Mary Kay Ziniewicz 💃 Founder Bus Stop Mamas

Mary Kay Ziniewicz 💃 Founder Bus Stop Mamas

30Women30Stories, Athena Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 27, 2020 | 2020, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Mary Kay Ziniewicz

Entrepreneur, Wife, Mother, Forever Learner and Scrappy Survivor.

 

We knew we didn’t want kids

I was certain I didn’t want to be a mom. My husband, Keith, didn’t want kids either. It was one of the things that made us a perfect match. And then the unexpected happened—we found out we were pregnant. We’d been vacationing in Costa Rica for a month, and when we returned home to Minnesota, got the surprising news. It completely caught us off guard. But when we saw our baby on the ultrasound for the first time, everything changed. In a split second, Keith and I fell in love with the tiny dot on the screen and couldn’t wait to meet our daughter and take on our new role as parents.

After Lily was born, we decided Keith would be a stay-at-home dad, while I worked in marketing and business development for two different Twin Cities law firms. Then, when Lily turned 10, Keith went back to work and I decided to work from home on the marketing consulting company I’d launched. As I waited with other moms at the bus stop, I began to notice one question the women were asking each other regularly:  “What are you doing today?”

Bus Stop Conversations

I quickly realized how different my situation was from the other mothers. I had a successful business and a fulfilling career. Many of the other moms were highly skilled professionals interested in working, but there were all kinds of barriers—family responsibilities, lack of support, scheduling constraints, guilt. I learned that more than 40 percent of women don’t return to the workforce after their first child is born. Those who do face all sorts of biases and misconceptions around availability, dependability, relevance and more. As I continued to do research, I realized the enormous impact that removing those barriers and stigmas could have on the economy. I began to dream of a business model that would allow moms flexibility to work when, how and where it made the most sense for them and their families. And that didn’t necessarily mean returning to the same type of work we did before having children.

The idea continued to grow

The idea bounced around in my head for a while. I thought I’d need funding to build a website and hire a team. Then I had coffee with a successful startup entrepreneur in Minneapolis who suggested there were ways to put my idea in motion without a lot of money. His encouragement was just the motivation I needed to take the leap. I began developing my new business concept in 2018 while I continued to work as a marketing consultant. This new venture pushed me outside of my comfort zone on an almost daily basis, and there were times I thought about giving up on the idea. That’s when then-12-year-old Lily stepped in and built the company website, and Bus Stop Mamas officially launched.

Bus Stop Mamas is Launched

With Lily as my chief technology officer, and the additional support of a dedicated team of volunteers I call Super Mamas, I developed a network of moms with a variety of skills and backgrounds. Those moms have filled a critical need for hundreds of small to midsize business owners seeking workers in all kinds of positions—temporary, part-time, full-time and more. I calls it the #9to3movement, because I believe work needs to look different in the 21st century. Providing moms with the flexibility to meet family obligations—like being at the bus stop—would advance equality in business practices exponentially.

Bus Stop Mamas is not a staffing or recruiting company that uses keywords and algorithms to match candidates and employers. I’m all about putting people first. The process for connecting moms and businesses is straightforward—businesses post any job opening to the network as long as it offers flexibility—and moms select opportunities that appeal to them. I and my team make introductions and the business owners and moms take it from there. The businesses pay a referral fee to Bus Stop Mamas. Women pay nothing to join the network, which is currently more than 1,000 moms who all heard about Bus Stop Mamas via word of mouth.

Bus Stop Mamas is growing quickly and has attracted the attention of the Twin Cities startup community. I have shuttered my consulting business and now devotes 100 percent of my time to what has become my second baby. I credit my first baby, Lily, and my husband for making the new business possible. Though I may not have planned to be a mom, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. If I hadn’t experienced motherhood, I would never have had those bus stop conversations or recognized the need to elevate the extraordinary talent of a huge and underutilized segment of the population.

Mary Kay

More About Mary Kay

For over 20 years, I’ve transcended business cultures internally and externally. My footprint is seen in law firms around the country. Most recently, I launched Bus Stop Mamas, a digital platform, that instantly introduces super businesses with super people–moms and dads. We’re called Bus Stop Mamas for obvious reasons–mom tends to interrupt her career for her family. Not always, just mostly–over 40% of women exit their career after their first child is born. Bus Stop Mamas believes mom knows best in what works for her family. That’s why we let her decide. Check us out. You will find an opportunity that works for you and your family schedule too.

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Alison Guessou 💃 filmmaker and founder Djini Productions

Alison Guessou 💃 filmmaker and founder Djini Productions

30Women30Stories, Athena Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 26, 2020 | 2020, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Alison Guessou

Cameroonian-American. Filmmaker.
Aries enthusiast. Always creating.

 

I took the leap

I first took the leap into film in 2016 and worked on several film sets. It was at a time when I had just left my full-time job as a project manager. I took this time to explore the film industry and get an understanding of where my strengths could fit in. This was basically my film school. Even though I had the opportunity to work on other sets, the opportunities were slim and also infrequent. I felt like I was not getting the full breadth of experience in producing, so I decided to create my own content.

I reached out to the contacts I had in the film industry and gained mentors through that process. I watched videos on YouTube and other free sources provided by the library to help fill in as many of the gaps of knowledge as I could. With each of my films, I make an attempt to focus on a learning aspect that I wanted to expand on. And I do believe it is an ongoing learning process.

There are still a few areas where I need to grow, especially when it comes to the technical aspect of filmmaking. I still rely on the crew who are able to provide the expertise, but in my opinion it would be helpful when working with these individuals of different skills, that I am able to have the conversations that can help enhance the film.

Life is about creating yourself

The quote I like to live by is “Life isn’t about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself” which is a prefect mantra about being the owner of your own destiny. And I always like to remind myself that I would rather live with no regrets than look back and think “what if.”

Pushing through self doubt

There are times when I go through self-doubt and the famous “imposter syndrome” because I haven’t taken the traditional route as most people in my field have. However, to push through I look back at the work I have created and realize there is something special. And hearing from other filmmakers and film festivals, validates the work I have been doing.

One life

I feel it’s important that women honor their essential selves because we are insightful in what we do. We only have one life, and I believe in the importance of making the most of it.

 – Alison

Images:

1. Panel hosted by @spnncommunity to discuss the future of Black Film in Minnesota.

2. From the set of HAPPILY MARRIED AFTER

My song is…
anything by Beyoncé – currently
“Before I let go”

More About Alison

As a filmmaker in Minnesota, the ability to find homegrown diverse content is slim. The same would apply to having the ability to work with diverse cast and crew on film sets. As a black woman it is even more difficult to find stories and films that reflect me. With this lack of diversity, having people on set who are skilled in hair and make-up for black women is rare because there hasn’t been a huge enough demand for it. At the same time, not a lot of people of color can afford to volunteer their time for meals and credit due to other obligations and therefore tend to lose out on the ability to gain exposure.

One of the primary objectives for my journey into producing and directing is to provide these missing opportunities. My goal in film is to see characters that reflect the diversity of our community. If we are not put in a position to help foster that, there will be a lot of diverse talent lacking the opportunity to share their skills with the broader industry. I also believe that stories are more authentic when told by people who have lived the experiences, versus people who are on the outside looking in. Fostering that ability to collaborate will help bring the core voice, especially that of black women, back into film.

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Joan Mathison 💃 founder, Adventures with a Locavore

Joan Mathison 💃 founder, Adventures with a Locavore

30Women30Stories, Athena Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 25, 2020 | 2020, 30 Women 30 Stories

Joan Mathison 💃 founder, Adventures with a Locavore

Meet Joan Mathison

As a pastry chef, history buff and community development professional certified in sustainability, I connect people and place with purpose.

 

Nature heals and inspires. I know this truth from personal experience. My purpose in life is connecting people with the healing power of nature – even more important today as we all must cope with the fear and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through my classes, you can experience different places and perspectives through movement, meditation and all of your senses. You will learn about phrenology, the seasonal changes taking place right before your eyes and the history of the place. Artists will encourage us to “see” in new ways. And we will celebrate picnics‚Äî-find your perfect spot on my map featuring 20 scenic locations overlooking the river gorge in downtown Saint Paul. Picnics are memorable because all your senses are alive!

Here’s the story of how I got my groove back, and you can, too. Warning, it may make you laugh out loud at the end:

The simple act of taking a walk around the lake every day – sometimes twice a day – helped me put my life back together after devastating loss.
Newly divorced, I lost my job just weeks after my 14 year-old son was killed in a car crash. Here I was, at midlife, all alone again, starting over one more time.

My walks got me out of the house (and my head), even though at first I just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually, I noticed other people on the path, who became familiar faces. The fresh winter air cleared my head and breathed life into my lungs. The physical activity strengthen muscles and the grit I would need for the challenges ahead.

And, soon, the weather warmed and melted the snow. The ice left the lake and the ducks and sailboats returned. The rose garden bloomed again and I found a new job, friends and a sense of peace.

That’s the thing about nature…it’s alive, always there, reliable…you are never truly alone. We were born to live among the trees, flowers and birds, along the rivers and lakes. Nature‚Äôs beauty inspires us with an overwhelming sense of awe. We want, and need, to protect her for future generations. Nature teaches us about the inevitability of change, loss, the cycle of life. Nature heals.

Some years later, my grief bubbled up again. I lost my mother who was the family’s keeper of my son’s memory. I finally went to my high school class reunion and all everyone wanted to talk about was their darling grandchildren. None for me.

A friend introduced me to Kelly Pratt, the visionary force behind this amazing Athena Village, and I joined her salon. I felt alone, stuck, empty and sad. Dead inside. But finding that other women were feeling the same way  – even for different reasons – made me feel connected. I started to feel energized learning my strengths through the Kolbe assessment and began studying trees. And, then POW! it happened.

Researching trees on the internet, I found old photographs of women in trees. Yes, women actually sitting on branches in trees! Many photographs, books of photographs: Women in Trees, More Women in Trees. How? When? Why?
I was hooked.

The answer is that when the Brownie personal camera was invented in 1900, it was a very big deal! For the first time, the magic of photography was available to everyone. It was very easy to use, just point and shoot.

The guys, natch, because of their innate technological ability, would photograph their lover, their partner. And the most romantic place was the forest.

The woman would climb the tree, in her best clothes, and arrange herself the best she could on the branches. Often the look on her face is loving, alluring, but a few women look uncomfortable, like they are thinking “Get me down from here, now!”

The old black and whites made me laugh out loud, want to share them, wonder about the couple and reinforced the spiritual significance of nature for me.

Nature inspires and heals us. Try it and you’ll see.

 

🎧 Song: Lady Marmalade, Patti LaBelle

Joan Mathison

Adventures of a Locavore

I dreamed of being a writer until my first big deadline for a client.

Today, many years later, my apartment is my “studio” where my creativity thrives, nurtured by friends, clients and the river gorge outside my window and door.

Life has been an adventure driven by my curiosity about the things I love –books, art, coffee and good food – how are they made, the people, the history. Can I try?

I’m a risk taker. Becoming a pastry chef, I discovered my business planning skills easily transferred to the exact timing requirements of a successful baker. And, the results could be eaten!

I’m an optimist, a glass half full, see the possibilities, kind of person. I’ve done a lot of things in my life and most of my jobs have been offered me by people I worked with. Another thread is that my own business has taken several shapes over the years, but always focusing on food, history and the nature of a place.

I’ve experienced dramatic highs and lows in my life. I’m a survivor. I’ve been tested and have become resilient. My greatest joy is serving people like you and making the world a better place.

In the Village: https://members.athenavillage.com/members/829490
https://www.adventureswithalocavore.com/
www.instagram.com/adventureswithalocavore/
www.linkedin.com/in/joanmathison/

Meet me in the village!
Angela Hed Vincent 💃 founder of True You Tapping

Angela Hed Vincent 💃 founder of True You Tapping

30Women30Stories, Athena Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 24, 2020 | 2020, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Angela Hed Vincent

Owner of True You Tapping Master EFT Practitioner, artist, and entrepreneur.
Vegan, with a love of all creatures and nature… Compassion and loving kindness come first in all things.

The Truth About Getting My Groove Back

I was a mess.

Severely burnt out, deeply depressed, seething with rage just under the surface, having chest pains, panic attacks, and wanting to die. I had struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts since I was a very young child, but this was different. The leadership position I found myself in took everything I had. In charge of two programs in a non-profit arts organization, bullied by the ED, unsupported and unacknowledged for my work by peers, with no end to the workload in sight. Being prone to mood swings was one thing, but not feeling anything except bursts of anger and a deep well of emptiness, that was truly scary.

Art had always been my love and my dream, the thing that kept me going. Now, suddenly, I had no passion for it at all. My master’s degree in sculpture seemed like a useless waste of time to have achieved. The time I did have after work, I spent researching ways to heal from burnout, complex trauma, and PTSD, pushing myself to keep my hands in art, and escaping into Netflix and food. I had always had my feelings and my inspiration for the next project, now without them I didn’t know who I was anymore.

Out of the blue my position was eliminated, leaving me feeling stunned, useless, dead inside, and too broken to do any job at all. I had done everything right. I had worked hard, played by the rules, taken exceptional care of my staff, tried desperately to find a work-life balance, and still, I found myself without the job I had nearly killed myself to do well.

This path was not working.

I have always been drawn to the healing arts and, as a Reiki Master, fascinated by how our bodies heal themselves if we can just get out of the way. A few months before the demise of my position, I read about EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) in a bookstore and was delighted by it’s capabilities. This is the healing modality I had been looking for. Simple, highly effective, self-administered, and can be used anywhere. There was nothing I wanted more than be well and nothing else I was capable of focusing on with my job gone. The EFT certification process itself brought me back to life. I spent week after week tapping on my issues, one by one, releasing them while gaining an understanding of what moves trauma fastest and most efficiently without retraumatization. Then I began tapping with other people, and found the most rewarding work in doing so. It lights me up to see joy where there was pain, lightness replacing grief, and hope overtaking anxiety. If I can help someone release even a fraction of the pain I’ve felt, we are all better for it.

All of the trauma in my life had kept me from living my best self in the world. Through EFT I have worked through compound trauma from years of being bullied as a child, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, multiple sexual assaults, repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse, issues of self-worth and self-loathing, enmeshment, emotional detachment, suicidal ideation, burnout, and an artist block. My panic attacks and chest pains are gone, I am passionate about making art again, I feel more calm, connected, and happier than I think I have ever felt in my life, and I continue to uncover more about who I truly am everyday.

Working with clients using EFT feels like nothing short of miraculous. It has quickly cleared old grief, profound sadness, feelings of being trapped, phobias, fears, guilt, shame, feelings of unworthiness, limiting beliefs about money, internalized oppression, and internalized homophobia.

A fresh start is such a gift.

What I know now is that I’m not sure how I lost my groove… in truth, I don’t know if I ever really felt like had it in the first place. I can tell you this… tapping is how I found myself, my true self. Uncovering layers of old trauma to reveal more of my light, more of my essence, the true me. My experience of the past 2 and a half years, building my business, healing myself, and helping others do the same brings me life and light and hope. Tapping is how I got my groove… and how I help others do the same.

Angela

Angela’s Get Your Groove On Song is
The Bleachers’ I JUST WANNA GET BETTER

Check it out in our Play List

More about Angela Hed Vincent:

Angela Hed Vincent is a certified Master Level EFT Practitioner and owner of True You Tapping. She helps burned out and trauma-filled professionals, therapists, and clergy, release their traumas and find balance, so that they can come from a place of wellness in all they do. Angela founded True You Tapping after she successfully used EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to release her own severe burnout, depression, and compound trauma. True You Tapping was created to help others who are feeling lost, alone, and hidden beneath their traumas, to dissolve blocks, collapse issues, and unearth their true potential. Accreditations: •    EFT Master Practitioner Certification •    Energy Medicine Certification •    Advanced Energy Medicine: Healing Trauma •    Reiki Master Certification

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Andrea Gerrard Dow 💃 Healing Arts Director at Creators Space

Andrea Gerrard Dow 💃 Healing Arts Director at Creators Space

30Women30Stories, Athena Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 23, 2020 | 2020, 30 Women 30 Stories

Andrea Gerrard Dow 💃 Healing Arts Director at Creators Space

Meet Andrea Gerard Dow

Teacher, healer. creative. Making my mark on this crazy world with a wink and a smile.

 

Getting My Groove Back

I have been reclaiming my essential self and getting my groove back over the past two and a half decades.

I lost my groove slowly, gradually, and over so many years that I nearly forgot that I even HAD a groove! Taking many small steps over time has led me closer to my true nature so that I can live in better alignment with my life’s path and purpose. It took a tremendous amount of grit and resilience (and extreme stubbornness) to get here!

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in my late teens and with thyroid cancer in my mid-twenties. In the midst of surgeries and chemo and radiation treatments, I lost my brother and best friend, Rollo, to suicide when I was twenty-tree and six years later lost my other brother, Scott, again to suicide. Within a span of one decade, I went from a relatively carefree life in rural North Dakota to a life of what seemed to be a never-ending series of tragedy, chaos, and dis-ease.

Disappearing Groove

Needless-to-say, my essential self (my groove) began to disappear.

To say that period of time was all bad would be untrue.

That decade of darkness in my late teens and early twenties, while difficult and tragic, also held some of my best moments of my life! My son Brett was born – my miracle baby insisted on being in this world after I was told my chemo treatments would leave me without the ability to have children. I found the love of my life inside the sterile walls of the Roger Maris Cancer Center, and we will be celebrating seventeen years of marriage this summer. I was set on a unique course in life that opened my heart and left me with immense compassion, empathy, and wisdom.

I learned at a young age that our time here is limited and uncertain but also that there can be beautiful moments found in the midst of suffering. The challenges that I faced gave me more reason than ever to give my best self to those around me. Being a young mom was one of the biggest blessings because I always had SO much to live for and to strive to be healthy for. I took my responsibility as a mom very seriously and wanted Brett to live the best life possible. I believe that my role as a woman and mom gave me superpower strength during times when I needed it the most!

However, over time the stress began to get the best of me. I was working in a stressful job and was not recovering from thyroid cancer as I should have been despite many surgeries and radiation treatments. There came a point when I could feel my strong and positive nature shifting toward fear and doubt. This was such an unfamiliar feeling, and I did not like it one bit! It became clear that major changes were needed to shift my life’s path – and it was up to me to make these changes. I knew that I needed to do my part to tap into my own healing potential.

Questioning the Status Quo

I began to question the medical approach I was taking. I asked myself questions about healing:

  • Shouldn’t healing look and feel differently than this?
  • Why am I continuing to pour radiation into a sick body?
  • Why am I so afraid when I talk to my doctor?
  • Isn’t there more to me than just these isolated systems and body parts?
  • Why isn’t anyone asking me bigger questions about myself as a human – what my history is, about my loss, about my life, about my energy and spiritual life.

The more I asked questions, the more obvious it became that I had to take my health into my own hands and to become my own advocate.

Leaving no stone unturned, I combed through books, research, and talks about functional medicine and nutrition, energy medicine, guided visualizations, movement, bodywork, yoga, Ayurveda, and herbalism. Before I knew it, I was juicing my greens, sipping on apple cider vinegar, and making my own kombucha. I was implementing basic changes and began to use supplements. I was beginning to get my groove back by empowering myself to do my part in healing my life.

Positive Results

As I began to see positive results from implementing basic changes into my life, and then shifted toward asking more existential questions like  “why am I here?”, “who do I want to BE in this life?”, and “how can I use the time that I have to do the most good?”.

As I was making changes in my personal health and well-being, I had a knowing that I would want to help others make changes in their lives too. I envisioned opening up a wellness center where people could actually heal. I did not know what it would look like, but I knew that it was needed. I trained to be a yoga teacher – yoga saved my life years prior when Rollo died, which led to a massage therapy program. The healing power of touch always made sense to me. This program led to the study of Ayurveda and Thai Bodywork. Over the years, I made peace with the loss of my brothers and while life would never be the same without them in it, I learned how to use my memories and experiences with them to shape my life. We are so much more than our physical bodies, and I feel their presence in my day-to-day life. Dare I say that I even have a relationship with them in a way that is impossible in the physical, material world!

One Last Piece of the Puzzle

There was one last piece of the puzzle that I needed to solve. It was time to finally take a leap of faith and let go of the job that provided financial security but at the expense of me living my true nature. The timing could not have been more perfect – my dear friend had been going through a major awakening of her own and conceptualized Creators Space. She needed help, and the vision called to me so much so that I quit my job nearly on the spot and began to find ways to be involved.


Taking that leap of faith was a critical step in getting my groove back. Surrounding myself with on-purpose creatives gave me the permission to create something of my own. I recently took the time to create a new program called In the Making – a wellness collective for practitioners and teachers who are focused on holistic wellness. The program is in its beginning phases but honors and celebrates the journey that comes with the transition into wellness. We are all on a trajectory of being in the making of our lives. Amazing practitioners and teachers have begun to show up to help others align with nature – and their true nature.

Claim Our Power

It took me many years to get my groove back, and it feels goooooood. It is essential that women not only get their groove back but that they deeply claim their power and embody their “essential coolness”.

We embody this coolness by being our truest versions of ourselves. And the truth is … we need one another, we need our shared stories to unite us, and we need the healing that happens when we lift one another up to SHINE.  — Andrea

🎧 Song: Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over (2010 Version)

Andrea Gerard Dow

Creators Space

Andrea is a healer, a teacher, and a creative that loves bringing people together to connect and collaborate. She partnered with her dear friend to conceptualize and build Creators Space Рa creative community center and coffee house. Through that experience, Andrea remembered her vision to create something that honors and celebrates the journey of making a life. She recently created In the Making and dedicated it to wellness practitioners and teachers who are stepping into their power to help others live their best lives. Andrea is a spiritual gal who is using her special gifts through her teaching and wellness practices and is continually creating new classes, workshops, and experiences – a podcast is on the horizon! Watch for In the Making, the Podcast soon!

In the Village: https://members.athenavillage.com/members/1245453

https://www.inthemakingof.org/

https://www.instagram.com/inthemakingoflife/

https://www.facebook.com/creatorsspacemn

https://www.facebook.com/andrea.g.dow

https://www.instagram.com/argdow/

https://www.creatorsspace.com/

https://www.instagram.com/creatorsspacemn/

Meet me in the village!
Jody Lichtor 💃 prop/food stylist, dental hygenist, jewelry designer

Jody Lichtor 💃 prop/food stylist, dental hygenist, jewelry designer

30Women30Stories, Athena Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 12, 2020 | 2020, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Jody Lichtor

Creator. Life Designer. Gracefully Rebellious.
Playful Intellectual Banterer. Dancer.
Loyal and Devoted friend.

It never occurred to me to want to “be” anything when I grew up. Raised to be the perfect wife, mother, and hostess, I was expected to follow the rules, not rock the boat, smile, and be flawless. This became my method of survival – my go-to solution.

I grew up on the cusp of change when few women veered from getting a degree in nursing, education, or library science. At my mother’s insistence, I graduated high school in December and started college in January at The University of Kansas. I was not given an option. I grew up in a medical family. My father was an orthopedic surgeon. Medicine wasn’t a consideration; nursing followed suit.

Across the hall from my father’s practice was a dentist who suggested dental hygiene. The hours and the pay were better than nursing and all prerequisites were the same.

Something to Fall Back On

I applied and was one of 50 students out of 250 applicants accepted to the University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Dentistry. At KU I was an A & B student – as long as I only took the minimum science requirements. But nothing could prepare me for Morphology and Occlusion, Microbiology, Pathology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology.  At the end of my junior year, the dean called me into her office to tell me I was failing two classes. She offered to help me get through the program.

At age 19, I didn’t have the courage or wherewithal to listen to my instincts. My parents believed the arts to be extracurricular.  Dental hygiene was something I could “fall back on” should I need to support myself.

In 1974, I graduated with my BS degree in Dental Hygiene, passed my boards, and was licensed to practice in four states. Unlike most of my classmates, before that time, I’d never set foot in a dental practice other than as a patient. It was no surprise that I felt out of place and disliked being a dental hygienist.

Approaching Life Creatively

I needed something more. So, to feed my creative beast, I took professional ballet classes and danced with Kansas City Ballet Company.

Three years later, in 1977,  I moved to Minneapolis and started my own business: becoming the first independent, temporary dental hygienist. I thought it would make my job more flexible, leaving time to travel and dance. After a few years, having grown tired of last-minute calls, I took a contract position in a large dental practice.

Then I met the man of my dreams, dating him during the years he wrote and released “Funkytown.” Nearly four years later, the magic carpet ride ended when he left me for a woman with whom he’d had an affair. With our worlds and friends intertwined, I sought out a more creative career option. I had a few dates with a guy whose ex-girlfriend was a graphic designer. That sounded fun, so I researched the qualities of a graphic designer and it seemed a perfect match.

Geographical Cure

Believing the solution was to move, I spent the summer studying design in Chicago and then moved to NYC where and finished my completed my AA in Graphic Design.

Between classes, I took daily professional ballet classes and explored the city until the spring of 1987 when I moved back to the Twin Cities.  I once again “fell back on” dental hygiene to fill in the gap.

Still Searching

That first year back, I took a class from a group of seasoned graphic designers called Rent a Mentor. Students ranged from little experience to those rekindling careers. One teacher kept insisting that I needed more classes in typography. My response, “I need a job to gain experience!” The class concluded with an evaluation and feedback. One of the mentors posed an unforgettably profound question:

“Did I study graphic design because I wanted to be a graphic designer or because I wanted to get out of dental hygiene?”

It struck me like a ton of bricks and I took notice. Though I did a little work for a graphic designer friend, I knew it wasn’t the answer.

Two years later, I took the opportunity to buy a diet and exercise business from a friend. He ran the diet program and I taught cooking classes and managed the resistance-based studio. But, we couldn’t compete with the corporate competition and 3.5 years later, when my lease ended, I closed the business.

My mother was right – at least I had dental hygiene “to fall back on.” With dance and designing jewelry as my creative outlets, I steadfastly held onto the dream of marrying a man who would take care of me while I passionately pursued my art.

A New Creative Outlet

About a year later, I dated a man in the film business which ended too soon when he left to manage Lyle Lovett’s national tour. While together I shared my desire to do something more creative, he suggested I consider getting into location scouting or wardrobe styling for commercials and features. I followed through contacting his referrals and thus began my career in production. I loved it!

For several years, I worked exclusively on features, commercials, and high-end corporate videos.  9/11 changed it all – reduced budgets and technology resulted in less projects and opportunities. In 2001, I again began doing temporary dental hygienist.

Following the recession in 2008, I added to my income stream by working for a friend’s non-profit. The contrast and diversity was ideal. And through it all, I had learned to embrace and appreciate dental hygiene. I had created the perfect balance.

Continuing to freelance opened up my life to more creative ventures.

I joined the board of directors of MN Women in Film & TV in 2006. I’ve served two terms as Vice-President, and I’m currently in my 3rdyear as President.

On July 2nd, I’ll be 67 years old. I plan to work for at least another three years, continue designing jewelry, finishing my book, producing a reality series, writing a bill for legislation…

In my wildest dreams could I imagine a pandemic that would turn the world upside down.

I’ve had abundance and blessings in my lifetime, as well as suffered a great deal of loss. I grew up with privilege, expecting my life would follow suit. It was not until my twenties that I realized my parents had not championed my talents and gifts, that I’d not been encouraged to take risks and trust my instincts. My survival go-to was to “be compliant,” “be the good one,” and “be forgiving.” I learned my lessons well. At the same time, I grew up with intelligent, strong-willed, and innovative parents from whom I learned relentless fortitude.

Though I’ve chosen an unusual path, I reflect on my life with gratitude, I’ve managed all my endeavors as a creative that I alone created.

To be continued….

Jody

This is the song that gets Jody moving.  Everybody Dance Now!

More About Jody

Jody Ann Lichtor is President of MN Minnesota Women in Film & Television and has served on the board since 2008. She previously held two, two-year terms as Vice President and for seven years was Communications Chair, overseeing the monthly e-newsletter and e-blasts.

Jody started in the performing arts as a ballet dancer at the age of four. An accumulation of varied experiences in graphic design, computer graphics, non-profit work and a desire to contribute to world beautification led her to film production.

Jody has worked for over twenty years as a Food and Prop stylist on various media including commercial, print, cable programming and web broadcast. Partial client list: Pepsi, Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Purina, Schwanns, Johnsonville Brats, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jennie-O Turkey, Hormel and Bizarre Foods, Andrew Zimmern and Food Network’s Food 911 with Tyler Florence.

She’s also a production coordinator/manager for commercials and high-end corporate communication, television series and mixed media.

Jody’s a member of WWRC – Women Who Really Cook, an organization for women in the food industry;  AICP – Association of Commercial Producers; PLACE – Projects Linking Art Community and Environment, and Aging But Dangerous.

Jody lives in 1903 carriage house with 4 legged son Oscar Meyer.

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