There are two dates that are certain, the day we are born – the day that we die. We know the first date, but the second is a mystery. It is up to us to live our best lives in the dash between those two dates. Listen in as these two history making women share their journey so far.
Transcript:
William Krieger
The views and opinions of the guests of the Me You Us podcast do not represent the views and opinions of Consumers Energy. Hello, everyone and welcome to Me You Us, a wellbeing podcast. It’s another wellbeing Wednesday here at Consumers Energy. And I’m your host Bill Krieger. Today I have two very special guests. My first guest is Angela Thompkins. She’s the Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President here at Consumers Energy. So Angela, if you’ll introduce yourself, we’ll get the conversation started.
Angela Thompkins
Thank you, Bill. So I am Angela Thompkins, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Consumers Energy. I’m excited to be here with you and Tonya today for this awesome conversation. If I had to introduce myself, in just a few words to your listeners, what I would say is that I am a fierce advocate for those who are underrepresented and typically do not have the voice or the strength to raise issues on their own. And that is what I would consider to be my passion.
William Krieger
All right, well, thank you, Angela. My next extra special guest is Tonya Berry. She is the Senior Vice President of Transformation and Engineering. So Tonya, could you introduce yourself?
Tonya Berry
Well, hi, Bill back together again. But you mentioned it Yes, Senior Vice President of transformation and engineering. If I had to really think about describing myself, I’ll say I’m a people leader first. But I love working in an environment where I have an opportunity to help transform our business processes, so our customers, and our coworkers can have a better experience.
William Krieger
All right, thank you for that. Now, I have some questions for you. But before we get started, I know we didn’t talk about this ahead of time. But I want to ask this question when I was when I was younger, all the cool kids had really cool nicknames. Right? And so I’ve noticed Angela that lately, it’s A T and I’ve always called you, Angela. But now I’m calling you A T because it’s seems to what’s been happening so, what happened with the transformation of your name into a nickname?
Angela Thompkins
So you know, that’s funny, Bill. And yes, we did not talk about this. So you’re putting me on the spot. But Angela is you know what I prefer to go by in the professional environment. You know, close friends’ family, they call me Angie or Ange. And that sort of you know, I always joke and say you have to be in the circle, circle of trust to call me Ange or Angie, Angela’s not really a popular name. So not too many people have Angela. So it’s just been Angela in the professional setting. And so here at Consumers, there are multiple Angela’s. And so it was always which one which Angela? Which one are you talking about? And then it’s the one that works in people and culture where there’s three of us, Angela’s that work and people and culture. And then there’s I didn’t want to be defined as you know, the black, Angela. And so A T my initials is what I came up with. So true story, and that is how the nickname began.
William Krieger
All right, well, I appreciate the clarification on that. But I wanted to ask now. Now, Tonya, you don’t get off the hook on this because I know that many times, we call you Ton”yay”. And I know why. But maybe for the audience. I mean, you’re such a joyful person. I think that’s where that comes from. But could you talk a little bit about that, too?
Tonya Berry
Yeah. So Bill, I’m actually going to add a few more names. So we’ll talk about those so but so Tonyay, became so those who have worked with me or have known, and it was 2020 during the pandemic, a time that has been tough for us, you know, I wanted to make sure I could highlight and find the bright spots where we could celebrate because people know and my leadership, I say in the midst of it all we can find joy in our journey. So yay, yay, definitely became a celebration moment where we can highlight the good that’s happening because we can always find the bad let that overshadow the good things that are happening. So, when I can find it “yay yay” was my celebration moment. And so some people call me Tonyay. For listeners out there. And I know that we have listeners that go beyond the company, but this might be of interest even to our engineering coworkers. So in college, prior to me getting married Tonya Thompkins was my name and if you think about all the engineering kind of mathematicians out their T squared was what I was called T squared. So think about that for all my mathematicians and engineering. And then more recently, when I got married Tonya Berry as I transition to that last name. I’ve a few out there they call me T Breezy. Sometimes I’ll say it’s a rapper name, but it’s because I’m so cool. I’m just T Breezy. So it can be Tonyay. If you follow me on social, you’ll find many of my college friends call me t squared. So you’ll kind of see that and T Breezy. For some of those Like A T mentioned some of those that know me a little bit better, T Breezy.
William Krieger
I like that, I didn’t know about T Breezy, but I’m going to keep that in the back of my head.
Angela Thompkins
Know she said it’s because she’s so cool.
William Krieger
We’ll have to do some maybe freestyle at some point. Maybe not me. No one wants to hear me.
Tonya Berry
Me neither, me neither.
William Krieger
Well, the purpose of us getting together is to talk about International Women’s Day, and also Women’s History Month. And for the listeners, you may be thinking, Well, that was a little while ago. But you know, life gets busy. And sometimes it’s hard for us to all connect and get together. But I thought it was so important to talk about International Women’s Day and what it means to you. So Angela, I’d like to start out with you. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Angela Thompkins
Yeah, well, I’m actually glad that we’re having the conversation and the discussion beyond the actual day right of International Women’s Day. Because I do think it’s worth celebrating recognizing all year long, but specifically International Women’s Day, you know, I think of it as a, you know, an opportunity to celebrate sisterhood, to give gratitude and appreciation for women that have paved the way and come before me to allow me to have the opportunities and the life that I have today. It’s also really a chance for us to come together all genders and no matter how you self-identify to celebrate the progress that women have made, but also collectively to come together and rally around the progress that we still have to make right for women in all areas. But really, it’s just a celebration coming together of a sisterhood. And that day, you know, there’s certainly intersectionalities of our self-identification, but that’s the day where everyone can really come together and celebrate women in their lives. So it’s an awesome day, certainly a day to celebrate and be proud.
William Krieger
Well, and you bring up an interesting point, because we have a lot of things that we celebrate throughout the year on a particular day or a particular month. But really the objective is we want to celebrate all year long. This is just the time where we decide to recognize so thank you for bringing that up, that this is not too late in the year to celebrate International Women’s Day. So Tonya, same question, what does this day mean to you?
Tonya Berry
So I think it’s a day where we can be proud to celebrate our women, you know, you just mentioned it. And when I think about whatever day to your point you mentioned there many days, I see it as a deliberate pause to remember. So life is incredibly so busy, that although we may want to celebrate every day, every month, we may sometimes forget. And so I find those placeholders on our calendar as deliberate pauses to take a moment to be intentional on reflection to celebrate. And so that’s what it means to me is I know people say well, it’s a day. But it’s deliberate. And it’s a deliberate where people may take five more seconds, five more minutes, 30 more minutes to learn something. And if you’re if you don’t, on the days, that’s what I ask that you do. You know, be it we’re doing a national holiday, an internal company holiday, it is deliberate and intentional for a reason. And maybe it will help you remember but also think about, you know, as AT spoke about kind of those that have become before us, I think about those that are coming behind us. And more importantly, I think about my daughter, for example, I think about my son and the responsibility of how I want him to think and see women in the world and the contributions that they make.
William Krieger
Well, and I think that is so important to be that example for those that are around us. It really kind of brings up my next question, Tonya, so I’ll start with you. On this particular question. You know, you are two amazing women who are making history, so we talked about Women’s History Month or you know, International National Women’s Day, you are making history with where you’re at your leadership and all of those things. And when we think about, you know, Senior Vice President at a major company like Consumers Energy, and then we say, you know, the first black female. Does that mean, we’ve talked about this before in previous podcasts, we really want to kind of bring this up again, does that put a lot of pressure on you? Because not only are you a senior vice president, but you’re here at this company doing amazing things. But there’s also this tendency for people to say that you represent all black women, and then the things that you do, don’t just impact you, they impact that whole group of people. So what’s that like for you?
Tonya Berry
So you said it Bill, it was like carrying the weight of the world. So you feel that not only do you have all eyes on you, from everyone else, you have all eyes on you that people that look like me, are counting on me, right, so that they can have kind of that next opportunity. So do I think about that every single day, it sits somewhere in the back of my mind. You know, I am? And you’ve probably heard me say it. I get surprised that every opportunity that I get not because I don’t think that I’m good enough for the opportunity. It’s just that when you think about all the people that have come before me, you say, Wow, really, I’m the first like can because you know, and I’m grateful and humble, as I’ve always said that I have received every opportunity definitely blessed in that way. But also, it sort of makes me sad, because I think about all the greatness that’s been there before me. But as I say, my faith tells me everything in God’s timing, I know that maybe the rest of the world wasn’t ready, perhaps for those that have come before me. But we continue to grow, and our culture continues to evolve to maybe, so it doesn’t have to be as tough for the person as they come and put into place to face those things. And so do I carry it with? Yes. Do I understand the responsibility because it is a responsibility that I have. Absolutely. And so in addition to not only taking on a new job, but there’s also just a, you know, I’ve talked about this backpack analogy that I carry. And I know many people carry a backpack with many different things in it. And that’s just one additional thing that is in mind. And particularly when you think about it, I think about it, not only for my coworkers, not only for young girls, I have a daughter that’s watching every single day, in terms of how I show up, how it impacts me, and making sure that I’m confident around her even on the days I don’t feel my most confident because I want her to know that she wish or choose to do something big and great in her own life that is possible for her. So you have to you have to not discourage or make it seem tough. Even on the toughest days, I have to I try to remember to be a light of inspiration.
William Krieger
But and I think that’s important, not only for our children, but for the friends that they have in the in the people that see you that are in their inner circles. So thank you for answering.
Tonya Berry
So that is very interesting. You say that because I do want to share, like I don’t think people recognize the impact that they have. And so when I received this recent job, my daughter kind of almost said why you got promoted again, as if she was in shock. And I said, I don’t know if that was a good or bad thing. But I had sent her the news release. And I didn’t realize she sent it to her friends. Because one of her friend’s moms texted me and said congratulations. My daughter showed me your press release. And I said how did she get it? And she said, Addison sent it to her. I think she was signaling that she’s incredibly proud. So that impact that it I didn’t even realize so while she didn’t verbalize it, to me the fact that she was sending it around sent a signal that she’s definitely watching.
William Krieger
You know, I call that the It’s A Wonderful Life moment. If you remember the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, right? Every once in a while, we get to see how we impact other people. It’s a very interesting moment. At least it has been for me and it sounds like it’s been that way for you as well. So Angela, same question, Chief Diversity Officer, Vice President, this is a position that has never been at Consumers Energy before. So a lot of firsts when we discuss what that’s all about. So how does that impact you?
Angela Thompkins
So, you know, like Tonya said, Bill, it is an incredible responsibility. I certainly feel the weight, the responsibility, the pressure of the role. But with that also, you know, honored, excited for the opportunity. And, you know, again, a lot of people have different thoughts and expectations for, you know, DEI, right. So every person has their own journey, their own experience. And so it’s a little, not only being the first but just having the role, because there’s so many different competing expectations for, you know, what this role will deliver for our coworkers and our customers. And so, being the first like Tonya said, you know, just the position being created, right. And the ultimate goal is to really be the first and the only right. We hope to get to a place where, you know, DEI is just a part of who we are, it’s naturally in our DNA, we don’t have to constantly make a business case for it. So I don’t know how soon we’ll get there. But I’m grateful that, you know, the company trusted me to be the first to, you know, lead the strategy for the enterprise. And hopefully, you know, there will be more to come. But ultimately, you know, we want to get to a place where it’s not even necessary, because it just is.
William Krieger
And from that perspective, you know, I talked to Pete Matrunolo, out of gas construction over in the southeast a few weeks ago. And we talked about safety. And this really reminds me of that conversation because he said something very interesting. He said, You know, when we started our safety journey, safety was a bolt on, right, it was something we added on it know it’s part of our DNA. And I almost see our DEI experience as it feels a little bolt on right now, because they’re still trying to figure it out. But exactly to your point, at some point, it just becomes who we are. And it wouldn’t be great if we could work ourselves out of a job from that.
Angela Thompkins
Absolutely. And Bill, you know, to your point, our DEI journey is modeled after the success of the safety journey that we’ve had across the company. And we before we even started to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, we can say the words throughout the organization, and we shifted the way we talked about safety. So we’ve about what, three, four years ago, we changed our conversation with respect to safety and safety was not just your physical safety, but it was your physical safety and your emotional safety. And that was really the first way for us to introduce DEI in our journey to our coworkers without even saying the words, right. But thinking about safety in a different way, that it’s not just physical. It’s both physical and emotional. And that was really the start of this evolution of our DEI journey of the company.
William Krieger
Well, if you think about it, when we first started having those conversations, it was uncomfortable, we first start having conversations about doing safety a different way. That was uncomfortable. I think DEI is a little bit uncomfortable sometimes because people have things in their backpack, about what DEI is. I do want to ask a question that popped into my head as Tonya was talking. Angela, I want to ask you this question first. You know, a few months ago, we talked with Elise Gray, who’s in engineering here at consumers. And we talked at length about impostor syndrome. And I didn’t really understand what it was until I had that conversation with her. And that’s really like that feeling that maybe you’re not good enough for, for where you’re at or what you’re doing. And have you ever experienced that in your journey to where you’re at today where you were thinking because of because baggage or things in your backpack or whatever it is that maybe I’m just not good enough for this.
Angela Thompkins
So I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced I’m not good enough. What I have experienced is overall lack of confidence and self-doubt. And it was a mentor of mine, probably middle part of my career that really taught me to believe in myself. So as an individual with multiple underrepresented identities, right, so depending on the time in my career age, I was often the youngest minority and female right, so I carry multiple underrepresented identities and I’ve always been told you have to because of that, right you’re already starting at a deficit. So you have to work extra hard. You have to be twice as smart, so right, so that created for me I think some insecurity because I’m knew walking into many doors, many situations out starting at a deficit. And so one of my mentors taught me again, hindsight is 2020. I didn’t see it or realize it at the time. But I will always go to him with like, help. Tell me what to do, I would present the situation, here’s what’s in front of me, here are the choices. I don’t know what to do, he would ask me a series of questions. And then he would say, Okay, go make a decision. And that freaked me out, because he didn’t give me the answers, like, What do you mean, go make a decision? I’m asking you tell me what to do. And so what he would always say is, the answer is within you go make a decision. And you know, at the time, these decisions were like, millions of dollars were at stake. And so I just didn’t believe in myself, he obviously had the confidence and the belief in me, that’s why he hired me, that’s why he never told me what to do, because he believed through the questioning, right, that I could make the right decision. And so it was, you know, years of working for him that I developed that self-confidence. So I didn’t never feel like I didn’t belong, I just didn’t believe in myself. And so now, you know, with my self-confidence, I also believe in just the power of manifestation and gratitude, and I believe what is meant for me is for me, and so when I am placed in an opportunity, a new position being the first, I don’t think or question, am I good enough? I believe there’s something in this moment and this opportunity, right, that was meant for me. And then the pressure is how do I, you know, show up and do well. So I don’t know that I’ve experienced impostor syndrome, but definitely a lack of confidence.
William Krieger
Alright, I think that’s an important and interesting distinction. So thank you for answering that. Tonya, same question for you. You know, we talked about I don’t know if you had a chance to listen to that episode, where we talked about impostor syndrome. And some of that was driven by experiences with peers and others. Have you experienced that? And what was that like for you?
Tonya Berry
So I will say yes. And it’s not so much in the words of me that I’m not good enough. It’s me asking myself, can I really do this? Can I really kind of do this, in that in that space? And very much like Angela, I’m going to say, and I think many, many women particularly suffer from this and the more confidence arena. So when you’re, particularly when you play in this space in some places, that are predominantly like about men, and then your kind of that is led by men and men have typically been in those positions, and then you kind of enter into this uncharted territory. It’s not so much of am I smart enough, but I think you start questioning the support systems around you will you get what you need? Or to be able to be successful? Right? Because you don’t do it all alone? Right, there’s a piece of you that you definitely may be through this, but will I be supported in a way even coming through this? And so have I experienced that? Yes. What I say is more about me than it has been about everybody else in the work that I’ve needed to do myself to sort of get through that, because as A T mentioned, you’ve landed there definitely for a reason. And so it’s always this constant, me working myself through that and building the self-confidence. Different words, from the very similarly, I’ve been told to trust my instinct, because it will never guide you wrong. So there’s something inside of you. And by faith, that tells me who that is, for me, that is guiding me along the way. And as long as I trust and believe in that, and also, when I talk about how I lead, it’s also we are releasing yourself to not fear failure.
William Krieger
So as you were answering the question, and as we were talking through it, you had mentioned just briefly some something about you, you know, you’re not on your own. And I think back to some leadership lessons I’ve learned over the years, and one of them is that when you’re in a place where things are going really, really well for you, you always have to remember that it is not necessarily things that you did, but you have to look back at all the people that sort of helped you along the way through mentorship. And so, you know, could you maybe talk about a mentor or two that have really helped you along the way and what lessons did you learn as you were going through that?
Tonya Berry
So I can’t even talk about one or two, because I have a full circle of mentor’s kind of along the way and so I think that we think as mentorship as one person and you might have them for life, and we’re afraid to let them go. But I think what we have to recognize is that there will be many mentors that can enter your life at different stages and places of where you are. And there’s different things that are often poured into you for what you need in this season of where you’re at. So, you know, I think about it, if it’s early in my career, and I’m entering into leadership opportunities, if it’s someone who’s pouring into me to say, here’s how, here’s how it works, being female in a workplace or being African American, African American female in the workplace. So these many of different things, if it’s what should my next career move, be. And so when I look back through this journey of mentors that I’ve had an opportunity to have, they always were not higher than me in an organization, right. So we think about our reverse mentoring program here, everyone has something to offer you in a mentoring perspective, without even being a formal mentor in title. So I think you have to look for those opportunities. But then additionally, as kind of keeping that circle kind of together. So when I go back through my mentors, those that have been true, true mentors, to me are still mentors today. Even if I don’t talk to them every single day, every single week, every month, they reach out whether they see a career change, rather, they see. And sometimes they remind me of nuggets that they’ve shared with me, I remember when I told you that these are some things that you needed to do, and you would aspire to. And so I think it’s very important that people have a mentor or two. But then always think about how to expand the circle and think about really what you need, and sometimes why mentors may be given to you. You can also choose them, if you see someone emulating something that you like, in your own career or life, personally and professionally. You know, I have mentors that reach out about my professional growth, there are others that may reach out to say, how do you balance it all, being a mom, wife, career professional, so it’s kind of based on spaces and places that you are. But when I think about, everyone has always put something into me that I’ve taken. So I see it’s a culmination, a book that I can write probably at some point.
William Krieger
And as you were talking about that reminded me of my time in the military. So I spent 21 years in the military. And I’ve made a lot of friends over that period of time. And many of those friends I don’t talk to on a regular basis. But when I do it, it might be three or four years later, like when I pick up the phone, it’s like we were never apart at all right? We’re just continuing that conversation. Do you find it the same way?
Tonya Berry
Absolutely. Absolutely. I really, really do. Like I said, it starts with, I remember when we talked about steps in my career, and it is always the most memorable ones is when there was a pivot or a change. Either my career, my leadership journey, my thinking, that really kind of those are the moments that I really come back and highlight about maybe it’s not so much how to stand up in front of the room and give a presentation for me. But it’s been key decision makings or points kind of throughout this journey that become most memorable. And we talked about how that was a step or a ladder and what I did in those moments to kind of move me to the next.
William Krieger
Very similar experiences are very different in different parts of careers. Angela, same question. You sort of answered it a little bit. But can you maybe expound on some of the things that people have done to help you along the way?
Angela Thompkins
Yeah, so I did speak previously about you know, one mentor who made a significant impact in my journey. And I think it’s important, he’s no longer with us, but to call his name. So Frederick W. Hoffman, is the mentor that I spoke about earlier. But same as Tonya, there have been several along the way, who have shaped me and left me with many lessons that have helped in my professional journey, and I would say the ones for me that are the most probably memorable, were at the time the most painful, right? Where I didn’t necessarily seek the input or the advice, but it was somebody that tapped me on the shoulder to point out some gaps or opportunities. And in the moment because the relationship wasn’t originally there, it felt hurtful, but I could now recognize and see it as really the support and love right that they saw the potential in me and didn’t want these gaps or opportunities to derail, right, what they saw as good future for me and so incredibly grateful for what are now some great friendships continue to be mentoring relationships. But as you know, Tonya said it’s those ones that you know, still can pick up the phone today. And it feels like you know, it was just yesterday that we’ve had conversation. But you know, I think about the ones who really were responsible for that pivot, either in how I saw myself how I showed up, how I delivered, I just recently visited with a mentor, you know, that I think our relationship developed maybe 15 years ago, we haven’t talked and maybe the last three or four years, and we just saw each other had dinner together and laughed, and you know, spent probably three or four hours, just connecting, but when I you know, think back and I left, you know, that evening with a thank you. She was saying I’m so proud of you and where you are what you’ve accomplished. And I have to say, well, thank you because of your you know, mentorship and your belief in me, I did make some pivots and adjustments. And so I think that is you know, what I will offer to people too, as you seek out sometimes mentorship, be open to mentorship, when people offer opportunities and give that feedback, because sometimes we just take the feedback, and we move forward. I took the feedback and wanted to continue to relationship, what else do you see what else can I improve on, you know, but a blind spot, right that I may have had in my professional journey and someone that cared enough, you know, we talk about our cultural values here, the company care is one of those. And I think care goes beyond, you know, the feeling good. Sometimes care is having a difficult conversation. But you can have those difficult conversations because you care, because it’s coming from a great place, it’s coming from, you know, really good intentions, it may not feel good, but it truly is because we care that we can have those difficult conversations. And so, you know, I’m incredibly grateful for the mentors that I’ve had, but continue to have, you know, none of us are ever perfect or complete in our journey of learning and growing. And so I look forward to relationships that I haven’t even established yet, because I know, they’ll continue to help me grow.
William Krieger
Well, and we talked about growing and learning, it’s very important that you said it, we’re not talking about the destination of growing and learning, we’re talking about the journey of growing and learning. And I couldn’t agree more than that, I have learned more from those times where someone hurt my feelings necessarily than when they patted me on the back and said, hey, you know, a great job, and didn’t really get anything out of that discussion or interaction. So the question I have to ask now, that is, you know, you’ve you have had these mentors over your lifetime, you’ve had these difficult conversations, you’ve had these great conversations, the great friendships, what are you doing to sort of pay that forward for that next generation that’s coming up?
Angela Thompkins
So, Bill, one thing that is so incredibly important for me, in my role, for, you know, I think anyone but for me, particularly women, and I think it goes back to that imposter syndrome. But authenticity is something that is just so incredibly important for me, no one can bring to the table what you have to offer, you are unique, right? And so I think, you know, often times we are trying to be like and name the person, right? We’re trying to be like the person before us. And we’re trying to be like someone else. And I think we can all learn from other people, but we can’t deliver what we uniquely have if we’re trying to be someone else, right? And so, authenticity is so important for me for many reasons. And one of the reasons is because I’ve struggled with it for so long, right? I struggle with just even my career journey, right? I was always told, you know, be successful. Choose a career that’s going to make you a lot of money. I don’t ever remember a conversation about finding your passion, doing something that will make you happy, right. And so, I for the early part of my career, you know, I’m a lawyer by training, started out in the prosecutor’s office and quickly learned that it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my career. But how do I admit that out loud, right to the people who have these expectations of me to you Have a certain title to have a career, I have all the student loan debt. And I really don’t want to do this for the rest of my life. And so it took me a long time to even admit that to myself. But as a result of that, I lived an unhappy life, right and went through bouts of depression and just unhappiness. And that was all because I was worried about other people’s expectations of what my life and my career should be. So encouraging people to just stand in their authenticity and represent their truest self is something that I’m incredibly passionate about. And that as I mentor others, that is something that I make sure I am helping coaching others through is no one is better than the person that you are, because there’s only one of you. So how awesome is that, when you can show up as your truest self, because that’s the absolute best you have to offer. Right? If you’re trying to be a Tonya Berry that’s already taken. And she’s probably the best Tonya Berry, right. And so be the best version of you to, you know, replicate or model being a first in your profession, or you know, your journey or your career. But Tonya Berry can certainly be an inspiration. But Tonya Berry is already taken. So be the best that you are. And so I think that’s really when people shine when, you know, they get seen by others is when they’re representing in their truest, their most authentic selves, their gifts truly have a light shined on them when they can do that versus trying to be like someone else. That light is a little dimmer, when you’re trying to be someone else.
William Krieger
Thanks for bringing that up. I really, you know, it’s not something we think about a lot in, you know, finding your passion, being happy in what you do. Because it’s not only good for you, but also so much better for others as well. Tonya, same question for you. You know, we talked about mentorship and people that have helped you along the way, what are you doing now to help those that are that are coming up after you.
Tonya Berry
So I spend time with people. And so I choose where I spend that time. So one when you are entering or looking or seeking for a mentoring relationship? You know, my advice is, there’s only so much time we all have. So make sure you leverage and use that mentor’s time wisely, right, you have to kind of have to lead kind of in that relationship space. So where I spend my time, are those that are definitely kind of seeking to learn and grow from those experiences. And so I often share because I know at times that things can look easy. Sometimes people say I can make things look easy. Well, it is not as easy as it looks, let me tell you. And so it’s a little bit of hard work in that right. And so I’ll share a share the struggle, as well as kind of the moments that have been a little bit easier, right? It’s not all hard, I think you have to be transparent, and provide a perspective for people that’s real and honest, I do appreciate what AT said it’s only one you, so you know, no path is linear, right? And no two paths are going to look exactly the same. The speed of the path, the steps of the path are all very different. And so I think that you have to spend time to coach with honesty, with humility, but also with transparency, to make sure that people understand not only my experience and my journey, but when you think about that, too. It’s also being honest and provide feedback. You know, one of the toughest things that toughest things I see for people is providing that constructive feedback back to people. And so when I mentor with people, so make sure we dig a little bit deeper where there’s opportunity, because people feel comfortable as I like to say you have the glows and the grows. And people like to feel comfortable. Everybody likes to tell everybody what’s great, what’s good, it feels good, right? We feel good when we get to share glows and things that are going well. Many people often struggle with providing that constructive feedback, which I call the grows. To Angela’s point, thats from a place of care in which you need to do that. If I’m caring and investing in, you I also want you to realize the opportunities that exist for you. And it’s in a way so you can go work on them. Oftentimes I find people have either been stagnant in their careers or wonder what’s going on with them. They haven’t been afforded the opportunity to receive the constructive feedback in a timely manner and had they known five years ago, 10 years ago, a year ago, they would have taken the steps on working and oftentimes too far down the path that file has been built. That is a tough climb to go to kind of unwind that file for many people. And so I say it’s about investing my time, investing my time, not only with those that are in the company that seek mentorship, but also you know, one of the things I appreciate is our reverse mentoring program, because within that I learn some things from my own self through that. So I appreciate those experiences, then I mentor out right, so I am focused on young girls, particularly in the STEM field, I sit on the board of DACEP. And so if you think about the engineering space, and really around young girls and women, and making sure that we’re I can help them connect to the contributions that helping them realize who they could dream and be if you think about our STEM fields, you know, continued to be a challenge underrepresented, not only with females, but minority females, and where I can reach, and kind of help people think about those careers even entering into college. So if I can grab them early at the high school and middle school levels, using an influence to say, yes, it might be tough, it might seem a little bit hard. But I have mentioned before you can build the grit to kind of get through it. And so that’s where I kind of spend my time and space, making sure that it’s not only the glows, but it’s the growth, and helping people figure out and explore how they can be the best. I think the question you have to ask yourself daily is how can I be the best me? And then I love operating reviews. So at the end of each day, I say did I show up to be the best me that I could be today? And how can I be the best me tomorrow? And I want people to learn how to do that for themselves.
William Krieger
Well, it’s interesting, you mentioned that because I know that our wellbeing consultants have a goal this year to talk about being our best selves. And what does that mean for us, because that is so important to show up as the best version of us that we can. And you mentioned DAPCEP and I did some work with them the last time they were at Michigan State University. And I was inspired, like I was thinking maybe I want to go to school for engineering. Like these kids were just amazing to be around, they were so motivated, so happy. And it was just a seemed like such an amazing opportunity for them. But I’m going to be honest with you, it was an amazing opportunity for me to be around all of them. And looking forward to doing some work with them again. Well, it is coming close to the close of the podcast, as happens so often, time slips by it’s been great talking with both of you in getting to know you even more. For the for full transparency, we’ve all known each other for a little while here at Consumers Energy. And even when some of us weren’t here at Consumers Energy for a little while. So it’s great to catch back up with you. But before I go, I wanted to give you each an opportunity to leave the audience with what your message is what you want them to take from this conversation. So Angela, I’ll let you go first.
Angela Thompkins
All right, thank you, Bill. And I, you know, you’re in the circle. So please call me AT and what I’ll say in closing, and I’m just going to go back, you know, to what I said about authenticity, because that is something that is just, I’m so passionate about being authentic. And so as difficult as it may be, what I would encourage each of your listeners is to take a long, hard look in the mirror and do a self-assessment, right? What is it that you truly want? What makes you happy? What are your best skills? Where are your opportunities, be really honest about what it is you want, and then write it down? I think there’s power and writing it down. You know, because if you the first step is being able to admit it, the second step is being able to say it out loud, write it down. And then what I’ll you know, say after that, you know, beyond authenticity is not only understanding what you want, but you know, being relentless about it. So, what I’ll say is, you know, I believe in the power of gratitude and manifestation, and don’t ever think you can’t, because if you think you can’t, or it’s impossible, it’ll never happen to pivot to change, to have that next level of, you know, journey in your career. So be relentless in believing that it can happen, and you know, Faith without works is dead. So there’s certainly work you need to do to build the relationships to get that additional training and so you have to be deliberate about that pivot or shift that you want to make, in order to, you know, live your truest self. So that’s one thing that I would leave with all of your listeners. And like, Tonya said, no path is linear. So again, as you stand in your authenticity, if it means a complete career shift, do it, you know, life is short. And it’s up to us to make the life that we want. And so truly encourage people to make those pivots and shifts. And, you know, don’t think that any career path has to be linear, because it’s not, and make the most out of your journey. But the most important thing is that you’re, you’re having fun along the way. And then one last thing I know you’re going to send it to Tonya to close, but she has another nickname and that is Ton Ton. That is what I call her. I don’t know if anybody else calls her that. But she is in my phone as Ton Ton Berry, so I’ll leave that one with your listeners. I think that’s my last parting comment for today.
William Krieger
Well, at I appreciate that. And I gotta tell you before I turn it over to you, Ton Ton, t squared, t breezy, Tonyay, all those multitude of names that my name is William, all of my friends call me, Bill. But Billy, unless you’re my sister, no one calls me Billy. She’s the only one that calls me that. And she likes to do it in front of all of my friends. So I will share that with you. So Tonya, I’m going to turn it over to you. What’s your what’s your message for our audience today?
Tonya Berry
Yeah, so I think that we’re all on this journey, to really discover our purpose. And like AT, Ange, Ange Bange or sister as she is my phone. Life is short. Right. And I think about the two dates that we get right in that first day is that birthday then it’s that dash that we’re all living right now. And we don’t know when that end day comes for any of us. So it is being very intentional and deliberate on how we’re spending our time to not only develop but use the gifts that we’ve been given. And the gifts that we have been given are uniquely ours. So your gift was not going to look or show up any other way other like anybody else’s gift may be similar, but it’s uniquely yours. One of the things that I challenge people to think about is, when you’re also given that gift, there’s a responsibility that you have to practice in growing that gift. And then you have to use that gift. And so one, it’s an exploration of really defining who you are. Identify what your gifts are, and then beginning to explore how you utilize the gifts that have been given to you. And I believe when you’re very focused on that, things will begin to fall in place for you. But if you’re spending time thinking about how can I exactly be like how can I go get that gift? How can I go? Do all these things that are not you’re losing time, you’re losing time, and I feel you find your most happiness and gratitude. And it takes time. It’s an exploration. So you don’t find overnight it starts over time, where you uniquely kind of find those gifts, and each day you learn. And so I think it’s about learning who you are. And I will say every day, I learn something continually new about myself. So it’s definitely a journey. And I just say while you’re on the journey, find joy in the journey. And, you know, I know people say, Oh, you talk about this element of joy. I may not see it or feel it every single day. And I’ll argue with you can find it every single day if you’re intentional about it. And it links back to Angela’s point about gratitude. If it simply starts with you opening your eyes in the morning, you have to remember not everybody got that opportunity this morning. And so if you simply find that, and you find those elements of joy, you’ll attract and continue to find those moments of joy. You know, people say to me, Oh, you’re happy and you smile all the time. That is a definite choice. I feel good. And I like smile and I like being happy and I will not apologize for that. But don’t mistake that that I don’t have challenges there and things I’m going through. There aren’t things that make me sad. I just really choose happiness first, and I try to work through the other things. I’m going to say more in smaller groups, I’m not going to lead first what my problems are my issues are my concerns I’m a really lead from my happy space. And that’s, that’s what works for me. And made that may not work for everybody, I don’t expect they’re ready to smile all day like I do or be as happy as I am. But that’s again, knowing you, if I sit around and I show up, every single day, and I sit in the negative, I’m going to be no good, I’m never going to be able to lead my team, it’s not going to work for me. So that’s even an example of me knowing who I am. If I sit and I stay in my happy place, I lead with joy, I care for people. I told you, I’m a people leader first and I live, I live in that I get to the outcomes I want to get to. But if I try to change who I am in that it does not worked for me. And so I have to start there. But that does not mean I don’t recognize what’s not working, I can see the things that are not working that are not right. But I always have to start positive. So call me a little bit more on the optimistic side. But I am a realist to that I know what happens. So I think it’s just a journey of purpose. But as you’re exploring the purpose, you know, maybe cliche, stop and smell the roses, right? Find a little bit of that joy in the journey. Because when you get that end date, it’s over. So find those contributions, use your gifts grow to gifts. So just because you’re given a gift does not mean you don’t have to practice and grow that gift either. Because you’re wasting and so those are some of the things that I want the listeners to walk away with.
William Krieger
And I gotta tell you, when you said we’re, we’re given two dates, and we’re living in the dash, that I’m going to, I’m going to keep that in the back of my head as I go throughout the rest of my journey as well. I want to say again, thanks both of you for being here. A T as I know you and Tonyay, as I know you. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy days to talk with the audience and share your stories. And look forward to doing this again,
Tonya Berry
Billy, it was a pleasure. Thank you for having us. You are my brother.
William Krieger
You are my sister for sure.
Tonya Berry
Thanks, Bill.
William Krieger
Thank you to the audience for listening in today. The Me You Us podcast is proudly sponsored by Consumers Energy leaving Michigan better than we found it. Remember, you can find the Me You Us podcast on all major podcasting platforms. So be sure to go out find us and subscribe. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. That’s 1-800-273-8255 If you are a veteran or know a Veteran who is in crisis, you can call 1-800-273-8255 and press one for the Veterans Crisis Line. And remember to tune in every Wednesday as we talk about the things that impact your personal well being
