Chapter 1: Chapter 2

LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY

Mine is not a subtle path. Choices and changes are big ones. If you're going to do it, by god, put your head down and press on. I didn't plan on divorce and I didn't plan on grad school, but grad school was a good solution to a big change in my life. School was also probably one of the most dramatic examples of LONG term planning you can find in my life.

My dear friend and mentor, Bonnie, taught me long ago that intentions are powerful. I learned the hard way that not being clear about what you want leaves openings for chance or whoever pulls the universal strings to fill in the blank--but that's another long story not appropriate for this venue (or at least this entry). Anyway, back to intentions. I take them seriously. So, upon contemplating grad school, I said, "Self, what are your intentions?" The idea was to retool for chapter 2 of life, i.e., after kids, the grueling physical demands and schedule of video production and advertising/marketing work. I've always liked teaching and been told I'd make a good teacher. Well, actually I've been teaching my whole life--tech school art and business classes, training videos, etc. With my wealth of interesting if not bizarre stories of how things work in the real world, I naturally figured a career in academia made sense. It also appealed to my entrepreneurial nature--with summers off, I COULD CONSULT! (Obviously, slowing down was not part of the chapter 2 plan).

OK, back to intentions. I planned to get through grad school and find a job teaching how cognitive wiring is the answer to all life's questions at a charming little liberal arts college in a beautiful, WARM place like the Carolinas, Italy, or New Mexico. I dreamed of working with fascinating colleagues from all over the world, having philosophical conversations in front of a fire with obscure wine and clever people, and students checking in ala Mr. Chips to reminisce about the Christmases they gathered for caroling and the toasting competition at my quaint cottage during their college years.

DETOURS

Enter the market crash of 2008 and put the cottage on hold. Seems like I am prone to detours though I'm not sure whether where I end up traveling should be considered detours or toward auspicious opportunities. Directing a National Cancer Institute study on ehealth info systems for prostate cancer patients wasn't on my intentions list--but it was an opportunity, albeit one that dropped me into the throngs of job hunters after the crash last fall. (As one who has a substantial theatre and performance background, you'd think I'd understand the concept of "timing" better.) Nevertheless, creativity was the focus of my master's work. Time for a little real world application or Plan B.

PLAN B

One of the ways in which my former husband and I differed was in regards to opportunities. When a client called with a need related to our business but not something with which we were experienced, my former husband/business partner would say, "We don't do that." I was raised to believe that really SMART people didn't have to know everything, just people who did.

Last fall as I watched folks lose jobs and as I received letters saying funding for faculty positions had been frozen, pulled, or were indefinitely pending -- I realized how lucky I've been to have had so many different work experiences and practice developing business. As an entrepreneur, I've survived 4 0r 5 recessions, 911, divorcing my business partner, and a complete change in the technologies on which my businesses were based. I made payroll, taxes, mortgages, and tuition saying "yes" to things I "could not" do but learned how quickly or found a "partner" who could.

Enter Plan B. Around Christmas last year, I landed a short stint teaching Agribusiness Communication for 6 weeks Spring semester at the UW--which taught me that I will not be happy teaching ANYTHING. And, consequently, made peace with the fact that I needed to build back my consulting business as my primary income instead of a nice secondary source. Did you ever know anyone who tried to get pregnant and could not then finally gave up only to get pregnant the next month? My Plan B was like that. Once I resolved to rebuild the business, I got a call from another dear friend, Kathy Krusiec. Kathy was Dane Co. interim 911 director last fall and has been our emergency management director for a long time. She called at the end of January and said, "Hey, there's a job that looks perfect for you. Here's the number. Call and see what's up."

After 7 months of "courtship;" presenting a seminar in Cincinnati and meeting a good chunk of the division of Education, Information, and Dissemination; a week of writing essays for my federal application; and another 7 weeks waiting for the Centers for Disease Control to do a background check, decide if they liked me as much as NIOSH did, and officially make an offer -- I am now the Branch Chief of the Information, Research and Dissemination Branch of the Education, Information, and Dissemination Division of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health--- ( a wholely owned subsidiary :) of the Centers for Disease Control under the auspices of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. OMG--could there be a longer title? Did anyone ever figure me for a federal employee? And, that's how Plan B's work, especially if you are light on intention details.

NIOSH is the institute that does the research informing OSHA regulations--including leading international research in nanotechnology safety. My position directs a branch of 25 web and
communications specialists that develop and implement information dissemination strategies using new technologies, SMEs for the 800# through CDC, and maintaining most of
the research publications library.

Strange as it may seem, the NIOSH job covers a lot of my intention's list:

• warmer location

• development work in communication and outreach where they want "new" blood

• opportunity to apply whole brain management principles with an ongoing department of 25

• excellent salary and benefits

• flex time (so I can continue consulting)

• AND, did I mention a location with a great jazz scene?

THE TRAVELS OF BOGIE

The beauty of technology is that blogging allows you to keep people in the loop when you are moving too fast. So, for you friends and family who are wondering why you're not hearing from or seeing much of me lately, this is my attempt to keep connected. I promise to try to be more entertaining than the old Christmas form letters. I'll also add some pictures so you can visualize where I'm at.

CINCINNATI HERE I COME

The EID division is located at Robert Taft Laboratories in Cincinnati. Branch Chief Van Bogaert makes her debut 9/28/09. I have flex time, so will continue consulting and doing presentations

and singing. Yes, I'll be coming back in Nov. to speak in Green Bay.The day after I'll be speaking at Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation's conference--and in Oct. I'll be back to speak at National Mutual Benefit's regional meeting. So I won't be disappearing. Not selling the house here. Thomas will be living in it with roommates and going to school at
MATC. Philip just moved to Marshfield to go to UW there...so, it is a big transition for all of us.

If you want to know more about NIOSH:

http://origin.cdc.gov/niosh/about.html