AJ Lauer
LightNews LightNews
banner
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
AJ Lauer
@ayjaylauer.bsky.social
700 followers 780 following 170 posts
Author, speaker, nerdy about leadership in STEM & HPC
Owner Thriving Ibis Leadership Solutions: thrivingibis.com

Formerly NCAR, CO School of Mines, Miami Dade College, UIUC

My Monster Mungo: https://www.amazon.com/My-Monster-Mungo-Imposter-Syndrome/dp/B0
Posts Replies Media Videos
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
The kids moved a pumpkin into the backyard because they were worried about the squirrels not having enough to eat.
..this little guy looked quite happy about their gift today 😂
A brown squirrel is biting into an orange pumpkin. The pumpkin is sitting at the edge of a patio in a yard that is covered in yellow Aspen leaves.
November 15, 2025 at 2:12 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
I'm happy to be offering FREE 30 minute coaching sessions at #SC25.

Having a career dilemma? Leadership challenge? Conflict at work? Existential drama?

I'll be a sounding board to process through whatever you have going on!

DM for the reg link - I'll see you in St. Louis!

#HPC #Supercomputing
A yellow background with Dr. AJ Lauer, a white woman with brown hair who stands confidently. The text reads "Dr. AJ Lauer in MGM's Meet Me In St. Louis @ SC25. Schedule your FREE 30 minute coaching session at the conference"
November 12, 2025 at 10:02 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Aurora above Boulder, CO right now!

#spaceweather #auroraborealis #northernlights #nature
Bright red and green aurora above city lights Bright red and green aurora above city lights Bright red and green aurora above city lights
November 12, 2025 at 2:22 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Sewed in all the darts on the bodice and started working on the pleats and peplum skirt! Starting to be able to see where I'm headed 😄
Tails will be shorter eventually.
Halloween fabric for modesty, but I actually like how it looks..!

#sewsky #sewing #upcycle #thriftstorefinds #fashion #plaid
A suit vest with striking pleats pinned at the front. A black and white Halloween fabric is tucked into the front Back of a suit jacket vest with a dramatic pleat on the tail. The tail will be shorter later!
November 10, 2025 at 12:06 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Have decided to turn this $8 thrift store suit jacket into a vest with a peplum.
The destruction phase is fun so far!

#sewing #upcycling #fashion #madetomeasure
A gray men's suit jacket hangs on a dress form. The suits arms have been cut off and the Jacket is cropped! This is a back view of the jacket. Tailors marks are visible on the shoulders. The jacket is inside out on the dress form, with the lining pulled up around the collar. The jackets interfacing and shoulder pads are visible. It's a mess!
November 6, 2025 at 9:41 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
One of my favorite things about parenting is the random little stuff the kids leave around the house ❤️

#parenting #love #art #graffiti #lovenotes #kids
A child has drawn a lopsided heart in a steamy mirror. Inside the heart they wrote "love"
November 5, 2025 at 11:17 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
And I'm really happy with how the Tulin costume came out! He got a lot of "aw cute!" reactions.
These Zelda costumes were no joke, but i learned a lot and the kids loved them, so overall a success 👍🏻
#sewsky #Halloween #cosplay
November 1, 2025 at 2:04 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Finished the Prince Sidon costume just in time! Happy kid, though he only wore the shark hat for about a block 🤷‍♀️
An older kid actually knew who he was! Very satisfying. 😄

#Halloween #sewsky #Zelda #trickortreat #cosplay #parenthood #sff
🧵
November 1, 2025 at 2:04 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
It's been a busy few days in Illinois! 4 Imposter Monster workshops and one book signing. I had a great time connecting with UIUC faculty, staff, and students and it was lovely to be back on campus.
#speaking #academicsky #booksky #entrepreneur #uiuc #Illinois #sapros #studentaffairs
Dr. AJ Lauer, a white woman with brown hair, sits in a bookstore. Her book, My Monster Mungo, is visible to her right side. A selfie of AJ Lauer smiling while a group of about 40 people engage in discussion behind her.
October 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
And some end of day progress on the Tulin costume!
7yo was worried I wasn't going to finish their costume in time so I got a little done to help them relax. 💕
This Halloween is a lot of work lol

#sewsky #cosplay #Halloween #LegendOfZelda #bird #motherhood
Front, back, and side views of the Zelda character Tulin, a white bird who carries a bow and arrows. A side view of a young child wearing a Tulin costume in progress. A white hood decorated with a feather bun and trim.
October 20, 2025 at 2:41 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Prince Sidon for Halloween sewing day 2.. made the weird shark hat.
It's supported by an upside down visor.
That red jersey is SO flimsy. There was much cussing.
Needs a chin strap to keep it on! But the hard parts are done 🫠

#cosplay #Zelda #costumes #motherhood #sewsky
A child wears a red shark hat. In the background are a variety of sewing needs
October 20, 2025 at 12:03 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Positive side effect of broken ankle recovery: found change! Today I found 8 cents walking to my car after an appointment. The other day I found a dime.
Watching where I was going paid off heh
#brightside #money #humor
A white person's left hand holding a nickel and three pennies. In the background is blurred Grey concrete.
October 14, 2025 at 9:08 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Halloween costume sewing day 1.. good progress on Prince Sidon's jacket.
We've got some legit Zelda cosplay happening this year!
Epaulettes on an 8 yo amuse me.

#sewing #parenthood #motherhood #videogames
Prince sidon, a humanoid hammerhead shark in a red jacket and carrying a trident. Why does he have a feather on his head? We will never know A child wearing a white shirt and red jacket. The jacket has yellow and blue epaulettes. His face is hidden by a red heart A child's back. He is wearing a red jacket with blue and yellow "scales" showing under the hem.
October 11, 2025 at 9:45 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
This homemade pistachio paste is quite a bit of work to make but y'all.. it's SO good!
For real though it took an hour to peel the pistachios after blanching. 😅
www.seriouseats.com/homemade-pis...
@seriouseatsbot.bsky.social
#Food #baking #homemade
A glass Tupperware full of bright green pistachio paste sits on the edge of a brown quartz counter top
October 5, 2025 at 2:11 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Today's completed sewing project: reusable snack bags.
A friend had made us some truly lovely ones with zippers, and the kids lost all but 2 😖
These just fold over to close (like the sandwich bags) and were a snap to make. We'll see how they hold up!
Five cloth snack bags sit on a gray cutting mat. Three have a cute house pattern on the outside and green on the inside, two have airplanes on the outside and the same green inside.
September 21, 2025 at 11:10 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
I'm happy to offer my new FREE Mid-Career Visibility Boost workbook to help you out!
It's got 5 activities that I do with my STEM clients ALL the time to help them go from unseen to undeniable at work.
Learn more: www.thrivingibis.com/visibility-l...
A white background with workbook pages strewn across it. The front page reads "The Mid-Career Visibility Boost"
September 20, 2025 at 3:18 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Had a pretty magical night at my signing at the @boulderbookstore.bsky.social last night!
Thank you to the Bookstore and everyone who attended ☺️

#booksky #author #event #boulder
AJ Lauer smiles next to her book My Monster Mungo, with many books behind her A crowd in chairs in a bookstore watch as AJ Lauer speaks at the front of the room
September 18, 2025 at 7:06 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Did I put my book on the shelf at @boulderbookstore.bsky.social before they had copies just so I could take this picture?
Yes, yes I did.
Was it fun? Yes, yes it was.

Signing event is next week!
Lauerbbs.eventbrite.com

#Booksky #author #event #Boulder #entrepreneur #leadership
AJ Lauer, a white woman with brown hair, a black shirt, and red necklace, cheeses at the camera while pointing excitedly at her book, My Monster Mungo, on a shelf at the Boulder Bookstore.
September 12, 2025 at 10:10 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Just sat down at my sewing machine for the first time since breaking my ankle in June! Warming up with an easy pair of PJ bottoms for a kid.
Fabric is from Modern Domestic in Portland!
An orange pair of pants sits on a light wood table. Also visible is a clear ruler and the edge of a gray cutting mat.
September 6, 2025 at 9:57 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Ooh here's a fun thing for the sewists out there!
Share a photo you've taken of an RTW item to learn from (or make fun of!) the sewing, pattern, or other technique.
I'll start! This is a shawl neckline that is just like what I'd been thinking of doing on a project.
Close up of a white shirt with the collar flipped up. The shirt has lovely understitching
September 5, 2025 at 12:50 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Sewing adventures:
TFW fabric is *just barely* big enough for the pattern. I have to extend the leg length to the edge the fabric 😳
Yay for very little waste, but I'll be sweating as I cut! 😅
+1
Orange flannel laid out on the floor with a white sewing pattern piece laid on top. It's obvious that there will be *just barely* enough room to cut a second piece from the fabric.
August 31, 2025 at 10:36 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Reading in a bar.
Why yes, I did grow up in WI! How did you guess?

That's a delightful hibiscus sour, BTW. Perfect summer treat!

@ the Dark Horse in #Boulder
#beer #summer #books #reading
A bar table features a lovely reddish brown beer, which almost matches the red of a kindle sitting next to it. The background has a window and fireplace.
August 13, 2025 at 11:36 PM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
I had ankle surgery two weeks ago and have only been doing hand sewing. Also slowly embroidering my cast shoe..
July 25, 2025 at 1:48 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
Aren't our ice packs pretty? I made them one summer after seeing similar ones at a friend's house.
They're just filled with dry lentils ☺️ better than using peas we might actually want to eat! And they make me happy when I have to use them.
#sewing #injury #MeMade #FirstAid
A leg rests on a big green cushion. It has two ice packs on it, each made out of cute cotton fabric decorated with mod flowers. The leg is wearing an ankle brace and blue and green Darn Tough socks.
July 4, 2025 at 12:53 AM
ayjaylauer.bsky.social
When your kid has a puke bug but you have to facilitate an important workshop...
90 minute Minecraft video to the rescue!
A small child sits on a gaming chair. The chair is on top of a waterproof picnic blanket. There is a large pot next to the chair. The child is watching a YouTube Minecraft video and playing Minecraft on their tablet.
June 11, 2025 at 3:40 PM