When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Ava Greenfield: Make a cup of coffee and sit quietly for 15 mins. No email or social media. I take some time to plan and strategize while I’m refreshed. Then I usually call my mom!
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
AG: Fluff and fold and dry clean delivery. Life’s too short for laundry.
TG: Name books that changed your life?
AG: You’ll Never Eat Lunch in this Town Again – by Julia Phillips, They Can Kill You…But They Can’t Eat You (Lessons From the Front) by Dawn Steel and Hello..He Lied by Lynda Obst. I read these books as kid and then re-read them with new eyes the first year I moved to Los Angeles when I couldn’t wait to move to Hollywood and produce movies. In my eyes great character based drama and comedy folks who once used movies to tell compelling unique multicultural stories, are now using TV to tell the same stories. This reflects my move from the motion picture space to the television space.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
AG: It’s does! Only because I always fall asleep to an episode of the following : Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, King of the Hill or Futurama. No checking email until morning though!
TG: How do you deal with email?
AG: One at a time. That’s all you can do!
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
AG: Watch some YouTube clips! – 80s videos, movie clips, client appearances on talk shows, whatever pops in my head.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
AG: Pilot season. It is a beast but you come back from Memorial Day weekend ready to do it all over again. TV is a year round business. You have to take your vitamins, drink your green juice and power through until Christmas holiday break!
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
AG: “In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have” – LeBron James. It reflects my mid-western upbringing and work ethic. Plus, I’m so excited ‘Bron is coming to the Lakers.