If These Heels Could Talk

Jules’ Bistro is a mainstay of downtown St. Cloud, MN and has been growing immensely since their second owner, Donella Westphal, took over. Perhaps it’s something in the water, or perhaps it has something to do with Donella’s philosophies around leadership, business, and the role a restaurant can play in the community.

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea talk with Donella, owner of Jules’ Bistro, about women in business, overcoming demons, and why she wears the same pair of shoes every single day.

https://youtu.be/47xBJkM1sz8

In an episode of The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin wrote, “Decisions are made by those who show up..” And voting in the primaries is just that! A way you can show up to help decide who will be on the ballot in November. And If These Heels Could Talk, These Heels Can Vote!

The brilliance of democracy is that it actually works better when more individuals participate. The more engaged we are, the more represented we are. JoyGenea and Michelle discuss primary voting in this short, special episode of If These Heels Could Talk. 

https://youtu.be/toMpSoSfV2Q

Ever catch yourself driving down the road and suddenly wondering how you got where you are? Likely you were thinking deeply about something else while driving. Your short-term memory of the time driving would then be focused on what your brain was focusing on - errands, conflict with a friend, philosophical musings about cats - instead of focusing on driving. 

Focus is like a flashlight for our memory, lighting specifics and keeping all else in the dark. This begs the question - what is multitasking? Is it even possible? Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss focus. And rarely get distracted along the way.

https://youtu.be/-aoi1RQxTMY

Sandy Voigt with the Women’s Business Alliance has decades of experience in business and helping others plan their small businesses. She has seen it all. And the rate of change in the last few years has truly surprised Sandy as much as any of us. 

Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle interview Sandy about the Women’s Business Alliance, the Entrepreneur Fund, and the central Minnesota business community.

Women’s Business Alliance

Women’s Business Alliance – Entrepreneur Fund

https://youtu.be/RbBPKKpPDO8

Michelle and JoyGenea talked about collaboration, how the recent changes in work environments have affected the way teams collaborate, and how important unplanned collaboration can be to business profits.

It is easy to get thinking about office space as numbers on a piece of paper. But there is more to it than that.  Knowing your people, company, culture, and clients means you have to consider the factors not measured by dollar signs. Unplanned collaboration is one of those things as a business owner you can’t put a dollar amount on easily and yet is have value for problem-solving and more.

https://youtu.be/gPHw9h0oQnY

Gail Ivers is the Vice President of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce. Correction: WAS the Vice President. JoyGenea and Michelle had the pleasure of interviewing Gail in her last week before retiring off to enjoy her flower gardens and world travels. 

But what does Gail see coming for the business community AFTER she goes? And what did she love (and not love) about her time at the chamber? (Hint: It’s the same thing!!) Tune in to hear from Gail, our second winner of the Brilliant Leader Sole award, as she looks forward to the next chapter!

https://youtu.be/FdMG86DbaGc

Feeling like we don’t ‘fit in’ is such a shared experience that there’s a whole genre of teen movies about trying to fit in. Our human yearning for community, for belonging, is incredibly strong. So many of us try to get the outward behaviors right. When we’re young (and sometimes not so young), it’s about the right hair or the right jeans or the right sneakers. As we get older, it might be living in the right neighborhood or driving the right car or even cleaning our house the right way. 

But belonging, true belonging, is about being accepted as we are. So why do we mistake that for ‘fitting in?’ Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss the similarities and differences. And their own journeys to belonging.

https://youtu.be/FXfOpWmHOpo

Anna Marie’s Alliance is working to end relationship violence and Lori Eich is the phenomenal person in charge of raising money to do just that. 

Non-profit development is about helping develop community resources to support an organization, including money but also volunteers, staffing, awareness, and overall support. Lori has worked in development in Central MN at several organizations, most recently at Anna Marie’s.

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea talk with Lori and learn more about the unique mission of Anna Marie’s Alliance as well as all the ways that you can help support anti-violence work in your community.

https://youtu.be/qZq201K2YiM

Most of us try to skip right to the end. Or never get past the beginning. But healing from trauma is now thought to require a neurosequential approach - that is, be more effective when treated in order, starting with the connection to others and the world around us. 

Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle talk about how these steps can play out in real time and where work leaders can stumble into boundaries with the way people interact at the office. 

https://youtu.be/_6A8sjhGdN0

Bystander Effect is a psychological theory that we keep seeing, over and over, in a variety of ways. If a single individual is asked to complete a task or feels compelled by circumstance to complete a task, the sense of responsibility is strong and they will most likely complete it. If a group is faced with the same circumstances, each person’s sense of responsibility is weakened and each feels sure that another will take on the task, often leaving the task undone.

Anyone who has ever served on a large volunteer committee or even just done a group project in the third grade would be familiar with the Bystander Effect. In non-emergent situations, the Bystander Effect looks like apathy or an unwillingness to volunteer. More recent studies show that, when applied to workplace settings, subordinates will refrain from informing managers of their ideas or concerns out of the assumption that their idea or opinion has already been thought of, considered, and dismissed.

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss the Bystander Effect and how it might show up in your workplace.