March 10, 2025 • 54 mins
In celebration of the 5-year anniversary of Warriors At Work, I am resharing my first ever interview with the “ultimate mentor and motivator” Jean Otte in early 2020.
Experience a special journey into entrepreneurship with the extraordinary Jean Otte, Founder of WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. From Jean’s very humble beginnings in London during World War II to the building of a nationally recognized organization, Jean talks openly and honestly about fear, uncertainty and courage as she faced many obstacles over her career.
Jean Otte was the embodiment of grit, humor, clarity, ambition, and courage.
As my mentor, she challenged anything mediocre. She was direct, intuitive, and never shy about giving advice. Jean had an incredible ability to balance big-picture thinking with tactical execution. She could hold space for fears and insecurities while guiding you toward confident decisions.
I still hear her voice when I’m feeling unsure or insecure. Her influence shaped me in ways I can’t fully express, and for that, I am deeply grateful.
(2:15) Jean shares with us some of her experiences growing up in England during WWII.
(8:30) Did Jean’s determination and independence come from her experiences while growing up?
(12:21) Jean shares her motivation for starting her own company.
(21:46) What was Jean’s transition like, to move from a corporate position to starting out on her own?
(26:40) What were some of the first things Jean did notice that proved her new venture was going to succeed?
(31:32) Jean shares how her mentor, Jack Urish, was an integral throughout getting WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. off the ground.
(36:18) What has been Jean’s greatest accomplishment building this business?
(39:23) What was a point of frustration or concern for her during that same time?
(42:05) What advice would Jean share for those just starting out?
(45:46) Who or what brings Jean joy? What frustrates Jean? What scares her and how does she overcome those fears? Who would she want to meet, alive or dead?
(52:06) What daily practice or ritual that keeps Jean alive and connected?
Subscribe: Warriors At Work Podcasts
Website: https://jeaniecoomber.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/986666321719033/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanie_coomber/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeanie_coomber
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanie-coomber-90973b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbMZ2HyNNyPoeCSqKClBC_w
Experience a special journey into entrepreneurship with the extraordinary Jean Otte, Founder of WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. From Jean’s very humble beginnings in London during World War II to the building of a nationally recognized organization, Jean talks openly and honestly about fear, uncertainty and courage as she faced many obstacles over her career.
Jean Otte was the embodiment of grit, humor, clarity, ambition, and courage.
As my mentor, she challenged anything mediocre. She was direct, intuitive, and never shy about giving advice. Jean had an incredible ability to balance big-picture thinking with tactical execution. She could hold space for fears and insecurities while guiding you toward confident decisions.
I still hear her voice when I’m feeling unsure or insecure. Her influence shaped me in ways I can’t fully express, and for that, I am deeply grateful.
(2:15) Jean shares with us some of her experiences growing up in England during WWII.
(8:30) Did Jean’s determination and independence come from her experiences while growing up?
(12:21) Jean shares her motivation for starting her own company.
(21:46) What was Jean’s transition like, to move from a corporate position to starting out on her own?
(26:40) What were some of the first things Jean did notice that proved her new venture was going to succeed?
(31:32) Jean shares how her mentor, Jack Urish, was an integral throughout getting WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. off the ground.
(36:18) What has been Jean’s greatest accomplishment building this business?
(39:23) What was a point of frustration or concern for her during that same time?
(42:05) What advice would Jean share for those just starting out?
(45:46) Who or what brings Jean joy? What frustrates Jean? What scares her and how does she overcome those fears? Who would she want to meet, alive or dead?
(52:06) What daily practice or ritual that keeps Jean alive and connected?
Subscribe: Warriors At Work Podcasts
Website: https://jeaniecoomber.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/986666321719033/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanie_coomber/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeanie_coomber
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanie-coomber-90973b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbMZ2HyNNyPoeCSqKClBC_w
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Warriors at Work Show. This is Genie Coomber,
your guide and host. This is a show for men
and women in the workplace who want to move from
the predictable to the potent. This is your weekly dose
of inspiration with an edge. I talk with CEOs and shamans,
sports marketing executives, and therapists. All of us are like
(00:25):
minded thinkers and doers who tell stories, share wisdom, and
challenge each other to have the best life possible inside
and outside the office. Welcome to your Warrior conversation. Jean
has had a thirty plus year experience in corporate America,
holding various positions at organizations like McDonald's, Jillette Bell. She
(00:50):
eventually became a corporate officer at National Car Rental. She
went on twenty five years ago to be the founder
of Women Unlimited, a nationally recognized program in the development
of leadership talent for women. She's also authored two books.
She's been written up in various publications, including BusinessWeek. She's
(01:13):
been honored by Lifetime Television, the Committee of two Hundred,
the YMCA Girls, Inc. The list goes on and on
and on. Professionally, personally, she represented to me the story
of perseverance and courage. She was naturally the best person
to start with. I really felt strongly that Gene could
(01:34):
really be the person to help us understand what this
becoming journey looks and feels like. The reason I use
the word becoming is we're all growing and expanding, We're
all trying to figure out who is we want to become?
How do we use our talents in the best possible way.
And there was just no better person that came to
mind than Geneod.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So here I.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Am at gene Out's beautiful home and Little Silver, New Jersey,
and we were just starting to have a conversation that
I think would be a great place for us to start.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So there were some really.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Powerful foundational experiences you had growing up in England that
I think would be a great place for us to start.
And you've had a lot of experiences from there that
you've been able to transfer into your life, both personally
and professionally.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So Jeene share with us a little bit about that story.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Well, first of all, thank you for inviting me. This
is quite quite nice, and I will say that my
growing up truly had so much to do with who
I became. I was born during right before the war
(02:49):
started in England, so the first six years of my
life I spent many many hours in bombshelters. Was in
my first home, was literally bombed, and as a little girl,
(03:11):
it became the norm for me to have these experiences
that didn't feel scary. It just became the normal, everyday thing.
If I went to school, Lincoln's School, I remember in Dagenham, Essex,
(03:32):
I went to school. I was four and a half
years old and the school was bombed. Wow, and we children,
what's thrilled? We were excited no school, there was no school,
we thought, but unfortunately they took us to a church
and continued. The reason I share this is that throughout
(03:56):
my life I have been so adaptable and flexible because
I know that life is nothing but change. It's an
absolute that change is part of life, and I adapted
(04:17):
to that at a very early age. So even though
I've gone through a lot of things in my life,
I was in teachers College in Wales, because I lived
in seven different cities before I was eighteen years old,
I was in teacher's college. My father died very sad however,
(04:39):
so how old were you at seventeen seventeen. However, I
was in teacher's college because my father wanted me to
be a teacher. I didn't want to be a teacher.
I wanted something quite different. And with my father's passing
sad as it was, it's the adage that door closed,
(05:03):
but a window opened for me. I ended up doing
exactly what I dreamed of doing for several years, which
was becoming an airline hostess for British European Airways.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
British European areas did they become British Airways?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
They became British Airways Later in life, okay, but that
was the exciting life that I wanted and was able
to enjoy that for several years. It's what brought me
to the United States and again. My whole life, Genie,
(05:42):
has been a series of wonderful, exciting, marvelous times and
not so wonderful times. But if there's one thing I've
learned in this life, that's what life is. It's a
series of times are wonderful, sometimes not so wonderful, but
(06:04):
you get through it, you keep going. It's the old British,
you know, keep calm and carry on. I think that
my without a doubt. I'm very very glad in a
way that whilst I didn't have what I see many
(06:30):
many many people having as very secure family life living
in one place or their life. I've lived in so
many places I've lost count.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
You're also talking a lot of us have a certain
level of predictability and structure and control, and what you
described as there wasn't any no. You had to learn
how to really flow with each experience.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
And I love how you said that, learn how to
flow with each experience, because which experience is different, whether
it be personal or professional. So as I said, I
really took advantage of the fact that I wasn't afraid
to go into a new experience. I looked at new
(07:18):
experiences as great new adventures. I was very early in
my career, very early. I was at Illinois Bell Telephone
and I was interviewing for a supervisory position. I was
(07:41):
twenty six years old and a female, and I was
told by the then called personnel manager that it wasn't
open to women, which of course begged the question why not?
(08:02):
And I was told, well, because women, especially if they
get married, they get pregnant, and they leave all of
that stuff. Anyway, I persevered and decided that I needed
to have that job be mine, okay, and I rallied
several other men in the company to be advocates for me.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
So just just stuff for a second that that particular.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Example, do you think your your determination.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
And ambition and focus came.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
From that foundational experience that you had as a child
where you just nobody's gonna help.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Well, I am.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I'm the person that can go get whatever I need
in life, and I can line up what I need
to do that. So did you find that you have
this level of independence that led to that?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Yes, not only that level of independence, Genie, but the
belief that I still have. I've been blessed, blessed all
my life to have others help me, but they wouldn't
have helped me perhaps if I hadn't gone sought out
(09:22):
their help. I learned at a very early age. Again,
I said to you, I went to seven different schools
in different countries. Even the first thing I did was
figure out who's the popular gang.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Who are the ones that, let's say have influence. I
made sure that I made them aware of things that
I could perhaps do that would be helpful to them.
And that translated a lot into my business acumen.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Later, there was a point in my career where I
realized that I was being successful in terms of promotions.
I did end up becoming the first female corporate officer
(10:27):
at National Car Rental, and I realized that it was
interesting that there were many other women who were equally talented,
more education than I had, but they were waiting for
(10:53):
that moment that I always used to think of, as
you know, the I help the Queen of They were
waiting to be asked, they were waiting to be offered,
they were waiting to see what opportunities. I never did that.
(11:15):
I sought out opportunities. I made sure that I was
letting people know, Hey, if there's ever an opening in operations,
I'd love to I was making sure I did that
because I, again had learned at an early age alliances
(11:38):
people who are willing to help you are going to
really help you be successful.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
How did they find you doing that?
Speaker 1 (11:46):
In other words, did the other women your colleagues appreciate
the fact that you would seek that out?
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Unfortunately, No, I would say that the competitiveness was really tough.
We're talking thirty years ago, right, and women were only
really coming into the senior management roles at that time.
(12:12):
I will say that I actually got far, far more
support from my male colleagues. Isn't that than my female colleagues,
But that is something that really spurred me on when
I decided that I wanted to form my own company.
(12:34):
Let me explain that, please do. I went through one
of those periods actually in nineteen eighty eight that the
Queen calls it annas horublus. It was a terrible year
I had. On one hand, career wise, was on the
(12:59):
highest high career wise. My husband, who was only fifty,
died of cancer. My mother died four weeks after my
husband had died, My eldest son graduated and was hired
by Disney and married, all within a four month period,
(13:23):
moved to Florida, and my youngest son had joined the
Marines and was sent to Desert Storm. It was not
a great period in my life, and for anybody listening
who has a doggie, I managed everything pretty well until
my beloved doggie died within the same time period. So
(13:46):
it was a very tough period of time. However, I knew,
I absolutely knew I would get through this. I would
continue to seek ways to be enjoying life and making
my life count for something. And it was not long
(14:12):
after all of that happened that I was driving to
work one morning, lived in Minnesota, driving in feet of snow,
thinking this isn't lovely and dreading going in to work,
(14:35):
dreading it. And it was at that time that I
realized I was sitting in budget meetings, I was downsizing,
I was doing nothing but administrative type work at a
(14:56):
high level.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Is this when you were a senior executive national currentle? Okay,
this was your moment. This was your crucial pivoting moment
on how you needed to capitalize.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
In your experience and really become you.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Now I love how you put that, because I would
say that was my defining Okay, your whole life has changed, Gene.
You're now a single professional woman. You are living in Minneapolis,
(15:31):
lovely place, but as a single person, I would say
it was difficult to be a single person when all
of your friends were married couples and so and so.
But the defining moment, as you call it, really was
because I realized I had no passion for what I
(15:54):
was doing. Yeah, I didn't feel any enjoyment, As I said,
sitting in budget meetings and downsizing meetings. It was at
that point that I decided that I was going to
spend the rest of my career doing something I loved.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
And how old were you at this point?
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Fifty one?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Fifty one okay?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
And I had always loved, loved training people. That was
one of my most favorite things. And I had started
a group in Minneapolis that I called us the super Chicks.
(16:50):
There were six of us. I had reached out to
five other women who worked for companies, for example, like
three M, General Mills, Honeywell IDs which became part of
(17:11):
American Express, Betty Crocker. They're all headquartered in Minneapolis, and
I had reached out to find out who were their
most senior women in their companies. And I asked them
a question, would you be interested in getting together just
(17:32):
informally as a group of senior level women, just to
discuss what it's like to be in the C suite
and the senior level. Every one of them responded, yes,
we met. Did you cold call them? Yes? Wow, yes,
and they welcomed the idea. We met for dinner that
(17:56):
first time. It was unbelievable how immediately we realized, oh,
this is the best possible thing to be sharing our
issues around being a senior level woman in a major
(18:19):
corporation in a safe, non competitive en fire.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Amount competitive being the operative word.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
They're very operative genie and be able to quite frankly
share with each other best practices, worst practices, and in addition,
we would call each other when we were having an issue.
(18:49):
So that group we stayed together for three years and
it was one of the highlights of my career to
have this wonderful network of women, all of us supporting
each other, giving each other advice, a perspective that I
(19:10):
would never have gotten. For example, one of the women
was at General Mills. She was what today would have
been a CFO. She was a treasurer. She helped all
of us understand the numbers. Rarely understand the numbers. I
(19:35):
can remember. The woman from three m was in information
technology that was just becoming bigger stuff. The stuff we
learned from her, it was amazing in essence.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
You were able to then learn the financials which drive organizations,
probably reading annual reports, understanding sort of bottom line numbers.
And then you have an IT excutive that teaches you
all the infrastructure, like all the architecture and all the
foundational pieces.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
And I have to tell you. I will tell you
that it was so much fun to be in a
meeting in my own company when the CFO would put
up numbers and I would be able to say, so
tell me what you think is going to happen with
(20:29):
ebit and have people staring at me like how does
she know that? Okay. From that wonderful experience with those women,
not only did we become marvelous support systems for each
other in a professional way. Personally we became a support system.
(20:53):
But it was during that period that I realized this
is what I love. I'm good at this stuff. I
can facilitate a group and ask questions of a group
that I don't see that many other people doing. That
(21:16):
was the foundation of Women Unlimited, the idea that if
this group of women were able to work together in
a safe, non competitive, supportive environment, why couldn't that be
(21:43):
a business.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
So tell me about So you were together for three years,
you have this high profile job at National car Rental.
You've now come to the place where you're ready to transition.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
So tell me, like, what was that transition?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Like, did you just decide one day.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Okay, today's day I quit, today's the day I leave.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
And no, it was very well planned out. Okay, it
took about eighteen months from the time I decided. In fact,
I have a journal where it's I believe in journaling,
by the way, Genie, because journaling you can look back
and say, oh, I thought that was the worst thing
(22:24):
that was ever going to happen to me, and it wasn't. Yeah,
and you can look at it and see look at that.
I was so worried about that. Of course it never happened.
Wasted time. So I was journaling for about eighteen months.
The vision I had how I would leave the company.
(22:49):
When I would leave the company, what I would do
in terms of creating the business I wanted to rune.
Women Unlimited was very much what I wanted. And Women
Unlimited stems from the fact that I wrote down the
(23:09):
word women. Actually it was on a cocktail napkin, but
I wrote down the word women. I was with some
friends and came up with Women's Organization for mentoring, education
and networking, and that was it. It was yes, of course,
(23:33):
and unlimited. So I would say I had planned to
leave at a certain date and time. Once again, a
door closed and a window opened for me. Six months
before I was planning to leave, National Car Rental was
(23:58):
brought out by General Motors. It was very clear that
they were looking at a very different model of how
to run the company, and just even meeting the new CEO, OH,
I knew it was time for me to go. They
(24:21):
were offering all kinds of packages, and of course, being
a protected class, I was able to negotiate a very nice,
very nice exit package. So that exit package was my
seed money. I gave myself two years to determine could
(24:49):
I make a go of this idea that I had.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Why two years?
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I figured it would take at least a year for
me to get people to buy into the concept. I
would have to be visiting companies and have to be
getting participants in my program, and then a year to
perhaps see if I was going to be able to
make money at this I moved from Minneapolis to New
(25:25):
York because I was determined that if I was going
to make it anywhere, it would have to be starting
in New York, where there were so many corporate headquarters.
I also had during my career many developed, many, many,
many contacts. I was president of a large customer service organization.
(25:52):
I was a Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award examiner. I was
on the board of the Better Business Bureau. I had
contacts that I was reaching out to and sharing my
vision with who I knew were going to help me
get in to meet the right people within their companies,
(26:15):
which is exactly what happened. So I moved to New York,
did not sell my house in Minnesota. Again, I was
giving myself, right, will this work? Happiness reigns because within
six months it was clear that I was going to
(26:35):
be able to launch a program, which I did.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
When you got to New York, though, what was your
first move? So in other words, was it was it
a phone call? Was it a meeting you set up?
Speaker 4 (26:47):
What?
Speaker 1 (26:47):
And when you came out of that meeting where you
were like, well, here it is, It's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yes and no, okay. I will share with you the
fact that when I moved to New York, I rented
an apartment in Manhattan, which was greatful. I had, as
I said, contacts within many different companies. Some of those
(27:15):
contacts worked out so beautifully when I got to meet
with the heads of the company. In some instances, I
was meeting with the CEO. In some instances I was
meeting with the chief of diversity. It depended. Not all
of them resulted in my coming out feeling like oh
(27:37):
so excited, but one of the very first ones, and
I will be forever ever grateful, was I was.
Speaker 5 (27:48):
Introduced to the head of the law department at Colgate
in New York.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
That wonderful woman, Michelle Coleman Mays had just recently taken
over responsibility for Global HR and I can remember walking
into her office and we had, I think, instant bonding.
(28:21):
We couldn't have been more different, and we had instantaneous
bonding because as I started to explain my vision of
what Women Unlimited would do to help women become much
more successful and more importantly, learn how to work to
get together better, she literally, sitting behind her desk, put
(28:48):
her hand up and said, stop, I'm there. I got it.
It was one of those magical moments, Geenie, that somebody
under good my passion understood what this could do for women.
So I'm willing to take the risk. And twenty five
(29:10):
years later, Colgate is still one of the most supportive
companies for Women Unlimited. They've put hundreds of hundreds of
women through the program. But yeah, there were days when
I would come back from meetings, having traveled on the
(29:33):
subway out to the middle of nowhere to meet with people,
and came back feeling very disillusioned. Again, all captured in
my journal and the realization that not everybody was going
to see this as a marvelous thing. But enough did.
(29:56):
And it took me six months and I was able
to launcher program with twelve companies participating on the very.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
First And this, by the way, was not with a
whole ton of workbooks created and PowerPoint slide decks and
all of this vision.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
This was you speaking, oh I, heart to heart.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Yeah, I had no materials to offer. I was very blessed.
I did manage to have some business cards made up,
and of course that you were at least talking five
years ago, Jeanie. I didn't have a website. It was me.
(30:42):
I was selling my passion and my belief in what
women could do if we brought them together to share.
And again I was blessed that that first group, that
first group of women, proved to be everything I had envisioned.
(31:03):
In fact, it's interesting because I can remember at the
very first graduation. It's a year long program. These women
come together once a month for a year. Companies were
making that commitment and watching what happened to these women
in that year was one of the most rewarding, most
(31:29):
rewarding things in my career. You know.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
The other thing that I was thinking about, I know
Jack has played an influential.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Role in your life.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
And when you were in the process of going out
and talking to these companies and pitching this idea and
really just speaking from your heart, how did he help
influence your career and this new business entity, because I
would imagine it probably felt very lonely at times. Is
there was just you talking, you know, speaking about all
of these things. You must needed somebody to process this
(32:03):
with who knew you and knew what you were trying
to create. And did you know, I know, Jack is
such an important part of your life.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Well as you know because you're well aware of who
he is. Jack Irish was my boss at one time
at National Currental. He was one of the owners of
the company and was one of my greatest advocates and supporters.
And when I shared with him that I really wanted
(32:39):
to have my own company one day that I really would.
He became my go to. He became the person who
absolutely wouldn't let me even think about not doing it.
He pushed me at time. I would share with him
(33:03):
that I really couldn't take one more person telling me
they didn't think this was going to work. But he
always saw that I was a person who if I
just kept at it, if I just really looked at it,
(33:24):
that it was going to be successful. And he would
tell me that. He would literally be the person who
would tell me over and over, you're going to make
this a huge success, Gene. So having a mentor like that,
somebody who he certainly helped open some doors for me too.
(33:47):
But I have to share a funny story if I may,
because Jack Eurrish actually shares this with people himself. He
had a colleague in Manhattan who was a gentleman, uh
I'd say in his sixties maybe, and he ran one
(34:10):
of the most successful headhunter companies in Manhattan, extremely well known.
And Jack Irrish got an appointment for me with this
gentleman that he felt would be good for me to
(34:32):
make connection with who would be helpful. I went on
that appointment and it was very difficult to hear this
gentleman tell me, well, I have to tell you. I
(34:54):
think it's a nice idea, but this is New York
Gene a really tough place for anybody to start a business,
especially a woman. Okay, that did more for me than
(35:16):
I could ever explain. It was the moment that I
knew I'm doing this. If for no other reason, then
that man just told me that this is a tough
place for a woman. Right. Several years later, when Women
Unlimited was featured in BusinessWeek.
Speaker 6 (35:42):
As one of the most successful organizations for helping women
to become leaders, my dear friend and mentor Jack Yourrish
sent that article.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
I'd love to this gentleman with a very nice note saying,
I thought you might be interested to see how well
Jeane has done.
Speaker 7 (36:04):
That's fab Yeah, it was a magical moment, so in
the times that so, you know, Women Unlimited has been
around for a long time now, have had tremendous success.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
What has been your greatest moment of accomplishment or fulfillment?
Speaker 2 (36:26):
And then what's been.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Your greatest frustration in building that business over that time period.
Now that you can look at it with so much
reflection and wisdom.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
Because when you're in it.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
And you're building a business, it's so hard to see
even the winds because you're so focused on the next thing.
Speaker 3 (36:48):
Yes, however, Jeanie, I think that one of my abilities
that I I've been able to share with a lot
of women, as I share with you quite often as
(37:08):
you do, is to stop, stop the presses, quiet down,
and take a moment to rejoice and something wonderful that
you've been doing. So Yes, I was in a lot
(37:33):
of years of building the business, traveling all over the country,
meeting with people, but I took time a to journal
those magical moments so I could relift them. But the
biggest I remember this with makes me emotional, chief and
(37:57):
think about it, Genie. But the ten years anniversary conference
of Women Unlimited that we held in New York at
the Hired. There was an evening event that was quite
marvelous and wonderful. But here were hundreds of women and
(38:21):
spontaneously they held up those votive candles that were on
the tables and they started singing, you make me feel
like a natural woman.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
It was done quite frankly, spontaneously, and they were saying
thank you. I cannot begin to tell you what it
was like to look around that room, the diversity in
that room. It was one of the and it continues
(39:05):
to be one of the most magical moments for me.
Of all of the years of Women Unlimited, There's been
lots of magical moments, Jeanie, but that one, as I said,
I think of it, I feel emotional to seeing them
with their votive candles singing. You made me feel like
a natural.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
And when you think back, sometimes where that we're frustrating
or you were concerned.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
And you thought, what is this going to mean? To
tell me a little bit more about that.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Was there a particular role that stands out, or more
of a time period that stands out.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
I would say the frustration, honestly became similar to what
I'd experienced as a senior executive at National Current. As
the company grew and it started with a company one
(40:02):
and it became a company of forty plus people all
over the country, my role became running the company and
it wasn't something that I loved. I loved being in
(40:23):
the room with the women. I loved seeing what effect
it was on women who didn't have confidence in themselves
getting support and being able to stand up. That was
my passion here I was again now after fifteen plus years,
(40:49):
my role becoming business development, budget meetings, staffing issues. It
wasn't where my heart was, Genie, and it was truly
something that I don't think enough business owners pay enough
(41:09):
attention to. But I had a business plan from the
day I started Women Unlimited that didn't change very much.
And part of that plan was to identify the people
that would take over from me, that this would never
be a Gene not program, that this would be something
(41:31):
that would continue whether Geno was in it or not.
I had mentored several people, and I ended up turning
over the running of the company to the now new
owner and CEO of Women Unlimited, and retaining a role
(41:53):
on the board, still having an interest. I'm still involved
in a minor way, but doing the things I enjoy.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
So now your business is wildly successful. Twenty five years later,
you're enjoying more time for you traveling, having a fantastic
experience in life. What advice would you give to a
younger version of Gene who's maybe just starting out, maybe
even going back to that the decision to work for
(42:29):
what's now British Airways, or even earlier advice Yeah, what
would you say to the younger version of Gene.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Never ever be so afraid of things that may never happen.
Not one, because a lot of times I think people
get so afraid of things and when they look back
at something never happened. Don't be worried about those times
(43:03):
that things aren't going so well, because it will change.
Last year I went through stage three cancer surgery and
had to go through all of the radiation and chemotherapy
and so and so forth. It wasn't the happiest time
of my life by any means, But again I knew,
(43:30):
without a shadow of a doubt, Okay, this is one
of those periods. It's going to get better. It certainly has.
Certainly has. I've done more wonderful traveling with family friends
in this past year. But I think if I were
to give advice to myself, something I'd love to share
(43:58):
that my husband and are actually shared with me. My
advice would be stop being so concerned about what other
people think about you. The reason I say that is
I can remember coming home one evening, sitting at the
(44:22):
dinner table with my husband and sons, and I was
just going off like crazy about a fellow at work
that had really ticked me off.
Speaker 8 (44:34):
And I was going on and on and on and
things he had said and how it upset me, and
how he literally was telling me I was not understanding.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
I was furious. And my husband looked across the table
and said, it's time that you understood that you care
so much about what other people think about you and
they don't. Oh god, it was fantastic. And I swear, Genie,
(45:14):
this was over thirty something years ago. I think about
that all the time. How many of us spend time
being concerned about what happened and somebody said, and we
get all upset. They're going about their lives. Yeah, we
were talking storytelling.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Oh yeah, we spend so much time projecting.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
And making assumptions, making assumptions that most of the time
are ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
So I have a few questions, just to close out
our conversation, that I would love to hear your point
of view on who or what brings you joy?
Speaker 3 (45:55):
Oh? What brings me joy? Right now? My magnificent medical team.
When I go for my checkups that I have to
do every three months, and they tell me I'm doing great,
(46:18):
that's the best there is. Next that, of course, is
my family. I mean, I'm very blessed. I have a
sister and two sons. That's my huge family. And next
to that is that I still want to be able
(46:42):
to share moments like this. Doing something like this Genie
brings me joy because my hope is that somewhere a
woman is going to be listening and maybe going through
a tough time. Go through tough times, but it will
(47:03):
get better if you just make sure that you envision
it getting better. I spend a lot of time in
that mode of how I want to see things, how
I want things to be, and I think you put
(47:24):
it out there, it doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt when
you put something out there into the universe, and it's
happened so many times in my life that it's worked
out well for me.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
So the the counter to that is what really makes
you mad.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
Really frustrates you. Victims. Now, I don't mean victims of
terrible things. I cry. I mean, please, that's not what
I mean. I'm talking about victim behavior. I have a
very difficult time when people share things with me that
(48:07):
they're upset about, and they asked me for my advice,
and I did it right, and then the next time
we talk, they've done absolutely nothing about what I've shared,
(48:27):
and they're still talking about the same thing. I have
a very difficult time with that, because we choose. We
choose every day, how we're gonna behave that day, what
we're going to tolerate that day, what boundaries we're going
(48:48):
to allow to be moved aside by somebody else. So, yeah,
that's my huge frustration. Genie and I still have a
hope that although I've seen some traumatic changes in the
(49:08):
women in the last thirty years, last twenty five years,
I've seen changes, they're still this behavior that I find
difficult in this day and age, behavior of waiting for
(49:29):
somebody else to sort of do something to help you
move you forward when you can make traces to help
yourself move forward.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
What scares you and how do you handle the fear?
Speaker 3 (49:53):
Interesting anyone that's a parent, I think knows scares me that,
please God, my sons are safe and healthy and livingland
lives scares me. Anything happening to them, that would be
my number one fear right now. To be very frank
(50:16):
with you, I think the only thing that scares me
is the idea of not being well enough and healthy
enough and energetic enough to be doing the things I
love to do. Don't see myself in the home crocheme.
(50:43):
It's not for me. Fine for those people who love it,
but that's not for me. So that's the only thing
that really scares me is that I wouldn't be able
to get up and have a wonderful conversation with somebody
like you.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
Okay, who would you want to eat? Alive or dead?
And why?
Speaker 3 (51:03):
Oh that's easy? Who do you want to be? Eleanor Roosevelt?
Why she's been my hero since I don't know when
I'm forever A woman so ahead of her time, a
woman who did more amazing things for this country, and
(51:29):
talk about somebody who had to overcome so many obstacles,
bless her heart, and put up with so many awful,
awful things being written about her and said about it.
I just think she was one of the most courageous
women on the face of this planet. I'm sure if
(51:50):
I really thought about Sally Ride, for Heaven's sakes, you know,
the whole space program. But Eleen. I just love to
sit down with Eleanor and find out what drove.
Speaker 2 (52:04):
Her final question. What a daily practice.
Speaker 1 (52:10):
Or ritual you have that you do every single day
that you think keeps you aligned and connected.
Speaker 3 (52:17):
Every single day. I ask God to help me make
this be a good day that I contribute something to
the universe. Every single day, I make sure I find
something to laugh at. So for an example, I can
(52:39):
put on street Caroline and dance around and laugh so
hard when I go Badah. I make sure of it.
Every single day. I find something to laugh at, no
matter how the day is. And I think, in honesty,
(53:01):
every single day, I really do make every effort to
reach out to somebody that I care about. Might just
be a text email these days, you know, but just
keeping me connected with people I really care about. I'm
(53:24):
in the final chapter here, you know, and I want
to make sure that I don't waste time. Don't waste time,
You got.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
It, So thank you, Jean for sharing so much of
your personal story personally and professionally. I think you've have
incredible experience and you're such a great role model for
perseverance and courage, creativity, given so many great tips tricks
perspective here, and I love your honesty in really sharing
(53:57):
with us a little bit more about you personally.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
I think this was a great conversation and looking forward
to hearing about your next adventures.
Speaker 3 (54:05):
And it's been sincerely a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (54:08):
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the
Warriors at Work Show. If you are interested in learning
more about what we do at the Warriors at Work
Show and platform, be sure to go over to my website,
Genie Komber and subscribe to my monthly Warrior Playbook newsletter.
I share everything that I'm up to month by month,
(54:29):
as well as some lessons and insights that I've learned.
I'm also interested in hearing any feedback you have about
this conversation or future topics, so reach out to me
directly on JC at Geniecoomber dot com or on LinkedIn.
Be sure to tell your friends and your colleagues about
this Warriors at Work conversation, Subscribe, review and rate us.
(54:53):
It's the best way to get this message out into
the world.
Speaker 7 (54:57):
Be well,
Welcome to the Warriors at Work Show. This is Genie Coomber,
your guide and host. This is a show for men
and women in the workplace who want to move from
the predictable to the potent. This is your weekly dose
of inspiration with an edge. I talk with CEOs and shamans,
sports marketing executives, and therapists. All of us are like
(00:25):
minded thinkers and doers who tell stories, share wisdom, and
challenge each other to have the best life possible inside
and outside the office. Welcome to your Warrior conversation. Jean
has had a thirty plus year experience in corporate America,
holding various positions at organizations like McDonald's, Jillette Bell. She
(00:50):
eventually became a corporate officer at National Car Rental. She
went on twenty five years ago to be the founder
of Women Unlimited, a nationally recognized program in the development
of leadership talent for women. She's also authored two books.
She's been written up in various publications, including BusinessWeek. She's
(01:13):
been honored by Lifetime Television, the Committee of two Hundred,
the YMCA Girls, Inc. The list goes on and on
and on. Professionally, personally, she represented to me the story
of perseverance and courage. She was naturally the best person
to start with. I really felt strongly that Gene could
(01:34):
really be the person to help us understand what this
becoming journey looks and feels like. The reason I use
the word becoming is we're all growing and expanding, We're
all trying to figure out who is we want to become?
How do we use our talents in the best possible way.
And there was just no better person that came to
mind than Geneod.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So here I.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Am at gene Out's beautiful home and Little Silver, New Jersey,
and we were just starting to have a conversation that
I think would be a great place for us to start.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So there were some really.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Powerful foundational experiences you had growing up in England that
I think would be a great place for us to start.
And you've had a lot of experiences from there that
you've been able to transfer into your life, both personally
and professionally.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So Jeene share with us a little bit about that story.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Well, first of all, thank you for inviting me. This
is quite quite nice, and I will say that my
growing up truly had so much to do with who
I became. I was born during right before the war
(02:49):
started in England, so the first six years of my
life I spent many many hours in bombshelters. Was in
my first home, was literally bombed, and as a little girl,
(03:11):
it became the norm for me to have these experiences
that didn't feel scary. It just became the normal, everyday thing.
If I went to school, Lincoln's School, I remember in Dagenham, Essex,
(03:32):
I went to school. I was four and a half
years old and the school was bombed. Wow, and we children,
what's thrilled? We were excited no school, there was no school,
we thought, but unfortunately they took us to a church
and continued. The reason I share this is that throughout
(03:56):
my life I have been so adaptable and flexible because
I know that life is nothing but change. It's an
absolute that change is part of life, and I adapted
(04:17):
to that at a very early age. So even though
I've gone through a lot of things in my life,
I was in teachers College in Wales, because I lived
in seven different cities before I was eighteen years old,
I was in teacher's college. My father died very sad however,
(04:39):
so how old were you at seventeen seventeen. However, I
was in teacher's college because my father wanted me to
be a teacher. I didn't want to be a teacher.
I wanted something quite different. And with my father's passing
sad as it was, it's the adage that door closed,
(05:03):
but a window opened for me. I ended up doing
exactly what I dreamed of doing for several years, which
was becoming an airline hostess for British European Airways.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
British European areas did they become British Airways?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
They became British Airways Later in life, okay, but that
was the exciting life that I wanted and was able
to enjoy that for several years. It's what brought me
to the United States and again. My whole life, Genie,
(05:42):
has been a series of wonderful, exciting, marvelous times and
not so wonderful times. But if there's one thing I've
learned in this life, that's what life is. It's a
series of times are wonderful, sometimes not so wonderful, but
(06:04):
you get through it, you keep going. It's the old British,
you know, keep calm and carry on. I think that
my without a doubt. I'm very very glad in a
way that whilst I didn't have what I see many
(06:30):
many many people having as very secure family life living
in one place or their life. I've lived in so
many places I've lost count.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
You're also talking a lot of us have a certain
level of predictability and structure and control, and what you
described as there wasn't any no. You had to learn
how to really flow with each experience.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
And I love how you said that, learn how to
flow with each experience, because which experience is different, whether
it be personal or professional. So as I said, I
really took advantage of the fact that I wasn't afraid
to go into a new experience. I looked at new
(07:18):
experiences as great new adventures. I was very early in
my career, very early. I was at Illinois Bell Telephone
and I was interviewing for a supervisory position. I was
(07:41):
twenty six years old and a female, and I was
told by the then called personnel manager that it wasn't
open to women, which of course begged the question why not?
(08:02):
And I was told, well, because women, especially if they
get married, they get pregnant, and they leave all of
that stuff. Anyway, I persevered and decided that I needed
to have that job be mine, okay, and I rallied
several other men in the company to be advocates for me.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
So just just stuff for a second that that particular.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Example, do you think your your determination.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
And ambition and focus came.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
From that foundational experience that you had as a child
where you just nobody's gonna help.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Well, I am.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I'm the person that can go get whatever I need
in life, and I can line up what I need
to do that. So did you find that you have
this level of independence that led to that?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Yes, not only that level of independence, Genie, but the
belief that I still have. I've been blessed, blessed all
my life to have others help me, but they wouldn't
have helped me perhaps if I hadn't gone sought out
(09:22):
their help. I learned at a very early age. Again,
I said to you, I went to seven different schools
in different countries. Even the first thing I did was
figure out who's the popular gang.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Who are the ones that, let's say have influence. I
made sure that I made them aware of things that
I could perhaps do that would be helpful to them.
And that translated a lot into my business acumen.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Later, there was a point in my career where I
realized that I was being successful in terms of promotions.
I did end up becoming the first female corporate officer
(10:27):
at National Car Rental, and I realized that it was
interesting that there were many other women who were equally talented,
more education than I had, but they were waiting for
(10:53):
that moment that I always used to think of, as
you know, the I help the Queen of They were
waiting to be asked, they were waiting to be offered,
they were waiting to see what opportunities. I never did that.
(11:15):
I sought out opportunities. I made sure that I was
letting people know, Hey, if there's ever an opening in operations,
I'd love to I was making sure I did that
because I, again had learned at an early age alliances
(11:38):
people who are willing to help you are going to
really help you be successful.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
How did they find you doing that?
Speaker 1 (11:46):
In other words, did the other women your colleagues appreciate
the fact that you would seek that out?
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Unfortunately, No, I would say that the competitiveness was really tough.
We're talking thirty years ago, right, and women were only
really coming into the senior management roles at that time.
(12:12):
I will say that I actually got far, far more
support from my male colleagues. Isn't that than my female colleagues,
But that is something that really spurred me on when
I decided that I wanted to form my own company.
(12:34):
Let me explain that, please do. I went through one
of those periods actually in nineteen eighty eight that the
Queen calls it annas horublus. It was a terrible year
I had. On one hand, career wise, was on the
(12:59):
highest high career wise. My husband, who was only fifty,
died of cancer. My mother died four weeks after my
husband had died, My eldest son graduated and was hired
by Disney and married, all within a four month period,
(13:23):
moved to Florida, and my youngest son had joined the
Marines and was sent to Desert Storm. It was not
a great period in my life, and for anybody listening
who has a doggie, I managed everything pretty well until
my beloved doggie died within the same time period. So
(13:46):
it was a very tough period of time. However, I knew,
I absolutely knew I would get through this. I would
continue to seek ways to be enjoying life and making
my life count for something. And it was not long
(14:12):
after all of that happened that I was driving to
work one morning, lived in Minnesota, driving in feet of snow,
thinking this isn't lovely and dreading going in to work,
(14:35):
dreading it. And it was at that time that I
realized I was sitting in budget meetings, I was downsizing,
I was doing nothing but administrative type work at a
(14:56):
high level.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Is this when you were a senior executive national currentle? Okay,
this was your moment. This was your crucial pivoting moment
on how you needed to capitalize.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
In your experience and really become you.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Now I love how you put that, because I would
say that was my defining Okay, your whole life has changed, Gene.
You're now a single professional woman. You are living in Minneapolis,
(15:31):
lovely place, but as a single person, I would say
it was difficult to be a single person when all
of your friends were married couples and so and so.
But the defining moment, as you call it, really was
because I realized I had no passion for what I
(15:54):
was doing. Yeah, I didn't feel any enjoyment, As I said,
sitting in budget meetings and downsizing meetings. It was at
that point that I decided that I was going to
spend the rest of my career doing something I loved.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
And how old were you at this point?
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Fifty one?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Fifty one okay?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
And I had always loved, loved training people. That was
one of my most favorite things. And I had started
a group in Minneapolis that I called us the super Chicks.
(16:50):
There were six of us. I had reached out to
five other women who worked for companies, for example, like
three M, General Mills, Honeywell IDs which became part of
(17:11):
American Express, Betty Crocker. They're all headquartered in Minneapolis, and
I had reached out to find out who were their
most senior women in their companies. And I asked them
a question, would you be interested in getting together just
(17:32):
informally as a group of senior level women, just to
discuss what it's like to be in the C suite
and the senior level. Every one of them responded, yes,
we met. Did you cold call them? Yes? Wow, yes,
and they welcomed the idea. We met for dinner that
(17:56):
first time. It was unbelievable how immediately we realized, oh,
this is the best possible thing to be sharing our
issues around being a senior level woman in a major
(18:19):
corporation in a safe, non competitive en fire.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Amount competitive being the operative word.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
They're very operative genie and be able to quite frankly
share with each other best practices, worst practices, and in addition,
we would call each other when we were having an issue.
(18:49):
So that group we stayed together for three years and
it was one of the highlights of my career to
have this wonderful network of women, all of us supporting
each other, giving each other advice, a perspective that I
(19:10):
would never have gotten. For example, one of the women
was at General Mills. She was what today would have
been a CFO. She was a treasurer. She helped all
of us understand the numbers. Rarely understand the numbers. I
(19:35):
can remember. The woman from three m was in information
technology that was just becoming bigger stuff. The stuff we
learned from her, it was amazing in essence.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
You were able to then learn the financials which drive organizations,
probably reading annual reports, understanding sort of bottom line numbers.
And then you have an IT excutive that teaches you
all the infrastructure, like all the architecture and all the
foundational pieces.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
And I have to tell you. I will tell you
that it was so much fun to be in a
meeting in my own company when the CFO would put
up numbers and I would be able to say, so
tell me what you think is going to happen with
(20:29):
ebit and have people staring at me like how does
she know that? Okay. From that wonderful experience with those women,
not only did we become marvelous support systems for each
other in a professional way. Personally we became a support system.
(20:53):
But it was during that period that I realized this
is what I love. I'm good at this stuff. I
can facilitate a group and ask questions of a group
that I don't see that many other people doing. That
(21:16):
was the foundation of Women Unlimited, the idea that if
this group of women were able to work together in
a safe, non competitive, supportive environment, why couldn't that be
(21:43):
a business.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
So tell me about So you were together for three years,
you have this high profile job at National car Rental.
You've now come to the place where you're ready to transition.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
So tell me, like, what was that transition?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Like, did you just decide one day.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Okay, today's day I quit, today's the day I leave.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
And no, it was very well planned out. Okay, it
took about eighteen months from the time I decided. In fact,
I have a journal where it's I believe in journaling,
by the way, Genie, because journaling you can look back
and say, oh, I thought that was the worst thing
(22:24):
that was ever going to happen to me, and it wasn't. Yeah,
and you can look at it and see look at that.
I was so worried about that. Of course it never happened.
Wasted time. So I was journaling for about eighteen months.
The vision I had how I would leave the company.
(22:49):
When I would leave the company, what I would do
in terms of creating the business I wanted to rune.
Women Unlimited was very much what I wanted. And Women
Unlimited stems from the fact that I wrote down the
(23:09):
word women. Actually it was on a cocktail napkin, but
I wrote down the word women. I was with some
friends and came up with Women's Organization for mentoring, education
and networking, and that was it. It was yes, of course,
(23:33):
and unlimited. So I would say I had planned to
leave at a certain date and time. Once again, a
door closed and a window opened for me. Six months
before I was planning to leave, National Car Rental was
(23:58):
brought out by General Motors. It was very clear that
they were looking at a very different model of how
to run the company, and just even meeting the new CEO, OH,
I knew it was time for me to go. They
(24:21):
were offering all kinds of packages, and of course, being
a protected class, I was able to negotiate a very nice,
very nice exit package. So that exit package was my
seed money. I gave myself two years to determine could
(24:49):
I make a go of this idea that I had.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Why two years?
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I figured it would take at least a year for
me to get people to buy into the concept. I
would have to be visiting companies and have to be
getting participants in my program, and then a year to
perhaps see if I was going to be able to
make money at this I moved from Minneapolis to New
(25:25):
York because I was determined that if I was going
to make it anywhere, it would have to be starting
in New York, where there were so many corporate headquarters.
I also had during my career many developed, many, many,
many contacts. I was president of a large customer service organization.
(25:52):
I was a Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award examiner. I was
on the board of the Better Business Bureau. I had
contacts that I was reaching out to and sharing my
vision with who I knew were going to help me
get in to meet the right people within their companies,
(26:15):
which is exactly what happened. So I moved to New York,
did not sell my house in Minnesota. Again, I was
giving myself, right, will this work? Happiness reigns because within
six months it was clear that I was going to
(26:35):
be able to launch a program, which I did.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
When you got to New York, though, what was your
first move? So in other words, was it was it
a phone call? Was it a meeting you set up?
Speaker 4 (26:47):
What?
Speaker 1 (26:47):
And when you came out of that meeting where you
were like, well, here it is, It's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yes and no, okay. I will share with you the
fact that when I moved to New York, I rented
an apartment in Manhattan, which was greatful. I had, as
I said, contacts within many different companies. Some of those
(27:15):
contacts worked out so beautifully when I got to meet
with the heads of the company. In some instances, I
was meeting with the CEO. In some instances I was
meeting with the chief of diversity. It depended. Not all
of them resulted in my coming out feeling like oh
(27:37):
so excited, but one of the very first ones, and
I will be forever ever grateful, was I was.
Speaker 5 (27:48):
Introduced to the head of the law department at Colgate
in New York.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
That wonderful woman, Michelle Coleman Mays had just recently taken
over responsibility for Global HR and I can remember walking
into her office and we had, I think, instant bonding.
(28:21):
We couldn't have been more different, and we had instantaneous
bonding because as I started to explain my vision of
what Women Unlimited would do to help women become much
more successful and more importantly, learn how to work to
get together better, she literally, sitting behind her desk, put
(28:48):
her hand up and said, stop, I'm there. I got it.
It was one of those magical moments, Geenie, that somebody
under good my passion understood what this could do for women.
So I'm willing to take the risk. And twenty five
(29:10):
years later, Colgate is still one of the most supportive
companies for Women Unlimited. They've put hundreds of hundreds of
women through the program. But yeah, there were days when
I would come back from meetings, having traveled on the
(29:33):
subway out to the middle of nowhere to meet with people,
and came back feeling very disillusioned. Again, all captured in
my journal and the realization that not everybody was going
to see this as a marvelous thing. But enough did.
(29:56):
And it took me six months and I was able
to launcher program with twelve companies participating on the very.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
First And this, by the way, was not with a
whole ton of workbooks created and PowerPoint slide decks and
all of this vision.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
This was you speaking, oh I, heart to heart.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Yeah, I had no materials to offer. I was very blessed.
I did manage to have some business cards made up,
and of course that you were at least talking five
years ago, Jeanie. I didn't have a website. It was me.
(30:42):
I was selling my passion and my belief in what
women could do if we brought them together to share.
And again I was blessed that that first group, that
first group of women, proved to be everything I had envisioned.
(31:03):
In fact, it's interesting because I can remember at the
very first graduation. It's a year long program. These women
come together once a month for a year. Companies were
making that commitment and watching what happened to these women
in that year was one of the most rewarding, most
(31:29):
rewarding things in my career. You know.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
The other thing that I was thinking about, I know
Jack has played an influential.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Role in your life.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
And when you were in the process of going out
and talking to these companies and pitching this idea and
really just speaking from your heart, how did he help
influence your career and this new business entity, because I
would imagine it probably felt very lonely at times. Is
there was just you talking, you know, speaking about all
of these things. You must needed somebody to process this
(32:03):
with who knew you and knew what you were trying
to create. And did you know, I know, Jack is
such an important part of your life.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Well as you know because you're well aware of who
he is. Jack Irish was my boss at one time
at National Currental. He was one of the owners of
the company and was one of my greatest advocates and supporters.
And when I shared with him that I really wanted
(32:39):
to have my own company one day that I really would.
He became my go to. He became the person who
absolutely wouldn't let me even think about not doing it.
He pushed me at time. I would share with him
(33:03):
that I really couldn't take one more person telling me
they didn't think this was going to work. But he
always saw that I was a person who if I
just kept at it, if I just really looked at it,
(33:24):
that it was going to be successful. And he would
tell me that. He would literally be the person who
would tell me over and over, you're going to make
this a huge success, Gene. So having a mentor like that,
somebody who he certainly helped open some doors for me too.
(33:47):
But I have to share a funny story if I may,
because Jack Eurrish actually shares this with people himself. He
had a colleague in Manhattan who was a gentleman, uh
I'd say in his sixties maybe, and he ran one
(34:10):
of the most successful headhunter companies in Manhattan, extremely well known.
And Jack Irrish got an appointment for me with this
gentleman that he felt would be good for me to
(34:32):
make connection with who would be helpful. I went on
that appointment and it was very difficult to hear this
gentleman tell me, well, I have to tell you. I
(34:54):
think it's a nice idea, but this is New York
Gene a really tough place for anybody to start a business,
especially a woman. Okay, that did more for me than
(35:16):
I could ever explain. It was the moment that I
knew I'm doing this. If for no other reason, then
that man just told me that this is a tough
place for a woman. Right. Several years later, when Women
Unlimited was featured in BusinessWeek.
Speaker 6 (35:42):
As one of the most successful organizations for helping women
to become leaders, my dear friend and mentor Jack Yourrish
sent that article.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
I'd love to this gentleman with a very nice note saying,
I thought you might be interested to see how well
Jeane has done.
Speaker 7 (36:04):
That's fab Yeah, it was a magical moment, so in
the times that so, you know, Women Unlimited has been
around for a long time now, have had tremendous success.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
What has been your greatest moment of accomplishment or fulfillment?
Speaker 2 (36:26):
And then what's been.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Your greatest frustration in building that business over that time period.
Now that you can look at it with so much
reflection and wisdom.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
Because when you're in it.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
And you're building a business, it's so hard to see
even the winds because you're so focused on the next thing.
Speaker 3 (36:48):
Yes, however, Jeanie, I think that one of my abilities
that I I've been able to share with a lot
of women, as I share with you quite often as
(37:08):
you do, is to stop, stop the presses, quiet down,
and take a moment to rejoice and something wonderful that
you've been doing. So Yes, I was in a lot
(37:33):
of years of building the business, traveling all over the country,
meeting with people, but I took time a to journal
those magical moments so I could relift them. But the
biggest I remember this with makes me emotional, chief and
(37:57):
think about it, Genie. But the ten years anniversary conference
of Women Unlimited that we held in New York at
the Hired. There was an evening event that was quite
marvelous and wonderful. But here were hundreds of women and
(38:21):
spontaneously they held up those votive candles that were on
the tables and they started singing, you make me feel
like a natural woman.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
It was done quite frankly, spontaneously, and they were saying
thank you. I cannot begin to tell you what it
was like to look around that room, the diversity in
that room. It was one of the and it continues
(39:05):
to be one of the most magical moments for me.
Of all of the years of Women Unlimited, There's been
lots of magical moments, Jeanie, but that one, as I said,
I think of it, I feel emotional to seeing them
with their votive candles singing. You made me feel like
a natural.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
And when you think back, sometimes where that we're frustrating
or you were concerned.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
And you thought, what is this going to mean? To
tell me a little bit more about that.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Was there a particular role that stands out, or more
of a time period that stands out.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
I would say the frustration, honestly became similar to what
I'd experienced as a senior executive at National Current. As
the company grew and it started with a company one
(40:02):
and it became a company of forty plus people all
over the country, my role became running the company and
it wasn't something that I loved. I loved being in
(40:23):
the room with the women. I loved seeing what effect
it was on women who didn't have confidence in themselves
getting support and being able to stand up. That was
my passion here I was again now after fifteen plus years,
(40:49):
my role becoming business development, budget meetings, staffing issues. It
wasn't where my heart was, Genie, and it was truly
something that I don't think enough business owners pay enough
(41:09):
attention to. But I had a business plan from the
day I started Women Unlimited that didn't change very much.
And part of that plan was to identify the people
that would take over from me, that this would never
be a Gene not program, that this would be something
(41:31):
that would continue whether Geno was in it or not.
I had mentored several people, and I ended up turning
over the running of the company to the now new
owner and CEO of Women Unlimited, and retaining a role
(41:53):
on the board, still having an interest. I'm still involved
in a minor way, but doing the things I enjoy.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
So now your business is wildly successful. Twenty five years later,
you're enjoying more time for you traveling, having a fantastic
experience in life. What advice would you give to a
younger version of Gene who's maybe just starting out, maybe
even going back to that the decision to work for
(42:29):
what's now British Airways, or even earlier advice Yeah, what
would you say to the younger version of Gene.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Never ever be so afraid of things that may never happen.
Not one, because a lot of times I think people
get so afraid of things and when they look back
at something never happened. Don't be worried about those times
(43:03):
that things aren't going so well, because it will change.
Last year I went through stage three cancer surgery and
had to go through all of the radiation and chemotherapy
and so and so forth. It wasn't the happiest time
of my life by any means, But again I knew,
(43:30):
without a shadow of a doubt, Okay, this is one
of those periods. It's going to get better. It certainly has.
Certainly has. I've done more wonderful traveling with family friends
in this past year. But I think if I were
to give advice to myself, something I'd love to share
(43:58):
that my husband and are actually shared with me. My
advice would be stop being so concerned about what other
people think about you. The reason I say that is
I can remember coming home one evening, sitting at the
(44:22):
dinner table with my husband and sons, and I was
just going off like crazy about a fellow at work
that had really ticked me off.
Speaker 8 (44:34):
And I was going on and on and on and
things he had said and how it upset me, and
how he literally was telling me I was not understanding.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
I was furious. And my husband looked across the table
and said, it's time that you understood that you care
so much about what other people think about you and
they don't. Oh god, it was fantastic. And I swear, Genie,
(45:14):
this was over thirty something years ago. I think about
that all the time. How many of us spend time
being concerned about what happened and somebody said, and we
get all upset. They're going about their lives. Yeah, we
were talking storytelling.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Oh yeah, we spend so much time projecting.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
And making assumptions, making assumptions that most of the time
are ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
So I have a few questions, just to close out
our conversation, that I would love to hear your point
of view on who or what brings you joy?
Speaker 3 (45:55):
Oh? What brings me joy? Right now? My magnificent medical team.
When I go for my checkups that I have to
do every three months, and they tell me I'm doing great,
(46:18):
that's the best there is. Next that, of course, is
my family. I mean, I'm very blessed. I have a
sister and two sons. That's my huge family. And next
to that is that I still want to be able
(46:42):
to share moments like this. Doing something like this Genie
brings me joy because my hope is that somewhere a
woman is going to be listening and maybe going through
a tough time. Go through tough times, but it will
(47:03):
get better if you just make sure that you envision
it getting better. I spend a lot of time in
that mode of how I want to see things, how
I want things to be, and I think you put
(47:24):
it out there, it doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt when
you put something out there into the universe, and it's
happened so many times in my life that it's worked
out well for me.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
So the the counter to that is what really makes
you mad.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
Really frustrates you. Victims. Now, I don't mean victims of
terrible things. I cry. I mean, please, that's not what
I mean. I'm talking about victim behavior. I have a
very difficult time when people share things with me that
(48:07):
they're upset about, and they asked me for my advice,
and I did it right, and then the next time
we talk, they've done absolutely nothing about what I've shared,
(48:27):
and they're still talking about the same thing. I have
a very difficult time with that, because we choose. We
choose every day, how we're gonna behave that day, what
we're going to tolerate that day, what boundaries we're going
(48:48):
to allow to be moved aside by somebody else. So, yeah,
that's my huge frustration. Genie and I still have a
hope that although I've seen some traumatic changes in the
(49:08):
women in the last thirty years, last twenty five years,
I've seen changes, they're still this behavior that I find
difficult in this day and age, behavior of waiting for
(49:29):
somebody else to sort of do something to help you
move you forward when you can make traces to help
yourself move forward.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
What scares you and how do you handle the fear?
Speaker 3 (49:53):
Interesting anyone that's a parent, I think knows scares me that,
please God, my sons are safe and healthy and livingland
lives scares me. Anything happening to them, that would be
my number one fear right now. To be very frank
(50:16):
with you, I think the only thing that scares me
is the idea of not being well enough and healthy
enough and energetic enough to be doing the things I
love to do. Don't see myself in the home crocheme.
(50:43):
It's not for me. Fine for those people who love it,
but that's not for me. So that's the only thing
that really scares me is that I wouldn't be able
to get up and have a wonderful conversation with somebody
like you.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
Okay, who would you want to eat? Alive or dead?
And why?
Speaker 3 (51:03):
Oh that's easy? Who do you want to be? Eleanor Roosevelt?
Why she's been my hero since I don't know when
I'm forever A woman so ahead of her time, a
woman who did more amazing things for this country, and
(51:29):
talk about somebody who had to overcome so many obstacles,
bless her heart, and put up with so many awful,
awful things being written about her and said about it.
I just think she was one of the most courageous
women on the face of this planet. I'm sure if
(51:50):
I really thought about Sally Ride, for Heaven's sakes, you know,
the whole space program. But Eleen. I just love to
sit down with Eleanor and find out what drove.
Speaker 2 (52:04):
Her final question. What a daily practice.
Speaker 1 (52:10):
Or ritual you have that you do every single day
that you think keeps you aligned and connected.
Speaker 3 (52:17):
Every single day. I ask God to help me make
this be a good day that I contribute something to
the universe. Every single day, I make sure I find
something to laugh at. So for an example, I can
(52:39):
put on street Caroline and dance around and laugh so
hard when I go Badah. I make sure of it.
Every single day. I find something to laugh at, no
matter how the day is. And I think, in honesty,
(53:01):
every single day, I really do make every effort to
reach out to somebody that I care about. Might just
be a text email these days, you know, but just
keeping me connected with people I really care about. I'm
(53:24):
in the final chapter here, you know, and I want
to make sure that I don't waste time. Don't waste time,
You got.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
It, So thank you, Jean for sharing so much of
your personal story personally and professionally. I think you've have
incredible experience and you're such a great role model for
perseverance and courage, creativity, given so many great tips tricks
perspective here, and I love your honesty in really sharing
(53:57):
with us a little bit more about you personally.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
I think this was a great conversation and looking forward
to hearing about your next adventures.
Speaker 3 (54:05):
And it's been sincerely a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (54:08):
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the
Warriors at Work Show. If you are interested in learning
more about what we do at the Warriors at Work
Show and platform, be sure to go over to my website,
Genie Komber and subscribe to my monthly Warrior Playbook newsletter.
I share everything that I'm up to month by month,
(54:29):
as well as some lessons and insights that I've learned.
I'm also interested in hearing any feedback you have about
this conversation or future topics, so reach out to me
directly on JC at Geniecoomber dot com or on LinkedIn.
Be sure to tell your friends and your colleagues about
this Warriors at Work conversation, Subscribe, review and rate us.
(54:53):
It's the best way to get this message out into
the world.
Speaker 7 (54:57):
Be well,
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