• The Little Things.

    I am not one of those people who easily overlooks the little things. Little things matter. I know someone who constantly forgets to tell me minor things or he will play them down. The key here is that I said “constantly.” All of these little things add up to create big things: resentment, frustration, anger, stress. Examples: Last minute changes: Forgetting to keep me in the loop inconveniences me to drop what I’m doing and rush something through. The saying “Lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine” doesn’t always hold true, especially in business. When he forgets something, and I have to remind him:…

  • Conflict Resolution.

    There is a man that I respect who is very intelligent but typically has bad delivery. He has these great ideas and points to make, but his thoughts are scattered when he speaks and sometimes just listening to him and/or conversations with him are hard to follow. He recognizes this about himself and even pokes fun at himself for it. I went to a meeting with him, where he vocalized his opinion and literally got laughed at. In a room full of professional adults, this lady legit lol’d during his commentary.  After the meeting, he said to me, “I said what needed to be said. I don’t really care if…

  • Work-Life Balance.

    Rachel Hollis says the work-life balance is total crap. She says that the media caught on to the phrase and overused it to the point that we believe it’s an achievable goal – when it’s not. I don’t think she’s entirely wrong. I have a friend. I love him. He’s great. But every once in awhile he says something that makes me want to straight up punch him in the face. We’ll be talking about something, and he’ll say, “Well, you’re not married, and you don’t have kids.” While I try to casually let it go, my internal response is more a series of: 🤯😡😤🤬. You guys – that is…

  • Capitol Visit.

    The United Fresh Washington Conference recently ended, and I am so bummed to miss it. Last year was my first year attending with Class 24, and it was an awesome experience. I had been to Sacramento to speak to our legislators before but never to DC. My first trip to DC was in 8th grade, and it was a terrible experience for reasons I won’t get into now. But also, I just did not appreciate the history and magnitude of what I was witnessing and experiencing. As a Mass Communication and Media Studies major, one of my favorite parts of visiting DC was the side stop I made to visit…

  • Comfort in the Uncomfortable.

    In everything I read and learn or have experienced, we connect with people when we are vulnerable. When we share something personal with someone else, all of a sudden, our differences disappear; our arguments dissolve. We no longer see that person as an enemy, but as someone who has struggles, fears, and feelings. That person becomes relatable. As I enter different phases of my leadership journey, there’s different areas of my life that I’ve been sharing – some more difficult than others. While I’m not necessarily embarrassed by these experiences, some I would just prefer not to vocalize, often times in a room full of people I don’t know very…

  • Leap.

    When I first applied for the United Fresh Produce Industry Leadership Class 24, we were asked why we wanted to be part of the program. I essentially said that farmers have a story that needs to be told, and if no one else is going to stand up for what we do, then I want to be the one to do it. It’s kind of funny, because almost everything I’ve worked for personally and professionally has set me up to be that person. And for as much as I want to be the one out there shouting from the rooftops about how important it is to preserve our farming heritage,…

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