What's Your "And"? – Details, episodes & analysis

Kristie Ondracek, CFO and COO at TXCPA Houston, talks about her passion for paper crafting, specifically card making and scrapbooking. Kristie shares how she began crafting in high school and has since embraced the creative process, which she finds essential for both personal expression and enhancing her problem-solving skills at work. She highlights the joy she experiences from bringing a smile to others with her custom cards, reflecting on memorable projects, including cherished moments crafting with her late mother. As a leader, Kristie emphasizes the importance of creating space for employees to share their passions and encourages organizations to value their human capital. Through her experiences, she illustrates how this creative hobby has fostered a unique and effective approach to leadership and professional challenges.

Episode Highlights

· Kristie emphasizes the importance of thinking outside the box and being creative in problem-solving, which is enhanced by her hobby of card-making and scrapbooking.
· She talks about how her crafting hobbies have helped her stay sane and bring joy to others, illustrating the importance of balancing work with personal passions.
· Kristie highlights the need for leaders to be involved with their team beyond work-related performance, suggesting that understanding personal interests can boost productivity and morale.
· She believes it’s crucial for leaders to create environments where employees feel safe to express themselves and speak up, benefiting both individual and organizational growth.
· Kristie shares her journey toward becoming more open and authentic about who she is and what she loves, demonstrating the power of self-acceptance and sharing one's true self with others.

Joel Zeff shares his journey from being a newspaper reporter to a successful keynote speaker and author. Joel describes his transformative experience with improv, which he discovered after moving to Dallas for a job as a newspaper reporter. Despite the challenges he faced when the newspaper closed, Joel explored stand-up comedy and eventually joined an improv troupe, which opened doors for him to merge his passion for improv with presentations at his corporate job. He emphasizes the importance of following one's passions and how improv has taught him valuable lessons in teamwork, leadership, and communication. Throughout the conversation, Joel highlights the significance of laughter in building connections and improving corporate culture. His insights provide a compelling story of how passion can transform into a fulfilling career.

Episode Highlights

· Joel found his passion for improv when he was invited on stage during a performance. It was a life-changing moment for him.
· Losing his newspaper job led Joel to explore comedy and improv, which eventually became his career path.
· Joel emphasizes the importance of not keeping work and passion separate, as opportunities like Texas Instruments requesting his improv skills for an executive retreat helped shape his career.
· He believes that making people laugh bonds and connects them, and even if his talks achieve only that, it's worthwhile.
· Joel stresses the importance of figuring out what you love and would do for free, as it can lead to unexpected career opportunities and fulfillment.

In this episode of "What's Your 'And'?," John Garrett welcomes Rick Goodmay, the Director of Client Relations at ICM Colorado. Rick shares how his passion for smoking meat and cheese serves as his creative outlet and how it fosters community both in his personal life and at work. Inspired by a coworker, he got into the art of smoking to enjoy and share larger quantities of delicious food. Rick emphasizes the importance of understanding the interests of coworkers and clients to build stronger relationships. He recounts heartwarming stories from his Italian upbringing that highlight the significance of food in bringing people together. Rick continues to spread joy and connection through his culinary talents, even making a point to smoke food with others at the office.

Episode Highlights

• Utilizing hobbies to build relationships: Rick emphasized how his interest in smoking meats and cheeses helped him connect with coworkers and clients, fostering a sense of community.

• Keeping traditions alive: Rick highlighted the importance of continuing family traditions, such as cooking and sharing meals, which play a significant role in his life and personal identity.

• Cold smoking: Rick shared his technique of cold smoking, a method for smoking cheeses without melting them, adding a unique skill set to his hobby.

• Workplace culture: Rick spoke about the supportive and family-like culture at his workplace, stressing the importance of genuine care and check-ins among colleagues for a safer, more cohesive environment.

• Importance of sharing your passions: Rick encouraged listeners to share their passions with others, noting that even if some people aren't interested, there will always be others who are, and these shared interests can build meaningful connections.

Nayo Carter-Gray, CEO & Founder of 1st Step Accounting, talks about her passion for paper crafting, creating crafts for others in the office, and how it helps hone her attention to detail and develop relationships with clients and co-workers!

Bolanle Williams-Olley, CFO & Partner at Mancini Duffy, talks about discovering her passion for creating NGO organizations and planning birthday parties and why she feels it is important to have something to be passionate about outside of the office!

Kenneth Omoruyi, a Managing Partner of CKO CPAs & Advisors, talks about how he discovered his passion for playing saxophone, inspiring other students to start playing saxophone, and connecting with others as a musician!

Jessica Elizabeth McClain talks about how she discovered her passion for bodybuilding, how it has influenced her husband, and helped establish a support system and closer bonds at the workplace!

Sarah Campbell Arnett talks about discovering letters and photos that led to her passion for learning about her family’s genealogy, why it is important to have something that inspires you outside of work, and so much more!

Shawn Parikh, Founder and CEO of Entigrity Solutions LLC., talks about his passion for playing Cricket and Tennis, and how he finds time to do activities with his family on a regular basis!

Robina Bennion talks about finding her passion for painting, how her art and feeling off the energy of others go together, becoming a “wealth doula” and much more!