1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,200 Hi, this is Stephanie Maas and I'm thrilled to be joining the Action Catalyst. 2 00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:14,790 Many of you will have no idea who I am or why in the world I could even remotely be qualified to be here, and a really neat story how it came to be. 3 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:21,860 So for 30 years, I have been with the Southwestern family of companies who produces the action catalyst. 4 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:30,620 In fact, I first got to know the Southwestern family of companies when I was a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 5 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:36,860 I was recruited to be a part of their Summer Advantage program, and it literally changed my life. 6 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:47,250 I have three kids, so my hobbies typically consist of football games, getting my oldest off to college and ready for that experience. 7 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:53,120 Spending time with My youngest is she's trying to figure out if she wants to be a fashion designer, a volleyball player. 8 00:00:53,945 --> 00:01:01,324 A race car driver, gymnast, a cheer queen, any of those number of things we typically tend to bounce around. 9 00:01:01,504 --> 00:01:07,175 When I'm not busy with those, my heart also goes to giving back to those less fortunate in the community. 10 00:01:07,475 --> 00:01:16,535 Probably one of my all-time favorite quotes is from Spider-Man, uncle Ben, if you remember, and it is with great power comes great responsibility. 11 00:01:16,785 --> 00:01:24,585 And I believe that I have been blessed in extraordinary ways with the gifts that I've been given throughout my life and career. 12 00:01:24,675 --> 00:01:28,905 So anything that I can do to give back to others is very motivating for me. 13 00:01:29,054 --> 00:01:31,725 That sounded really cheesy, but it's really sincere. 14 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:44,190 Since my exposure to the Action Catalyst, one of the things I think make it really unique is the ability to have real conversation with folks that have done some amazing things. 15 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:52,620 I think the Action Catalyst really spends time getting beyond the traditional questions of who are you, how'd you get there? 16 00:01:52,620 --> 00:01:53,699 So forth and so on. 17 00:01:53,759 --> 00:01:59,480 But really peels back the layers of, Hey, Tell us not just about your wins, but about your failures. 18 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:17,210 It really gets to the people behind the achievements, and I think for executives, leaders, folks who wanna be in those roles, who are on the journey to be in those roles, who are currently in those roles, it gives them a very real look at what it looks like to get there, to stay there, to be there, et cetera. 19 00:02:17,984 --> 00:02:35,505 Podcasting is a fantastic format for folks who are busy in a time crunch, but looking and yearning for places to get new ideas, share ideas, be exposed to things they maybe didn't know, to help them further their career, their professional life, whatever the case may be. 20 00:02:35,505 --> 00:02:41,535 Podcasting is a fantastic format for those who are on the go, but still have a thirst for knowledge. 21 00:02:42,675 --> 00:02:51,105 My hope is that listeners get a very real look at the folks behind the successes and the achievements. 22 00:02:51,195 --> 00:03:05,775 It's so easy to see something that somebody has done in, in your mind automatically put them on a certain type of pedestal, and it's not that we're trying to take them off of the pedestal, but rather, hey, what does that climb look like? 23 00:03:05,925 --> 00:03:18,804 And help understand that even though these folks have incredible achievement, They're really like you and I and very relatable, which means we can be just as incredible in our achievements as they are. 24 00:03:19,464 --> 00:03:25,855 Super excited to be with you, honored to be a part of it, and hope you will join us every week on the Action Catalyst.