The Growth Mindset: Eloisa Medina-Britten's Path to Personal and Professional Evolution

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Eloisa Medina-Britten from Bloom Credit Union, a division of WMCU, as she shares her journey of personal and professional growth. Eloisa opens up about the power of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and how stepping outside her comfort zone shaped her career. We’ll dive into her experience as a Spark Tank semi-finalist, exploring the lessons learned, the challenges faced, and the mindset shifts that helped her thrive. Whether you’re looking for motivation to embrace change or insights into innovation in the credit union space, this episode is packed with wisdom and encouragement.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome back to the Collaborative, the podcast for young professionals in Michigan's credit union industry who are ready to connect, grow, and lead the future of cooperative finance. I'm your host, Camille, and today we're talking about something that doesn't always get the spotlight, but absolutely should. Accountability, pride, and professional growth. Joining us today is Aloisa Mendina, compliance specialist at Bloom Credit Union, a division of WMCU. Eloisa brings an honest perspective on what it means to take responsibility in the workplace, how to grow your career with intention, and why showing up with pride in your role matters more than ever. We'll also talk about how professional and personal development go hand in hand and how competing in the very first spark tank helped her grow an unexpected way. Spoiler alert, she was runner up. Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Hi, Camille. How is it going today? Not bad. You know, it's my Friday. I'm cracking open a cold poppy, you know, just getting ready for my weekend. You know I'm a poppy girly, palette girly in the house.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Thank you for hopping on this experience journey with me that I know absolutely nothing about what I'm doing. Fine. Fine. Um, and I wanted to really talk. We met at Future Summit, and you were not in compliance then, right? Nope.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

I uh just got in compliance this April, actually, after the merger with West Michigan Credit Union. A compliance position happened to open up. I gave it a shot, and I guess they like me. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

I mean, that's all that matters. Um, with that, where did your journey start in the credit union world? Did you a lot of people start out like I started out part-time teller and then I kind of moved around? What did that look like for you?

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Sure. So I actually started in a bank. So uh one, two, three bank in their contact center. And I was excelling in my role. I was getting a lot of training, cross-training with the products and services, kind of met my threshold. And I wanted to look into something a little more higher up. My supervisor didn't feel the same way. She liked my sales gold number, she liked where I was at in our department. I did not. And so I decided to pursue greater pastures. Um, and I made my way into the credit union industry with um my current credit union, Bloom Credit Union, a division of WMCU. Um, and I did contact center work there up until April of this year.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Nice. Why do so many people come from banks? Yeah, that's right. Credit unions are awesome. That's why. The best. So you had that one of the questions that I had sent you. Have you ever felt unsupported in a job? And how did that impact you? Clearly, you felt unsupported that way. What made you realize that I'm feeling unsupported? Wanna, I want to do something else? Was there like a breaking point or was it just kind of all gathering in?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Yeah, it was really like meeting the top of my position. So I, with any role that I take on, I am looking to continue to educate myself with whatever opportunities that I'm given. And with that position, I wasn't being given any more opportunities. I asked directly. I said, hey, do we looking into anything further? I applied for other departments with a lot of back office blocking of even trying for other opportunities. I just decided to get out of that environment. It was very toxic. And I I've been a credit union member with my family back home in California since I was 15 years old. Credit unions have always been good to us. I've heard a lot of stories like that. Um, and I decided to just go in the opposite direction and and try for credit unions instead. You know, and I'm I'm realizing now credit unions are such a counterculture to bank environments. It's it's so refreshing. So yeah, I decided to go in the credit union route instead.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Because I so I've never worked at a bank. I came from retail. Besides South Poles, is there anything like major differences?

SPEAKER_00 3:50

It's not a member, well, it's a customer when you work for a bank. Yeah, it's a customer, it's Mr. or Mrs. But it's not a person-to-person environment. You're there to pitch products, you're there for services, um, and sales polls, at least in the environment that I was in, was number one. It wasn't necessarily about helping or supporting the person that you were you were speaking with. It was trying to, you know, get that product in where you could. I I would try to not pitch into areas that I didn't feel comfortable with, like offering somebody, you know, a credit card that I didn't feel that would have benefited them. And I, you know, got reprimanded for doing that. So it's just it wasn't for me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Not the people helping people aspect of it. So for you, we have you switched, you came over, you were contact center or virtual. We call it virtual branch, but it's all kind of the same thing, essentially. Call center, contact center, phone jockey. We recently changed it from contact center to virtual branch, and I am having such a hard time with that. I I don't know, I've called it contact center for five years. So maybe I'm just stuck in my ways. And professional development, what does that look like for you? Because now you're in compliance. Like I know mine in my role in compliance, what mine looks like. Do you versus how you had at the bank where you had no? Do you at least have that now? And what does that look like?

SPEAKER_00 5:14

For me, for professional development has always been kind of a mix. I like figuring things out on my own, digging into things and trying to test myself. I also try to have really honest conversations with leadership about where I want to go and what skills that I should be building, especially being in compliance as short of a time that I am right now. You know, I'm I'm looking to get certifications, additional educational resources where I can. And compliance has a plethora of it. It's amazing. Um, and the important part is you really want your growth to line up with opportunities that will actually exist for you in the future, not just stuff that you think might matter later. Yeah. Um, and that said you can't really sit back and wait for someone else to guide you when it comes to progressing your development in your career. You have to go after it, you have to set your own standards, hold yourself accountable, and grab those opportunities when you can.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

It's a hundred percent up to us, not just our person telling us. I actually we had our district two fuel meeting Wednesday, and one of the it was all about advocacy, and one of it was self-advocacy. And that was it. Let me go and let me do that. Like my certifications, especially my B sacks, um, which is now something completely different because of America's CU and changing that something like that. I just know that the initials at the end of my name are B sacks right now. You got the C U C too, though. Yeah, that was not easy. I advocated for the B sacs, and I was like, I want to do this. Is it something that is in my job description right now? No, but like, let's go for it. Exactly. And what I'm learning is a lot of young professionals in the industry, in fuel, but in the industry as a whole, a lot of us are like that, which I I love because not everybody is like that.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Oh, I'm good here, but why? No. And internally promoting within credit unions, I see that it is a trend. And I I love that we're giving people within our companies an opportunity that don't necessarily have like a bullet pointed resume that matches one for one what they're looking for in the position. You know, as long as you have the will to learn, you know, you can go anywhere within the credit union industry. You just gotta have that drive.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

You really, yeah. And ask them to take a chance on you. And one of my biggest thing, biggest things is I like proving people wrong. So if you say I can't do it, watch me. I'm gonna behavior right there. 100%. You know what's funny is there were there were some doubts in the compliance role for me, in in my role, um, to hear one of my coworkers and on on our C suite say, Yeah, I was wrong. I rode that high for days. Yeah. Because she never admits she's wrong and she admitted it to me. And yes, I love her. So, what kind of discussions do you feel need to happen for us who want to keep pushing? And how do you approach it? How do you think people because I I just honestly walk in and say, hey, I want to do this, and nine times out of ten, it works in my favor. Probably not the most eloquent way to say it. How do you approach that with some people? Because I know a lot of people can be intimidated by that. And it also depends on your level of comfortability with someone.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Yeah, and especially as as young professionals, uh when you have someone, for example, in more of like an entry-level position, like it's hard to take that leap. You know, I used to be the quietest person in the office, still sometimes can be. And I I have clinical anxiety and I've got massive imposter syndrome and medley of things that hold myself back. And I was told when my mentor retired in contact center to put yourself in uncomfortable places. I was in her office and I was getting to my breaking point, and I said, Hey, I really I want to progress further, I want to do something different, I want to do something with more purpose. What do I have to do to get leadership to notice me, to acknowledge that, hey, she's she's somebody, and it's put yourself in uncomfortable places. And every time an opportunity came up, for example, cues, I wasn't even in fuel at the time, but I just decided to give it a shot. And, you know, it was to my benefit. So putting yourself in those uncomfortable places, asking for opportunities you don't feel like you're quality for, um, you know, you never know unless you ask, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

I always say similar to there was a quote on the movie We Bought a Zoo, and it was something about 20 seconds of courage. For me, I say it as I just need 30 seconds of insanity. Like I just need to just do it and like 30 seconds of that courage and insanity and go for it.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yeah, be a little delusional, you know, just gas blow yourself up a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

And also, like I grew up also with my mom who, if I would ask a question, if it was yes or no, and she would say if she said no, and I'd say why? She would say you ask the yes or no question and this is your answer, move on. And so I've taken that now as an adult and go, if the worst they can say is no, what do I have to lose? Exactly. Like at least I know where I stand.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

I get told no on a daily basis. We are the department of no sometimes, you know. So I know.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

Or you go into the office and they're like, oh, compliance.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Am I really that bad? I don't think I am. Yeah, when I applied for the position of you, my coworker was for like, are you sure? And I'm just like, yes. Yes, please.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

I have we went through an org restructure, and my position in member service rep was going away and being pulled into like part-time teller and all of this, and I was so burned out of being member facing. I was the only MSR for our credit union for two months. Like, I just it was insanity and I was done. And I had to rate the positions I wanted from one to four, and then I had to interview with five people our HR, our compliance manager, one of our branch leads, our member experience manager, and somebody else. And I was like, I mean, I can do all of them, but I want compliance. Give me that one. Like, I that's the one that I have zero experience in. Let's do it. Give it a shot.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

Yeah, I think that's awesome that you started as a teller and worked your way up to where you are at now. Like it it really just goes to show like you can get to where you want to be in the credit union industry if you just asked.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

And I think a lot of people don't realize that because uh you go in other fields, like retail for one, and you're a cashier and you're kind of stuck there forever. I've done retail. It was terrible. Never. I remember my breaking point at Meyer very vividly. It was not a fun day. And that's pretty much everybody, at least at Harbor Light, has started out as a teller, give or take a handful of us.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

I think it should be a requirement to either start as a teller or a contact center, honestly, because you really do learn the lay of the land of the credit union in either of those positions.

SPEAKER_02 12:17

100%. And you you learn so many things on like the operational side. Exactly. Like our compliance manager, my supervisor, was never credit union world. This is like her first credit union. So I mean, she's freaking phenomenal at her job. And there are times where she'll call me, I know there's a way to do this, but I don't know how to do this, and I know you know how to because I've known the operational and the little shortcuts. And I get I get that a lot too, with like always advocating for myself, jumping out. Why, how do you know this? How do I not? Because I sat on the computer and I just messed around until I figured it out. Am I the only one who does that? I feel like I'm the only one who does that.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Up dude, we got on a new core system this year, and uh that's the only way that I'm able to learn stuff. Now you guys went through the core conversion. Yep. So we're on uh CUBE, it's been interesting. So I'm excited for the CBX upgrade. I think that's gonna be really nice as well. Hopefully it goes nice and smooth.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

It it will. To you, what does that look like?

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Yeah, so taking pride in my role is something that I'm very passionate about because at the end of the day, you're showing up for yourself. For me, pride isn't about, you know, the flashy recognition. It's about those little small wins on a day-to-day basis. Double checking your processes, helping teammates when they're absolutely swamped, making sure your work is accurate. Um, and even if no one else says thanks, it's about setting your own bar, you know. And honestly, when you do that, it it does inspire others around you as well to kind of elevate and do better at their work. It's like a little bit of a ripple effect almost. And like I said, you're not gonna get hats on the back every day, but you can still at least feel good for yourself knowing that you held yourself accountable. And that's that's pride in my work, especially being in the compliance department. Everything you do counts one way or another, I'm learning. And compliance is about protecting the credit union, protecting our members on a whole completely different level that I didn't even realize.

SPEAKER_02 14:26

And also protecting our employees. I don't think they realize sometimes that I'm asking you to do this or change this procedure because I want to protect you in case something happens. I can say we have these foul safes in place. It wasn't us. Exactly. I'm a whole fan of I hated showing my work in school and now I work in compliance and I ask everybody to show me their work. Like I track this, do this. Even down to the little bit of highlighter on a paper helps. We have something called contact manager. Put in a contact manager, just put in a little no, I don't care where it is, but add a tracker. Add a tracker. So if an editor pulls that account, I can go, hey, look, I know. Sorry, guys.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

And I I know that's frustrating to some people, but yeah, you're being a pest, but you know, on the back end, it's it's for a good reason, it's for the better, the better good. Yeah. How do you hold yourself accountable? So for me, everyday accountability, like I said, is just kind of showing up for yourself, doing what you said that you were gonna do, owning your mistakes and learning from them. And it's a little bit of like a morale booster for yourself. You start seeing that you're making progress from those initial mistakes that you made and learned from. And even if the job itself isn't glamorous, when you see yourself consistently trying, it'll encourage other people. It will, like I said, boost your morale. It's kind of like a subtle way of leading by example for the rest of your peers. That's a good way of looking at it because also you don't have to be a manager to be a leader.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Was never a manager. Same. I don't think I want a manager position and I'm good where I'm like where I'm at, yeah. I remember when I hired in, my supervisor told me, Oh, I'm a micromanager, and then has not micromanaged me at all, which I very much appreciate. How do you feel or how if you have somebody, have you ever had one of those supervisors? And how do you think we can kind of like work around that? How can you do you do you have any tips for anyone? A micromanager or a co-manager?

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Either or. So I started with one, two, three bank with more of a micromanager kind of mindset. Um, and just constantly being under the microscope as somebody with anxiety just really created a lot of like everyday, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? Kind of like self-doubt within all of the work that I was doing. So every day I went in, I felt like I was going to get scrutinized for something. I wasn't given any context for it or anything. It was just, hey, here's a markdown out of nowhere, you know, or a quality check where I on paper had done everything that I was supposed to do, but I, you know, I just missed some form of a script that was interpreted um under my manager as incorrect, unfortunately. And then with my co-manager, it's it's been more of an adjustment for a hands-off approach. Um, you know, I'm a person who feeds off of positive reinforcement. Um, and I'm learning now that, you know, having a monthly meeting is all that I need. I have to be my own positive reinforcement, my own manager on a daily basis and build myself up because my manager's got so much more going on right now that, you know, I can't expect to just wait for praise. I just gotta do my own work and and praise myself at the end of the day. You know, pat myself on the back. I I do the same.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

We do, I have like my monthly one-on-one, but then I also have weekly check-ins and it's like an hour of where are you at? What are you doing for both of us? I know what's on her plate, she knows what's on mine. And that's insanely helpful. And the fact that she said she was a micromanager still kind of baffles my mind. Do you feel like you work best when you have expectations from a leader? Do you think that that's something that everybody needs?

SPEAKER_00 18:14

Or yeah, clear expectations definitely help. Like I said, one thing I've learned that you can't always rely on is leadership to motivate you. That's where you're setting your own standards, and that that becomes a really big thing on a daily basis. You're building that credibility, you're building your own responsibility, and you're creating purpose for yourself on the daily basis. Like especially during our what was that quiet quitting era a few years back? Yeah, I remember that all over TikTok. A lot of people were really disengaged, and I I took the opportunity to kind of set myself apart and to kind of accelerate further while other people were just kind of going through the motions, punching in, punching out on a daily basis. You know, I said, hey, if you're gonna do the bare minimum, then I I can pick up a slack and I know that's gonna benefit me in the long run. It's a way of showing that I care about what I'm doing, even if no one else is pushing me at that point.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

Yeah, I think in certain aspects, quiet quitting, there's a reason for it, and I understand it. However, that's not me.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Yeah, and you're putting the workload on somebody else at the end of the day, you know, and that that's me.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

And I don't know about you, but I don't like being the person that the workload gets put on because you're somebody else is being lazy.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Yeah, you're not gonna catch me quiet quitting, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

I understand to a degree. Like when I was having my IT thing today, he's like, Well, it's working, you can continue to work. And I said, I've already punched out, like that's I'm I'm not doing anything else. That's not saying I'm not gonna do it. That can mean like I'm not working for free right now.

SPEAKER_00 19:42

Exactly. No, and there there's a boundary with that, you know. Yeah, exactly. But I'm talking about like phoning it in, you know, like stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Yeah, people I come in, I clock in, and then I leave and clock out, and that's it. And I'm just like, oh. But there's also that boundary and that fine line, and very like a lot of my coworkers know if I'm off because like I have an appointment in the morning, or when I had surgery, I was out for a week when I had my knee surgery. You can absolutely call me and I will absolutely answer a question because like I'm sitting at home icing my knee for a week. Like I I would rather be working and not using my PTO, but here we are versus if I'm on vacation, I absolutely will not answer.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

No, and rightfully so. Exactly. I'm on island time, don't even you know.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Yeah, I had a coworker who said even if it's this and this, there are other people in this building who can answer that question again. Exactly. If I'm at the doctor or I'm hanging out and I'm like, yeah, it is a there's a difference between vacation time and like I have to use my PTL because I had surgery. Please entertain me. Like, there is that difference. And learning that boundary, I don't know about you, but used was really hard for me because I used to be the I have to work all the time and do all this and I can always be on. And now I'm like, pull it back just a little bit. Just a little bit. I'm still available, just not as much. And you said professional development and personal development, they go hand in hand.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Do you feel that like I'm assuming you agree with that? Absolutely. I honestly think my professional development has benefited me more in my personal life, like putting myself in those uncomfortable places, like I had mentioned, really benefit me on both a personal growth level as well as a professional growth level. Every time I succeeded in my professional life, whether I successfully survived a networking mixer or an audit, I'll take that boost of confidence. And like you said, I will absolutely run with it. It will fuel with me for weeks at home. I can hold my head up a little bit higher. And when I'm at dinner with friends or family, I get to share what I've been up to in my professional life. I got to share a lot of pictures from A, C and E. I always talk about my Spark Tank experience and how proud I am of myself with that in both the professional and uh personal aspect.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

I mean, having social anxiety. And getting up on that stage with that crowd, like I could never go applause because I did it for Moon Chapter, and I remember sitting there while they were judging, going, I actually kind of hope that I don't have to get on that stage. I was like, somebody else's name. And then you got it. And you still did. And let me tell you, you were flawless up there, I felt. Like you did amazing.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

The funny thing is when we got to finals at that point, it was like, you know, the the end of Survivor. I've I watch a lot of Survivor. Um, and when you get to like that final three, you can't get voted off the island anymore. So it's, you know, it is what it is. You just gotta get up there and and do your best. Semifinals were a little bit more nerve-wracking because you had to go through. I was 11th out of 13th, I think. Was I 11th or 7th? I can't even remember at this point. I had to wait for a few people. So I'm just sitting there, like festering in my own anxiety, just you know, waiting for my shot and getting up there in that room that was absolutely packed. Oh my gosh, I don't know how I survived.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Would that I mean that might have been even more of it because we were at least on the main stage, it was darker and you couldn't like always see all of the people. And it was air conditioned, which was right. And then that room were all like sardines in a can, and I was like, Can we what? It is so humid in here. I feel like you were seventh because I had to leave early with the scholarship people, and I missed like the last few. I think I was probably second. And I remember seeing yours. Yeah, I think it was mine, and then all the YPs left and I felt bad. I felt bad that I like missed them. And I remember like making sure I got to see you to make sure that like you went on because I was like, oh, you liked her presentation. I was around anybody else's right now. I think Sarah Louise is besides that. How else did Spark Tank help you grow? Let's I feel like you got a little out of your comfort zone.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

Oh, absolutely. What else? No, um, getting out of my comfort zone. The whole process leading up to Spark Tank, the Spark Tank finals was so I'm just gonna backtrack. I I started fuel in general in the December of 2024. So Q's was actually my first summit, summit, district meeting, anything with um the fuel program. And then we had the uh initial chapter spark tank uh portion of the competition, got through that, and then I had my first district meeting where I got to meet Katie Stoll and Josh for the first time, Josh Buck, and that was really, really uh cool. I got a lot of advice for them for the next portion of it. And in between there was also my first uh chapter meeting, which I uh had to do a QA with Patty. So that I had to study up on questions for that as well and uh have a little QA sesh with her. So that was nerve-wracking as well. And then it was the I had we had G I C, which I also uh got up on the mic for a little bit just to, you know, shake those nerves off early on. I didn't know when I was gonna get another mic opportunity, so I just kind of took it. Um, and then ACNE in June, we had SEBI's, and then we had um the the final seven. Um, and just going through that whole process, um getting commendations from my other YPs, you know, so much support, um, uh so many CEOs approaching me and telling me how like great and eloquently they thought that I spoke uh while I was up there. It just was a great morale and confidence booster for myself. And I had never really experienced that kind of like praise before from anyone, honestly. Spelling bees always first out because I couldn't spell bicycle, you know. I I competed in, you know, some competition sports-wise growing up, but really I just kind of you know kept myself for the most part. So Spark Tank was one of the biggest, most interactive experiences that I really have ever had in my life, just in general. So it was definitely life-changing to say the least. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

Did you sign up right away for it, or were you? I I waited for like a week and then I was like, eh, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 26:09

Well, I I initially wasn't going to, and then I, you know, kind of sat on it. And I again I hear in my head, put yourself on uncomfortable places. So I, you know, I just said, okay, let me let me see if I can think up of a topic that might actually be, you know, a benefit to the credit union industry. And I I am interested in developing fintech and technologies, and you know, I just thought there might be something out there that, you know, even if it doesn't get implemented within my institution, maybe some credit union out there might find this helpful to them. So that was my driving motivation for it was to see if this idea might help a credit union out there somewhere with their disputes. So I feel like it would.

SPEAKER_02 26:52

I feel disputes is a big one. Time consuming. Yeah. I feel bad for our person who does one just because I know how time consuming they are and what happens. And I've recently had to file a dispute because uh I was a dumbass and didn't see where my Big B order was being placed. Uh, and I ended up at the wrong Big B and I had called and said, Hey, can you cancel my order and refund me? And they never refunded me. And so I had to file I wanted to file the dispute because it was like$30 because it was 4th of July, had people, I was buying for people. I felt so sick.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

What are you gonna$30 worth of Big B for?

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Can we, my friend, another friend, two friends, and their daughter, and like it was a whole thing, and I felt so bad to file the dispute because I ignored the backside of it and I was like, I tried, I tried everything. I called them, I asked, I'm sorry. So your idea to incorporate AI and get it more efficient, it was solid. And also your slide deck was Chef's kiss, gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

And so yeah, I had a little bit of help with from uh Nicole and Ginger with that, definitely. So I learned a lot about PowerPoint um presentation, word sizing, like how much to have on a slide. They were so incredibly helpful to really polish that PowerPoint. So I love that.

SPEAKER_02 28:10

This is why credit unions is so collaborative. We always cheer each other on, and I love it. What personal growth do you think has really helped? Because we talked about professional helping with personal. What about vice versa?

SPEAKER_00 28:24

Personal helping with professional growth? Yeah. It sucks because I'm such a workaholic, so hand in hand. Um yeah. So with personal growth, I did um get married this year to my fiance of 10 years. So that was a big leap for us. We did an elopement. So no reception, no, you know, registry, none of the bells and whistles that come with, you know, the traditional wedding. We just we kind of planned out a trip to Hawaii and we just kind of went for it. And I would have never done that, you know, five, 10 years ago. So, you know, stepping outside of my comfort zone, out literally outside of my zone and giving that a shot and going on some crazy vacation that I would never like fiscally allow myself to back when I was working at, you know, Joanne Fabrics for 20 hours a week was was a big step for me. And I've never planned like a big vacation before like that. So to go through the steps and make sure, you know, flights were correct, getting the hotel, like having enough funding, budgeting everything out, that was, you know, a big feat for me personally. And taking that and getting not getting through that trip, but enjoying and embracing that trip really made me realize like how much uh I've accomplished and how much I've grown over, you know, the decade that I've I've been in Michigan. I moved out here from California back in tw uh 2015. And, you know, we were broke when I came out here. I didn't have a job. I put all of my stuff in a crate uh from San Francisco and just, you know, decided to shift all my stuff 3,000 miles out. So, you know, it's been a constant leveling of that personal development. And I feel like the big tipping point for me, at least in my life, now starting moving out here from 22 years old, now going on 32 years old. I feel like that vacation just kind of was the culmination of everything. And now, like I I can go in every day, you know, realizing hey, you can do a lot at the end of it all.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

Yeah, it's amazing what we can do when we put our mind to it and when we get up.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

Yeah, I got so uncomfortable. I decided to go up on stage with a couple of blue Hawaiians' help, of course, during a Lu Isle that we went to, and now I am a certified uh hoolah dancer. So very proud of myself there. There you go. I will I'm getting up on a lot of stages this year.

SPEAKER_02 30:49

I mean, do it. I see a stage and I'm like, no, thank you. I'm good. So the fact that you can, I can't even do karaoke with like three drinks in, and I'm like, mm-mm. So I need to take a page out of your book because I need that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

What would be your karaoke song?

SPEAKER_02 31:04

Come on, everybody knows what they would go for. Really, I goodbye, Earl by the Dixie Jicks. Okay, so you can sing that song word for word without any music. I have very good memories of screaming it in the car with my mom's friend. What's yours?

SPEAKER_00 31:20

Oh man, now you're putting me on the spot. The first thing that comes to my mind is who let the dogs out by the Bahaman.

SPEAKER_01 31:27

Gotcha! Little bit of a 90s throwback for you, you know.

SPEAKER_02 31:31

I mean, I learned the true meaning of what they're talking about like a few years ago, and I was like, My childhood's ruined. Excuse me, what? Wait, that they're not talking about actual dogs. Learned that with a lot of songs from the childhood. I sang that out loud as a kid, and my mom let me.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

It's funny because my fiance, his well, not fiance, husband now. Well, I'm still getting used to husband. Sorry, his first concert was the Baja Man, and he loves to just, you know, say, my first concert, Baja Man. So that's his go-to.

SPEAKER_02 32:00

Mine was Backstreet Boys Millennium Tour. Nice. I'll never forget. That's why when they came and they did the residence the residency this year in Vegas, I like I posted on Facebook saying, None of you knows how willingly I would sell my soul to go to this concert.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

To have a couple of coworkers that did go and see them at the spear.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

I have a friend who went and she brought me back a t-shirt and she dropped it off to me at the lobby, and the way I squealed in that lobby kind of that's a true friend right there.

SPEAKER_01 32:32

I'm kind of ashamed because I was like, I'm sure I scared a lot of people that day, but like it's fine.

SPEAKER_02 32:42

Um, my last question for you uh that I've been asking, I asked Anne, I asked Ginger, I'm gonna ask everybody, what is one moment that made you realize this is why I do it, this is why I'm here, this is why I'm in the industry, or two, but like what is that one pivotal moment that you're like, yeah, I'm here for this?

SPEAKER_00 33:04

That's an intense question. I feel like I've had like littler moments that like that like the the most recent moment that I can remember is when we all took that group photo with Patty um at the YP summit at ACE, just seeing everybody kind of gather together around Patty and uh our district leaders, and just realizing like the extent of the young professionals in our industry and seeing how many hardworking young millennials and Gen Z individuals are out there in the workplace fighting against the banks, counter-culturing advocating, especially this year, advocating's been such a big topic and protecting this little industry, this little grassroots industry that we created for credit unions, you know, being in those no-go zones for banks, taking care of our communities, being a part of, you know, people's lives on the daily on a daily basis that don't necessarily want to or aren't accepted at a bigger bank, and just seeing a room full of passionate people that want to continue to elevate and keep this industry alive really made me feel like this is this is my place. You know, it's it's pretty punk rock in a way.

SPEAKER_02 34:18

So that's a perfect way to describe it. The credit union world is punk rock. I'm gonna continue to say that from going on. As somebody who loves punk, yes, a hundred percent. I agree to that. So thank you so much for joining me. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 34:33

I love everything. Thanks for having me. I know I'm no Anne. I love Anne, she's an amazing advocate. You're amazing too. We're all amazing. I did not think that we were gonna get into childhood trauma or stories about pants with her. Oh my gosh. That was amazing.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

I love she did some of that. I was like, girl, you're hurting me in my soul. You're hurting me, girl.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

Yes, like, because yeah, I've been there and I was like, mm-hmm, we're we're just gonna go there.

SPEAKER_02 35:04

Just just stab me in the heart. It's fine.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

I really do think that you're doing such an awesome thing with this podcast. So it could be really commend you for doing it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

It's so far out of my comfort zone, and we're we're here and we're talking and sharing stories. And if you have anybody else who wants to get out of their comfort zone and wants to tell their why or talk to them, send them my way a hundred percent. I would love to chat. Yeah, absolutely. We'll do. All right. Well, you have a wonderful evening and I'll talk to you later. Yeah, keep in touch. All right, bye.