The 1828 Project, sponsored by Citizens Energy Group, is a civic leadership tract for Indy’s young leaders with the goal of fostering intentional relationships with a cross sector of Indianapolis’ thought leaders and decision makers. Lindsay is a part of 1828’s Class IX– learn more about her below!
What is your day job/ how do you spend your days?
I am the Digital Content SEO Specialist at Formstack, a SaaS company headquartered in Fishers. Formstack is a productivity platform that helps people easily capture data and put it to work through forms, surveys, workflows, document generation, and more. I spend my days managing Formstack’s blog, enhancing our SEO, editing, writing guides/ebooks, and copywriting for the website. I have the absolute best coworkers and as a remote-first company, I’m able to travel extensively and enjoy an amazing work life balance.
Where are you originally from?
I grew up in Boxford, Massachusetts until I was nine, then my parents relocated us to St. Joseph, Missouri to be closer to family. I graduated from the University of Missouri and after spending a year in Kansas City, I met the love of my life and relocated to Alabama. After a three year stint, my husband was matched for residency in Indianapolis, and we’ve been loving it here ever since!
What made you choose Indy?
My husband was interviewing all over the country for residency, and Indy ended up being incredibly appealing to us. He loved the program at Community Health Network, and the city seemed like the perfect size-big enough to have plenty of opportunities while still small enough to make impact. I’m a big fan of the Midwest, so I was happy to return! You can’t beat the people, the sense of community, or the amazing cost of living.
You’re off the clock. What are your plans?
My husband and I enjoy being outdoors and spending time with our dogs, Panzer, a German Shepherd, and Nitro, a Golden Retriever. We love to bike, kayak, and hike with them. I’m usually at a brewery sometime during the weekend, and enjoy volunteering through Paws & Think, Junior League, Hamilton Humane, and Random Acts of Flowers. I have a remote job, so I try to take advantage of it and travel! I’m also big into fitness, so I like hopping into a new class or hitting up Metazoa for a beer after their bunny yoga class.
When thinking about the future of Indianapolis, what are you looking forward to the most and why?
I’m really looking forward to Indianapolis continually making smart investments in our city to attract more residents and make it easier to thrive for those already here. The IndyGo Red Line is a huge win! I can’t wait to see how else the city continues to invest in transportation and infrastructure to help us compete with larger cities. I also hope to see our entertainment and sports industries continue to grow, from concerts and theatre to a new Indy Eleven stadium! Finally, I’m looking forward to seeing curbside recycling become available throughout Indy by 2025 as part of the Thrive Indianapolis plan.
Are there any local causes that you support? What are they and how might others learn more or get involved?
I’m a huge advocate of volunteerism! The Junior League is a great way to learn more about the city, our challenges, and how you can help make change. It also gives you the opportunity to learn about organizations all over Indy and get involved. I’m waiting for my Golden Retriever to turn 1 so he can become a therapy dog for Paws & Think, I’d like to visit nursing homes with him. I’m also a board member of the Indiana Recycling Coalition and am very excited to help them push for 100% curbside recycling throughout Indy! I also love to spend time helping the animals at the Humane Society for Hamilton County.
Do you have a favorite local spot (restaurant, bar, park, etc.) that you love going to? Where and why?
I’m a pescatarian, so I love a great vegetarian/vegan restaurant like 10th street or 3 Carrots. I absolutely love Asaka, a sushi restaurant run by a father and daughter pair. Great selections and a wonderful happy hour from 5-7 every day! I’m a mug club member at Metazoa, which has a great beer selection and dogs everywhere. We live by Fort Harrison, so we like to hike and bike over there. I’m also a big fan of Thai Sushi House, which is about 5 minutes from the Formstack office.
Which is your preferred way to get around our city and why: bus, walk, bike, drive, scoot, etc.
I usually drive, but I’m excited to try out the red line! My husband is obsessed with scooters though. When we visit new cities, we love to use their bike rentals! When I have friends in town, I also like to use the Pacers Bikeshare.
What’s something underrated about Indy that more people should know about? (Could be a person, place, thing!)
I think we are a hidden gem when it comes to culinary experiences and great food. I’m obsessed with finding new restaurants when I open Indianapolis Monthly every month. We have such an expansive array of cuisine, including Ethiopian, Thai, German, and French. I love the variety! People don’t expect to find such great and diverse food in Indiana, but it is definitely here.
What’s a movie/tv show/book that has impacted your life most to date?
I’m a huge documentary person. It’s really hard to pick just one! Food, Inc. and Forks Over Knives definitely changed the way I think about food, what I eat, and what I put into my body. Jane Doe and Audrie & Daisy also left a big impact on my heart and soul; I will definitely watch these films with my children one day to help educate them on how to avoid such terrible tragedies and try to open up a dialogue on some really scary things that are happening all around the world.
If you had to remove all the apps from your phone except for 3, which would you keep? (Phone, Messages, & Camera are built in and don’t count against your 3!)
I’m a huge craft beer person, so Untapped would be one so I can continue to track my favorite beers. I’m big into financial literacy and keeping on top of my finances, so my bank app would have to stay. My final app would be Digital Cheetah, the app we use to communicate everything going on in Junior League!
Do you have a special talent OR is there something incredibly common that you have never done before?
It’s not necessarily a special talent, but I do model and have been in fashion weeks across the Midwest and South.
If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That is an incredibly hard question! It would probably be Call It Karma by Silverstein. They’ve been my favorite band for more than 10 years, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Pancakes or waffles?
Pancakes!
