Gillian Laycock: The Road to Possibility In Plain Sight

[00:00:00] Hi, I'm Katie Kramer, President and CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. Welcome to Colorado Leadership Stories, where we talk to everyday, courageous leaders who have made transformational impacts in their communities and are building a better state for everyone. You'll hear from leaders and organizations and communities throughout the state as we explore the idea that leadership is an activity that anyone can do.

[00:00:27] Today, we're excited to welcome Gillian Laycock, a dynamic leader and passionate advocate for rural Colorado, a member of the second cohort of the Boettcher Foundation's Doers and Difference Makers Fellowship. Gillian has dedicated herself to making a tangible impact in her community. Originally from South Africa, she made Colorado her home in 2003, settling in Hugo. Gillian wears many hats. She's the town manager for Akron, the founder of The Garage Workspace, a nonprofit driving economic development, the manager of Hugo Main Street, and the

[00:01:02] owner of both a liquor store and a bed and breakfast. On top of that, she's a talented artist working with metal and paint to create pieces that reflect her deep connection to rural life. Her work is a testament to the power of collaboration and resource sharing, strengthening rural Colorado communities. We're thrilled to have you on the podcast, Gillian.

[00:01:22] Thank you. I'm very honored to be here today.

[00:01:23] Well, we'll dive right in. And I want you to start about talking about the journey of how did you get here from South Africa to Hugo to Akron. It's fascinating. So what inspired the move and how has it shaped your perspective on rural community development?

[00:01:39] Katie, I am the American dream. I always like to tell everyone that way. They're like, how did you get into rural Colorado from South Africa?

[00:01:47] And I, young and bright-eyed, came out on vacation to Colorado to visit a best friend that I grew up with. They had immigrated to Parker. And so I came out on vacation to visit with them. I had an opportunity to come and visit for six weeks instead of going on maybe like a two-week tour in Europe, like Contiki Tour or something like that. So my parents supported me in that and I came out. And to cut a long story short, I never left.

[00:02:18] There's a lot of details in between that. I stayed, fell madly in love with a young American man. We backpacked through Europe. I fell in love and got married to stay together. I've been here now 21 years. And so I set on the path, became a citizen, which I'm very proud of. Lived in the Front Range for 10 years.

[00:02:40] And, well, a little over 10 years. And then the really exciting part of my story is, how did you end up on the Eastern Plains?

[00:02:49] Mm-hmm.

[00:03:19] Then I was thinking, oh, my husband would never put me in danger like this. And so then we pulled in to Hugo and pulled under this overhang shelter of the liquor store.

[00:03:31] And I thought to myself, God, does he really need a drink now? Like, we're in like this deathly, death storm. And so we got chatting with the liquor store owner. He waved us in. Him and his wife took us in for an hour and a half.

[00:03:47] And as we were leaving, there was this little garage sale sign on the side of the highway saying for sale. And so my husband asked the owner, does that mean the liquor store is for sale? And at that moment, I knew my life was going to change.

[00:04:02] And so that was August. We put an offer on the store in October. And I was looking to leave the Front Range. He is, I could say he's a Colorado native. Not, he's been here most of his life.

[00:04:17] And he didn't want to leave Colorado. I was definitely looking for a cultural change from the Front Range. And by December, we were moved to Hugo.

[00:04:26] It was a great opportunity to move my parents from Johannesburg in South Africa to come and live in our wonderful country and our wonderful lifestyle that we have here.

[00:04:37] An incredible opportunity for us to have them immigrate and be with us. And so that's what got me out to the Eastern Plains.

[00:04:44] And I think my passion, you know, for our rural community survival is I'm just so grateful for our lifestyle.

[00:04:52] And I'm so grateful for our way of life. I find it a very good cultural fit for me and my family.

[00:04:58] And you can really do anything and make your dreams happen. You can do whatever you want and succeed if you put your mind to it.

[00:05:06] I know that sounds kind of tongue in cheek, but that's been my life in the last 21 years here.

[00:05:11] And so I'm very grateful for it. And that's what drives me. I've traveled a lot of America and I've seen a lot of ghost towns and dilapidated towns.

[00:05:19] And I'm very passionate to preserve the survival of our small rural communities so we can preserve our way of life because it is great.

[00:05:29] Great. And you set me up perfectly for the next questions because you have a history of doing that in multiple places in rural Colorado.

[00:05:36] And so let's focus on your life in Hugo first.

[00:05:39] Sure.

[00:05:39] I know that in 2017 you purchased the old 1950s Texaco gas station on Main Street and founded the garage workspace.

[00:05:49] Why? Can you tell us how this idea came to be?

[00:05:52] Share your vision for the organization in the building. Why did that happen?

[00:05:56] Sure. So first of all, in that hailstorm that I mentioned driving under the liquor store overhang.

[00:06:01] So this gas station is next door to the liquor store and in this hail, I actually saw the corner of the gas station building.

[00:06:09] And I love 50s architecture.

[00:06:12] And I was like, man, look at that corner of that building. It's beautiful.

[00:06:15] It still has the Texaco green and white on the corners.

[00:06:19] And then I realized we were pulling into a liquor store.

[00:06:22] So that was the first time I'd seen that building.

[00:06:24] Fast forward, after spending some time, before we moved to Hugo, we went out every week.

[00:06:31] And I had previously had my own consulting firm in human resources and like project management, office development and things like that.

[00:06:41] And I worked from home and I used co-working spaces a lot for business.

[00:06:46] Right.

[00:06:47] Especially meeting clients.

[00:06:49] I didn't want to meet with them in my own home.

[00:06:51] After spending some time in Hugo, I realized there was really nowhere to do professional business.

[00:06:57] And there was no local services.

[00:07:00] There's no, you know, unless you're in the home somewhere hidden, you know, there's nowhere to meet with an attorney or an accountant.

[00:07:08] So it was driven out of access for service providers.

[00:07:13] You know, I had this dream of we can have a space where people can actually drive from the city to come and meet with their clients instead of the opposite way around.

[00:07:22] It's like economic leakage.

[00:07:24] And, you know, the premise of a co-working space, it's tried and true with economic development.

[00:07:30] And so incubator spaces, co-working spaces.

[00:07:33] So although I didn't know the language around the economics of it, it was just something I saw as a need.

[00:07:41] If the town's going to survive, we need to have space to be professional and run professional businesses in addition to like our basic amenities that we have.

[00:07:50] Right.

[00:07:51] It promotes self-sufficiency.

[00:07:53] Well, and I think a huge part of that, too, is thinking about Hugo's Main Street, too.

[00:07:59] And that's another role, of course, that you hold, manager of Hugo's Main Street.

[00:08:03] And really special, in 2022, Hugo Main Street was named a Colorado Main Street community.

[00:08:09] And you were honored as Main Street Manager of the Year.

[00:08:13] So congratulations.

[00:08:15] Thank you.

[00:08:16] Such an honor.

[00:08:17] The Colorado Main Street program is a state-facilitated program for downtown revitalization.

[00:08:24] Again, you know, nothing I do is reinventing the wheel.

[00:08:28] A lot of people will look at my life or my story and say, gosh, you're a major risk taker.

[00:08:34] And I don't see anything that I've done as a risk at all.

[00:08:38] It's like a pretty calculated, data-driven decision making.

[00:08:42] This is a really secure investment or this is a, you know, a tried and true and tested program, things like that.

[00:08:50] So again, the Colorado Main Street program is under a national program.

[00:08:54] And that started in the 80s.

[00:08:56] Actually, probably in the 70s, but it became a national movement in the 80s.

[00:09:00] And so our state government facilitates this program and they have a department called Colorado Main Street.

[00:09:08] And then the towns can opt into it and follow the program, get a lot of technical assistance support, consulting support on how to, you know, revitalize your downtown and turn it around and hopefully make these long-term economic opportunity gains.

[00:09:24] And so I was on the town council serving as a councilwoman for Hugo when we at the time developed a strategic development plan.

[00:09:34] And the staff was very, very small.

[00:09:38] We have two people in the town administration in Hugo.

[00:09:42] And so each council person said, okay, I'll carry this bucket for the town in a volunteer capacity.

[00:09:48] And for me, so I said, oh, okay, I'll do this and learned about it.

[00:09:53] And it changed my career path and life trajectory.

[00:09:58] I have learned so much.

[00:10:00] I've been invested in.

[00:10:01] Our community has been invested in enormously.

[00:10:04] And we've been able through this program and through the, you know, the town leadership and elected officials and staff saying, yes.

[00:10:14] Yes.

[00:10:14] And that's all it, you know, sometimes that's all it takes.

[00:10:16] Yes, we're going to go down this road or yes, we're going to support this.

[00:10:20] You know, there's steps.

[00:10:21] It's all in moderation.

[00:10:24] But this has been hugely impactful for Hugo.

[00:10:28] And it's like applying.

[00:10:30] You're never going to get awarded a grant if you don't apply for it.

[00:10:33] Right.

[00:10:33] You know, if you don't try, it might never happen.

[00:10:36] So we've done enormous things.

[00:10:39] We've brought in millions of dollars in public funding into our public right-of-way to support the town and advance the taxpayers' dollars, you know, stretch them out as far as we can.

[00:10:52] As well as we got awarded a huge grant.

[00:10:55] It was like $650,000 for business owners for facade improvements.

[00:11:00] Wow.

[00:11:01] Which touched 11 businesses in our district.

[00:11:04] And, you know, that beautification, that facade improvement, just it gets people to stop off the highway and come into your store.

[00:11:10] Sure.

[00:11:10] Which, again, those incremental tax dollars go so far just to keep our businesses alive.

[00:11:15] Well, and not to mention community pride.

[00:11:18] Community pride.

[00:11:19] Yes.

[00:11:19] We were involved in a couple events.

[00:11:22] I try not to do too many events.

[00:11:24] It's very exhausting and takes a lot of volunteer capacity.

[00:11:27] So I'm always like, say to everyone, we're just doing one event.

[00:11:29] And we ratcheted up to five during COVID just because, you know, our communities needed so much support to keep going.

[00:11:38] But I've managed to ratchet that back down with the support of other organizations taking on some other events.

[00:11:43] So there's that too.

[00:11:44] Right.

[00:11:45] Because we can't forget the, you know, bringing people together like that.

[00:11:48] Absolutely.

[00:11:49] Well, and I think you alluded to this, but it sounds like that experience influenced what has been a more recent career change, right?

[00:11:58] Yeah.

[00:11:58] And so tell us about that.

[00:12:00] You are now the town manager of Akron.

[00:12:03] Yeah.

[00:12:03] How did that opportunity present itself and how does that all work?

[00:12:08] Well, I think COVID, you know, we're all still recovering from how we've all been adjusted as humans through the pandemic.

[00:12:17] I've been involved in rural philanthropy.

[00:12:20] I was involved in rural philanthropy days.

[00:12:23] We were supposed to host that.

[00:12:25] We were only supposed to be preparing for this event for one year and then it took two years.

[00:12:31] Of course.

[00:12:32] And I got exposed, all the nonprofits throughout the state, including Betcha, pivoted to do roundtables online, training online.

[00:12:42] And I spent half the pandemic on every single Zoom I could being exposed to the training that was just being offered to us for free by logging on.

[00:12:53] And learning and getting educated and growing more skills of how I could support our communities.

[00:13:01] A rising tide lifts all boats.

[00:13:03] I know I'm butchering the quote, but that's how I say it.

[00:13:05] And, you know, how can we support each other to survive and lift each other up together?

[00:13:10] So that the rural philanthropy work and passion actually led me into municipal government service.

[00:13:18] We rely so heavily on nonprofits to fill the gaps of what our small rural governments cannot fill.

[00:13:25] We're pretty strapped for cash.

[00:13:27] You know, we're funded by sales tax and property tax, which are really small amounts in small communities.

[00:13:33] And so our volunteer nonprofits are filling all these gaps, which in the largest cities, the government's usually doing all of those things.

[00:13:42] So I think there's this like huge cross, crossing of the paths in our rural communities between those roles.

[00:13:50] And like many in the pandemic, my life looked very different financially, health insurance, you know, not being able to have appropriate health insurance coverage, things like that.

[00:14:06] And, you know, I looked I was self-employed since 2012.

[00:14:10] And I said to my husband, you know, I'm going to have to go back to work for these things that we just can't cover.

[00:14:16] And an absolute blessing, the town of Lyman, which is the next community over, was hiring an assistant town manager position.

[00:14:24] Besides my elected official and nonprofit experience, I have like this background in corporate America and the energy industry.

[00:14:38] And so I have this like wide variety of skill set.

[00:14:43] I've learned to say I have a nonlinear career path.

[00:14:47] And that's the fancy way of saying saying it.

[00:14:50] But I was hired as the assistant town manager in Lyman.

[00:14:54] And I worked there for three years.

[00:14:56] And the position in Akron came about.

[00:14:59] I'm the first town manager they've had.

[00:15:01] And it's such an exciting opportunity for me.

[00:15:05] I have such a strong entrepreneurial spirit and come from a line of entrepreneurs and family.

[00:15:14] I feel like, you know, in our rural community, revitalization work, bringing something up to compliance or something I should say, like municipal systems up to compliance or something like that.

[00:15:28] I feel that it is creative work and I feel that it is entrepreneurial.

[00:15:33] Problem solving.

[00:15:34] In a lot of ways.

[00:15:34] It's problem solving.

[00:15:36] Doing a lot of less.

[00:15:37] It's very, you know, you have to keep going and not give up.

[00:15:42] There's no easy button.

[00:15:44] Anything you face is no easy button because there are no resources.

[00:15:48] So I'm very attracted to the work.

[00:15:51] I was a rule-breaking rebel child.

[00:15:55] And now I work for the government.

[00:15:57] And it is.

[00:15:58] And I love it.

[00:15:59] And I love this work.

[00:16:00] I'm so passionate for it.

[00:16:01] It's such a privilege to work for our taxpayers in our community because it's this treasured little pot of money that we need to do a lot with to give back to the residents who are paying into these.

[00:16:12] The tax funds that run all the resources for the town.

[00:16:16] So I don't know if I fully answered your question, but I love this work.

[00:16:19] I don't know.

[00:16:20] That's how I got into it.

[00:16:22] No formal background.

[00:16:25] Well, I actually would challenge you on that, my friend, because it sounds like the nonlinear path was everything you needed.

[00:16:32] Right?

[00:16:33] All those experiences.

[00:16:34] All those experiences that are so helpful.

[00:16:37] Yes.

[00:16:38] So good, yeah.

[00:16:39] So perfectly prepared you is what I think.

[00:16:42] Thank you.

[00:16:42] That's very kind.

[00:16:44] No, it's true.

[00:16:45] Well, and when you think about Akron and Washington County, what are your aspirations for that town and the surrounding region?

[00:16:51] I know I've spent some time with you there.

[00:16:52] What are some of the upcoming projects or initiatives that you're particularly excited about?

[00:16:57] Sure.

[00:16:57] I love to introduce myself as I'm a total municipal government nerd because I will get very excited about water and waste water utilities.

[00:17:08] And I'm going to talk about more exciting things.

[00:17:10] But my number one priority for Akron is to help replace the very, very aging infrastructure.

[00:17:18] That's what you don't see.

[00:17:19] It keeps your water going, keeps you flushing the toilet.

[00:17:22] I heard a phrase today, even if you're walking around in the dark, you're still flushing the toilet.

[00:17:28] So, you know, there's these primary needs for us to be a community.

[00:17:33] We, our infrastructure was put in in the late 1800s.

[00:17:36] So we have a lot of work to do.

[00:17:38] Oh, my goodness.

[00:17:39] And yes.

[00:17:40] So that is Jillian's number one priority.

[00:17:44] And of course, the council and the community, if anyone would say, they'd say, yes, that's the number one priority.

[00:17:50] We are also focusing on a number.

[00:17:53] You know, we try and focus our strategic development work in two ways.

[00:17:59] Coming up to what the public expects and the standard of what the residents want, as well as compliance and being in compliant.

[00:18:14] But also preserving.

[00:18:17] And I kind of said this before.

[00:18:19] Preserving our way of life.

[00:18:20] Preserving the community feel.

[00:18:22] Preserving the cultural heritage.

[00:18:24] I don't think that serving rural communities is about turning small towns into big cities or coming and changing the feel or the look of what it's like to live in a town, a small town.

[00:18:38] You know, we deserve nice things, too.

[00:18:41] Upgraded playground equipment.

[00:18:43] ADA sidewalks.

[00:18:45] I'm very excited to do road paving.

[00:18:48] Drainage.

[00:18:49] And then we're also focused on other community development.

[00:18:52] We've hired a parks and rec director and invested in, again, what services we're providing, both for adults and youth.

[00:19:01] We've taken on running the golf course.

[00:19:04] That's been a whole experience in the last year.

[00:19:08] And thank goodness our parks and rec directors really thrived with that work.

[00:19:14] And then we've also added and taken this very talented young woman who was doing administrative work.

[00:19:22] And we're training her up to be our community development coordinator and Main Street manager.

[00:19:27] And we've got a lot of very exciting downtown revitalization projects happening.

[00:19:31] It's awesome.

[00:19:32] We just completed the first two murals downtown in our community.

[00:19:36] We purchased a new town hall building.

[00:19:39] That's it.

[00:19:40] Right.

[00:19:40] Sat vacant for over five years.

[00:19:41] That's right.

[00:19:42] And we have two incredible murals now on this building.

[00:19:45] Oh, I can't wait to see them.

[00:19:46] And so.

[00:19:46] Got to make a plug for some girls and a mural.

[00:19:49] They're fantastic Eastern Plains mural artists.

[00:19:53] You'll see grain bins across the Eastern Plains that they paint.

[00:19:58] And they did our murals for us.

[00:19:59] Awesome.

[00:19:59] Oh, that's wonderful.

[00:20:01] And all the grant funding we've received to do this work.

[00:20:03] Right.

[00:20:04] Well, because you hustle.

[00:20:05] Lots of investments.

[00:20:06] You do.

[00:20:07] You do.

[00:20:07] Well, thank you, Katie.

[00:20:09] Well, I want to talk about that.

[00:20:11] It's wonderful to hear about your impact.

[00:20:14] And one of the things that I know about you is you've been describing it as having dogged

[00:20:18] determination and passion.

[00:20:20] Fair.

[00:20:21] And there's a couple things here.

[00:20:23] One is how do you balance all the responsibilities?

[00:20:26] Because you're involved in a lot, Jillian.

[00:20:29] Okay.

[00:20:30] Okay.

[00:20:32] I was described as a hyperactive child.

[00:20:36] My mom put me in every extracurricular activity that she could.

[00:20:42] So I don't know any other way to function.

[00:20:44] And so I blame it on her.

[00:20:47] And she's going to listen to this.

[00:20:49] And I am so fulfilled as a human by what I get to do.

[00:20:57] I can't believe I get to volunteer as much as I do and love the work that I do, no matter

[00:21:05] what it is.

[00:21:06] And my husband always says to me, honey, you must do what makes you happy.

[00:21:10] And so I have so much support.

[00:21:12] So how do I balance it?

[00:21:13] I have a lot of support to do that.

[00:21:17] I also, as you mentioned, I'm an artist.

[00:21:20] I don't think that if I didn't have art, I probably wouldn't cope with everything else.

[00:21:29] And so that is definitely a balance for me.

[00:21:33] People ask me how many hours I work or how many hours I sleep.

[00:21:38] I lose sleep, but not because I'm working.

[00:21:41] I lose sleep because I can't shut my brain off.

[00:21:45] Well, talk about your art for a few more minutes.

[00:21:48] I know that that is something that's an outlet for you, that fulfills you.

[00:21:51] And frankly, your life in rural Colorado inspires, I think, is inspired by some of your work.

[00:21:58] Love my surroundings.

[00:21:59] So yes, it's very much an inspiration.

[00:22:02] I am so fulfilled when I drive across the Eastern Plains, when I look out the window,

[00:22:09] the views that I see, I just stop and take pictures.

[00:22:13] I pull over on the side of the highway where there's no shoulder,

[00:22:17] and people will stop and ask me if I'm okay, or they'll see me over there,

[00:22:21] and they'll call me on the cell phone.

[00:22:23] Are you okay?

[00:22:24] I'm like, yeah, I'm just taking pictures of the cows.

[00:22:26] Like, I just, you know, I see cows every day for 10 years, but I just love them.

[00:22:30] And it's just the most beautiful scenery.

[00:22:33] It's very similar to areas of South Africa.

[00:22:36] So I think it's just like in my bones.

[00:22:40] You know, the dirt is in your bones of where you come from.

[00:22:44] And so it is very soul-filling.

[00:22:47] The views are just very inspiring for my artwork, and I seek to reproduce that in my work.

[00:22:55] I'm also, I've had the privilege of walking the land and hiking across, you know, many areas of Colorado,

[00:23:03] which really connects you with the earth and fulfills you with incredible views.

[00:23:07] And then I'm also very inspired, which I think constantly about whenever I'm driving into Denver

[00:23:14] and I'm looking at the mountains from the plains, is those who traveled the lands before us,

[00:23:20] going back hundreds and hundreds of hundreds of years, you know,

[00:23:26] and whose feet touched the land and what did they see and what did they experience,

[00:23:30] all the way through up until now.

[00:23:34] And everyone almost being transient through the plains and then up until settlement.

[00:23:42] So this heritage just inspires me and fills me, and I want to put that,

[00:23:49] translate that into artwork is what happens.

[00:23:52] That's what happens inside of me.

[00:23:53] I love it.

[00:23:54] And we are blessed to have a beautiful piece that you did for us in our office in downtown Denver.

[00:24:01] And I'm curious, before we go off of this, is there a piece that you are most proud of?

[00:24:06] It's like your favorite?

[00:24:07] Yes.

[00:24:08] What is it?

[00:24:08] So it's called Dissipate, and it's about the disappearing bison herds on the eastern plains.

[00:24:18] And I've had many offers to buy it, and I just cannot let it go.

[00:24:24] I love also our native heritage of animals and buffalo and bison.

[00:24:31] I just love them.

[00:24:31] I'm a bit obsessed.

[00:24:32] And so I paint lots of buffaloes.

[00:24:35] And so that's my favorite piece that I've produced.

[00:24:39] I maybe get through one or two paintings if I'm lucky three in a year.

[00:24:45] But that's my favorite piece.

[00:24:46] Oh, I'm glad I asked.

[00:24:48] For now.

[00:24:49] We'll see you in the future.

[00:24:49] That's great.

[00:24:49] I can't wait to see that.

[00:24:50] Thank you.

[00:24:51] Well, and Jillian, we were so lucky to have you in our second cohort of our new Doers

[00:24:57] and Difference Makers Fellowship.

[00:24:59] Talk, reflect on your experience as a fellow, and how did that maybe influence your approach

[00:25:04] to community development, and maybe even what you learned about leadership?

[00:25:08] So my experience as a Doers and Difference Maker Fellow, it blew me away that I was important

[00:25:14] enough to be selected for the program.

[00:25:18] And every time I went to a convening, I would sit and look around the room and just wonder

[00:25:28] how I belonged there.

[00:25:30] So that was my experience.

[00:25:33] The absolute investment in me as a human blew me away.

[00:25:37] And of course, my ever supportive husband is going, of course you belong here.

[00:25:41] You deserve everything you're getting.

[00:25:42] That's what we were all saying, Jillian.

[00:25:44] All of us.

[00:25:44] And I still, I got to visit Shelby Clark yesterday.

[00:25:48] I was in her neck of the woods.

[00:25:50] She's doing a new line of work.

[00:25:52] New project.

[00:25:52] Yes.

[00:25:52] New project.

[00:25:53] It's exciting.

[00:25:53] Opened the door and walked in.

[00:25:54] Yep.

[00:25:55] I was so proud to, you know, be in the room with her and all my other cohorts, and even

[00:26:01] the first and the third.

[00:26:02] I'm surrounded by incredible doers and different makers across the state.

[00:26:07] So yeah, so that's the root of my experience.

[00:26:09] And I'm trying not to, like I say, be too emotional.

[00:26:12] But I never anticipated the support and investment I've received from the Betcher Foundation.

[00:26:20] I'm used to just slogging it, being dogged, and keeping going.

[00:26:25] I come from a very hardworking, middle class background family.

[00:26:29] And so I didn't get a college degree.

[00:26:33] You know, Betcher's known for sending people to college, things like that, getting degrees

[00:26:38] and scholarships.

[00:26:39] And so that just blew me away, that I was important enough to be selected and be in the room with

[00:26:48] everyone else.

[00:26:49] And, you know, coming out of the program, you know, holding your head higher, your head's

[00:26:56] not as heavy, you get pumped up, you know, you walk out after a year going, yeah, I'm

[00:27:04] hardworking.

[00:27:05] I've been recognized for it.

[00:27:06] And I deserve to be here.

[00:27:09] You know, I am a leader within the states.

[00:27:11] And I'm not just contributing within my silo.

[00:27:16] I definitely came out with the perspective of uplifting the entire state rather than just

[00:27:21] my region.

[00:27:22] And the importance of that network.

[00:27:25] I've totally drunk the Betcher Kool-Aid on the strengthening of Colorado by the way that

[00:27:32] you're doing it because I've lived through it and I'm a part of it.

[00:27:34] And I really appreciate the strategy behind it.

[00:27:38] I've done so much self-reflection.

[00:27:40] It's like going through, it's been like a year of intensive therapy of self-reflection.

[00:27:46] That's what it's like.

[00:27:47] Because you have to really, you know, look at yourself and look at what you've done and

[00:27:52] go, yeah, I've done all this work.

[00:27:55] And it's been good.

[00:27:56] And I've achieved all these things instead of just going, going, going and not looking

[00:28:01] back, taking a moment.

[00:28:03] And so I have reflected on the work I've done in multiple communities, which has definitely

[00:28:10] adjusted me with some of the approach that I take in Akron.

[00:28:14] I think it's helped me be a more patient, caring leader.

[00:28:21] I think I communicate better, especially, yes, there are staff, but I think everyone's

[00:28:27] peers.

[00:28:27] You know, I might have the title town manager, but all the folks working there are my peers.

[00:28:31] And I think I'm a much better listener.

[00:28:36] We can all be better listeners.

[00:28:40] I've got a long way to go.

[00:28:42] But, and the way that I want to hear people and be able to respond to support what people

[00:28:52] are saying to me within like the organization as a leader.

[00:28:56] And then in community work, it's to slow down a bit.

[00:29:01] You know, I think it's a driving revitalization is a double-edged sword.

[00:29:09] And every community has its unique challenges.

[00:29:14] And every community has an appropriate pace.

[00:29:19] So that is something else.

[00:29:21] That is, that's profound.

[00:29:25] And holding the mirror for both of us here, right?

[00:29:31] Even just the piece about revitalization as us as leaders, we all have a pace.

[00:29:35] We all have a pace.

[00:29:36] And we cannot continue to make the impact if we're not taking care of ourselves.

[00:29:41] Yes.

[00:29:42] And so I'm telling us, I'm shaking my finger at both of us right now, by golly.

[00:29:48] I'm going on vacation in December.

[00:29:49] At a girl.

[00:29:50] That's good.

[00:29:52] No, I love that.

[00:29:54] I love that.

[00:29:55] And I do think just one more leadership comment.

[00:29:57] But I think I notice, even at Betcher Foundation, one of the hardest things is pacing change.

[00:30:06] Yes.

[00:30:06] And being so committed and excited about some of the initiatives or things that we're working on.

[00:30:11] But the risk of not moving too fast, that you're not working collaboratively with teams or other stakeholders, but also, frankly, us sustaining as leaders ourselves, because you can't continue to give if you're not feeling your own well.

[00:30:30] I think it's across the board.

[00:30:31] It's not only in government from the federal level down with policy or social change that a government might be trying to drive, but also top-down, bottom-up.

[00:30:44] Same.

[00:30:46] That's amazing.

[00:30:47] Well, I could philosophize with you all afternoon, but we are at the lightning round.

[00:30:51] We have arrived.

[00:30:52] There's only four questions.

[00:30:53] You have survived.

[00:30:55] So this will be interesting, knowing about the diversity of all the things you do.

[00:30:58] But what's your favorite Colorado hobby?

[00:31:02] Taking photographs of cows.

[00:31:05] Doing artwork about my surroundings.

[00:31:08] And I know that's, like, I was like, man, I don't really hike anymore.

[00:31:13] And, you know, what are Colorado hobbies?

[00:31:16] It's literally anything.

[00:31:17] I don't know where the outdoors state.

[00:31:18] I actually stole this phrase from someone.

[00:31:21] In the eastern plains, we don't let the mountains get in the way of our views.

[00:31:25] I acutely feel that and love it.

[00:31:28] I hear that.

[00:31:28] Just, you know, being in the nature and being able to take photographs and, you know, work and do art from those pictures.

[00:31:37] I love it.

[00:31:38] Well, it'll be interesting to hear what you say to this next question then.

[00:31:41] Favorite Colorado landmark?

[00:31:43] Pikes Peak.

[00:31:45] Uh-huh.

[00:31:46] Yes.

[00:31:46] From my hometown.

[00:31:47] I resonate with that.

[00:31:49] Do you like Pikes Peak?

[00:31:50] I love Pikes Peak.

[00:31:51] Yeah.

[00:31:52] It's beautiful.

[00:31:52] Standing there independently.

[00:31:54] America the beautiful.

[00:31:55] You can see it from the hill in Hugo.

[00:31:57] You can?

[00:31:58] You can.

[00:31:59] On a good day.

[00:31:59] Oh.

[00:32:00] Yeah.

[00:32:00] That's awesome.

[00:32:01] Yeah.

[00:32:01] And I will say there's nothing more beautiful than a wheat field in eastern Colorado.

[00:32:07] Love it.

[00:32:08] Shout out to my friends in Otis.

[00:32:10] Okay.

[00:32:11] Finally, what action hero do you most identify with?

[00:32:15] So, you can cut.

[00:32:20] I grew up loving, it was probably a B-class action heroes.

[00:32:25] I grew up loving Thundercats.

[00:32:28] Oh.

[00:32:29] I don't know if anyone's seen them.

[00:32:30] Yes, I totally remember that.

[00:32:31] I love Thundercats.

[00:32:32] And I think because of Thundercats, I love Wolverine.

[00:32:36] Right.

[00:32:36] And when I was talking to my husband about like, what comic, what do I identify with?

[00:32:41] He's like, well, you do love Wolverine.

[00:32:44] And then he's like, you are a Wolverine.

[00:32:46] And so, I'd have to say Wolverine just because I can't remember the names of the Thundercats.

[00:32:51] But I would say any of the characters from Thundercats is like what I wanted to grow up to be.

[00:32:57] Fierce, intense.

[00:32:58] I love Thundercats.

[00:32:59] Yeah, that's great.

[00:32:59] That's a good one.

[00:33:00] I haven't thought about that in a long time.

[00:33:01] And I said finally, but there is one more question.

[00:33:03] Yes.

[00:33:03] And that is, what are you currently binging?

[00:33:05] Is there a show, a book, or a podcast that you're enjoying right now?

[00:33:09] So, I am binging out on The Fountainhead.

[00:33:13] I read it almost annually.

[00:33:16] Yeah.

[00:33:16] It's like a little reset for me.

[00:33:19] Yes.

[00:33:19] I fall in love with characters I have throughout life.

[00:33:23] Like when I was seven, I was in love with MacGyver.

[00:33:25] Just mentioned I was in love with Wolverine.

[00:33:27] Mm-hmm.

[00:33:27] And O'Rourke from The Fountainhead is another inspirational character that I love.

[00:33:35] So, about once a year, I go back to The Fountainhead.

[00:33:39] I find it very soul-filling and renewing.

[00:33:42] And so, I'm reading that again right now.

[00:33:44] That's great.

[00:33:45] That's a good reminder.

[00:33:46] I'll have to open that one again.

[00:33:47] It's great.

[00:33:48] Well, thank you, friend, for coming.

[00:33:50] Thank you.

[00:33:50] It's been so much fun visiting with you.

[00:33:52] It's my privilege.

[00:33:53] And thank you so much for your continued leadership.

[00:33:56] Thank you.

[00:33:56] Thank you, Katie.

[00:33:57] Thank you for joining Colorado Leadership Stories, where we hope to inspire the next generation

[00:34:03] of Colorado community builders, doers, and difference makers.

[00:34:08] Colorado Leadership Stories is presented by the Boettcher Foundation.

[00:34:12] The Boettcher Foundation supports Colorado by empowering leaders and communities with tools

[00:34:18] to tackle challenges and pursue opportunities, building a better state for everyone.

[00:34:23] With an 85-plus year legacy of giving back, we're committed to amplifying our impact for future generations.

[00:34:32] That's the spirit of Boettcher.