The opening song from The Lion King, Circle of Life, starts:

“From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There's more to be seen than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done.”

My new niece, Mila Jane, was born in the afternoon on January 21, 2020.  I was fortunate to be able to meet her less than 24 hours after she came into this world.  As I held her that first day, I started to think about her future.  She will start Kindergarten in 2025.  She will enter high school in 2034.  What will the world look like when these milestones occur?  Will there be environmental changes in the world?  What kind of technology will she use to perform her job?  Will she be encouraged to enter fields like science, business, medicine, and athletics?  Will she be paid at the same rate as a male in her field?  Will the media instigate her to struggle with her body image?

I almost got overwhelmed by these questions and concerns about the future – about Mila’s future, but then I remembered about all of the amazing work being done by TEMPO Madison members to change things for the better.  I thought about women like Sara Alvarado, who is the co-creator of Step Up: Equity Matters, a community organization committed to sparking conversations and creating change around inequities in the workplace and community.  I considered that there are women like Fatou Ceesay, who take care of our vulnerable loved ones.  I reflected on our members, including Sharyl Kato, Donna Ulteig, Nancy Fulton Young, and Elizabeth Zeidler Schreiter, who are dedicated to serving people with mental health concerns and to removing the stigma associated with such mental health concerns.  I remembered that our world includes women like Shannon Barry and Patti Seger, who work hard and dream of a world without domestic abuse.  Finally, I thought about the countless hours of time, the enormous talent, and the large amounts of money that the women of TEMPO Madison contribute to improving our community.  With all of the amazing ways in which TEMPO Madison members are working to make our world a better place, I feel much more comfortable with the world that Mila will inhabit.

Shana Lewis 
President, 2019-2020

Sharyn Alden

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Journaling Tips to Get What You Want in Life with Chicago Author and Life Coach, Judith Joy, Hosts FREEMini-Workshop on How to Accomplish Your Dreams—Through Journaling!

Barnes & Noble, East Towne Mall

Come and Meet Author Judith Joy for her Workshop, Book Talk, Sales & Signing

Judith Joy, the author of the new book, Dear Future Lover: Bring Your Book Boyfriend to Life says, “Strategies that worked for me –bringing my ‘book boyfriend (now husband) to life, can work for you, too.” Joy is a Chicago-based dream creation coach, Matrix Energetics Certified Practitioner, teacher, author, speaker, wife, mother and grandmother.  www.yeswithjoy.com  

The author coaches lifestyle workshops and gives presentations to groups of all sizes about finding future (best) relationships, new opportunities, even jobs. During the workshop she will describe her own journey and the process she used to find true love.

Betty Custer

Saturday, February 8   2pm

Celebration of the life of Sandra Gajic

Overture Lobby, Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St

A Celebration of Life for Sandra Gajic, the CEO and president of the Overture Center for the Arts who passed away on December 6 after a seven-month battle with cancer, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Overture Hall Lobby with light desserts and coffee/tea in Promenade Terrace afterward.   Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. with the celebration free and open to the public. Sandra was a Tempo member.

She was the first woman to run Overture Center. She had relentless energy, passion for her work and a strong business acumen, leading Overture Center during one its most successful seasons ever. A seasoned executive in the arts with more than 28 years of experience to her credit, Gajic began her Overture tenure on August 13, 2018.

Megan Purtell

Sunday, February 9, 2002 from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

13th Annual Beer and Chocolate to benefit The Breast Cancer Recovery

Dexter’s Pub, 301 North St

Enjoy an afternoon of cookie, beer, wine, and spirits tasting with over 30 different area breweries and distilleries from the Southern Wisconsin area! $25 at the door, along with a fabulous silent auction and 50/50 raffle. All proceeds support Breast Cancer Recovery’s Infinite Boundaries Retreats.

Jennifer Uphoff Gray

Sunday, Feb. 16 from 5:00 pm - 8:00pm

Forward Theater Game Night Featuring BINGO

Goodman Center Brassworks Building, 214 Waubesa St., Madison

Bring the whole family and enjoy good eats, fun games, and great company at the 3rd Annual Forward Theater Game Night Featuring BINGO!

In addition to an epic night of some high-stakes BINGO games, you can bring a gently used board game or puzzle for the Game Swap, or enter the Super Raffle to win experiences and treasures from area businesses such as:

· Dave & Buster's

· Conscious Carnivore

·Sephora

·Willy St. Coop

·Bricks & Minifigs, I'm Board!, and Noble Knight Games

All proceeds benefit Forward Theater! Seating is limited.

Purchase Tickets

Renee Moe

Thursday, Feb. 27, 8-9:30 a.m.

Community Celebration

Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center 1 John Nolen Dr.

United Way brings community together to address our most difficult human challenges. If you care about homelessness, our local youth, health and education access, how non-profits collaborate, or individual and corporate social responsibility, this is an inspiring event that you won’t want to miss.

Non-profit organization the event proceeds benefit:  United Way of Dane County (no charge to attend thanks to sponsors and this isn’t a fundraising event)

More information

Martha Sullivan

Friday, February 28, 2020 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Leadership Roundtable on Alzheimer’s

Panera Bread, 3416 University Avenue

As a leader in our community, your input is invaluable.  We know that Alzheimer’s disproportionately impacts women – both those living with the disease and as caretakers.  We cordially invite you to join Alzheimer’s Association staff and other community members for a roundtable discussion about growing the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the world’s largest fundraiser to fight the disease and build awareness of the needs of those impacted, available support and research surrounding Alzheimer’s.  Together, we’ll brainstorm how you and your network can help lead the way to a future without Alzheimer’s.

Please join us.  We are not asking you to serve on the Walk Planning Committee – unless, of course, you’d like to.  Rather, we would like to take this opportunity to gather your feedback on who you think might be a good leader and partner within our community to help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

Free event – Come learn more about the resources the Alzheimer’s Association provides and how to help. RSVP to hemeronk@alz.org  or 908.203.8500, ext. 8003 by February 26, 2020
For more information:  Martha Sullivan, Partner, Honkamp Krueger & Co.; Executive Committee and Board member – Alzheimer’s Association – Wisconsin

Valerie Renk

Saturday, Feb. 29 from Noon – 6 p.m.

Souper Bowl

Madison West High School, 30 Ash St.

We'll have all of your favorite mascots, media personalities, mayors, and maybe even Miss Wisconsin! The event is scheduled a few weeks later than normal, so please mark your calendar to join us at Madison West High School on Saturday, Feb. 29 from Noon - 6 p.m. Last year’s event served more than 1,400 attendees over 200 gallons of soup! We hope to see you there!  The cost is $15 for a bowl (including soup, salad, bread and dessert); or $35 for a family of four (two bowls, four meals). We also will have soups that are vegan/vegetarian/gluten free!

More Information

Eve Galanter & Megan Purtell

Saturday, February 29, 2020 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Arty Party: Leaping into Our New Space

HotelRed, 1501 Monroe St, Madison 53711

Enjoy drinks, hors d'oeuvres, raffles, and games as you hop from station to station to collect stamps on your trail map! Arty Party is Monroe Street Arts Center’s major fundraising event of the year, we are also celebrating (and raising money...) for our move this summer down the street to a larger space!

Ticket Options: $65.00 per person or $200.00 for group of four

Purchase Tickets

Holly Cremer Berkenstadt

Tuesday, March 10, 2020 from 5:30 to 8 PM

Goodman Community Center's:
5th Annual International Women’s Day Event
Working theme: Stronger, Smarter, Bolder Together

Monona Terrace and Convention Center, Madison, WI

With all Madison has going for it, it also has some of the most extreme racial disparities in the country. Dane County repeatedly ranks near the bottom in national studies of racial disparities in economic status, health, education, justice and child welfare for African Americans as well as for Hispanics and Asians. That’s simply not right, and until that changes, Madison cannot be counted as a great place to live and work — for everyone.

$100 per person

Purchase Your Ticket

Annette Knapstein

Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 6:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M.

2020 LUNAFEST Film Festival -- Films by, for and about women

Marcus Point Cinema, 7825 Big Sky Drive

Zonta Club of Madison is part of an International organization working together to empower women worldwide through advocacy and service. This is the second year Zonta has brought LUNAFEST to Madison, and last year it sold out!

LUNAFEST was created to provide a platform for women to share their untold stories with the world. Ticket proceeds will support the “Bring the Basics. Period.” project and a variety of other efforts that support women and girls in the Dane County area.

Purchase Tickets

Tiffany Kinney

April 9, 2020 from 5:00 pm -8:00 pm

Downtown Madison Spring 2020 Wine Walk

Tickets on sale February 1, 2020

Join Madison’s Central Business Improvement District for the Downtown Madison Spring Wine Walk on Thursday April 9, 2020 from 5-8pm. This evening event is a fun, safe way to shop and to enjoy downtown. Attendees will explore the shops and businesses in Downtown Madison as they taste a variety of wines. All attendees can register to win one of three great prizes, including a grand prize bag worth between $300 and $500. Tickets are $37 and include a commemorative wine glass, wristband, shopping bag, drink samples, and shopping specials at a variety of Sip Stops. There are 20+ stops. Free tickets are available for designated drivers. Tickets go on sale February 1, 2020. For more information, please see our event page here: https://bit.ly/38FEpor

Annette Knapstein

On-going through June 2020

Bring the Basics. Period.

Donate products through Annette Knapstein or make checks payable to Zonta Madison Foundation

Zonta Club of Madison’s “Bring the Basics.Period.” project is collecting period products and monetary donations to address period poverty in the greater Madison area. The products will be distributed to almost 20 local agencies that serve women and girls in need.

And the need is real! A recent study by Always brand found that one in five girls in the U.S. miss school because they lack access to pads and tampons. More Information

Eunice Gibson traveled to Oliveros, Santa Rosa, Guatemala with the Rotary-sponsored Guatemala Medical Resource Partnership for a week-long medical mission, providing doctors, nurses, vision and dental care and pharmacy services. Eunice served to translate English to Spanish for the pharmacists.

Annette Knapstein has had photography juried into several local and regional shows. Over the next several months she will have an image in the 40th Annual SECURA Fine Arts Exhibition at the Trout Museum in Appleton, two in the Wisconsin Visual Artists’ Art is in the Air exhibit at the Dane County Airport, one in the Fourth Biennial Wings and Water exhibition at River Arts in Prairie du Sac, and five in the PBS Wisconsin Garden and Landscape Expo Photography Competition at the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall. She also has two photographs in the Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople’s show at UW Hospital.

Voices of Women in America Survey: Open now through January 31, 2020

Christine Lidbury is the state coordinator for a national online survey of women across the US to identify the issues women across the United States self-identify as impacting the daily lives of women at home and in the workplace. The survey is led by the National Association of Commission for Women. The survey is designed to be non-partisan and responses are confidential.

I need your help! We want a strong and diverse turnout from Wisconsin both for the national study and for use for a Wisconsin-specific report. Please take the survey and share it with your networks. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

Wisconsin Women’s Council (state agency & state commission on the status of women and girls). If there is a strong turnout, the Council will get a copy of all the Wisconsin data (responses are anonymous).

Link to register / For more information: https://womenscouncil.wi.gov 

Jennifer Uphoff Gray 

Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan MacMillian

January 23 – February 9, 2020 at The Playhouse at Overture Center, 201 State St., Madison

A one-actor play featuring David Daniel (Core Company Member at American Players Theatre)

Directed by Tyler Marchant
An immersive storytelling experience blends comedy, improv, and audience interaction to tell the story of a boy growing up in the shadow of mental illness, and learning to grapple with his own adult experiences with love, loss and depression. Every Brilliant Thing provides a life-affirming jolt of humanism, reminding us that hope comes from the miracles of life’s minutiae.

“One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression—and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop...” – The Guardian (UK)

Tickets at forwardtheater.com

TEMPO Traveler Group

January 6, 2020 • 12:00 pm

Imperial Gardens, 2039 Allen Blvd, Middleton, WI 53562

TEMPO Breakfast Club – Middleton Hills Branch

January 11, 2020 •  9:00 am

Prairie Cafe in Middleton Hills and join us for breakfast, coffee, and conversation

TEMPO Quarterly Birthday Party

January 16, 2020 •  6:15 PM - 8:30 PM

The Madison Club

Is your birthday in the months of January, February, or March? Join the TEMPO board to celebrate!

RSVP Today

NFL Book Club

January 16, 2020 • 7:15 pm

"A Good American Family: The Red Scare & My Family" by David Maraniss, this month's meeting will be held at Linda Brei’s house. Contact Teri Venker at terivenker@gmail.com if you can attend.

Book Bags

January 21, 2020  •  7:15 pm

"The Woman in the Window" by AJ Finn. The meeting will be held at Maureen Torphy's home, please RSVP.

For more information contact Maureen Lokrantz or Orange Schroeder.

Networking Event: Wisconsin Women's Hockey for Fill The Bowl at the Kohl Center

Sunday, February 16 at 2:00 pm

We will meet for brunch beforehand at noon at Laura Rose’s condo on West Main Street, an easy walking distance from the Kohl Center.

More Information & RSVP

Happy New Year TEMPO Madison members!  If you are like many people, you have made at least one New Year's resolution.  Maybe you have made a commitment to eat better or exercise more.  Perhaps you plan to get organized, travel more, or save money.  In addition to one of these traditional resolutions, I would like to encourage you to consider making a resolution to connect more with other TEMPO Madison members by serving on one of our committees, participating in a networking event, or joining a club.

Serving on a committee is not only helpful to TEMPO Madison, but it is also a great way to meet new people and get to know other members better.  If you are interested in serving on a committee, the first step is to contact the chair of that committee. 

• The Networking Committee is chaired by Eileen Goode.  Her email address is eileen@goodesolutions.com.  The Networking Committee plans many of the amazing and varied opportunities for TEMPO Madison members to connect at times beyond the monthly luncheons.  For example, the Networking Committee organized a group to attend the latest Forward Theater Company play on November 23, 2019.  They also arranged the tour of Promega Corporation on December 5, 2019. 
• The Scholarship Committee is co-chaired by Consuelo Lopez and Renee Boyce.  Their email addresses are consuelolopez066@gmail.com  and rboyce@findorff.com.  The Scholarship Committee solicits and reviews the scholarship applications from area high school students seeking financial assistance for college and other post-secondary education. 
• The Program Committee is chaired by Anne Sappenfield.  Her email address is asappenfield@uwalumni.com.  The Program Committee arranges the speakers for our monthly luncheons.  They meet two to four times per year to brainstorm about potential topics and speakers that would interest our membership.  Because of the hard work of the TEMPO Madison Program Committee, in January, we will hear from Liz Gilbert about the logistics involved in winning the bid for and hosting the Democratic National Committee in Milwaukee, and in February, we will learn about WholeTrees Structures, a timber products company that is innovating technologies with global market implications.
• The Communications Committee is chaired by Renee Schlick.  Her email address is renee.schlick@gmail.com.  The Communications Committee prepares the TEMPO Madison’s newsletters and other communications to members, including our website. 
• The Membership Committee is chaired by Michelle Vetterkind.  Her email address is mvetterkind@wi-broadcasters.org.  The Membership Committee administers the membership process for prospective members.  They maintain a target list of amazing women in our community who should be TEMPO Madison members.  This committee also hosts new member orientations and recruiting events every year. 
• The Hospitality Committee is chaired by Susan Schmidt Thomson.  Her email address is:  susanthomson@actioncoach.com.  The Hospitality Committee introduces new members and guests at the monthly luncheons.  They also serve as ambassadors to help TEMPO Madison members feel more connected with the organization. 
• Project REACH, our newest committee, is chaired by Kim Sponem and Kristine Euclide.  Their email addresses are: kim.sponem@summitcreditunion.com and kaeuclide@aol.com.  The mission of Project REACH is to increase the number of TEMPO Madison members on corporate and business boards.

In addition to our committees, TEMPO Madison offers a variety of clubs, including the TEMPO Travelers Group, TEMPO Women of Wisdom (WOW), two book clubs, and biking club, and a breakfast club. More information about these clubs is available on our website: https://tempomadison.org/Networking.  These clubs are always looking for new members to join in the fun.

Finally, TEMPO Madison members work together to plan several social events and fundraisers, including our Annual Celebration in June and TEMPO Shares in the fall.  We are also starting to plan our 40^th Anniversary Celebration, which will take place in 2021.  If you are interested in helping with any of the committees established to plan these events, contact me and I will make sure you are connected with the right person.

Whatever you decide to take on as a resolution, I hope 2020 is an amazing year for you personally and for TEMPO Madison.

Shana Lewis
2019-2020 President

Eunice Gibson, Instructor, MATC, Lakeland College, Attorney at Law,
presented a paper on Colombia’s Peace Agreement to the Human Rights Section at the Berlin, Germany meeting of the International Committee of the International Municipal Lawyers Association on November 4-8, 2019.

TEMPO member Roberta Gassman has been appointed to the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee Leadership Council by Liz Gilbert, President of the Milwaukee Host Committee which is overseeing efforts related to hosting the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee this coming July.  Gassman, Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work, formerly served in the administration of President Barack Obama as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington and as Wisconsin’s longest serving labor secretary in the administration of Governor Jim Doyle.

Maureen Lokrantz has been promoted to Senior Vice President. Maureen is a Private Wealth Advisor at U.S. Bank where she cherishes her work with individuals, families and charitable organizations. U.S. Bank’s Private Wealth Management Madison office manages over $3.5 billion in assets. 

Tuesday, December 3, 12:00 p.m.
TEMPO Traveler Group Join us this TUESDAY (noon) for our monthly luncheon to talk travel (or just have lunch with fun, interesting women). No RSVP or reservations needed. Plenty of room. Friends welcome. Our group meets in A NEW LOCATION:  Imperial Gardens (University Ave. & Allen Blvd.) in the dining room to the right, just past the bar.  Bring your questions, ideas, recommendations. Or just join us! (A Tuesday meeting is for December only)

Thursday, December 5, 3:30 p.m.
Tour of Promega Corporation: Join the networking committee for a Tour of Promega. The tour is free, one drink and appetizers at Great Dane
Please register by Monday, December 2. 

Friday, December 6, 1:30- 2:30pm
TEMPO WOW
The next free Global Hot Spots lecture will be Friday, December 6, 1:30-2:30pm at the Fluno Center’s Howard Auditorium, 601 University Avenue, Madison. Cosponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association®, PLATO (Participatory Learning and Teaching Organization), and the UW-Madison International Division, the lectures delve into today’s hottest issues with UW faculty experts. 
 
The December topic is “The Unexpected Origins of the Division of Kora: How Korea Was Divided and Why It Matters."
 
The speaker, historian David Fields (MA ’09, PhD ’17) will discuss his new book on the origins of the division of Korea and how this history shapes current events on the Korean peninsula. He has been published in the Washington Post, North Korea Review, and the Journal of American-East Asian Relations, and on SinoNK.com.
 
Join us for lunch beforehand at noon in Fluno’s executive dining room on the first floor. $17 for the full buffet and $12 for the soup and salad bar; both come with a beverage and dessert station.  
 
Please sign up by December 3 via the follow doodle: https://doodle.com/poll/phyd6z4uy2cf8ru3
 
You must also separately register online to attend the lecture. Registration online is closed, please contact Sue Studz if you are interested in attending.

Saturday, December 14, 9:00 a.m.
TEMPO Breakfast Club  Join us at Prairie Cafe in Middleton Hills or breakfast, coffee, and conversation, for as long as you wish to stay.  We each pay for ourselves.  Feel free to bring a friend, any friend!  Address: 3109 Pheasant Branch Road, Middleton.

Tuesday, December 17, 7:15 p.m.
Book Bags will meet at the home of Susan LaBelle.  The book to read is Little Faith by Nickolas Butler.  Please RSVP to Susan. 

Tuesday, December 17, 7:15 pm
Non-Fiction Lovers (NFL) Book Club will meet at Julie Underwood’s to discuss Prisoners of Geography: 10 Maps that explain everything about the World by Tim Marshall. Anyone interested in attending should contact please contact Teri Venker at terivenker@gmail.com, or 608-206-1405. Please note: Teri can send you detailed email about how they will select the 2020 books & do a wrapped book exchange. 

Vickie Wenzel

Director, Learning and Development, Atmosphere Commercial Interiors

President, Sauk Prairie Healthcare Board

Vickie has been a team member of the same organization for many years, joining in 1977 as a college intern. She has been blessed to have a myriad of roles and responsibilities as the company grew as Rowley Schlimgen. The company was sold in 2000 to become a division of Target. She is now privileged to have acquired stock when her team repurchased the organization in 2015, now named Atmosphere Commercial Interiors. In addition to her work responsibilities, Vickie joined Sauk Prairie Healthcare Board of Directors in 2010 and has held several roles including chair of the Quality Committee, Board Secretary and now Board President.

Atmosphere Commercial Interiors is the 3^rd largest Steelcase dealer in North America, with 400 team members and over $200M in annual sales. Vickie reports to the CEO, has responsibilities in all of Atmosphere’s regions and serves as a member of the senior leadership team. Atmosphere Commercial Interior’s Madison Office was named one of Madison Magazine’s best places to work in 2019 and the Wisconsin Regional Vice President was named In Business’s Executive of the Year for 2019.

Sauk Prairie Healthcare is an independent acute care hospital with two surgical specialty practices as well as four primary care clinics, a robust wellness center, and an active foundation. They provide care for more than 40,000 people in their service area, which extends from Poynette to Lone Rock and from Plain to Black Earth.

Sauk Prairie Healthcare is well known for their Orthopedics / Sports Medicine practice, providing joint replacement surgeries for patients throughout Wisconsin and beyond. In 2014, the team celebrated opening the newly constructed hospital/campus and they are well-positioned for continued growth. Their vision is to set the standard for community-based healthcare that improves the health and quality of the lives of the people they serve.

Vickie shared, Healthcare boards, like other for-profit or non-profit boards, have oversight over Administration (the CEO) who manage the business. Healthcare boards also oversee the Medical Staff, who are accountable for the quality of the medical care provided.

In general, boards have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of a person or organization. Healthcare boards have a two-way fiduciary responsibility; we must act in the best interests of both the organization and the communities we serve.

Some non-profits are organized for fund development. Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s Foundation is a separate entity with a separate board. Their mission is to foster charitable giving that supports the vision of Sauk Prairie Healthcare, provide sound stewardship of contributions and advance the health of our communities. Vickie also functions as a Liasion to the Foundation Board, attending their strategic meeting.

Since joining the board Vickie has been a passionate supporter of behavioral health. The seed was planted early on in her board service when one of the primary care physicians describe profound difficulties in finding solutions for their patients. Behavioral Health is one of the three top underserved needs in the communities served and with the board’s advocacy and support is now one of Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s Strategic Initiatives.

For those interested in board service, consider how you can contribute. Board recruitment efforts often focus on finding finance and legal expertise. Also, senior leadership skill sets such as critical thinking, negotiation, communication skills and more are valued. Consider how you can apply the skills you have used in your practice in a new setting. Ask those doing the recruitment what they are looking for; they likely have a skills grid.

Even if your organization supports time spent on a role like this, the amount of responsibility can include a good deal of personal time. There are early morning and/or evening meetings, educational conferences and community events to attend.

Some non-profit boards have clear expectations about financial contributions. In other cases, it is not expected but it is still the right thing to do. It is a good question to ask before committing to a board role.

In the case of Sauk Prairie Healthcare, expectations were set that onboarding can take a few years to learn the interworking (and acronyms!) of healthcare. Therefore, they ask members to fulfill three (3) 3-year term commitments. They also have regular educational sessions for the entire board.

For Vickie, the Sauk Prairie Healthcare mission spoke to her.  “Extraordinary healthcare from the heart, one person at a time.” 

Vickie also shared that 2020 will mark a significant transition in her career. Her board term with Sauk Prairie Healthcare will conclude in April and she will retire from Atmosphere Commercial Interior in August. She looks forward to activities with the Tempo Rewirees!

As the official start to the Holiday Season, Thanksgiving presents us with an opportunity to focus on feelings of gratitude. Actively cultivating gratitude is good for others around us and our community. However, did you know that being grateful provides health benefits both emotionally and physically, to the grateful person. It is now well established that practicing gratitude opens the door to more relationships, improves physical health, helps us sleep better, improves psychological health, enhances empathy and reduces aggression.

Often, gratitude occurs organically, but I would encourage you seek out opportunities for gratitude this Holiday Season. For example, keep a gratitude journal to reflect daily or weekly on the things for which you are grateful or send a thank you note to a different person every day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

This year, I am particularly grateful for the many supportive women in my life, especially the friends and colleagues whom I have met through TEMPO Madison. Earlier this year, Goalcast published an article called 6 Meaningful Ways to Express Gratitude for the Women in Your Life by Lindsey Tigar.I wanted to share the suggestions from female entrepreneurs and executives about the “personal, meaningful ways they express gratitude to their tribe of badass women”:

1. Listen and invest. “I show that I care about female colleagues by taking a genuine interest in their professional work and their lives outside of work. While that may be a no-brainer rather than a big idea, I am surprised by how often women feel the need to compartmentalize the rest of their life in order to be taken seriously in the workplace. I believe that a supportive environment among fellow female co-workers encourages us to embrace all of our ‘and’s’ and cultivates an environment where we can ask for and receive the support we deserve.” —Christine Wise, Chief Strategy Officer at DNA Digital Marketing.

2. Make birthdays special. “Some of the closest women in my life happen to be the amazing group of employees I have working for me. I remember all of their birthdays and go out of my way to make them all feel special on their big day. I always decorate their work space, write out a heartfelt handwritten birthday card, take everyone out for a birthday lunch celebration and surprise them with something they really have been wanting whether it be a pair of VIP tickets to a concert or even taking them on a quick weekend getaway trip.” —Heather Marianna, CEO of the Beauty Kitchen.

3. Prioritize face-to-face connection. “I make it a point to have my girls over to my house for a game or wine night at least once a month. I participate in a few book clubs with different groups which always result in meaningful and thought-provoking conversations. I also connect with my friends by going for a workout or for a morning hike and grabbing coffee on weekends. Connecting in person does wonders for the soul.” —Brittany Driscoll, Co-Founder and CEO of Squeeze.

4. Send some wine. (Duh.). “I like to surprise my girls on occasion with wine delivered. Wine.com is my go-to. I have a subscription, but I don’t always want a case of wine at my house so I’ll change the address to go to my girlfriends in Miami that I can’t see in person. It’s always been a nice and well received surprise and let’s face it- who doesn’t want a bottle (or 4) or the season’s newest wines delivered?!” —Nicole Pomije, Owner, The Cookie Cups

5. Get to know their love language. “I like to find out the love language of all of my friends, employees and contractors. This makes it easier to find great gifts that are meaningful to them. For people who love words of affirmation, I hand write lengthy notes. For people who love gifts, I put their birthdays and anniversary on my calendar so I can remember to send a simple gift.” —Pharmacist, wellness expert and author of The Clean Slate Cleanse, Dr. Lindsey Elmore.

6. Pay attention — and get specific. “When I hear from a colleague that she loves my shoes, I send her a pair or a gift card to get her own. If I hear from a girlfriend or colleague that she’s been ‘dying to try sensory deprivation tank,’ I send her a gift card for a 60 minute float at Chicago’s FloatSixty. When one of my best friend’s husbands was hospitalized for over a month, I ordered several rounds of groceries on Instacart and a round of frozen smoothies from Project Juice. In short, listen to what they wish they had or need, and without being asked, without needing an excuse, just send it. Immediately. The surprise and delight is the real gift, I hope.” —Alyssa Rapp, CEO, Surgical Solutions.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and I hope the rest of your holiday season is filled with opportunities to express and receive gratitude.

Shana Lewis, PresidentTEMPO Madison