Hello there, I’m Joanna Serna. I’ve been working in Talent Strategy, Conscious Inclusion (EDI), and Learning & Development for 10+ years.

I partner with organizations to design practices and processes with a human centered focus. I facilitate effective communication and empathetic leadership behaviors so that people can work together collaboratively and creatively.

I am a visual learner and an empath. I have always loved design, photography, and fashion. If I hadn’t studied public policy, there’s a good chance I would have been a journalist or high school teacher.

Here’s some photographs & things that are currently making me feel good. Think of it as a mix tape to set the mood for the rest of my portfolio.

*All pictures are taken by me

This is my second family. Did you know we share a large percentage of our DNA with trees? You can often find me in the woods, with my kids and our dogs.

This is my second family.

Did you know we share a large percentage of our DNA with trees? You can often find me in the woods, with my family and dogs.

Some of our best friends & family live in Naples, Italy. Pompeii is right there, so off we went. What’s so interesting about this place, is that you see how people have been lovemaking, eating, fighting, relaxing, praying, painting, and telling …

Our family lives in Naples, Italy.

Pompeii is about an hour away. When you visit, you can see how we’ve been lovemaking, eating, fighting, relaxing, praying, painting, and telling stories in the same ways for millennia.

Our lives are just milliseconds in the scheme of things. It’s a reminder to live as gratefully and freely as you are able. Go to the spa. Take a nap. Eat that croissant. Or I might.

 
Oakland is where I’m from. I love our culture of protest, resistance, and uniquely Bay Area fashion and language.

Oakland is where I’m from.

I love our culture of protest, resistance, and uniquely Bay Area fashion and language.

This was a very lucky shot. I was driving by on New Year’s Day, these kids were having the time of their lives riding their bikes up and down MacArthur Blvd. I pulled over to grab some photos, and the young man in the picture pulled off this stunt a…

This was a lucky shot.

I was driving by on New Year’s Day, these kids were having the time of their lives riding their bikes up and down MacArthur Blvd. I pulled over to grab some photos, and the young man in the picture pulled off this stunt a second later.

I was feeling depressed and creatively blocked. So I rearranged my furniture, ordered some pillows, and created this vibrant color story. We’ve been living in a fiery, smoky hellscape (2020, enough already!) this gives me a sense of calm and joy. Fl…

Yellow is my power color.

I was feeling depressed and creatively blocked. So I rearranged my furniture, ordered some pillows, and created this vibrant work from home space.