
COVID-19 meant that many of us had to suddenly switch to a remote work setup. While we’ve managed it through digital tools for meetings and reaching friends and family during this time, it has shown what’s possible while living at a distance. We should take stock of that as we move forward again.
How is this crisis changing you?
COVID-19 has affected my entire viewpoint on daily life. I feel like, on the one hand, it has calmed me down and created a new focus on what’s important. On the other hand, social distancing has increased my efficiency in work and communication. My social life has been on pause during the lockdown, but the relationships in it have become a bit closer in a way. Through technology, I’m able to keep in touch with my family and friends. I’m eating better – eating in, not out. Being in isolation has helped me re-learn to cherish the smaller things in life and be more mindful. I’ve found new hobbies, such as painting, listening to podcasts, solving puzzles and having a yoga session each morning. I’m reading books more often.
I think a big point for me is the insecurity of how the future will look and not knowing what it will bring – it creates a little anxiety. I wonder what will happen to my job, even though I’m luckier than many. I work with incredible people and we can communicate remotely. One big topic I was following closely, before COVID-19, was the fight against global warming. Now I’m concerned about how this pandemic is pushing it into the background. I wonder if it will still get the attention it needs.
What will our story be post-COVID-19?
There are a number of possible paths in a post-COVID-19 world. The way forward depends on how we respond to the aftermath, both from a medical and economic standpoint. I hope that, especially in the West, there’s more of a ‘we’ than an ‘I’ mentality. I’d like to see more of a focus on small businesses in our local neighborhoods, rather than on fears of Amazon taking over. I hope we have a Europe that still holds strong together. The importance of a strong healthcare system should also get the attention it deserves after seeing what has been happening in New York and Italy. A strong response will need radical changes to make us more resistant to a crisis like this in the future.
impactmania’s past interviews and programs have been featured in international media, a number of universities, US Consulates, the UN, and have been cited by Harvard Business School, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and Duke University Press. impactmania’s Women of Impact program was awarded the U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy grant (2019).