May 1, 2025 • 37 mins
Susan Combs shares how her upbringing on a remote West Texas ranch shaped her leadership philosophy and approach to public service, highlighting resilience and optimism as essential qualities for navigating challenges.
• Growing up in Brewster County taught self-reliance and community support through experiences with limited water, unreliable electricity, and geographical isolation
• As Agriculture Commissioner, transferred school nutrition programs from education to agriculture, prioritizing healthier food options for students
• Developed "early bird" habits from ranch life, viewing punctuality as a sign of respect and efficiency
• Advocates breaking large tasks into "sprints" to maintain energy and focus
• Recommends four principles for government service: know your purpose, find daily joy, focus externally on those you serve, and maintain calm
• Practices "no negative cha-cha" philosophy to avoid unproductive negativity
• Dedicates retirement to ranch sustainability, water conservation projects, and staying informed about current events
• Defines good life as choosing happiness, connecting positively with others, and having beneficial impact on others
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Susan Combs (00:00):
If you take on this role, know why you're doing it.
Truly, be clear Always lookexternal to you.
It's not about you, you, you.
It's about them, them, them,people who are, in particular,
in ranching.
We are inveterate optimists.
We can't control the weather.
We can't control the market.
(00:21):
We control our responses to it.
Lacy Wolff (00:25):
Hi everyone and welcome to the Buena Vida
podcast, where we explore whatit means to live a good life
through health, purpose andconnection.
I'm your host, lacey Wolfe.
Today I have the honor ofspeaking with someone whose
legacy in public service runsdeep Susan Combs.
She is a former Texas AgCommissioner, former Texas
Comptroller, and she also servedtwo terms in the Texas State
(00:48):
Legislature.
She's also a proud ERS retireewho brings her energy, voice and
insight to issues that impactour future.
This conversation was a realprivilege for me.
Susan brings sharp wit,incredible energy and a
down-to-earth perspective that'sboth refreshing and wise.
She also shares some great tipsfor all of us about staying
(01:10):
engaged, finding joy in ourday-to-day life and protecting
the things that matter most tous.
You may notice that the audiosounds a little bit different.
That's because Susan joined usfrom her ranch in Brewster
County, texas, and if you're notfamiliar with Brewster County,
it is way out west.
It is the largest county andit's one of the most beautiful
counties in our state, home tothe Big Bend National Park and
(01:32):
Big Bend State Park.
We talked quite a bit aboutthat in this episode and you're
going to hear how much shetreasures this place and the
peace and purpose she findsthere, from the Texas capital to
her own backyard.
Susan Combs is someone whobelieves in putting her values
to work, and she is not done yet, so I hope you enjoy our
(01:53):
episode and this conversation Ihad with Susan Combs.
Officially welcome to the BuenaVida podcast, susan.
Thank you so much for being aguest.
It is a huge honor for me toget to spend some time with you
and I look forward to ourconversation.
Susan Combs (02:09):
Well, so do I, and I think it's a wonderful idea
that ERS is doing this.
Lacy Wolff (02:14):
Thank you so much.
Yes, we've tried to be veryinnovative with the way we're
trying to reach people throughall the different communication
platforms, so I'm very lucky Iget to do this part.
I wanted to start with talkingto you about your childhood.
I know that your family has aranch in Brewster County and I'm
wondering if you could paint apicture of what that looked like
(02:36):
for you growing up.
In going out to Brewster County.
Susan Combs (02:40):
Well, my great-grandfather got to
Brewster County in 1882, andthey had come from San Marcos,
and he later moved to SanAntonio in 1900, which is where
I was raised and went to school.
But you always came out to theranch and my great-grandfather,
my grandfather and my father allonly made a living from cattle
(03:02):
A couple of years was sheep, butmainly cattle, and so I was
raised that the ranch was, ofcourse, the only source of
income that we had, and so itwas important that I learned as
much as I could about what wasimportant to that, what was
different about being out in thecountry?
Well, a couple of things Water.
(03:22):
My kids today, in their 40s,still understand that you have
to check if you have water forthe house, and so as a kid we
were always looking at thewindmill.
Did the windmill turn?
If it didn't turn, there was nowater being pumped, and water
was major electricity.
But I was a kid.
We didn't have any electricalpower, except provided by a
(03:46):
generator.
My father would go out and turnthat off at night, and so I was
used to having no power.
And, of course, from a ruralperspective, health care was a
long way away, education was along way.
We were 15 miles south of town,but there were people who were
20 and 30 miles south of town,and to go into town every day
(04:08):
was simply not going to happen.
My mother wanted to have us athome in San Antonio, but I was
the kid out of the two of usthat wanted to be on the ranch,
and so it was.
You know, the water, the powerof health, education.
But I would say something elsethat was really impressed upon
me, which was that you had to beself-sufficient, and whether
(04:34):
your horse broke down or whetheryour vehicle broke down, you
were walking, and it might bemiles, and my father and I he
was in his early 70s at the timehe and I broke down and we had
about a five mile walk back into the headquarters.
(04:54):
We had run over some barbedwire and had gotten wrapped
around the axle.
You've heard the phrase wrappedaround the axle.
It pulled us to a stop, and sothat resilience, that
self-reliance.
But again, one other thing isthat people help each other.
You have the best sort of groupof people who will lend a hand.
(05:15):
You know, dig you out of theproverbial ditch out in the
country.
And it is still true today.
So I would say the things thatI thought of when I was eight
and 10, I would say, you know,obviously, decades later, it's
still what I view as importantcharacteristics of rural Texas.
Lacy Wolff (05:33):
Absolutely.
I love that part of Texas.
It's such a unique place.
I think it was interesting.
I don't remember where I readthis, but it would take you less
time to get from New York toParis than to get from New York
to Marfa.
So just think about howchallenging it is even to get
out there, and I mean talk aboutrural.
(05:56):
It is a very special and veryunique place in our state.
Susan Combs (06:01):
One of the other things is is that if you pay any
attention to sort of the darkskies effort, marathon Brewster
County is one of the darkestplaces in the United States and
we get people here who reallydon't know what they've missed,
literally, and you turn thelights off in the house and all
of a sudden there's thissmashing you know ribbon of
(06:25):
stuff in the sky and I hadsomebody from Austin Seville
well, you got a big fog up there.
I said no, that's the Milky Way.
I mean, it truly is.
It changes your experience withthe world and the skies to be
out this far.
Lacy Wolff (06:41):
Wow, that is incredible.
All of us that live in the citywe don't get to experience that
.
I mean, it is something I thinkthat many kids have probably
never actually seen the MilkyWay because they don't have that
opportunity.
So super special place, yes.
Susan Combs (06:58):
And the phrase light pollution.
It applies all across the hillcountry revolution.
It applies all across the hillcountry.
You're at night inFredericksburg or you're out of
Johnson City, you can see theglow of Marble Falls, or if you
look east, you can see the glowof Austin.
Lacy Wolff (07:13):
You don't get the same unfiltered, unimpeded view
of the stars that you do whenyou're out in the real dark
skies it is a gorgeous place,but I know it definitely comes
with its challenges as well, andit sounds like the way you grew
up and those things that youexperienced, with just lack of
(07:36):
resources and getting back totown when your truck breaks down
, really does build resiliencethat has carried you through
your life and through yourexperience in state government,
I think people who are, inparticular, in ranching.
Susan Combs (07:51):
we are inveterate optimists.
We can't control the weather,we can't control the market.
We can control our responses toit.
I mean, I'm still in ranching.
I don't have any cattle rightnow, but I'm paying attention to
all the waters, all the roads,all the electrical.
I'm trying to work, you know,improve my hunting operation.
(08:12):
But the point is is that myfather's one of his famous
phrases was tomorrow we're oneday closer to rain.
Those are words to live by andthat's how you keep going.
It's a kind of a creates a sortof tireless optimism and fuels
(08:33):
your ability to stay upright.
I was talking to a friend ofmine from our fund.
He was talking about thedrought and we're all, we're all
bemoaning the drought, and he'sgot some things he does.
And so if he pastures cattlefor somebody, well, he ships
them off to somebody else, youknow, 200 miles away, because
that's where the rain is.
And so you become very tactical.
(08:54):
This will work.
That will work by golly.
I've got to go do that.
You don't have any realresources except you.
You don't have any realresources except you.
Lacy Wolff (09:05):
Absolutely, yeah, just constantly looking for
what's good.
People that come from that partof Texas have to stay optimist.
I mean, it's the only wayyou're going to survive.
I know that you started yourcareer in law and you worked in
several different roles.
What was it that led you totransition from law school into
(09:28):
service in state government?
Was there a defining moment ora mentor?
What guided that decision?
Susan Combs (09:34):
There were two things.
One was I was actually workingin New York at the time and I
watched a TV show called Maud,which probably nobody's seen,
but it was a defining moment forme.
I was 28, and Maude I wasexpecting a friend of hers from
the high school class to fly,you know, coming in and Maude
was supposed to be you know,miss everything, and she was, in
(09:56):
her own view, sort of you know40 and fading and not doing
anything.
Well, bunny, who had been notviewed as a dynamo, she flies in
her own airplane and she isrocking and I'm thinking what
the heck am I doing here?
I'm doing a job that if theyburied all my stuff in a time
capsule they would think it wasnonsense.
(10:17):
So I signed up for the LSAT thenext day.
So this is step number one.
I signed up for the LSAT and Isaid I'm going to change my life
and I scrammed for two weeksfor the LSAT, the law school
admissions test, and then, whenI got to law school and then I
got out, I ended up being anassistant district attorney in
Dallas in the juvenile division.
(10:39):
I had it between two categoriesjuvenile delinquents and then
the child abuse side, and childabuse was civil and the juvenile
delinquents was criminal, andthat, about nearly four years,
really made me think about, Iwant to take a look at kids and
(11:00):
their education and what happensto them.
And when you look at some ofthese kids who were, you know,
juvenile delinquents, theirprior history was terrible,
their education was awful, theyhad this childhood that was, by
any rational observer, waspretty bleak, and so their
(11:21):
future didn't look too shiny.
And you, you know, it occurredto me also that basically, most
policies are created by agovernmental entity, whether
it's a school or whether it's acity or a county or a state.
Unless you're in some kind ofgroup, there's people making,
making things happen, and so Ithought, maybe, maybe I could
(11:45):
help make things happen for kidsand for education.
And so that was those twothings even deciding to go to
law school and then decidingwhat to do, those are the two
things that got me thinkingabout government role.
Lacy Wolff (12:00):
Wow, it's so interesting to me to hear your
story and the things thatinfluenced you and really shaped
so much of what you did, shapeda lot of things that are
happening today, role in shapingthe health of Texans, and I
don't think we always connectthe dots between the Department
(12:27):
of Agriculture and Health andyou know, in my role at ERS, I'm
very concerned about health andwell-being.
But how do you view thatconnection between ag and the
health of our children and thehealth of our state?
Susan Combs (12:39):
So when I was handling some of these neglect
cases, what I had cases wascalled failure to thrive
Children were being neglected,they weren't being fed and so
they were failing to thrive.
Well, I was seeing at thedepartment that we were in fact
in some cases feeding the kidssuch garbage in schools that we
(13:01):
were overfeeding them.
Well, at the time, theDepartment of Agriculture had
nothing to do with it.
It was in fact being managed.
The school lunch program, whichis federal, was being managed
by the Texas Education Agencyand the governor, rick Perry,
and I had multiple chats aboutthis.
He was very interested and sowe decided together we would see
(13:24):
if the folks in Washingtonwould allow us, they would help
us transfer the child nutritionprogram from the education folks
to the ag folks.
And that was me, and I feltthat I had the intestinal
fortitude to withstand slingsand arrows.
And so that happened in July of2003.
(13:49):
And that was like the shotheard around the world.
I mean, it was.
You know, I didn't really knowabout emails until I got a
thousand of them.
Wow, not 20, 22 years ago.
But what we did was we triedreally hard to make a concerted
(14:11):
effort If these kids were in ourI say our meaning the state or
you know care, custody controlduring the daytime for meals.
Let's give them good stuff toeat and let's minimize the junk
food and let's stop havingschools use the kids as ATMs.
Basically, they were sellingcandy all during the day in
(14:33):
order to make money.
So what I did was I had we hada great marketing head.
She was putting out materialson how you could raise money for
your schools and not buy food.
I mean, it was.
It's so ingrained and Lacey.
I'm not sure it's changed much,but I will tell you we made an
(14:54):
effort and I heard from thecandy people they were not happy
.
The pizza people were great.
They changed their pizza makeupto make it healthier because
Texas was such a big market thatif they made Texas happy they
would be successful in otherstates.
So that was that's a long timeago.
That was 22 years ago.
Lacy Wolff (15:15):
It's incredible.
You're really on the forefrontof a lot of the things we're
still working on improving thehealth of our students.
It's an ongoing battle for sure, but you made some great
inroads there, it sounds like.
But anytime we make a changelike that, it's going to upset
some people also it.
Susan Combs (15:43):
I also in a parallel track, lacy, I said
let's take a look at where yourfood comes from.
I wanted to you clearlydelineate the link between the
men and women on the land,whether they were farming or
ranching.
They were producing somethingthat we were eating, and so
there was a connection.
It wasn't the grocery store.
Kids, you know kids sometimesin big cities thought that milk
came from chickens.
That sounds nutty.
(16:03):
But one little kid did say thatit'd be used in a livestock
show some years ago.
And so educate them where theirfood came from, because if you
become an interested consumer,you're going to pay attention to
what you eat.
Lacy Wolff (16:16):
Absolutely.
Yeah, I grew up on a dairy farm.
I think a lot of people have noidea and I hear all kinds of
crazy things about dairy farming, like there's antibiotics in
the milk.
I can guarantee you there's notAll my kids are tall.
Susan Combs (16:32):
I raised them with lots and lots of milk and in
fact I would be bringing so manygallons of milk home.
It was actually kind of a kindof hard work to unload the car.
But the point is, every parentyou struggle to feed your kid
right?
Sometimes it's a matter of youknow, give a food desert.
That's a phrase you've probablyheard.
Can you get good food?
(16:54):
Well, you may not be able to.
It may be really tough in thechild abuse arena.
Able to.
It may be really tough in thechild abuse arena.
It was really shocking to me tosee how hard it was for these
families in Dallas to get foodthat was healthy, and they did
try.
Lacy Wolff (17:11):
Yeah, people want to be healthy.
I truly believe that everybodywants to give their kids good
food.
There is a lack of education,sometimes there's a lack of
resources, funding, and it'sjust not in the stores that are
in front of your face.
Susan Combs (17:29):
A lot of sugar.
Lacy Wolff (17:31):
A lot of sugar, absolutely Well, the food
companies know what sells and Ithink that's the challenge we
face is it tastes good and youknow we get early addicted to
those foods and it's hard tounwire what has been wired into
our brain.
Susan Combs (17:48):
Well, it's very hard.
As a parent, and my kidscertainly knew, I did not have
junk food at home, I did nothave soft drinks, so therefore
they didn't get it hardwired andI didn't buy sugar pops and
that stuff.
I didn't buy any of that.
I didn't want to give them asugar craving because they could
develop it later.
But at 18 or 20 or 15, that'stheir problem, right?
(18:08):
But two and five and seven,it's mine.
Lacy Wolff (18:11):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's funny.
I have a 16 year old and I buythree gallons of milk.
He just drinks huge glasses ofmilk because that's what we have
.
We got milk, you got water.
What do you want?
Well, it has been said that youare known for being the always
early person.
I've talked to a few people whoknow you from your time in
(18:33):
state government.
How did you develop that habit?
Why is that important and howdid that impact your life, your
career?
Susan Combs (18:41):
Well, ok, if you it started on the ranch.
I mean, you're always doingstuff before daylight and if
you're getting ready to shipcattle, you've got to get to the
pens early so that you're notcausing a disturbance as they
bring them in.
You don't want to be runningaround arriving late, so you
want to be there and you want tobe quiet.
So I mean, I remember lots oftimes I was way there before
(19:05):
daylight, so if I wasn't in thepasture with them I was in the
pens waiting, and so that wasone that just taught me early.
Plus, I'm also an early riserand my energy level is super
high.
An early riser and my energylevel is super high.
And the third thing is, I thinkif you're not early or late,
it's a matter of respect.
(19:25):
I know of a couple of peoplewho were so notoriously late for
meetings that it became kind ofa sour joke a will give him or
her a different time.
You don't want to do that topeople.
It's a sign of, it's a sign ofdiscourtesy if you're not there
on time.
Also, everybody's got acompressed time schedule and so
(19:48):
if you start your meeting ontime, if you're on time, you're
letting them know you want to,everybody wants to hear from
everybody, and you don't want tomake a wait for some somebody.
So I think it's a it's a matterof efficiency and courtesy and
I think I I do it now.
I mean people left.
Hey, she's.
She wasn't the first one here.
(20:09):
I beat her by two minutes.
Good, let's start that content.
Lacy Wolff (20:14):
I love that.
That's so great.
Yeah, I.
I had a friend that severalyears ago was actually a boss of
mine that she said if you arelate, you're, if you are late
you're telling me my timedoesn't matter.
And that really stuck.
Susan Combs (20:31):
That's the discourtesy part.
Plus, it's also inefficient.
Lacy Wolff (20:36):
That makes so much sense and I'm sure that has
served you well, it sounds likethrough your career.
Are you a morning person?
Do you get up early?
Susan Combs (20:44):
Oh yeah, I mean this morning I was up at about
3.15 reading the newspapers.
Lacy Wolff (20:48):
Wow, and so you go to bed early.
Susan Combs (20:51):
I'm going to guess as well, I also find that my
energy level is so high.
So I was when I was sworn in asagriculture commissioner.
The governor swore me in and heread a line that I guess his
speechwriter had written for me.
It said Susan Combs is a womanof high energy.
(21:12):
She even makes coffee nervous.
So people beg me not to haveyou get little mugsugs.
Please don't give her any morecoffee.
No more coffee.
So but I'm.
But I feel charged, I feelpositive, I feel alert.
It's a very good sort ofbiofeedback that's great.
Lacy Wolff (21:32):
yeah, and knowing your energy levels, I think, is
really important.
So many people, I think we'retrying to just fit things in
where it works.
But if you're for me, if Idon't do some sort of exercise
in the morning, I'm not going todo it Like I just know that my
that's the way my biology worksas well.
Susan Combs (21:51):
So I also find that people get bummed out if they
think, oh my goodness, this taskis going to take forever.
I was when I was in DC working.
I had to try to figure out away to improve some HR policies,
and it's a big task and we hadover about a thousand and five
(22:13):
of these things and it was likeit was such a big hill oh my
gosh, how can we take a look atit?
And so I said let's not work onthis for longer than 45 days.
I call these things sprints.
So this group of about 12people, 14 people they came back
(22:34):
in 35 days.
Instead of giving me a 15%reduction in policies, they gave
me 52%.
Wow, their energy was high,their focus was high, the end
was in sight Wasn't going to goon into eternity.
And so I now.
I hate cleaning the garage.
(22:54):
I give myself 20 minute sprintsto work on the garage.
Lacy Wolff (22:59):
That's a great strategy, yeah, one drawer at a
time, one section at a time.
Susan Combs (23:07):
Or in the pantry.
The pantry gets out of control.
So 20 minutes.
Lacy Wolff (23:11):
Yeah, that is great strategy.
I love that.
And yeah, because if you puttoo much pressure and you make
it too big, it just getsoverwhelming.
Susan Combs (23:21):
Yes, it is, and it's discouraging For sure.
Lacy Wolff (23:26):
Well, there's a lot going on right now, as you are
fully aware, with stategovernment and just generally.
I think things can be reallychallenging for folks that are
working in government.
Challenging for folks that areworking in government.
Curious.
If you could go back and giveyour younger self, maybe
starting out in state government, or folks that are working
starting out a career in service, what would you tell them?
(23:49):
What would you tell yourself?
Susan Combs (23:51):
I would say a couple of things.
Let's see if you take on thisrole.
Know why you're doing it.
Truly, be clear and keep, ifyou have to, you know, put a
piece of paper on your computerscreen, keep yourself focused.
Secondly, try to find somethingfun every day.
I used to I had when I was inthe legislature I had all of
(24:15):
Jack Handy's books, just becausethey were such good jokes, and
if I was getting a littlefatigued or a little well, I'd
go look at a Jack Handy thing.
So, know what you're doing,know why you're doing it.
Why do you think?
And then the thirdly is I wouldsay always look external to you
(24:35):
.
It's not about you, you, you,it's about them.
Them them external to you.
It's not about you, you, you,it's about them.
Them them and keep the personyou're trying to help or the
process you're trying to improve, keep the prospective
beneficiaries in your horizon.
And then last, try to be calm.
(24:58):
I think that social media has away of just revving everybody up
and it's not good for youhealth-wise, your blood pressure
, whatever, to be revved up allthe time.
And I had a cousin who had agreat phrase that she told me
about 10 or 12 years ago.
(25:20):
She was fighting a very serious, serious illness, but her
phrase was no negative cha-chaand what that meant was no
negative garbage, no negativenothing.
Just don't listen to it.
So I wrote N-N-C-C no negativecha-cha.
I could put that on a pad ofpaper in a meeting, and NNCC
(25:46):
meant I wasn't going to engagein negativity, I wasn't going to
listen to it, and it has.
It enabled me to sail intocalmer waters.
Lacy Wolff (25:59):
So that is amazing advice Remember your why, have
fun like have humor, Rememberwho you serve I love that and
keep the negativity out.
I took social media off myphone a couple of weeks ago.
I just took it off and I tellyou what that's been a great
decision.
I'm so much happier.
(26:20):
I'm so much happier.
Susan Combs (26:22):
I'm lucky enough to be in a little group of five of
us and they send these reallystupid things around in the
morning.
El Arroyo, it has some greatsigns, so they'll send those out
, and one of them is a diehardAggie and he's got access to
(26:43):
this.
You know great group of people.
He's one of eight kids, butgreat people and it just it
brightens our day.
And so, whatever your task is,make the task your focus, not
you, but also keep your bloodpressure down, keep the
temperature down, chill out.
You'll be more effective.
Lacy Wolff (27:04):
Yes, that's it.
I think you are 100% correctand there's probably it is an
art to be able to do that.
Do you have any suggestions onhow to keep our blood pressure
down?
Susan Combs (27:16):
So I do, and this, this sounds really dumb.
I learned to do this aboutseven or eight years ago and I
used it recently out at ameeting in Marfa.
So we would have thesesoon-to-be contentious meetings
on Friday afternoon and I had Iwas, I would be seated along
with others at a conferencetable and you'd have group A not
(27:39):
liking what group B was doingand group B was bowing up, as we
would say, on the ranch, kindof like an old bull bowing up,
and group C, and so I ended upbuying a whole bunch.
This is not advisable if youdon't like candy.
But anyway, I got these KitKats and I would slide them down
the table and it was like I haddropped a bomb at the table.
(28:04):
People would stop, they wouldstart laughing because they knew
it meant I was saying hey guys,you're getting out of control.
Tiny little Kit Kats I'm notshilling for the Kit Kat people,
but tiny little Kit Kats,anything to break catch anything
(28:29):
to break the tension.
Lacy Wolff (28:30):
That's great.
I love that, yeah, and humor, Imean, it's such a great
resiliency skill just to be ableto.
You know, sometimes we got tojust pause and, like you said,
find the jack handy.
Susan Combs (28:40):
Well, one thing that I did find useful was the.
Well, one thing that I did finduseful was the.
I don't have much of a Southernaccent.
I have some, but not much, andwhen.
Lacy Wolff (29:01):
I would go to DC.
Susan Combs (29:01):
If there was somebody just being a turkey,
real turkey I would develop thisDolly Parton style accent.
One sentence would do it.
They would all back up asthough I turned into some
creature from the black lagoonor something, and it was
hilarious.
They knew what I mean.
Cut it out, stop it.
Whatever you're doing, stop it.
And that was a form of humor,because we people in the south
(29:23):
are real smart and we people inTexas are real smart.
But when we use that thickaccent, it sends a signal.
Lacy Wolff (29:32):
Being authentic in who you are.
Susan Combs (29:35):
Yes, but everybody can, everybody can.
Lacy Wolff (29:41):
We're definitely happier when we are who we are
at work, and I think sometimeswe have to have a little bit of
a filter and having a filter canbe authentic.
Susan Combs (29:51):
That's true.
Lacy Wolff (29:52):
That is true.
Since you have retired, itsounds like you stay very busy.
How do you fill your days nowand what drives you to continue
staying so active in yourretirement?
Susan Combs (30:03):
Well, I'm spending a lot of time focusing on the
ranch.
By that I mean, I go back tothe water.
We just yesterday had to havesome folks from Fort Stockton
down because we didn't havewater someplace and we have
electricity.
So the things that were aproblem 50 years ago, or my
father 80 years ago, are still aproblem.
(30:23):
I'm trying to make those better.
I'm trying to make the waterdistribution good.
It's very hot, very dry, thehumidity is terrible and the two
creeks that I'm near I havekind of dried up, and so you
take a look at what do I do?
So that's thinking about thatenvironment and thinking about
you know how can I leave my kidsto not have things in a
(30:45):
complete mess?
So that's something I'll worryabout.
I've also been helping to talkto some people about a living
shoreline project along thecoast.
You can't get much further fromthe Big Bend in the coast but
there's some really interestingprojects going along sort of all
up and down outside HarrisCounty living shorelines where
(31:05):
you can use oyster sediment itstores a lot of carbon but
oyster shells and you can end upwith being able to combat storm
surges.
So you don't lose beaches, youdon't lose land.
That's interesting to me, somestuff related to energy.
How do we get energy everywhere?
(31:26):
How do we get water everywhere?
I mean, water issue is big andthe legislature right now is
spending a lot of time thinkingabout water.
Water is the essential thingfor life, along with air, and
you've got people.
If they become water short,that's huge and I would urge
everybody to pay attention toyour sources of water.
(31:49):
Do you conserve water?
Are you able to sort of, youknow, manage your water?
We ended up putting in a fakegrass out here on the ranch
because I I can't waste water Imean, this is the desert, can't
do it.
And and if I lose my windmill,I'm up.
I'm not up the creek becausethe creek doesn't have any water
, I'm out of water, I have nocreek and the creek.
(32:12):
So we pay a lot of attention tothat.
But I try to do things that areinteresting and stimulating and
so I read a lot.
I mean, you know, I read theWall Street Journal, I read the
New York Times, I scan the LATimes, washington Post, I read
Apple News.
I want to know what's going on,and I think that I will have
(32:37):
more interesting conversationsand learn more from other people
if I also know a littlesomething.
Lacy Wolff (32:44):
Yes, absolutely.
That's fun.
That's amazing.
I aspire to be like you as aretiree.
I love how you're spending yourtime and energy on things that
matter it's really importantthings that impact our future.
Susan Combs (33:03):
And there's my kids and grandkids.
They're all in Austin and I'mtrying to figure out how I can
be woven into their summer plans, and so I'm, you know, being
sure that my husband and I willbe available to do stuff and see
them, and I prefer to do it in,you know, like a weekend.
I think you get more goodcontact than in a couple of hour
(33:23):
visit, but I'll take what I canget and so it's just, it's just
part of that.
I want them to have a goodsense of their, their privilege
to be able to come out to aplace with vast skies and and
great stars.
They're, they're lucky, and Iurge everybody in a town drive
(33:44):
out 40 miles, 50 miles, just gosomeplace or go look online, but
the world around you is so, soexciting and so stimulating.
Lacy Wolff (33:58):
Yeah, just experience it.
Yep, Yep.
I just love when I get out ofthe Austin area.
Just, you know, 45 minutes out,like you said, texas becomes
just open and it's.
It's so lovely just to get outand get away from the traffic
and to and right now, to see theblue bonnets.
Susan Combs (34:18):
It's a beautiful thing the flowers and the
pastures.
We'll when drive back toaustralia, we'll come across 290
and I will tell you.
You start from i-10 and you getto harper and then you get into
, which is beautiful the flowers.
If they've had enough rain,they haven't had it yet, but
sometimes it is breathtaking, uh, and all the way in, and so
(34:41):
it's just, it's ever changing.
Just keep going out andrefreshing your memory bank.
Lacy Wolff (34:47):
That's a great tip.
Absolutely Well, susan.
I always like to ask thisquestion to wrap up the podcast
and the name of our podcast, thename of our well-being program,
is Buena Vida, which means thegood life, and we believe at ERS
that a good life can be verydifferent for everyone.
What is a good life to you?
(35:09):
How do you define it?
Personally, professionally,what does it mean?
Susan Combs (35:12):
I think about three or four things.
One is you need to try tochoose happiness.
I think it's got to be a choice.
If you're happy, you're goingto be leaning towards a good
life.
I think you know.
Try to connect in a positiveway with people and be a
positive effect in their lives.
Face outwards, I think if youare externally faced you'll have
(35:36):
a better life.
And you know, come back to theno negative cha-cha, but I would
say I like to believe at leastonce a week, at least once a
week, I somehow have a positiveeffect on somebody.
And it may be that a friend ofmine was having an issue with
(35:58):
some health insurance and I gaveher some advice on what she
should do and she solved it andso she called the thing.
I mean that's, I was thrilled.
But every, every day and asoften as we can, try to do
something that helps you leavesomebody better off.
Lacy Wolff (36:19):
Well, susan, you have lived an incredible life of
service and I love what you'redoing in retirement and just
everything you said today hasbeen just full of.
You've said so many things, somany nuggets of wisdom that I
think we can all take with usand that may support other
people living a good life.
So thank you so much for yourtime, for your service in the
(36:44):
state.
All you did to you know,improve the health and
well-being of Texans everywhere.
Susan Combs (36:50):
Well, thank you, and I'm so glad that ERS does
this.
I think any helpful tools thatwe can give people about you
know their life journey, theirhealth journey I just think it's
great, and so thank you all fordoing life journey, their
health journey.
I just think it's great, and sothank you all for doing it.
Lacy Wolff (37:05):
Absolutely All right .
Thank you so much for tuning infor this special episode of the
Buena Vida podcast.
It was a true honor to sit downwith Susan Combs, a bold voice
in Texas history and a vibrantadvocate for public service and
purpose.
I hope her stories and wisdomfrom Brewster County and beyond
(37:25):
inspired you as much as they didme.
Stay tuned for our next episodethat's going to be dropping in
mid-May, featuring Dr Toprani, apelvic floor therapist with
Hinge Health.
This is going to be a part ofour special series in
celebration of Women's HealthMonth, and you will not want to
miss that one.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please like, share and
(37:47):
subscribe and help us spread thegood life, one conversation at
a time.
Take care everyone.
If you take on this role, know why you're doing it.
Truly, be clear Always lookexternal to you.
It's not about you, you, you.
It's about them, them, them,people who are, in particular,
in ranching.
We are inveterate optimists.
We can't control the weather.
We can't control the market.
(00:21):
We control our responses to it.
Lacy Wolff (00:25):
Hi everyone and welcome to the Buena Vida
podcast, where we explore whatit means to live a good life
through health, purpose andconnection.
I'm your host, lacey Wolfe.
Today I have the honor ofspeaking with someone whose
legacy in public service runsdeep Susan Combs.
She is a former Texas AgCommissioner, former Texas
Comptroller, and she also servedtwo terms in the Texas State
(00:48):
Legislature.
She's also a proud ERS retireewho brings her energy, voice and
insight to issues that impactour future.
This conversation was a realprivilege for me.
Susan brings sharp wit,incredible energy and a
down-to-earth perspective that'sboth refreshing and wise.
She also shares some great tipsfor all of us about staying
(01:10):
engaged, finding joy in ourday-to-day life and protecting
the things that matter most tous.
You may notice that the audiosounds a little bit different.
That's because Susan joined usfrom her ranch in Brewster
County, texas, and if you're notfamiliar with Brewster County,
it is way out west.
It is the largest county andit's one of the most beautiful
counties in our state, home tothe Big Bend National Park and
(01:32):
Big Bend State Park.
We talked quite a bit aboutthat in this episode and you're
going to hear how much shetreasures this place and the
peace and purpose she findsthere, from the Texas capital to
her own backyard.
Susan Combs is someone whobelieves in putting her values
to work, and she is not done yet, so I hope you enjoy our
(01:53):
episode and this conversation Ihad with Susan Combs.
Officially welcome to the BuenaVida podcast, susan.
Thank you so much for being aguest.
It is a huge honor for me toget to spend some time with you
and I look forward to ourconversation.
Susan Combs (02:09):
Well, so do I, and I think it's a wonderful idea
that ERS is doing this.
Lacy Wolff (02:14):
Thank you so much.
Yes, we've tried to be veryinnovative with the way we're
trying to reach people throughall the different communication
platforms, so I'm very lucky Iget to do this part.
I wanted to start with talkingto you about your childhood.
I know that your family has aranch in Brewster County and I'm
wondering if you could paint apicture of what that looked like
(02:36):
for you growing up.
In going out to Brewster County.
Susan Combs (02:40):
Well, my great-grandfather got to
Brewster County in 1882, andthey had come from San Marcos,
and he later moved to SanAntonio in 1900, which is where
I was raised and went to school.
But you always came out to theranch and my great-grandfather,
my grandfather and my father allonly made a living from cattle
(03:02):
A couple of years was sheep, butmainly cattle, and so I was
raised that the ranch was, ofcourse, the only source of
income that we had, and so itwas important that I learned as
much as I could about what wasimportant to that, what was
different about being out in thecountry?
Well, a couple of things Water.
(03:22):
My kids today, in their 40s,still understand that you have
to check if you have water forthe house, and so as a kid we
were always looking at thewindmill.
Did the windmill turn?
If it didn't turn, there was nowater being pumped, and water
was major electricity.
But I was a kid.
We didn't have any electricalpower, except provided by a
(03:46):
generator.
My father would go out and turnthat off at night, and so I was
used to having no power.
And, of course, from a ruralperspective, health care was a
long way away, education was along way.
We were 15 miles south of town,but there were people who were
20 and 30 miles south of town,and to go into town every day
(04:08):
was simply not going to happen.
My mother wanted to have us athome in San Antonio, but I was
the kid out of the two of usthat wanted to be on the ranch,
and so it was.
You know, the water, the powerof health, education.
But I would say something elsethat was really impressed upon
me, which was that you had to beself-sufficient, and whether
(04:34):
your horse broke down or whetheryour vehicle broke down, you
were walking, and it might bemiles, and my father and I he
was in his early 70s at the timehe and I broke down and we had
about a five mile walk back into the headquarters.
(04:54):
We had run over some barbedwire and had gotten wrapped
around the axle.
You've heard the phrase wrappedaround the axle.
It pulled us to a stop, and sothat resilience, that
self-reliance.
But again, one other thing isthat people help each other.
You have the best sort of groupof people who will lend a hand.
(05:15):
You know, dig you out of theproverbial ditch out in the
country.
And it is still true today.
So I would say the things thatI thought of when I was eight
and 10, I would say, you know,obviously, decades later, it's
still what I view as importantcharacteristics of rural Texas.
Lacy Wolff (05:33):
Absolutely.
I love that part of Texas.
It's such a unique place.
I think it was interesting.
I don't remember where I readthis, but it would take you less
time to get from New York toParis than to get from New York
to Marfa.
So just think about howchallenging it is even to get
out there, and I mean talk aboutrural.
(05:56):
It is a very special and veryunique place in our state.
Susan Combs (06:01):
One of the other things is is that if you pay any
attention to sort of the darkskies effort, marathon Brewster
County is one of the darkestplaces in the United States and
we get people here who reallydon't know what they've missed,
literally, and you turn thelights off in the house and all
of a sudden there's thissmashing you know ribbon of
(06:25):
stuff in the sky and I hadsomebody from Austin Seville
well, you got a big fog up there.
I said no, that's the Milky Way.
I mean, it truly is.
It changes your experience withthe world and the skies to be
out this far.
Lacy Wolff (06:41):
Wow, that is incredible.
All of us that live in the citywe don't get to experience that
.
I mean, it is something I thinkthat many kids have probably
never actually seen the MilkyWay because they don't have that
opportunity.
So super special place, yes.
Susan Combs (06:58):
And the phrase light pollution.
It applies all across the hillcountry revolution.
It applies all across the hillcountry.
You're at night inFredericksburg or you're out of
Johnson City, you can see theglow of Marble Falls, or if you
look east, you can see the glowof Austin.
Lacy Wolff (07:13):
You don't get the same unfiltered, unimpeded view
of the stars that you do whenyou're out in the real dark
skies it is a gorgeous place,but I know it definitely comes
with its challenges as well, andit sounds like the way you grew
up and those things that youexperienced, with just lack of
(07:36):
resources and getting back totown when your truck breaks down
, really does build resiliencethat has carried you through
your life and through yourexperience in state government,
I think people who are, inparticular, in ranching.
Susan Combs (07:51):
we are inveterate optimists.
We can't control the weather,we can't control the market.
We can control our responses toit.
I mean, I'm still in ranching.
I don't have any cattle rightnow, but I'm paying attention to
all the waters, all the roads,all the electrical.
I'm trying to work, you know,improve my hunting operation.
(08:12):
But the point is is that myfather's one of his famous
phrases was tomorrow we're oneday closer to rain.
Those are words to live by andthat's how you keep going.
It's a kind of a creates a sortof tireless optimism and fuels
(08:33):
your ability to stay upright.
I was talking to a friend ofmine from our fund.
He was talking about thedrought and we're all, we're all
bemoaning the drought, and he'sgot some things he does.
And so if he pastures cattlefor somebody, well, he ships
them off to somebody else, youknow, 200 miles away, because
that's where the rain is.
And so you become very tactical.
(08:54):
This will work.
That will work by golly.
I've got to go do that.
You don't have any realresources except you.
You don't have any realresources except you.
Lacy Wolff (09:05):
Absolutely, yeah, just constantly looking for
what's good.
People that come from that partof Texas have to stay optimist.
I mean, it's the only wayyou're going to survive.
I know that you started yourcareer in law and you worked in
several different roles.
What was it that led you totransition from law school into
(09:28):
service in state government?
Was there a defining moment ora mentor?
What guided that decision?
Susan Combs (09:34):
There were two things.
One was I was actually workingin New York at the time and I
watched a TV show called Maud,which probably nobody's seen,
but it was a defining moment forme.
I was 28, and Maude I wasexpecting a friend of hers from
the high school class to fly,you know, coming in and Maude
was supposed to be you know,miss everything, and she was, in
(09:56):
her own view, sort of you know40 and fading and not doing
anything.
Well, bunny, who had been notviewed as a dynamo, she flies in
her own airplane and she isrocking and I'm thinking what
the heck am I doing here?
I'm doing a job that if theyburied all my stuff in a time
capsule they would think it wasnonsense.
(10:17):
So I signed up for the LSAT thenext day.
So this is step number one.
I signed up for the LSAT and Isaid I'm going to change my life
and I scrammed for two weeksfor the LSAT, the law school
admissions test, and then, whenI got to law school and then I
got out, I ended up being anassistant district attorney in
Dallas in the juvenile division.
(10:39):
I had it between two categoriesjuvenile delinquents and then
the child abuse side, and childabuse was civil and the juvenile
delinquents was criminal, andthat, about nearly four years,
really made me think about, Iwant to take a look at kids and
(11:00):
their education and what happensto them.
And when you look at some ofthese kids who were, you know,
juvenile delinquents, theirprior history was terrible,
their education was awful, theyhad this childhood that was, by
any rational observer, waspretty bleak, and so their
(11:21):
future didn't look too shiny.
And you, you know, it occurredto me also that basically, most
policies are created by agovernmental entity, whether
it's a school or whether it's acity or a county or a state.
Unless you're in some kind ofgroup, there's people making,
making things happen, and so Ithought, maybe, maybe I could
(11:45):
help make things happen for kidsand for education.
And so that was those twothings even deciding to go to
law school and then decidingwhat to do, those are the two
things that got me thinkingabout government role.
Lacy Wolff (12:00):
Wow, it's so interesting to me to hear your
story and the things thatinfluenced you and really shaped
so much of what you did, shapeda lot of things that are
happening today, role in shapingthe health of Texans, and I
don't think we always connectthe dots between the Department
(12:27):
of Agriculture and Health andyou know, in my role at ERS, I'm
very concerned about health andwell-being.
But how do you view thatconnection between ag and the
health of our children and thehealth of our state?
Susan Combs (12:39):
So when I was handling some of these neglect
cases, what I had cases wascalled failure to thrive
Children were being neglected,they weren't being fed and so
they were failing to thrive.
Well, I was seeing at thedepartment that we were in fact
in some cases feeding the kidssuch garbage in schools that we
(13:01):
were overfeeding them.
Well, at the time, theDepartment of Agriculture had
nothing to do with it.
It was in fact being managed.
The school lunch program, whichis federal, was being managed
by the Texas Education Agencyand the governor, rick Perry,
and I had multiple chats aboutthis.
He was very interested and sowe decided together we would see
(13:24):
if the folks in Washingtonwould allow us, they would help
us transfer the child nutritionprogram from the education folks
to the ag folks.
And that was me, and I feltthat I had the intestinal
fortitude to withstand slingsand arrows.
And so that happened in July of2003.
(13:49):
And that was like the shotheard around the world.
I mean, it was.
You know, I didn't really knowabout emails until I got a
thousand of them.
Wow, not 20, 22 years ago.
But what we did was we triedreally hard to make a concerted
(14:11):
effort If these kids were in ourI say our meaning the state or
you know care, custody controlduring the daytime for meals.
Let's give them good stuff toeat and let's minimize the junk
food and let's stop havingschools use the kids as ATMs.
Basically, they were sellingcandy all during the day in
(14:33):
order to make money.
So what I did was I had we hada great marketing head.
She was putting out materialson how you could raise money for
your schools and not buy food.
I mean, it was.
It's so ingrained and Lacey.
I'm not sure it's changed much,but I will tell you we made an
(14:54):
effort and I heard from thecandy people they were not happy
.
The pizza people were great.
They changed their pizza makeupto make it healthier because
Texas was such a big market thatif they made Texas happy they
would be successful in otherstates.
So that was that's a long timeago.
That was 22 years ago.
Lacy Wolff (15:15):
It's incredible.
You're really on the forefrontof a lot of the things we're
still working on improving thehealth of our students.
It's an ongoing battle for sure, but you made some great
inroads there, it sounds like.
But anytime we make a changelike that, it's going to upset
some people also it.
Susan Combs (15:43):
I also in a parallel track, lacy, I said
let's take a look at where yourfood comes from.
I wanted to you clearlydelineate the link between the
men and women on the land,whether they were farming or
ranching.
They were producing somethingthat we were eating, and so
there was a connection.
It wasn't the grocery store.
Kids, you know kids sometimesin big cities thought that milk
came from chickens.
That sounds nutty.
(16:03):
But one little kid did say thatit'd be used in a livestock
show some years ago.
And so educate them where theirfood came from, because if you
become an interested consumer,you're going to pay attention to
what you eat.
Lacy Wolff (16:16):
Absolutely.
Yeah, I grew up on a dairy farm.
I think a lot of people have noidea and I hear all kinds of
crazy things about dairy farming, like there's antibiotics in
the milk.
I can guarantee you there's notAll my kids are tall.
Susan Combs (16:32):
I raised them with lots and lots of milk and in
fact I would be bringing so manygallons of milk home.
It was actually kind of a kindof hard work to unload the car.
But the point is, every parentyou struggle to feed your kid
right?
Sometimes it's a matter of youknow, give a food desert.
That's a phrase you've probablyheard.
Can you get good food?
(16:54):
Well, you may not be able to.
It may be really tough in thechild abuse arena.
Able to.
It may be really tough in thechild abuse arena.
It was really shocking to me tosee how hard it was for these
families in Dallas to get foodthat was healthy, and they did
try.
Lacy Wolff (17:11):
Yeah, people want to be healthy.
I truly believe that everybodywants to give their kids good
food.
There is a lack of education,sometimes there's a lack of
resources, funding, and it'sjust not in the stores that are
in front of your face.
Susan Combs (17:29):
A lot of sugar.
Lacy Wolff (17:31):
A lot of sugar, absolutely Well, the food
companies know what sells and Ithink that's the challenge we
face is it tastes good and youknow we get early addicted to
those foods and it's hard tounwire what has been wired into
our brain.
Susan Combs (17:48):
Well, it's very hard.
As a parent, and my kidscertainly knew, I did not have
junk food at home, I did nothave soft drinks, so therefore
they didn't get it hardwired andI didn't buy sugar pops and
that stuff.
I didn't buy any of that.
I didn't want to give them asugar craving because they could
develop it later.
But at 18 or 20 or 15, that'stheir problem, right?
(18:08):
But two and five and seven,it's mine.
Lacy Wolff (18:11):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's funny.
I have a 16 year old and I buythree gallons of milk.
He just drinks huge glasses ofmilk because that's what we have
.
We got milk, you got water.
What do you want?
Well, it has been said that youare known for being the always
early person.
I've talked to a few people whoknow you from your time in
(18:33):
state government.
How did you develop that habit?
Why is that important and howdid that impact your life, your
career?
Susan Combs (18:41):
Well, ok, if you it started on the ranch.
I mean, you're always doingstuff before daylight and if
you're getting ready to shipcattle, you've got to get to the
pens early so that you're notcausing a disturbance as they
bring them in.
You don't want to be runningaround arriving late, so you
want to be there and you want tobe quiet.
So I mean, I remember lots oftimes I was way there before
(19:05):
daylight, so if I wasn't in thepasture with them I was in the
pens waiting, and so that wasone that just taught me early.
Plus, I'm also an early riserand my energy level is super
high.
An early riser and my energylevel is super high.
And the third thing is, I thinkif you're not early or late,
it's a matter of respect.
(19:25):
I know of a couple of peoplewho were so notoriously late for
meetings that it became kind ofa sour joke a will give him or
her a different time.
You don't want to do that topeople.
It's a sign of, it's a sign ofdiscourtesy if you're not there
on time.
Also, everybody's got acompressed time schedule and so
(19:48):
if you start your meeting ontime, if you're on time, you're
letting them know you want to,everybody wants to hear from
everybody, and you don't want tomake a wait for some somebody.
So I think it's a it's a matterof efficiency and courtesy and
I think I I do it now.
I mean people left.
Hey, she's.
She wasn't the first one here.
(20:09):
I beat her by two minutes.
Good, let's start that content.
Lacy Wolff (20:14):
I love that.
That's so great.
Yeah, I.
I had a friend that severalyears ago was actually a boss of
mine that she said if you arelate, you're, if you are late
you're telling me my timedoesn't matter.
And that really stuck.
Susan Combs (20:31):
That's the discourtesy part.
Plus, it's also inefficient.
Lacy Wolff (20:36):
That makes so much sense and I'm sure that has
served you well, it sounds likethrough your career.
Are you a morning person?
Do you get up early?
Susan Combs (20:44):
Oh yeah, I mean this morning I was up at about
3.15 reading the newspapers.
Lacy Wolff (20:48):
Wow, and so you go to bed early.
Susan Combs (20:51):
I'm going to guess as well, I also find that my
energy level is so high.
So I was when I was sworn in asagriculture commissioner.
The governor swore me in and heread a line that I guess his
speechwriter had written for me.
It said Susan Combs is a womanof high energy.
(21:12):
She even makes coffee nervous.
So people beg me not to haveyou get little mugsugs.
Please don't give her any morecoffee.
No more coffee.
So but I'm.
But I feel charged, I feelpositive, I feel alert.
It's a very good sort ofbiofeedback that's great.
Lacy Wolff (21:32):
yeah, and knowing your energy levels, I think, is
really important.
So many people, I think we'retrying to just fit things in
where it works.
But if you're for me, if Idon't do some sort of exercise
in the morning, I'm not going todo it Like I just know that my
that's the way my biology worksas well.
Susan Combs (21:51):
So I also find that people get bummed out if they
think, oh my goodness, this taskis going to take forever.
I was when I was in DC working.
I had to try to figure out away to improve some HR policies,
and it's a big task and we hadover about a thousand and five
(22:13):
of these things and it was likeit was such a big hill oh my
gosh, how can we take a look atit?
And so I said let's not work onthis for longer than 45 days.
I call these things sprints.
So this group of about 12people, 14 people they came back
(22:34):
in 35 days.
Instead of giving me a 15%reduction in policies, they gave
me 52%.
Wow, their energy was high,their focus was high, the end
was in sight Wasn't going to goon into eternity.
And so I now.
I hate cleaning the garage.
(22:54):
I give myself 20 minute sprintsto work on the garage.
Lacy Wolff (22:59):
That's a great strategy, yeah, one drawer at a
time, one section at a time.
Susan Combs (23:07):
Or in the pantry.
The pantry gets out of control.
So 20 minutes.
Lacy Wolff (23:11):
Yeah, that is great strategy.
I love that.
And yeah, because if you puttoo much pressure and you make
it too big, it just getsoverwhelming.
Susan Combs (23:21):
Yes, it is, and it's discouraging For sure.
Lacy Wolff (23:26):
Well, there's a lot going on right now, as you are
fully aware, with stategovernment and just generally.
I think things can be reallychallenging for folks that are
working in government.
Challenging for folks that areworking in government.
Curious.
If you could go back and giveyour younger self, maybe
starting out in state government, or folks that are working
starting out a career in service, what would you tell them?
(23:49):
What would you tell yourself?
Susan Combs (23:51):
I would say a couple of things.
Let's see if you take on thisrole.
Know why you're doing it.
Truly, be clear and keep, ifyou have to, you know, put a
piece of paper on your computerscreen, keep yourself focused.
Secondly, try to find somethingfun every day.
I used to I had when I was inthe legislature I had all of
(24:15):
Jack Handy's books, just becausethey were such good jokes, and
if I was getting a littlefatigued or a little well, I'd
go look at a Jack Handy thing.
So, know what you're doing,know why you're doing it.
Why do you think?
And then the thirdly is I wouldsay always look external to you
(24:35):
.
It's not about you, you, you,it's about them.
Them them external to you.
It's not about you, you, you,it's about them.
Them them and keep the personyou're trying to help or the
process you're trying to improve, keep the prospective
beneficiaries in your horizon.
And then last, try to be calm.
(24:58):
I think that social media has away of just revving everybody up
and it's not good for youhealth-wise, your blood pressure
, whatever, to be revved up allthe time.
And I had a cousin who had agreat phrase that she told me
about 10 or 12 years ago.
(25:20):
She was fighting a very serious, serious illness, but her
phrase was no negative cha-chaand what that meant was no
negative garbage, no negativenothing.
Just don't listen to it.
So I wrote N-N-C-C no negativecha-cha.
I could put that on a pad ofpaper in a meeting, and NNCC
(25:46):
meant I wasn't going to engagein negativity, I wasn't going to
listen to it, and it has.
It enabled me to sail intocalmer waters.
Lacy Wolff (25:59):
So that is amazing advice Remember your why, have
fun like have humor, Rememberwho you serve I love that and
keep the negativity out.
I took social media off myphone a couple of weeks ago.
I just took it off and I tellyou what that's been a great
decision.
I'm so much happier.
(26:20):
I'm so much happier.
Susan Combs (26:22):
I'm lucky enough to be in a little group of five of
us and they send these reallystupid things around in the
morning.
El Arroyo, it has some greatsigns, so they'll send those out
, and one of them is a diehardAggie and he's got access to
(26:43):
this.
You know great group of people.
He's one of eight kids, butgreat people and it just it
brightens our day.
And so, whatever your task is,make the task your focus, not
you, but also keep your bloodpressure down, keep the
temperature down, chill out.
You'll be more effective.
Lacy Wolff (27:04):
Yes, that's it.
I think you are 100% correctand there's probably it is an
art to be able to do that.
Do you have any suggestions onhow to keep our blood pressure
down?
Susan Combs (27:16):
So I do, and this, this sounds really dumb.
I learned to do this aboutseven or eight years ago and I
used it recently out at ameeting in Marfa.
So we would have thesesoon-to-be contentious meetings
on Friday afternoon and I had Iwas, I would be seated along
with others at a conferencetable and you'd have group A not
(27:39):
liking what group B was doingand group B was bowing up, as we
would say, on the ranch, kindof like an old bull bowing up,
and group C, and so I ended upbuying a whole bunch.
This is not advisable if youdon't like candy.
But anyway, I got these KitKats and I would slide them down
the table and it was like I haddropped a bomb at the table.
(28:04):
People would stop, they wouldstart laughing because they knew
it meant I was saying hey guys,you're getting out of control.
Tiny little Kit Kats I'm notshilling for the Kit Kat people,
but tiny little Kit Kats,anything to break catch anything
(28:29):
to break the tension.
Lacy Wolff (28:30):
That's great.
I love that, yeah, and humor, Imean, it's such a great
resiliency skill just to be ableto.
You know, sometimes we got tojust pause and, like you said,
find the jack handy.
Susan Combs (28:40):
Well, one thing that I did find useful was the.
Well, one thing that I did finduseful was the.
I don't have much of a Southernaccent.
I have some, but not much, andwhen.
Lacy Wolff (29:01):
I would go to DC.
Susan Combs (29:01):
If there was somebody just being a turkey,
real turkey I would develop thisDolly Parton style accent.
One sentence would do it.
They would all back up asthough I turned into some
creature from the black lagoonor something, and it was
hilarious.
They knew what I mean.
Cut it out, stop it.
Whatever you're doing, stop it.
And that was a form of humor,because we people in the south
(29:23):
are real smart and we people inTexas are real smart.
But when we use that thickaccent, it sends a signal.
Lacy Wolff (29:32):
Being authentic in who you are.
Susan Combs (29:35):
Yes, but everybody can, everybody can.
Lacy Wolff (29:41):
We're definitely happier when we are who we are
at work, and I think sometimeswe have to have a little bit of
a filter and having a filter canbe authentic.
Susan Combs (29:51):
That's true.
Lacy Wolff (29:52):
That is true.
Since you have retired, itsounds like you stay very busy.
How do you fill your days nowand what drives you to continue
staying so active in yourretirement?
Susan Combs (30:03):
Well, I'm spending a lot of time focusing on the
ranch.
By that I mean, I go back tothe water.
We just yesterday had to havesome folks from Fort Stockton
down because we didn't havewater someplace and we have
electricity.
So the things that were aproblem 50 years ago, or my
father 80 years ago, are still aproblem.
(30:23):
I'm trying to make those better.
I'm trying to make the waterdistribution good.
It's very hot, very dry, thehumidity is terrible and the two
creeks that I'm near I havekind of dried up, and so you
take a look at what do I do?
So that's thinking about thatenvironment and thinking about
you know how can I leave my kidsto not have things in a
(30:45):
complete mess?
So that's something I'll worryabout.
I've also been helping to talkto some people about a living
shoreline project along thecoast.
You can't get much further fromthe Big Bend in the coast but
there's some really interestingprojects going along sort of all
up and down outside HarrisCounty living shorelines where
(31:05):
you can use oyster sediment itstores a lot of carbon but
oyster shells and you can end upwith being able to combat storm
surges.
So you don't lose beaches, youdon't lose land.
That's interesting to me, somestuff related to energy.
How do we get energy everywhere?
(31:26):
How do we get water everywhere?
I mean, water issue is big andthe legislature right now is
spending a lot of time thinkingabout water.
Water is the essential thingfor life, along with air, and
you've got people.
If they become water short,that's huge and I would urge
everybody to pay attention toyour sources of water.
(31:49):
Do you conserve water?
Are you able to sort of, youknow, manage your water?
We ended up putting in a fakegrass out here on the ranch
because I I can't waste water Imean, this is the desert, can't
do it.
And and if I lose my windmill,I'm up.
I'm not up the creek becausethe creek doesn't have any water
, I'm out of water, I have nocreek and the creek.
(32:12):
So we pay a lot of attention tothat.
But I try to do things that areinteresting and stimulating and
so I read a lot.
I mean, you know, I read theWall Street Journal, I read the
New York Times, I scan the LATimes, washington Post, I read
Apple News.
I want to know what's going on,and I think that I will have
(32:37):
more interesting conversationsand learn more from other people
if I also know a littlesomething.
Lacy Wolff (32:44):
Yes, absolutely.
That's fun.
That's amazing.
I aspire to be like you as aretiree.
I love how you're spending yourtime and energy on things that
matter it's really importantthings that impact our future.
Susan Combs (33:03):
And there's my kids and grandkids.
They're all in Austin and I'mtrying to figure out how I can
be woven into their summer plans, and so I'm, you know, being
sure that my husband and I willbe available to do stuff and see
them, and I prefer to do it in,you know, like a weekend.
I think you get more goodcontact than in a couple of hour
(33:23):
visit, but I'll take what I canget and so it's just, it's just
part of that.
I want them to have a goodsense of their, their privilege
to be able to come out to aplace with vast skies and and
great stars.
They're, they're lucky, and Iurge everybody in a town drive
(33:44):
out 40 miles, 50 miles, just gosomeplace or go look online, but
the world around you is so, soexciting and so stimulating.
Lacy Wolff (33:58):
Yeah, just experience it.
Yep, Yep.
I just love when I get out ofthe Austin area.
Just, you know, 45 minutes out,like you said, texas becomes
just open and it's.
It's so lovely just to get outand get away from the traffic
and to and right now, to see theblue bonnets.
Susan Combs (34:18):
It's a beautiful thing the flowers and the
pastures.
We'll when drive back toaustralia, we'll come across 290
and I will tell you.
You start from i-10 and you getto harper and then you get into
, which is beautiful the flowers.
If they've had enough rain,they haven't had it yet, but
sometimes it is breathtaking, uh, and all the way in, and so
(34:41):
it's just, it's ever changing.
Just keep going out andrefreshing your memory bank.
Lacy Wolff (34:47):
That's a great tip.
Absolutely Well, susan.
I always like to ask thisquestion to wrap up the podcast
and the name of our podcast, thename of our well-being program,
is Buena Vida, which means thegood life, and we believe at ERS
that a good life can be verydifferent for everyone.
What is a good life to you?
(35:09):
How do you define it?
Personally, professionally,what does it mean?
Susan Combs (35:12):
I think about three or four things.
One is you need to try tochoose happiness.
I think it's got to be a choice.
If you're happy, you're goingto be leaning towards a good
life.
I think you know.
Try to connect in a positiveway with people and be a
positive effect in their lives.
Face outwards, I think if youare externally faced you'll have
(35:36):
a better life.
And you know, come back to theno negative cha-cha, but I would
say I like to believe at leastonce a week, at least once a
week, I somehow have a positiveeffect on somebody.
And it may be that a friend ofmine was having an issue with
(35:58):
some health insurance and I gaveher some advice on what she
should do and she solved it andso she called the thing.
I mean that's, I was thrilled.
But every, every day and asoften as we can, try to do
something that helps you leavesomebody better off.
Lacy Wolff (36:19):
Well, susan, you have lived an incredible life of
service and I love what you'redoing in retirement and just
everything you said today hasbeen just full of.
You've said so many things, somany nuggets of wisdom that I
think we can all take with usand that may support other
people living a good life.
So thank you so much for yourtime, for your service in the
(36:44):
state.
All you did to you know,improve the health and
well-being of Texans everywhere.
Susan Combs (36:50):
Well, thank you, and I'm so glad that ERS does
this.
I think any helpful tools thatwe can give people about you
know their life journey, theirhealth journey I just think it's
great, and so thank you all fordoing life journey, their
health journey.
I just think it's great, and sothank you all for doing it.
Lacy Wolff (37:05):
Absolutely All right .
Thank you so much for tuning infor this special episode of the
Buena Vida podcast.
It was a true honor to sit downwith Susan Combs, a bold voice
in Texas history and a vibrantadvocate for public service and
purpose.
I hope her stories and wisdomfrom Brewster County and beyond
(37:25):
inspired you as much as they didme.
Stay tuned for our next episodethat's going to be dropping in
mid-May, featuring Dr Toprani, apelvic floor therapist with
Hinge Health.
This is going to be a part ofour special series in
celebration of Women's HealthMonth, and you will not want to
miss that one.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please like, share and
(37:47):
subscribe and help us spread thegood life, one conversation at
a time.
Take care everyone.
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