Leveling Up: From Advocacy to YP of the Year with Josh Buck

In this episode of The CUllaborative, Josh Buck from Member’s First Credit Union to explore the power of growth beyond the comfort zone. Josh shares how continuing education has shaped his career and why leaning into new challenges is essential for young professionals in the credit union movement. He also dives into his journey into advocacy, from what sparked his passion and how getting involved opened unexpected doors. Wrapping up the conversation, Josh reflects on the honor of being named MCUL’s Young Professional of the Year, offering both inspiration and practical insight for listeners looking to elevate their own paths in the industry.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:01

Welcome back to the collaborative, the podcast for young professionals in Michigan's credit union world who are out here trying to connect to the row and basically take over the cooperative finance universe one episode at a time. As always, we're powered by Fuel Michigan. Because even podcasts need a hype squad. Whether you're tuning in on your commute at your desk pretending to look very productive or with a cup of coffee that may or may not be your second or your third, I'm just really glad you're here. I'm your host, Camille, and let's get into it before your coffee gets cold. This episode of the collaborative future of someone who's become a familiar face in Michigan's credit union space, Josh Bach. We dive into his career journey, how he discovered his passion for advocacy, and the moment he found out he was named MCU L's Young Professional of the Year. Welcome. Thank you for joining. All I know about you, other, is you're the fuel state leader, you're advocacy, and you work for Member's First Credit Union. How did you get started in that? Like how have you started from day one to now?

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Uh so yeah, that is a story I've been happy to share many times. Also, first off, thank you for inviting me onto the collaborative podcast. Uh, but to answer your question, uh getting started in credit unions, I originally started at fine at a financial institution when I was living in Seattle, and it was for a very large national bank. Uh trying not to name names here, but worked for a bank, got my start there as a commercial and foreign teller. So all I did was handle business deposits as well as transactions with foreign currency, um, which as much as I despised that job, working with foreign currency was actually kind of super fun. Um, but I worked there for about a year before moving back to Michigan, and that institution they had a sales-driven culture there, where it's not uncommon for credit unions to have sales goals. But the way this institution ran it, every single product, whether it was a mortgage, an auto loan, a checking account, or a debit card, was all one point. And every teller needed to close 100 points a month just to keep their job. Uh, that actually wasn't even to get payout at the time. If you wanted payout, you needed to close a minimum of 150 points for a month.

SPEAKER_04 2:49

I would lose my job the first week.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Uh the year that I was there, the branch that I worked at, we had 13 employees, including management. And when I left, 11 of the original 13 people I worked with had either left or been fired over the course of that year. Um yes, it was very cutthroat um and just not a very positive working environment. So after I moved back, uh, I was actually unemployed for a little bit. I was unemployed for about three, four months and push came to shove. It's like I need to get a job. I really didn't want to go back working for a bank again because even though I was good at it, I I hated who I was while I was working there. Uh it really did feel like I had to be maybe not quite manipulative, but very pushy and salesy just to keep my job. And I did not want to be like that anymore. Uh but even while I was working there, I'd heard from co-workers who had friends of friends, and they worked at credit unions out in Seattle, and would tell my coworkers, you know, working for a credit union is just so much better. And of course, me being the inquisitive person I am, I would immediately ask, why? What makes them better? And I could not get an answer from anyone, which in hindsight makes sense because I feel if any of my former co-workers knew the difference between credit unions and banks and how much better it is to work for credit unions, they wouldn't have been working at the bank either. Um so I decided to apply to my local credit union. And thankfully, I ended up getting a job starting as a part-time teller. Uh, worked at that credit union, still have many friends there uh to this day. Uh it was United Financial Credit Union. Shout out to them. Uh worked there for a couple of years before moving over to Members First. And I've been at Members First, uh actually just celebrated my 10-year anniversary back in February. So um I remember seeing that on LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_04 5:08

Congrats.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Yeah, thank you very much. Um, so long story long, um my journey into credit unions started uh with a very negative experience working for a bank. And yeah, as soon as I started working for credit unions, I really did notice the difference, the community impact, how we're rooted, and how we are not just serving the communities, but we really are the communities that we serve as well. And really felt that as soon as I started working for a credit union. And I I can't overstate just how different it was from my banking experience. As bad as it was working for the bank, it was inversely as good working for a credit union, and I knew like this is where I want to make my career.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

I know that banks are cutthroat. I didn't know they were that. And I know that's just like one example of one. I'm terrible at sales. I go for about like I I can tell you all the great features and benefits and be like, this is really great. Think about it. But like the moment you say you have to do this to get no, I can't do that.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Yeah, it uh it wasn't it wasn't great. Although I will say I do know from other people that I knew in the banking industry, the institution that I worked for was notorious for having supposedly the strictest sales goals of the big banks. So I don't know if other ones were better or anything. I never worked for another bank after that one. Um so you just said bye.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Yeah, just said bye.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

I'm I found credit unions, I'm good where I'm at, I don't want to go back.

SPEAKER_04 7:01

And then 10 years later, here we are, uh Young Professional of the Year award winner, uh, and advocacy. You got the YP for advocacy last year.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:15

What pulled you into advocacy?

SPEAKER_00 7:19

So it actually goes back to that uh transition story from the bank. Um like I said, my yeah, it all ties together. Uh that difference in experience from working for a bank to working for a credit union was so drastic that it had a transformative effect for me. I was, and I I don't use this word lightly, I was flabbergasted the difference. Yes, it is, thank you. Um to the point where I was dumbfounded. I couldn't believe, I'm like, how did I not know of the difference like between a bank and a credit union? I always thought it was a checking in a savings account just with a different name. And after experiencing that stark contrast between the two, I felt like I needed to share the word of the good that credit unions credit unions can do. Um it is what kind of lit that fire in me to go out into our communities and start sharing the words. Um admittedly, when I first got into credit unions, it was just kind of blind passion. I didn't really know what to do or how to move the movement forward or even that there was a coordinated movement. I just knew, hey, working for a credit union, this is really good. I should share some of these stories with people. Um after I had gotten to Members First, um, all I think all credit unions, we have our annual in-service day uh where we all meet and do the annual training. Uh so it was my first in-service day at Members First, and they did kind of like a job fair session, but instead of departments, they had all of the different committees at Members First, uh had a table, one of which was our credit union advocacy committee. And so I was going around all the tables talking with people at the committees, and I chatted with uh people at the advocacy table, and I was like, I shared this exact same story that I worked for the bank previously, and I feel like I need to sh share the word of what credit unions can do, and I just never really felt like I had a viable outlet for that like positive energy. And they invited me to their next uh monthly meeting I joined, and I've been on that advocacy committee ever since. Uh it has grown tremendously from what it originally was. I think there were only five people in that first meeting that I attended, and uh, we just had a strategic planning session for our advocacy committee earlier this year, and there was probably over 20 people in that room. Um so being a part uh yeah, being a part of that committee, watching it grow over the years, being a part of it and helping to share the words and help out other credit unions as well with some of their advocacy initiatives. It's just been an incredibly positive and humbling experience to be a part of.

SPEAKER_04 10:38

I like the idea of a job fair for your committees. I've never heard of something like that. That's interesting.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Yeah, I have to give a shout out to our training and development team. They come up with a lot of creative ideas for our in-service days, um, to where I actually have a lot of fun doing them. So uh yeah, shout out to them.

SPEAKER_04 10:59

I love in-service days. I I don't know, I'm the nerd who likes to learn though. So if you're gonna sit me here and pay me to hang out and learn, then great. Love it.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Camille, I feel like the more you and I talk, the more I realize, you know, we're actually really similar.

SPEAKER_04 11:16

We are. I feel the same way because that is that's me a hundred percent. I'm just like, okay, and I I am Doug from up. I say that all the time. Like, you you show me something's shiny, and I'm like, oh hi, hello. Hence my sticky note of internal audit deliverables for tomorrow. Um with that, because you you talk to sorry, brain fog today. Um you talk to the committee, you've been there. Advocacy is really intimidating. I remember when I so at Harbor Light for Fuel, we have to write a cover letter on why we should be one of the Harbor Light people for it. And I didn't get it in 2023 because I didn't know, like I didn't speak about advocacy enough. I didn't understand what it was. And when I asked, what can I? I'm the person that if I'm told no, I don't get mad, I just say, okay, how can I get a yes next time I ask? And and that's what I did. And I was told, you know, look into advocacy. And advocacy is really intimidating if you don't know what it is or how to start. And so, like, what would you say to someone who wants to get involved in it? That they they don't know if they're ready, they don't know where to start. It's just this thing that they have to do and they they don't know. It's very intimidating.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

So my advice to them uh would be first to reach out to any kind of chapter contacts, uh, which I understand a lot of uh young professionals, especially ones just starting out, they may not know who represents their chapter. Uh, but ask around at your credit union, see who represents your credit union at the chapter, and then follow up with them. Uh, because each chapter has a legislative chair. Uh I happen to be the chair for my chapter. And I'm not even surprised. And uh they can share a lot of good information around like what advocacy is, how people can get involved, as well as uh if you have any questions around like what are some things impacting the credit union movement, they would likely have some information, as well as the Michigan Credit Union League. I know uh it can probably be equally as intimidating to maybe reach out to them on a cold email, but Kieran, Deshaun, Todd, Patty, uh, I hope I have never annoyed them with my emails, but in all of the responses I've gotten from them, they've always been happy to discuss anything advocacy related. So uh reaching out to some contacts, if you don't have them at your credit union, then trying the chapter or the league, and uh they would be happy to assist.

SPEAKER_04 14:05

I will say that about the league, any of them when it comes to advocacy. There are pretty much anybody at the league I have come across has never been in. I mean, intimidating in a way, it's Patty Corkery, right? But it's never intimidating to email them and I never feel like I'm necessarily bothering them, even if it's like the most stupid question of you're already on that list, serve Camille. I never feel like I'm bugging them.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Yeah, I also before we hop over to the next question, I do also want to say uh one thing that I've been trying to share with uh young professionals at Members First, because I guess I need to add another context. Uh so along the ADHD lines, I go on tangents all the time. Uh and one of those tangents is uh at work for every new employee group, we have what we call NEO, new employee orientation, and representatives of various aspects of the credit union come in and give a quick like 30-minute or one-hour presentation around like cybersecurity, what uh the collections department does, just various things. And uh I happen to give a 30-minute presentation around the credit union difference, uh, which relates closely with advocacy. And I always end that session with uh what is my ask of you? And I like to joke with them. It's like, I'm not gonna ask you to go to Lansing and start knocking on lawmaker doors or uh sending emails and cold calls. Like, that's just no, you you don't need to worry about that at all. Uh but one of the most impactful things you can do in terms of advocacy is just being deliberate about paying attention to the impact that you have on your members' lives, uh, especially when there are MSRs uh in that group. They may just get into that rhythm, that routine of cashing checks, handing out money, paying bills each day, but that has the chance to be transformative for a member's life. If they are coming in, you may not know, but they could be stressing. They may not know how they're going to put food on the table for their kids that evening or next week. Or they may be offered a job, but they might not be able to have transportation there. And they're coming in and they just don't know what to do. Having those conversations with the members to where you can pick up on those problems and realize that we actually have solutions to help them out, it may be as simple as just having a one-off conversation with people, but that can change their life if you put them in a vehicle that allows them to get to their job, to provide for their family, and being deliberate about paying attention to those moments and then just sharing those stories, not necessarily with lawmakers. If they want to, great. But even just with their families or their friends, when you're having small talk, hey, what did you do today uh at work? Like, how was your day? Uh, a lot of people, I mean, heck, even we talked about, oh, it's so crazy busy uh before we started recording. If you're having small talk with a friend and you're like saying the same old, same old, oh, it's been busy, and then one of your friends is like, yeah, I changed a person's life today. That completely changes the energy and will stick in their mind. Yeah, they're gonna listen. Uh, so that is another thing that I would say is if you're hesitant to get involved like more in the political side of advocacy, you can absolutely still get involved just by sharing the stories of the impact that you are making with your friends and family. That's grassroots uh at its heart, is just sharing the story of the good that we are doing in our communities and the impact that we're making.

SPEAKER_04 18:00

And speaking of grassroots, you've spent a lot of time showing up for your credit union and credit unions in general at the grassroots level. What's do you have an advocacy moment that really dropped a chord with you that has stayed with you, or just remind you of why this is important of what we do?

SPEAKER_00 18:22

So yes, there is a specific memory that I can think of. Uh and that would be my first uh it was the CUNA GAC uh at the time, now the ACU GAC. And uh when I attended that, I had been on our advocacy committee for not even a year at the time, but I was very passionate and I was helping out. Um and the leader of the advocacy committee, she noticed that and was like, I think it would be a great opportunity for you to go to this conference uh because this is all about credit union advocacy. You dive in headfirst and you're just immersed in that environment for a full week.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

And I was a little weary. I've never been to Washington, D.C. at the time, uh, had no idea where things were or where to go. Uh, I think I actually did get lost a couple of times.

SPEAKER_04 19:15

You know, I have a friend who lived in Washington, D.C., and apparently, and I didn't know this, and I like history, it's meant to be that way. It is meant to be confusing to somebody who is on the ground.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Yep. Uh I they did a great job. Yeah, I I'm trying I've heard that before too. I'm trying to remember the exact reason, but I don't need to go on another change just.

SPEAKER_04 19:37

Basically, invasions, basically that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:40

They didn't think about, you know, the sky, but uh, I have gotten lost in Washington, D.C., and then my friend told me that, and then I said, Oh yeah, that that makes a lot of sense on to why roads just stop.

SPEAKER_00 19:52

Yes. Um, so uh getting back onto the uh original story here, um yeah, it was my first GAC where I was there, and from the very first keynote session, I was jaw-dropped. Like, I'm holy cow, this isn't just something that people talk about. Like, this isn't just a message that you see people saying and just screaming into the void that like, yep, credit unions are here for their communities, and they're then you don't see action following up on it. Like, it really is nonstop credit union passion helping others, people, helping people from the moment you get there to the moment you leave. And it was so impactful that it took that little flame of passion that had been being nurtured over the past year while I was on that committee and ignited it into a burning flame. It is a moment that grounded me in my purpose for getting involved in advocacy that I'll still reference back to to this day as my why. Like, because there are people that really do care about our communities and want to do what is best for them. And the best place to go and share stories and make an impact on our ability to continue making those positive changes. One of the best places is at the ACUGAC.

SPEAKER_04 21:25

Yeah. I've heard that. It is my goal to go there in the next few years.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

I would absolutely recommend. And if I'm lucky enough to be there that year as well, I'll happily uh show you around so you don't get lost around one of the streets like I did.

SPEAKER_04 21:41

Speaking of that, it was funny. Um Tara and I were discussing like what conferences and stuff, and I said I want to eventually go to AC to ACU G A Z. Um, but like kind of start smile, what about hike the hill? And Tara says, Okay, but if there's only one of us who can go, Would it you be okay with it being you? And I was like, uh yeah, I'll find Josh Buck or somebody else I know and I'll just be like, ah, you're my person, or I'll just figure it out.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

So uh hike the hill, I do love that event as well. That would probably be a little easier to handle.

SPEAKER_04 22:19

That's what we were thinking, and I was like, I would love to, but it was just so funny. Would you be okay with that? As like, I mean, the social anxiety says no, but yeah, I'll I'll I'll I'll find somebody. I'll do I'll do it.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

So at Hike the Hill, you're pretty much with like your local people the whole time.

SPEAKER_01 22:37

Um I would go great.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

Yeah, so the people that you know in your area or your chapter, those would be the same people that you would be with pretty much the whole time because you're all meeting with the same local lawmakers. It's one schedule, so it's a lot easier to navigate. Whereas GAC, it can absolutely get chaotic because sometimes you need to on the fly switch lawmaker visits to fit their schedule and it overlaps with breakout sessions, and then you need to get from one place to the other. Uh it's a good kind of chaos. Uh again, I absolutely love it and would recommend to anyone to go. Uh, but if you're concerned about that level of chaos, yeah, hike the hill would probably be uh much more manageable. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 23:24

We need baby steps. Um so advocacy and then leading into fuel. I'm assuming you got into fuel after advocacy.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Yes. Yes. Uh so di have you ever heard the story around like how fuel began?

SPEAKER_04 23:43

I know bits and pieces of it. I don't know all of it. So if you want to share that, that would be amazing.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

So I can share my experience with it. Uh where I feel fuel started was with the ACE Scholarship Group uh back in 2018. Uh I was lucky enough to be a scholarship recipient, and it was an incredible experience. Uh former president and CEO of ACU, uh Jim Nussell, he was actually there and came and spoke to us, um, which was an incredible memory that I still like to recall. Um, but at the end of the conference, the last day where the scholarship recipients were in our little breakout room where we would meet and have our um unique sessions, and we were just reminiscing about the conference, like how great it was, what uh we were all taken away. And unfortunately, I don't remember who exactly said it, but I remember one person saying, Man, I wish I could feel like this every day. Uh, just so energized and passionate about credit unions and just wanting to go and make a positive difference. And then someone else brought up, why can't we? Like, why can't we just as young professionals get together and regularly like develop skills and better ourselves and in doing so be able to make a greater impact for our communities? And that's where I feel fuel really began, before well before the name fuel even came into existence. Um probably, I think it was like a year and a half, two years later, uh I was meeting with a bunch of the young professionals from that group, as well as a handful of others, uh, at the MCUL headquarters in Lansing. And we were talking about like what would this kind of young professional group really look like? Um, and we got the original like foundation kind of figured out for what would eventually become Fuel Michigan. Uh that's where the former state leaders, Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, and Casey, uh uh all stepped into their leadership role. It wasn't state leader at the time, it was just them. We didn't have districts, we were a very small group. Uh, the entire group could fit around that one conference table. Um and I started off as just another member, uh, an ambitious kid who wanted to develop and grow and help others. And it was an incredible experience uh from the very first days where I remember we did a community give back activity where we all like made tie blankets to give to a local homeless shelter, um, and seeing it grow to where we have district events that are similar to that with other uh educational opportunities from credit union executives all around the state, and then state level events that are I mean, hype or hype the hill was a great one last year, uh the YP summit every year. The fact that we can put on like conference level events, I would have never dreamed that the group would have grown into something like this for if you're telling me in the very first days that that would happen. I would be shocked. And being a part of that growth over the years has been a tremendous, tremendous opportunity, and I've loved every minute that I've been able to be a part of fuel.

SPEAKER_04 27:29

I knew it started very small, and it kind of came from the idea of attending a conference, but I didn't know like the specifics, and I love that. And it's even being removed from fuel as in like I'm not actively in fuel, I can still see the growth. And it's kind of astounding to see, just like every year it gets bigger and bigger, and I love that. Yeah, you guys created something amazing.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

I yes, I I love this group. Um every year when my birthday comes around, thankfully I still have a couple more years before I'm actually turn 40 and I'm forced to age out. Um but every year it's like, oh man, that timer is just ticking.

SPEAKER_04 28:12

I don't want to leave.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 28:15

I am thankful that it was 40 and not 35 because that's why I didn't apply three years ago now. Uh I got caught. Why did you apply? And I'm like, I'm 35. I'm at the age, and she's RCR looked at me and she says it's 40, and I went, oh shit. She's like, go, go write your letter. Okay. But I do appreciate that it's 40 and not 35. Um from your perspective, why is fuel or a group like fuel um so important right now when it comes to Michigan credit unions and credit unions in a whole um I I don't know if there are other I'm assuming in other states there's something probably similar. Um but but why do you think it's so important?

SPEAKER_00 28:58

So I think it's important because we are the next generation of leaders. Um even when we were having like those first initial meetings in 2019 pre-COVID, I feel like when COVID happened, it really shined a light on the importance of having a solid succession plan in place at your credit union. Like who is going to step up into these roles when your senior leadership uh decides to retire? Uh are they going to be developed? Are they going to be ready to step into those roles? And with all of the downsides that came with COVID, and holy cow, were there a lot of them? Uh yeah. The fact that it shined a light on the importance of having a solid succession plan in place really helped to catalyze the growth and importance of Fuel Michigan in our industry. Um and yeah, there is, I know there's other educations and trainings that you can do, but I have yet to find anything that is really like the experience in fuel where you can get such a wide breadth of opportunities to develop, not just professionally, but also personally, and have those hands-on opportunities to get out in those communities and still make a difference with other young professionals. Um yeah, I I cannot recommend fuel enough. I know you mentioned um like other credit unions outside the state of Michigan. And admittedly, this is more so my opinion and secondhand information. Uh, I know there are other credit union young professional groups across the country. From what I have heard, it sounds like fuel is either I don't know if the biggest is the right word, but maybe the most developed. Uh like we kind of do the most uh from what I have heard from other colleagues around the country. And just as our credit union league is the envy among credit union leagues across the country, yeah. I I feel super happy to say I believe that Fuel Michigan is the envy of other credit union young professional groups across the country as well. Um, even if probably they haven't heard of us yet. But the ones who have are probably gonna envy us. Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 31:26

And I I think part of it too is I've spoken before. I moved out west. I'm from Flint originally, and I forgot just how not necessarily saturated, but like how important and how big credit unions are in the state of Michigan. And I think that's a big thing is we're directly tied with you have like GM and the factory workers and all of that, and they're kind of all tied together, and I think that's why we have the league that we have and the the groups that we have is because we have a really strong credit union base.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

We absolutely do. Yeah. And I don't know if it's just because of the companies, but like we do just have an incredible credit union foundation in the state.

SPEAKER_04 32:14

I I love them. I love the MCUS. L M C U L and M C U S. Let's What's something you learned through fuel that surprised you or really pushed you outside of your comfort zone because fuel is fuel is known to push people out of the comfort zone. I love that personally. I'm a fan of it.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

But what's something that pushed you out of it or surprised you or so I kind of have uh two different answers to this one. Uh first off, when fuel was very early on, uh I remember one of the first CEO roundtables that we ever had. And I was incredibly excited because I knew I wanted to grow uh in my credit union. I wanted to continue to develop, but I had no idea what senior leadership was looking for in a young professional or what they felt uh was more valuable versus other traits in a young professional. So the first CEO roundtable, I was really diligent in trying to listen to see if I could garner any tips. It's like what should I be focusing on? How should I go about making myself stand out from all of the other young professionals uh at the credit union? And uh one of those key tips, uh, I remember it was actually from uh Scott, who's the CEO of Honor Credit Union.

SPEAKER_04 33:39

I have a feeling you're gonna tell me what you told me last year at Ace.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

Yeah, I I have shared this story a couple of times. I couldn't remember if I told you You did, and I love it.

SPEAKER_04 33:48

Please continue.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

Someone asked Scott, what makes a young professional stand out to you? And to summarize Scott's answer, he said someone who comes to him not just with problems, but also with solutions to those problems. And it seems like such a simple thing in hindsight to be like, yeah, that just makes sense. But at the time, again, I was still very young, very early in my career. I uh definitely had a little bit of an ego. I saw myself as a great idea person, like, yep, here's the idea, how to fix it. I might not be the person to implement this change, but this is the fix. Now take it and run with it. During Scott's answer, he mentioned he's like, one of the last things CEOs need is people putting more on their plate. So I was thinking I was doing a great job by bringing these, shining a light on these problems that should be fixed. But I was in essence just adding on to other people's plates. I wasn't doing a benefit to them. And changing my mindset to be like, oh, if I die, if I identify a problem, I'm going to take the time and look into and find a solution for this. And only once I have a viable solution, then bring it to them. Because likely I'll need someone else's okay if I want to go around changing stuff. Um typically, yeah. But yeah, when you're talking with someone, whether it's your direct leader or senior leadership at your credit union, and you have an idea for a way to improve something, coming to them with that idea, but also a plan to implement it, like taking those first few steps, is one of the most pivotal memories uh that I have in Fuel, and one of the key things that I got from the group. And the second part of that answer, along with pushing people out of their comfort zone, Fuel absolutely has done that uh for me many times. Um I like to tell people uh whenever I'm chatting with them, despite how friendly and chatty I am at these conferences, I am naturally an introvert. I like being we really are the same person.

SPEAKER_03 36:13

We really are the same person.

SPEAKER_00 36:15

I like being a homebody. I like staying home, playing video games, watching TV. That is a dream dream time for me. Uh so getting out and talking to others, like putting myself out there public speaking. I knew that public speaking was a key skill that a lot of some of the greatest executives and people in our movement have had, maybe not professional level uh public speaking skills, but at least sound and developed public speaking skills. And I knew it was an area that I wanted to develop, but being a natural introvert, that was incredibly intimidating for me. So the way I wanted to go about addressing my fear of public speaking uh was through researching it. I feel like one of the best ways to conquer fears is understanding why that fear is happening in the first place. So I wanted to research why is the fear of public speaking so prominent? Uh, because I knew I wasn't the only one. Uh, it's one of the most common fears among people. And as I started researching it, I started getting into the psychology of it. And I was just like a dog with a bone. I had so much fun diving into this. And I was a district leader uh in fuel at the time for uh my district. And I was putting the pieces together, I'm like, this is so incredibly helpful. What if I could like take this to the next level? Instead of just helping myself, what if I take this information I'm getting, put it into action, practice my public speaking to share this information with others in my district? And that's exactly what I did. I put together a 30-minute presentation, one of our quarterly district meetings, and I gave a full session around the background, around the fear of public speaking, where it comes from, why it's understandable that a lot of people have it, as well as some tips and tricks on how to get over that fear and overcome it. Because at the end of the day, the only way you're going to become a public better speaker is by doing it. Practice makes perfect. Uh, so if you can overcome that fear to make those first initial steps of trying and practicing that public speaking easier, uh it's an incredible step forward. And that is one moment that I recall that absolutely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I remember talking with the other district leaders at after that meeting, and I was asking them, I'm like, did I look nervous? Was I freaking out? Was I talking too fast? Uh and they're like, No, you you you looked fine. And I'm like, really? Because my leg was trembling the entire time I was standing up there. Um sweaty and um so yeah, that that's definitely a moment that pushed me out of my comfort zone. But I would recommend that to anyone. Like, yeah, stepping out of your comfort zone is absolutely scary, but some of the most impactful growth that can happen for a person only happens when you step out of your comfort zone.

SPEAKER_04 39:34

And it's hard. I like my comfort zone. It's it's comfortable for a reason. Yeah. And also rowing is the name of the game here, and that's important. And I can definitely see you trying to figure out the psychology of wanting to know why.

SPEAKER_00 39:53

Yeah, uh, I know we're already running long, but another time next conference I see you at, just pull me aside. I'm happy to share that story with you as well.

SPEAKER_04 40:01

Um, yes, please, because I like learning that kind of stuff. Um so moving past that, kind of touched it earlier. You were the awarded the MCOL Young Professional of the Year. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 40:16

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 40:16

I honestly was so happy when I when I was reading like their the little newsletter or whatever that they put out that I that you got it. I was like, yes, he so deserves it. Um, what was like when you heard about how did you hear about it, and what was like your gut reaction when you heard it? Like you're the first thing that popped into your head.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

Oh, I was so embarrassed. Um, so the this story requires a little bit of context as well. Um I touched on how I'm a natural introvert, but the way I am and interact with people when I'm in my normal network admin role is vastly different from the way I interact with people when I'm at fuel events or in a fuel meeting or something. One is incredibly extroverted, dynamic, um, and interacting very people-oriented. The other one is very digital, very technical, very analytical, diving into firewall logs and traffic and text and command lines where there's not really a whole lot of human interaction to have. Uh so when I originally found out, every quarter I host a quarterly firewall review with some of the others on our infrastructure team and our security team, where we sit down and we go through every single firewall policy and try to determine how can we secure this more? How can we make it better? Uh, is it working the way we want it to? And it's it's the shortest, it's like a half day event. But realistically, it's like three quarters of event. We have one big one a year, and that actually takes probably a day and a half. Um so when I found out, I was actually in the middle of leading that quarter's uh firewall review. And for someone who normally, when they're in their networking role, is very like locked in, digital analytically focused, um, and not really leveraging that sort of extroverted energy at all. Uh the firewall review was interrupted by our senior leadership team, and they came in with like kazoos and hats and uh like pom-poms, and they were embarrassed. They were like cheering and making noise, and I'm just sitting there like a deer in the headlights. Like, what is going on right now? I I don't know how to physically or mentally process what is happening.

SPEAKER_04 42:54

Yep, secondhand embarrassment over here. I get it. I see one.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Yeah, so that that was really funny in hindsight, but then they uh eventually told me like what was was happening and that I had received the award. And oh my gosh, it I I not that I like blacked out, but I was so overwhelmed that I did kind of lose myself for a moment. Uh understandable. Yes. Uh, because this this award, Young Professional of the Year. Um, I mentioned uh the ACE scholarship group in 2018. That was my first ace. And at that conference, a coworker of mine at Members First had won Young Professional of the Year that year. So I got to see her go up on stage and accept the award. And then I was like, oh my gosh, that is such a cool award. I love that they're recognizing young professionals. I want to win that award one day. Um not that it's necessarily something that has been like a constant thought, but. I still have that memory. I recall it very vividly. And when I had heard that I had actually won the award, immediately flashbacks to that moment where it's like, oh my gosh. I like the impact that I've made, everything I've done, my development, it all actually came into light. Uh, because I'm absolutely my own harshest critic. Uh I will downplay my successes and I will definitely beat myself up for my failures more than anyone else ever could. Um so having such a clairvoyant moment of just sitting there and realizing that I am actually good at what I do, and that I couldn't even comprehend a counter-argument, which is something that I would always try to do, is like, okay, yeah, that's good, but you can always do better. Like being able to just sit with that and accept such an incredible honor as winning that award. Yeah, I ended up just losing myself for uh for a few moments there, and on top of being incredibly embarrassed by all of the cheering and energy that was in the room and me just sitting there with I can only imagine the dumbest look on my face.

SPEAKER_04 45:32

I I love that they really just went all out.

SPEAKER_02 45:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:37

That is that's amazing. I love it. I like I said, I was so excited to see that you got it. So congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 45:45

I appreciate that. Thank you, Camille.

SPEAKER_04 45:47

It's a huge award. Um looking back from starting back in a bank versus now here getting an award, like that path has obviously been, you know, 10 years in the making. And what challenges, setbacks did you have that you thought maybe I don't want to do this? Did you have any of those, or did you have a setback that you were just like besides COVID? We the COVID is its own just like that's a fever dream as far as I'm concerned.

SPEAKER_01 46:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:20

Including COVID, what kind of setbacks do you think that you've had?

SPEAKER_00 46:25

Oh, I have had I've had many, many setbacks. Um let's see.

SPEAKER_01 46:33

What helped shape me the most?

SPEAKER_00 46:42

I think back to a handful of various moments where I feel like a lot of people can resonate where you're in your position and you're doing all right, but you just have that like gut feeling that it's time for a change. You need to shake something up. Um and I've had many of those moments, and it's always incredibly stressful. Um, because again, stepping out of your comfort zone. I'm in whatever my role was at the time. I am on a solid foundation. I can absolutely just keep doing what I'm doing and continue doing well at that. But I get I get that itch, that like gut feeling. It's like I need to do something different. What can I do? Um, and anytime I try to tackle something new, I get very anxious. Um that's where my mind starts to run rampant about you don't know how to do this. Here's all of the potential ways you can fail.

SPEAKER_04 47:51

Uh yeah, I know that voice pretty well.

SPEAKER_00 47:55

Yeah. Uh but getting to the point where you don't listen to those voices and you take those steps, anyways, because you know that if you do succeed, it will be incredibly good for your own development for a variety of reasons, whether it's personal, professional, uh, even in my own personal life, I've had moments like this as well. But what helps me get through that and overcome those like anxious setbacks that very well could have prevented me from joining our advocacy committee, getting involved with a chapter. Heck, even joining Fuel or applying for that original ACE scholarship. All of those uh were concerning to me because of various reasons. Ace scholarship, I'd be out of the office uh for about a week, and it's always so busy. I have projects going on, like I need to work on this. Like, can I afford to be out of the office for a week? Joining Fuel Michigan, kind of the same argument, but much more of a time commitment. There are quarterly meetings, there's travel. What if it happens like when there's an issue in IT or something? Just spiraling negative thoughts, but overcoming them anyways. Um because I realized that my success or failure in any of those endeavors is entirely within my control. And because of that, it's completely up to me whether or not I fail. So if I just don't accept to fail, if I'm gonna put in as much work as I need to do, work as hard as I need to do to make sure to get as close to a guarantee as I possibly can that whatever I'm working on will be successful or will result in a positive outcome. I'm going to do it. And having that mental certainty that even if it's something that's unknown that I'm signing up for, I'm gonna bust my butt and I'm gonna do the best that I possibly can, and I'm going to knock it out of the park helps me overcome those setbacks and grow much more than I think I ever would have had I not done that.

SPEAKER_04 50:10

Listen to the negative voice and the oh, you can't do that.

SPEAKER_00 50:15

Yeah. I mean, I don't know if I'd say listen to it, but uh recognizing it, understanding it, and overcoming it.

SPEAKER_04 50:24

That's a big one.

SPEAKER_00 50:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 50:25

That's a hard one. And my I think of that too, especially because I was out of the office for four weeks at the beginning of the year. I have to remind myself that like it's gonna be there no matter what. Like take the time to develop, even if you're gone for a week, if you're doing a conference or you're doing some kind of learning, like it the work is still gonna be there.

SPEAKER_00 50:51

I and things are figuring out how I had heard an analogy um actually recently, it was just a couple months ago. Uh it's another story, which if I am taking too much time, let me know.

SPEAKER_03 51:05

I have nothing to do tonight besides game, video games.

SPEAKER_00 51:09

So, like it's so I was told this story. It was about a lumberjack. Uh, this lumberjack he takes his saw, goes to work uh every day, and he spends 12 hours just sawing cutting down trees all day, every day. And he's looking at his co-workers and sees them taking their like lunch breaks for an hour or 30-minute breaks here, or just in essence, putting in maybe like eight hours of work for the day when he's putting in 12. And it starts to eat at him, it just resonates like he starts to bear like ill feelings towards his coworkers because he feels like he is they should be working as hard as he is. And it comes time for his uh one-on-one with his manager, and the manager uh gives him like a three out of five for overall performance, and he snaps, and he's like, What the heck? I am out there every day busting my butt for 12 hours while other people are taking their breaks and putting in maybe two-thirds of the time that I am. Like, how how are they even employed if I am a three? And the manager takes a moment, pauses, and tells them they sharpen their saw. Like those 30-minute breaks, they're not just doing nothing, they're sharpening their saw, which allows them to cut cut down trees much more efficiently than you with your dull blade that's never sharpened, just hacking away for 12 hours at trees. And it's an analogy for this sort of personal investment that, yeah, it can be daunting to take a week away for a professional development or a leadership course. But that is the equivalent of us sharpening our saw so that when we do come back, we can do our jobs that much better. And it's so important that we take those moments to sharpen our saw because otherwise we're gonna end up just grinding and grinding and leading ourselves directly into burnout.

SPEAKER_04 53:28

Yeah, and burnout, uh it's not fun ever. I've been there twice to a whole burnout, and it's no no, we like to avoid that and yeah. Um for someone who wants to get involved, grow, become you know, recognized by the MCUL for young professional of the year. Uh, what's one piece of advice that you wish you heard earlier in your career?

SPEAKER_01 54:00

We need to think on this one for a moment. One piece of advice.

SPEAKER_00 54:14

Don't be scared to take on new opportunities. Um early on in my career, there were definitely moments where leaders noticed something in me that I didn't notice myself. And they would be like, hey, there is this project that we think you could contribute on, or there's uh this other thing that we think you would do really well in. And I would look at that and be like, I'm already super busy. Like, that's not even related to what I'm doing. Like, I need to make sure that I am investing my time in the part of my life that I'm getting paid for. And it's only once I realized that they were offering those positions or opportunities to me because they saw something in me and they wanted me to grow in being a part of that, that I started to accept that and again, stepping out of my comfort zone. And that would be some of the advice that I could give is just be open to those opportunities. Uh there is a common criticism of corporate culture in today's world where uh, like you've heard of quiet quitting. Show up, do your job, exactly what you need to do, and nothing else. Which if you want to do that, fine. Uh you can stay in whatever your role is and do that until whenever. But you're you're realistically probably not gonna grow or advance if you're only doing the bare minimum. It's the people who show that they can do their job, do it well, and still choose to do more that set themselves apart and will have those opportunities offered to them to advance and grow and continue stepping up. So when people bring you those possible opportunities, yeah, I'm not gonna lie, some of them are going to be a lot of work. But it doesn't necessarily need to result in a paycheck increase for it to be worth doing, because the knowledge and experience you gain in doing that can be even more valuable than a 25 cent or 50 cent pay increase uh that someone might ask for. So yeah, again, I feel like I said this many times, but long story long, that is uh one piece of advice that I would give to others.

SPEAKER_04 56:56

I agree with that. I will share a little tidbit about me and my role when I switched over to compliance is uh we are going to an org restructure, and the position I wanted in compliance started out like I think it was like 85 cents less than what I make. And every every other position was getting like a two dollar increase. And I said, all I want is a chance to prove myself in this role and to keep my current pay. Don't take anything away from me, but you don't have to give me anything. Give me a year and let me show you what I can do. Um, it paid off. I got 11% increase and then a 25% increase. So nice it pays off to literally pays off, but also just to do it, see what happens and and give a moment to be like, I want to do it anyways.

SPEAKER_00 57:53

Again, going back to the you and I are eerily alike, I have a similar story that is how I got into IT. Um, when I first got into IT, I was actually in the contact center at Members First at the time. Uh, had no like college degree in IT, no certifications, nothing. I was just a gamer that liked computers. Like I built my own gaming PC at one point, uh, figured that out, but that's pretty much the extent of it. Um, but I remember applying for an entry-level help desk position uh that we had. It was about a almost a year uh that I was in the contact center. And in that interview, I shared the story around uh uh in sixth grade when I thought I could take apart and reassemble my dad's computer. Um he was an early adopter of computers, so we had one in the house, and he was working, and I was home in the afternoon, and the case was open, and I saw it, and I'm like, I think I could take that apart and put it together. Uh so my dad came home shortly after I had completely finished disassembling it. And he came down to the room that the computer was in and saw me there just sitting on the floor, Indian style, with his computer, all pieces just scattered around me on the floor like they were Lego pieces. Um and to his credit, he did not yell uh or scream at me or anything, but there was a very, very long pause.

SPEAKER_03 59:38

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_00 59:39

And uh he took a deep breath and then he said, I'm not going to yell at you, but you better put that back, and it had better work when you're done. And then he turned around and left me to it. And uh after a little bit of trial and error, I did actually end up getting it put back together, uh, and it was working. Uh, he came back down. And let me tell you, as a sixth grader, that sense of accomplishment that I felt from putting that PC back together, no experience, there was no Google at the time, like just winging it. Uh I was on cloud nine, and that's the exact same story that I shared in my help desk IT interview. And I followed it up with telling them, it's like, are you interviewing other people that have more education or qualifications than me? Realistically, yeah, you are. But if you give me this shot, I know I have no training or knowledge to back this up in the field. Start me out at the lowest pay possible. I don't care. I just want to get in here, and what I can guarantee you is that I'm going to bust my butt to be the best dang help desk tech you've ever hired. And they ended up giving me a shot, and I've been in IT the last nine years, working my way up, and now I'm network admin.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:06

There you go. It pays off, it always does.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:10

Um the final question is the one that I ask everybody, but if they're and you've shared a lot of moments, so I don't know if it's one of them or another one, but is there like a specific moment that you think, yeah, this is this is why I'm here, this is why I do it, this is this is what it's about.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:29

Really, uh I've had a couple moments that if we would have had this interview last year, I would have absolutely referenced one of those. But really, it was Hype the Hill last year. Um after that moment, the feedback that I had gotten from the YPs that attended and the mentors that were there and helped share their stories with the YPs around just how much they took away from it, how like it really did stoke or fuel uh that like passionate flame within them for credit unions and the credit union difference. I got so much feedback that was positive around that event and how it helped really connect the dots of why advocacy is important in the minds of a lot of young professionals. That was absolutely the definitive moment for me where it's like, wow, I did make a difference here.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:30

You did. It was an amazing event. I had a great time.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:34

Same here. Yeah, even though uh I was probably very frantic running around and sweating the entire day.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:40

I did see you moving around a lot. But it it was it was good.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:48

I that it doesn't I can't even put into words like just how much I appreciate it. And it I you know, any event that Fuel puts on that I cannot work at is is great, but it was I liked that it was a little step up from Hike the Hillage, just kind of like a baby. It was like the introduction to advocacy, like here you go.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:13

Here you go and and have fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:15

And also, like we were so lucky to be able to host it in the state capitol. Like I feel like that was a huge part of it being in Heritage Hall, where they have all of that like history just outside of the door. I feel like the environment that we had, Hype the Hill, definitely did a lot to help elevate it a few more notches. Uh but yeah, I can't wait to see uh what future Hype the Hills end up rolling out and looking like and hopefully uh still get to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:46

I think you will be. You're kind of the the main brainchild behind it. So at least until you age out of fuel, and then you'll just SOL. Sorry, no.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:56

Yeah, no, no uh no caveats there. You age out, that's kind of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:01

Right. Well, I'm gonna let you go for the rest of your Ewing. Thank you for joining me, agreeing to be on this. I am super excited to edit this and happy I got to know you a little bit more and find out that I do have a twin, basically. Um and congratulations again on everything. You've had an amazing 10 years, definitely an amazing last two years, and congrats.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:29

I appreciate that. Thank you so much, Camille. It was great being able to meet with you and chat a little bit on the podcast and can't wait to hear it when it comes out.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:37

Sounds good. I'll give you uh I'll give you a shout out when it's out.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:40

Thanks. I hope you have a great rest of your night.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:43

You too.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:44

Bye. Bye.