Inspirational Insights – Tricia Wheeler

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We are lucky to have so many tremendous women in our community! You’ve met quite a few of them in our Woman of the Week feature. Now, we’re going to ask them some probing questions and see what kind of insights we can glean from these talented, successful women. Some are Executive Elements clients and some are not. Some are seasoned professionals and some are just starting out in their career. And all are super smart!

Today we caught up with Tricia Wheeler, editor-in-chief of Edible Columbus and founder/owner of The Seasoned Farmhouse cooking school.


What do you think is the biggest challenge facing women in the workplace?

I have never worked in a traditional workplace. I started my own first business when I was 23 and I have been self-employed for my whole career. I have had employees and have created workplaces. A challenge I have witnessed is women who have to juggle so much. I have employed single Mom’s with little support – I see them trying to work hard, and balance family responsibilities. I think even for those of us fortunate to be with a spouse that contributes equally to family and work – it is hard. I think finding a balance between work and home will continue to be a challenge as more and more women build careers while raising a family.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you’d first started out?

As a young entrepreneur – I was very conservative. I was limited by capital, but not by potential. I wish someone would have sat down with me early in my career, looked at my business financials, helped me really understand the numbers & then would have advised me on bringing on some capital to build a sales team, expand my technology sooner & to invest in good talented people. I think I could have grown my business even better had I had this early intervention.

How do you think women can best get ahead in business today?

I have a couple of ideas – first, people do business with people they like. I think you need to be yourself, to be authentic and to follow through on every promise you make. I also believe in karma – I try to put out as much goodwill as I can on a daily basis knowing it will come back. I believe that opportunities are born of hard work – I try to say, yes as much as I can and I try to seize opportunities when they come my way.

Are women creating more balanced lives? Why or why not? Are you?

I think women recognize the need for balance. We lead such busy lives & the economic pressure the last few years has made it even harder for some women to slow down and to take better care of themselves. I think I tend to be someone that bites off a lot, but somehow manages to pull it off. I think the key for me is segmenting my time – I call it big projects, I figure out what all my big projects are & I designate chunks of times each week to devote to big projects. I feel like this moves me forward and forces me to schedule my time more efficiently. This year I did not schedule anything on Monday’s – it became my catch up and get organized for the week day (this helped me be more productive).

What are you most excited about right now?

I am most excited about opening our new cooking school – The Seasoned Farmhouse, in Clintonville in April. It is a place that brings our work at edible Columbus into practice – the tagline of the school is cultivating cooks and gardeners.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done in your career?

After I sold my first business, I took a 9 month sabbatical and moved to New York to attend the French Culinary Institute. I had always wanted to go to culinary school and was finally able to realize this dream. I loved every second of my experience and felt like I learned more in that time period than ever before. I loved being in a new city and discovering new things around every corner.

5 Things to Stop Doing….Immediately

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by Chasity Kuttrus

Are you engaging in behavior that’s holding you back from getting where you want to go – in your career or in your personal life? Let me tell you a little secret….most of us are, whether we realize it or not. In fact, even the most confident, savvy and successful of us are still acting in ways that keep us from moving forward.

Here are a few of the most common things women need to stop doing…immediately.

1. Negative Self-Talk. The tone of your inner voice sets the tone for your entire existence. If you are constantly berating yourself, insulting yourself and telling yourself you are dumb, stupid, lazy, fat or ugly, how do you think that is going to affect your entire life?

Would you ever….ever speak to a friend of loved one the way you speak to yourself? Of course not. How would you speak to them? With encouragement, compliments and praise. Start doing that to yourself.

2. Falling Into The “Someday” Trap. Someday isn’t guaranteed, so stop thinking in those terms. Instead, start thinking in “ASAP” terms. As in, set your goals, put a plan in place and do it. I’m not suggesting you throw caution to the wind and take unnecessary risks but get your plan in motion today. Not “someday.”

3. Letting Others Define Your Path. Whether we’re talking about your career path or your personal path, it’s up to you to determine what you want and then put into place the action steps to get there. Otherwise, you’ll be caught up in the tide, with no say in where you end up. What’s the logical next step in your career path? Is that what course YOU put yourself on or what someone else put you on? What does your weekend schedule look like? I know, it’s often dictated by everyone else’s activities, wants and needs. Make sure you make time for your desired activities too. You may be surprised how others can adjust once you take the bull by the horns.

4. Burning Out. No offense, but you’re of no use to anyone – your company, your family, yourself – if you’re passed out on the floor from exhaustion. Get enough sleep. Get some exercise. Get your life in balance. Here are some tips to help you manage your time – and your life – better.

5. Nurturing The “I’m Not Worthy” Syndrome. Believe me, everyone struggles with this one – CEO’s, rock stars, actors, even the President. Just like you and me, these people sometimes feel like someone is going to find out that they don’t know what they’re doing and the jig will be up. It’s natural – and even good – to feel a slight sense of insecurity because it means you recognize you still have things to learn. When we stop learning, we stop growing. Recognize that you have incredible skills and talents, be grateful for your blessings, know that you deserve to be where you are and then keep striving to be the best you can be.

Sometimes, all it takes is a few changes in your life to make big progress and giving up self-defeating behaviors is a great way to start.

Kim Ratcliff

Inspirational Insights – Kimberly Ratcliff

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Kim RatcliffWe are lucky to have so many tremendous women in our community! You’ve met quite a few of them in our Woman of the Week feature. Now, we’re going to ask them some probing questions and see what kind of insights we can glean from these talented, successful women. Some are Executive Elements clients and some are not. Some are seasoned professionals and some are just starting out in their career. And all are super smart!

Today we hear from Kimberly Ratcliff, Director of Communications for Battelle for Kids. A few months ago she was our Woman of the Week and now she’s agreed to share more career insights.

We asked Kim, “What’s the coolest thing you’ve done in your career?”

Here’s what she told us….

The coolest work I’ve ever done has been with high-performing teams. I describe it as “cool” both in terms of the process and the final product. When I work with people I can trust in a team setting, the benefits are immeasurable. On a selfish level, it feels good to create with people who have high standards for quality and a good sense of humor. And in terms of productivity, the work is greatly improved by the efforts of a team that is constantly learning and growing.

The coolest thing about the coolest thing I’ve ever done is that it happens all of the time. I don’t even have to leave my office to find a good example. Where I work, at Battelle for Kids, we partner with large U.S. urban schools and rural collaboratives to support the transformation of educational systems for student success in college, career, and life. This is “big work” — it requires a passion and level of dedication that not everyone possesses. But every person I work with at Battelle for Kids has this mission-driven sense of purpose.

Here’s a case in point: My colleague and office-mate, Janice Zielinski, is a communications ninja of the highest degree. I feel like I learn more just by sitting in the same room with her. When we have a new challenge (i.e., every day!), our Senior Communications Director Julianne Nichols appears at our door, with a smile on her face, seeking out problem-solving help for one of our clients from across the country. Julianne starts the process by positioning the communications challenge. Then, she rolls up her sleeves to think through it with us. We gather chairs in a huddle or do stand-up meetings to work it through.

All three of us have similar backgrounds, with agency and/or corporate as well as education experience, and we all do the same type of work, but we have very different approaches to the process. Julianne is focused on strategic positioning—she keeps our team pointing to solutions for the overarching business goals. Janice is all about efficiency and creativity—she is one of the fastest and cleanest writers I know. I tend to bring an approach that leans into a combination of written and visual solutions to meet the needs of different types of thinkers and learners. Inevitably, we co-create solutions for our clients that they use over and over again, with many people in school districts. It’s an honor to know that our work touches so many educators.

I’m a firm believer in the power of teams to create wonderful and useful work. Whether I start off by framing up the solution, or if I’m involved in editing downstream from the written work’s inception, I trust in the quality of the work because it was initiated or touched by a colleague like Julianne or Janice. Working with cool people—defined by their ability to take the work to the next level—is most definitely my coolest thing ever done.

Wow, that’s fantastic! We love hearing that people are so inspired and jazzed by their work every day. Thanks so much for sharing, Kim!