Alyce All-Stars Featuring Lekshmi Unnithan

Basketballer, new dog mom, and board game lover, learn more about what makes Lekshmi Unnithan a Personal Experience All-Star!

About this program

The Alyce All-Stars program exists to highlight Alyce Customers and Friends who have mastered the art of “personal experience.”

An All-Star prioritizes Building Rapport, Earning Trust, and Generating Loyalty over making someone feel like just another face in the crowd.

All-Stars challenge the status quo and – while they’re not officially Alyce employees – we consider them an extension of our team. They find creative ways to infuse our core values of Give First, Give Consistently, Be Crafty, Seize the Present, and Unwrap the Possibility into their unique way of doing business.

This week’s All-Star is Lekshmi Unnithan, Product Marketing Manager at Smartsheet!

All-Star_Certificate_Lekshmi Unnithan

Learn More About Lekshmi Unnithan

Q: Share with us some of your personal interests?
I love playing board games with my friends a couple of times a week and basketball whenever I get a chance. I especially love to cook Indian food because it reminds me of home, but I also dabble in some Asian cuisines and slow cookers recipes with my partner. Most recently, my interest has been keeping my new puppy happy, well-fed, and alive.

Q: What was your first AIM screen name?
I didn’t use AIM, but my current social media handles are a fun play on my name: Lekness Monsta.

Q: What song is on repeat right now for you?
I’m really into the song “I’ll Just Dance” by Su Lee because it makes you feel good even if you don’t feel great at the time. I’ve also been listening to a lot of “The Office Ladies” podcasts with the actresses who played Pam and Angela on The Office, and it’s hilarious.

Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Growing up, my brother and I would always watch the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. I fell in love with the animal world and wanted to be a vet or a marine biologist. For some reason, I never really followed the path to do either of those jobs and ended up studying chemical engineering with the hope of getting into renewable energy. I then got my master’s in engineering management, and now I do product marketing at a tech company. So, I’m not entirely sure how I got here, but I did!

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the place where you live? Why and how do you take advantage of it?
I moved to Seattle from New Hampshire around two years ago. Considering how cold it gets in New Hampshire, I love the weather in Seattle (something you don’t typically hear about the city). I especially love the breathtaking mountains and lakes around here. I’m not a huge fan of hiking, but whenever I do get out and hike, the beautiful trails and views always make it worth it. Also, the fact that a lot of my close friends live here makes me love the place even more.

Q: What would be the name of your first music album?
I would have to say, “Spontaneous But Indecisive” because I love to do spur-of-the-moment things, but I do have a hard time making decisions.

Q: What’s something you consider yourself to be ok at but not great at?
Art. I especially love any chance I get to do ceramic painting. I just wouldn’t say I’m great at it.

Q: What is the best gift you have ever received?
I’ve gotten a lot of good gifts around an anime I love called One Piece. So, the “first” best gift would be the introduction to the anime itself. Some tangible One Piece gifts have been character miniatures from my parents, a painting of one of my favorite characters made by my best friend, and a fabric poster gifted by my partner.

The reason why I love One Piece so much is that it brought me comfort during some of the most stressful times in my high school and undergrad, so any gift around that anime means a lot to me.

Q: Beach, safari, or forest vacation?
I’ve done so many beach and forest things and lived in those types of places, so I would want to try going on a safari. It would just be so different.

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to fail, stay authentic, and don’t try to be something you’re not. And don’t stop reading.

Q: Would you rather be an olympic gold medalist or win a nobel prize? And why?
I would get more pleasure from being an Olympic gold medalist just because I’m a super competitive person when it comes to sports. If I could wave a magic wand, I would want to compete in the Olympics with my undergrad basketball team– that would be amazing.

Q: Are you a morning person or a night owl? How do you like to start your day?
I can do both– If I need to stay up late to finish a project, I can, but more recently, I’ve been a morning person because of my new puppy.

Q: How did you meet your childhood best friend?
My family moved a lot– so I had a lot of friends growing up, but the first time I was really rooted was in college.

I met one of my best friends during move-in-day when she noticed a backpack I was wearing with the logo of a cricket team we both supported. We met our second best friend on the basketball court and ended up becoming inseparable. They actually taught me to play basketball, and we all played on the college team together since sophomore year.

Q: If you could live through any event in history, what event would that be? Why would you want to live through that event?
I would love to go back in time to when my parents and grandparents were kids, just to see how they grew up from a first-hand perspective. Maybe that would help me understand them a lot better and see where they’re coming from.

May 28, 2021
Team Alyce
Team Alyce