Age: 38
Occupation: Owner and Chief Storyteller, Giving Tree Theater
What would you consider your greatest professional achievement: I’m in the middle of it right now! Opening a theater in Marion and producing shows that not only generate more arts opportunities, but also have the ability to give to local nonprofits is an achievement I am so proud to be a part of.
What would most people be surprised to learn about you: Before getting back into theater as a profession, I spent multiple years as a safety manager in the wind industry, teaching technicians how to quickly evacuate 200-foot tall wind turbines.
What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career: Be patient, be true to yourself and don’t be impatient to learn what being “yourself” means. It all comes together at some point, and then you just know.
How do you ensure a balance between work and your personal life:It’s funny, but as a “family business” owner, I find it to blur more times than not. Having Heather and the kids at “work” with me is normal. It really doesn’t feel like work, though. In many ways, it is all “personal” when so much love, time and attention is invested in it.
What’s something people should know about your generation in the workplace: My dad worked hard as a machinist in a factory his entire career, and did it as a means to provide for his family. I don’t think it was usually enjoyable work, but it was a job and it was reliable. I wonder if my generation isn’t searching for more personal fulfillment. “Do what you love, and love what you do.” “Find something that makes you happy, and do what you can to do it every day.” Those are sentiments I think my generation, as we get a little older, are really starting to adopt.
