(upbeat music) - Welcome back to "Inspire."

It's been a long road for women in the workforce, and we still have a long way to go.

Discussion on this and more coming up next on "Inspire."

(soft music) - [Announcer] "Inspire" is sponsored by Kansas Furniture Mart, using furniture to inspire conversation.

And by the Blanche Bryden Foundation.

(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to "Inspire."

I'm always happy to be here with my sisters and lovely co-hosts Betty Lou Pardue and Amber Dickinson.

Today's topic is one that all of us can relate to, the challenges and accomplishments of women in the workforce.

- The three of us are a powerhouse trio that have made a name for ourselves in our community, workplace and family.

The battles our predecessors have fought for us have helped us get to where we are today, but there is so much more work to do.

- That's very true, Amber, and while women have paved roads and have accomplished so much in the workplace, we are still fighting for equal pay, better job opportunities, breaking through male dominated industries.

To speak more with us about this issue, we're very happy to introduce Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield, senior vice president of strategy at Greater Topeka partnership, and Tracy Jepson, CEO of Jepson Solutions, LLC.

Michelle and Tracy, thank you so much.

We can't wait to delve into your brains.

I just, you know, we're at different ages, and when I was starting to work, about the only thing available for women that we were encouraged to do was either become a nurse or a secretary or a teacher.

So Michelle, how have you seen that evolve over these years?

- I would probably say, much like even in my career, I was originally in advertising and that was very true then.

But I think what we've seen is that there's greater equity.

There's greater, there's a realization that women can bring to the workforce and the skills that they bring.

So I think realizing that in industries and knowing that you can better serve your customers when your workforce is more diverse, and that includes women, than businesses fair well.

- [Betty] And Tracy?

- Yeah, so I think kind of the roles that you described, I always look at them as caring roles.

So we don't see women in C-suite executive positions, we see them, you know, as heads of nonprofit or secretaries, administrative assistants, that kind of thing, because they have generally more care in those types of positions.

And I think that's a lot of what women are really trying to push still to get out of even today in 2021.

- So do you think that part of the issue is that there's pushback to allow women to move into those positions, even when they're qualified, even when they have done their due diligence and they deserve to be where they are.

Do you think we're still seeing societal pushback on women in those higher up roles?

- There are traditional expectations, and one is you can be the level of commitment and how much you're willing to work.

However, you know, childcare is on the shoulders of women.

So sometimes they need to, organizations need to realize and provide that flexibility because you're missing out on phenomenal women who have the ability to multitask, run their households, be adaptive, be flexible, and then really offer those same skill sets to a corporation who need those same skillsets.

- Talk about going out on your own.

- Yeah, so I think, and you know, one of the best pieces of career advice that somebody has given me was be your own boss.

Don't let anyone else control your paycheck.

And so when I moved from the corporate environment to going out on my own as a business owner, it was a bit of a shock, but I mean, I knew what I was doing and I knew that I was able to provide those services to our clients.

And it's interesting, I actually work with mostly male clients.

I think the industries that I was in, construction, manufacturing, and my corporate life, that was sort of that male dominated industry.

And it was sort of the toughness that I had to learn.

And so being able to speak with male owned businesses, I can push back to them and not feel like I have to soften my message or anything else that maybe I would have to do in the corporate world.

I really enjoy being able to have those higher level conversations and they respect where I'm coming from because I'm not shy about my message and I'm not worried about really hurting their feelings if we have to have hard conversations, and I think that that has been appreciated.

But yeah, going out on my own, I didn't have to worry about, you know, what position does somebody think I need to be?

And all of a sudden you become the CEO of your company and people look at you differently and people react to you differently versus if, you know, I still had that administrative assistant behind my email address.

The CEO changes that pretty quick.

- Well, was there a lot of pressure on you?

Did you feel pressure to succeed, not only for yourself, but womenkind?

- So I think I've always felt pressured to succeed.

I think because I was in those sort of administrative roles and I didn't want to be, I always wanted to do more, be more for those organizations.

I saw what those salaries were for the men in my departments, and I wanted that.

And so I've always been sort of a perfectionist and work very, very hard to be better or best in my industry as I can be in and try to do as much as I can.

And so I think I probably put more pressure on myself than anyone else did.

My husband certainly doesn't put that pressure on me.

He's very happy and congratulatory and, you know, appreciates the success, but is never one to pressure how we're doing as a business.

So to me, it has been a really natural and easy fit that I didn't feel in corporate and I didn't feel like I just had to, I don't know, I guess I didn't feel like I had anybody to respond to or that was going to tell me what to do.

I could make my own path, and that was a much more comfortable place for me to be.

- I need to just go right quick if I may, Michelle.

Coming through the advertising field, as long as you and I were in it, it's like kind of not that far removed from the mad men days.

- No, it's not.

(laughter) - Okay.

Will you elaborate on that a bit?

- You know, when I first got into the industry they said, you know, if you wanna make your way into the industry, look at the obituaries because people stayed in those positions for a long time.

And a lot of the time it was mad men.

So, you know, leadership was CEOs or men in general.

And you know, that type of position, especially in advertising is kind of very ego oriented.

It's creative, very gregarious and all those things that you might envision.

So a woman who would come in, can't necessarily, I would say if they came in that way, they would probably be termed, you know, and framed a little differently than them just being a confident man.

So a woman comes in, they're not probably gonna be deemed as confident, however-- - What a delicate way to put that.

(laughter) - Most know me that that's probably, you know, probably not the way I would've framed it.

- So I wanna follow up with something that you brought up, this idea that women traditionally have sort of these administrative assistant positions, which are phenomenally important positions.

Our department would collapse without-- - They make a CEO shine.

- Yes, but I do think that those positions come with, as you mentioned, a certain pay grade.

And so I wanna sort of talk a little bit about this idea of why do women make less money, right?

And I hear some people say, well, it's because they are not asking for the same amount.

And I just want to hear your thoughts on why this is happening.

- For me, there's a number of reasons.

One is, like I said earlier, childcare is on the shoulders of women, which means that if they decide to have children, at some point, they're gonna come out of that workforce.

You come out of that workforce, chances are when you return, you're gonna make less.

And the other is maybe some of the interests that you have are not necessarily in line with corporate philosophy.

You know, it's difficult, but at the same time, as a woman, we have to decide what's important for ourselves.

where we wanna go, and fight for what we want.

I think that's the biggest thing.

There are times when we simply just need to ask, and say here is why I am worthy.

Here is why I am an asset to this organization.

And as women, men do it very easily.

They say I'm this, I'm accomplishing this, I'm accomplishing that.

Women often don't do that enough.

- And I think that what you mentioned is that that desire or that drive for us to just say I'm doing this, I'm worth this amount of money, why aren't you paying me this?

- Exactly.

- And I think that translates even outside of corporate.

So I work with a lot of business owners.

The women business owners that I work with and that I mentor, their prices are significantly lower than men in the same industry.

Their work could be way better, but they're pricing themselves lower.

And it is the conversation of money is scary to women, some women.

They don't want to talk about it.

This is also like a generational issue.

So women are not taught, you know, when they're growing up that talking about money and being profitable and making money, it's okay.

Like, guess what?

It's what makes the world go round, and there's nothing wrong with having a lot of it.

And I think because we are taught that, you know, we don't talk about money and that kind of thing, that's why we see low pricing from women, that's why we see sort of that confidence level.

And I think if we can increase the level of confidence in women, whether they're in corporate or in business and as they're growing up, and I think a lot of the STEM programs that are being taught in school STEM and STEAM, both of those, I think introducing those industries to girls at a young age is really important because they can be confident in those skills.

And if we can continue to teach them that they're capable, we can also teach them that they're capable of asking for more and being able to price themselves accordingly so they can be successful and bring home, you know, money to their family so they can put their kids in better childcare or they can take more time off so they can spend more time with them.

I think a lot of it is really a confidence issue about talking about money in general.

- Well, this has been a great conversation so far.

I'm chomping at the mid to actually hear some more 'cause I have some questions to ask both of you.

But right now, we're going to take a short break, but we'll be right back with Michelle and Tracy to continue our discussion on women in the workforce.

Stay with us.

(upbeat music) - And we're back with Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield and Tracy Jepson.

Ladies, on our last segment, we were discussing about sort of the types of positions that women traditionally hold and the types of positions that we're seeing move into and this idea of women's pay.

So now wanna continue this conversation because I think we're all getting fired up, and we have lots of good questions.

So since I did jump ahead of you last time, please go right ahead.

- Well, I'm just curious.

There could be a woman in the workforce saying look, I've put all this information down.

I know what I should be paid, you know, in terms of other people in my same position.

I've gone to management, nothing has happened.

What's next?

- I usually tell women that you have to decide at that point, okay, what's the worst that can happen?

The worst that could probably happen is that you lose your job and a window or another door opens up.

I think especially right now, as people are, it's called a great resignation, that there are jobs available.

And if you truly want to make a change and be, you know, make that pay, you have that option.

You just have to determine what's important to you and are you willing to take that risk?

- Where is this great resignation coming from?

Is this related to the pandemic?

Is this just a naturally occurring thing that we're seeing right now?

What has sparked that?

- I think it was during this time period because of the pandemic that has spurred that on.

There is gonna be some, it may have happened regardless to a certain extent because boomers are leaving market as gen X is get a little older.

Some of them are leaving earlier because they have a more expended income.

So we're seeing some of that.

But the pandemic I think has spurred it on because it's really made people question, am I doing what I wanna be doing?

You know, they were taking the time because they didn't work and now they're going, you know, what is my purpose?

So what do I really wanna do in life?

- Just a quick follow-up, if I may, because we're on this pandemic discussion.

What we're seeing is that this is affecting women much disproportionally than it's affecting men, why?

- Well, yeah, this all comes back to childcare, and again, the caring role that women play.

And I also think that, you know, to piggyback off of what you were talking about with the great resignation, millennials have come into the workforce and they don't want bonuses.

They don't want, you know, extra money or 401ks.

Those are not top priorities for them in the workplace.

They want time off, they want flexibility.

So this is not only women who are resigning, but it is younger people too who are going out and looking for that flexibility, and I think we all learned in the last year, year and a half over the pandemic, that time is limited.

We don't know what is coming next.

We don't know what the next year will look like.

And we want jobs and employers who care about us and care about the things that we want.

And for women, this is extra time with their kids.

I mean, nobody knew that they'd be homeschooling for so long and someone had to provide that role.

And if there was not family, extended family members that could help with that, it was women coming out of the workforce to do this.

We're seeing a significant number of these women who now want to stay home, but also want to still provide for their family.

So we're seeing a ton of women starting businesses.

I mean, even in 2019, 89% of new businesses were started by women.

So this is a significant push in the entrepreneurial world that they can now be at home, have that flexibility with their family, with their kids, and still bring home money and contribute to their family the way that they would if they were in corporate.

- I need to bring a little bit of fun into this.

Okay, nine to five, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda.

How fun was that?

And you mentioned multitasking.

Remember the scenes where like the first shift would go home, they would take all the pictures off the desk.

The second shift would come in, they'd put all their pictures on the desk.

And I mean, and it was just showing how much better it was around the office.

People were happier.

And I think, you know, with your talking about the different ages as well, those women who started working way back when, they did so much to pave the way for the younger people, and I'm hoping our younger people appreciate it.

- Yeah, I would have to say that younger women do appreciate it, but I do think that there's so much more room.

We've talked about this from the very beginning, this is a great start to where women where women want to be, but it is nowhere close to where it should be.

And I do think that the next generation of women will make probably even a greater impact, I think overall on the way that corporations change.

And I think it has to start from the top down.

These executives and owners of companies have to understand that having women in those higher positions, those diverse positions bringing in, you know, an entirely different perspective and getting them out of the roles that they were formerly kind of plugged into, they're gonna continue to grow, and women are gonna start looking for companies who are focusing on hiring women into those types of positions.

- Both of you are very confident women.

How did you gain the confidence to be able to ask for what you want?

'Cause again, I'm going back to the previous question where you know your worth, you know what you want to make, but you could be intimidated by a boss who is less than open to giving out any more money than possible.

So how do you gain the confidence, personally, to be able to say look, I deserve this?

- For me, I'm fortunate enough to have very strong women in my life.

And I think that makes a huge difference.

My mom has always said, and it's weird advice, but she's always told me if no one's mad at you, you're not doing enough.

- Wow.

- So for me, that says you've got to take risks, you've got to create change, you've got to, you know, do things that might be uncomfortable at times.

And sometimes, and often what makes women uncomfortable is speaking up for themselves, believing in what they have to say, and then bringing women along with you.

I think that's a huge component to that.

So that you're not alone in that room when you're speaking with, you know, traditional board.

Yes, absolutely.

- As KLC would say, raise the temperature.

- Raise the temperature, raise the heat.

- I think for me, so interesting, you had really strong women in your life, I had always competition growing up.

So my older brother was this Mr.

Perfect in my eyes and could do no wrong, and so I sort of just started saying, well, I can do anything that he can do and better.

You know, there's a musical.

I think we're familiar.

But no, so I started just to say that I can do that.

I took on a job right when I was in college.

I was completely unqualified to do it, but I told the owner, I said give me two weeks, I can prove myself, I can figure this out.

And I did it, and I studied, and I learned because I wanted to show him that I could do what the prior person had done.

And so the roles that I was taking on as I built my career, it was, well, I don't know how to do that, but I can figure it out.

And I just don't have a fear of failure.

I don't believe that failure is an option, and I don't believe that it's something that's gonna happen to me.

Like you said, what's the worst that can happen?

You lose your job.

Great.

I know that I can go to any restaurant, get a job.

Like I can find a way to earn money and make a living.

So trying something new and scary really isn't hard for me because I just don't think that failure is something that's going to occur.

There's always another way to move up in life.

And so it was kind of a little fake it till you feel it a little bit along the way, but it really did.

I think it all comes back to confidence and just believing in your own abilities, even if nobody else does.

- I love it.

We love these guys, and we love you for watching.

Thank you so much, Michelle and Tracy.

And you know what?

I think you guys are gonna wanna get ahold of them again.

So it's a very, very important subject, and we appreciate your time and your talent and your knowledge.

So we'll be right back in just a minute.

(upbeat music) (lighthearted music) - Hi, I'm Janice Watkins and this is Nikki MacMillan.

We're with Topeka Habitat for Humanity, and today we're gonna be discussing the importance of home maintenance and addressing the life systems of your home.

Specifically, the changing of furnace filters.

When we think about a home, we can think about it like having the anatomy of a living, breathing being.

And so the furnace filter is an important part of how your home breathes.

If we are not addressing our furnace filters and changing them often, it is going to make it harder for the home to breathe and unsafe for the occupants of the home.

So here I am holding a what not to do scenario as a furnace filter that has not been changed in about five years.

It's collecting dust, it's collecting debris, and it's making it harder for not only your furnace to breathe, but for the occupants of the home to breathe.

Nicki is holding a brand new furnace filter.

As you can see, the difference is literally night and day.

You can see through, you can see the cleanliness of this filter, and here, we're going to not allow the passage of air and movement through the furnace.

So the system is not only going to work harder, but it is not going to be able to function properly without proper maintenance and furnace filter changing.

We recommend changing the furnace filter every 30 to 60 days.

So when you put your furnace filter in, it is going to have the measurements of your filter on the side.

A good tip is to just simply place these on an auto order so that they shipped to your house every 30 days, and it's a great reminder to change these.

Not only that, but there is helpful tips on the side to allow you to note when the filter was installed, when it needs changed, and to show the passage of airflow so that you can put it in properly.

Your furnace is going to have arrows, and it's going to show you how to put that in and pull it out each month.

(lighthearted music) When we're talking about furnace filters and the ability for the unit to work inside, let's not forget about the outdoor component of our heating and cooling system.

Now that we're all mowing and the grass is beginning to sprout again, it is important for us to keep the weeds and grass trimmed around our outside unit, as well as to keeps this system free from debris, such as leaves and weeds.

Give it a light spring with your hose every time you do wan maintenance or occasionally like you would change your furnace filter, and make sure that that system is kept in good maintenance, just as you would your furnace filter.

(lighthearted music) Thank you for joining us, and we hope that you get inspired to address your own home maintenance.

(upbeat music) - Today's discussion featured an important topic impacting many women in our community.

Ladies we've come a long way, but we all know that we've got a whole lot more ground to cover.

What were some of your takeaways from the discussion?

- I really loved what they both individually said about this idea of healthy competition driving them to meet their goals or to try to do better for themselves, and then this idea of having strong mentors, specifically female mentors in your life.

And I liked the idea of putting those ideas together.

So this competition, not in a negative way, right?

Not in, I wanna be better than you, but in an idea of we have this goal that we wanna strive to, let's get each other there.

I think that's a beautiful thing.

- Right, and support each other and reach down and pick someone up and take off.

But I wanna hear the story about your particular mentor.

- Yes, so the worst career advice I think I ever got was that someone told me that when I was going out to interview for my jobs to become a professor that I should only ever wear skirts to my interviews because otherwise the male professors would be too threatened because I was trying to be too masculine and I wasn't being feminine enough.

And I thought, man, that is just such terrible advice.

What a horrible thing to say.

I was really looking for, how do I negotiate salary?

Or how do I ask about time off or these other really actually important things.

And this person wanted to focus on-- - What you look like.

- Physical appearance, which I think for a lot of women, God, I would wanna say most women, this is something that is a message that's been sent to them that's just really problematic.

- Absolutely.

I don't know of any great advice I ever got outside of believing in myself, because if you don't believe in yourself, then nobody's gonna believe in you.

And it's always been a push because every role I've ever been in has been one that I did well, and they didn't wanna see me in a different role.

Especially in radio and small market radio, because, you know, we're popping corn we're processing checks, we're on the air, we're doing it all.

And everybody loves you where you are because if you move to a different role, then that means different work for everybody else.

And so just the whole idea of changing that up.

And it's like, no, I want more for my life.

I want more for me.

And so moving to Topeka was a direct to say, like this is what I'm doing for me.

And if I don't do it now at 44 at the time, then I'm never going to do it.

And now almost five years later, best move I could've ever made.

- And I just love the fact that people are starting to get in the workforce again and realizing what all there is out there that we can do.

- I tell my students when they're getting ready to go on the job market, I always tell them, please remember that you are interviewing this company just as much as they are interviewing you because there's so much about job happiness that keeps you there, that keeps you productive, that allows you to be happy at home with your family or your friends.

And so, I always want people to keep in mind that that has to be a good fit for you.

You're not just going there to try to get them to like you.

- And money isn't everything.

And I know that sounds like sacrilege, but if you're making a lot of money, but you're not getting the time off or the other experiences that go along with it, like vacation time or somebody who's flexible, if you have kids and you need to go and take care of them, those things matter too.

- Or paying attention to your mental health needs.

- Absolutely because that's become even more of something that we're concentrating on, which I think is a beautiful thing.

- And you don't have to work to live or live to work.

You want to-- - There's a balance.

- [Betty] Exactly.

- There's gotta be a balance.

- All right, this was wonderful.

I wish that we had more time to talk about this because I have a million more questions and things to say.

(laughter) (upbeat music) So that's all the time we have for today.

We appreciate you being here for this inspiring and eye-opening discussion on women in the workforce.

As a reminder, you can watch this program again at watch.ktwu.org.

- We also wanna thank our guests for sharing their stories and expertise with us.

If you are so inspired to learn more about our guests and find out what is coming up on future shows, be sure to visit our website at www.ktwu.org/inspire.

- Inspiring women, inspiring you, and inspiring equality in the workforce on KTWU.

Thank you for watching.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] "Inspire" is sponsored by Kansas Furniture Mart.

Using furniture to inspire conversation.

And by the Blanche Bryden Foundation,.