Welcome to our newest blog series where we take a peek into the daily lives of Nellie’s staff members. This time we’re chatting with Yashika Arora, Executive Assistant and Board Support at Nellie’s. In her role, Yashika focuses primarily on supporting our executive director, as well as assisting our board of directors.
Morning routine: “I’m not a coffee person.”
Yashika starts (and ends) each day with a long commute — about two hours each way from her home in Brampton, including dropping off her three-year-old daughter Amika at daycare along the way. She typically arrives at the office around 9am, eating an apple or a banana for breakfast along the way. But she’s not a morning coffee drinker — in fact, she mostly avoids coffee, and says she luckily doesn’t get caffeine withdrawal headaches, phew!
Learning how to balance: “I’m happily available if someone comes to ask me for help. Sometimes we have to see what’s urgent and what’s not, but the staff is super supportive of that.”
Yashika’s day-to-day routine can be quite the balancing act, as many different staff members often turn to her for assistance throughout the week. She says there’s no real secret to maintaining the balance, other than remaining flexible. Any one-off requests from staff members will get mixed in with her regular tasks, which include gathering data from internal teams, creating monthly reports for the board, organizing the board recruitment process, and preparing for the annual general meeting. She has also recently added more HR responsibilities onto her plate while our Human Resources Manager is on maternity leave.
Having an impact: “I feel proud to contribute to an organization that makes a difference in the lives of women and families in our community.”
For Yashika, being a part of Nellie’s is about more than just the work she does every day. Although much of her role involves supporting the staff and board members behind the scenes, she knows that every contribution plays a part in helping the organization move forward. “What I appreciate most is being part of a team where people support one another and work towards a shared purpose,” Yashika shares. “It makes me proud to say that I am part of Nellie’s.”
Speaking out loud: “It’s my dream to be a public speaker.”
Yashika relishes any opportunity to speak in front of a crowd, and she actually would love to be a radio jockey one day. It’s no surprise that she really enjoys onboarding new employees, one of her newer HR responsibilities. “I love introducing them to everyone and teaching them about the organization — it’s my favourite task,” she shares. “I believe that it’s so important how welcomed new employees feel on their first day.”
One of her favourite memories from her time at Nellie’s so far was being trusted to give the welcome speech at the Staff Appreciation Day in 2025. She loved being able to speak in front of such a large group of people, and she worked hard to appreciate each and every team within her speech.
Off the clock: “Life is a celebration!”
When she’s not at the office, Yashika loves travelling or visiting beaches, celebrating festivals, making rangoli, and playing Play-Doh with her daughter. Starting this fall, Yashika and her daughter will also be starting in their own dancing and swimming classes. Although their classes aren’t together, both mom and daughter are excited to be learning their own skills and show off their moves to each other very soon.
Thank you, Yashika, for sharing your daily life with us, and for your time and service to Nellie’s.