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Dr. Beth Russell retired from Webster University as an Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies, after 34 years of service. Today she spends her time making special recipes and creating digital content for Carondelet Kitchen.
She talks to Cynthia about the organic path her career has always taken, her knack for being the second choice for a role but getting it anyway, and what it takes to succeed in your personal and professional life.
1 – Introduction 00:23
2 – Career before retirement 01:11
3 – Was it rare to be at Webster for 30 years? 02:48
4 – What stopped you from giving up? 05:03
5 – Where does your grace and professionalism come from? 07:23
6 – When did that optimism start? 09:13
7 – Did you want to go into theater or the arts? 10:36
8 – Mentorship along the way 13:00
9 – Moved a campus 14:11
10 – Your philosophy on speaking up 17:10
11 – How was your work received 18:13
12 – Value of hard work 20:42
13 – Passion for your work 22:01
14 – Importance of a good listener 22:53
15 – Boundaries are healthy, keeping it inside unhealthy 24:27
16 – Importance of good support 25:07
17 – Getting space you need, and returning to positivity 26:07
18 – What were your challenges along the way 27:33
19 – What do you do when being sabotaged? 30:38
20 – How did leaders motivate you 31:33
21 – Any other good mentors? 34:03
22 – Why did mentors pour so much into you 36:18
23 – You get out what you put in 37:29
24 – Did bad experiences with female leaders change your approach to being a female leader? 38:21
25 – Different approaches can be a positive 39:55
26 – How have you adapted over your career of 34 years 41:45
27 – How do you get comfortable advocating for yourself 43:58
28 – How do you handle tough tasks in your roles 46:12
29 – How do you reflect back on the tough projects 47:53
30 – More about pride in team, than personal ego trip 49:11
31 – Any mistakes you reflect back on 50:36
32 – Advice for the next generation 53:47
33 – More advice 56:00
34 – What role does Rotary play in your life 58:09
35 – Carondelet Kitchen 1:01:17
36 – Advice to get the most out of life 1:06:03
37 – What imprint are you leaving on others? 1:08:31
38 – Words of wisdom 1:10:51
39 – Find you? 1:12:59
Content Notice
This podcast and all She Lift Project content represents the opinions of Cynthia Kirkpatrick and her guests. The content here is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice – financial, legal, medical, or otherwise.
Views and opinions expressed in the podcast and across all She Lift Project media channels are our own and do not represent that of our places of work. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.
“I got to a point in Frank’s office where I realized there was kind of a ceiling. People that I had come in after me, I was training, were now moving up. And my ego got to the best of me. This is the dream job. Like, what happens after Frank Gehry? What could possibly be next after that?”
We’re catalysts for better conversation. And we know at Filament that the teams that we work with are not looking for the right answer, because there’s no such thing as the right answer. There is the next best answer to the questions that we’re asking.
“Research actually shows when there’s this lack of trust in a relationship, this lack of connection, the same part of our brain that processes physical pain gets activated when there’s an emotional pain. Right? And so if I’m feeling rejected or I’m feeling like I’m not part of the team or I’m not valued in any way, that part of our brain activates and says, like, pain. And so if you think about it in that way, think about the number of people who are walking around your office every day in pain.”
“Women in their 40s start to disappear from photographs because they think that they’re not young enough, thin enough, pretty enough. But the truth is that when you are in your 40s, you are leading a company, you’ve had children, you have a family, you’re doing things in your community. This is when you should be photographed.”
“You have to be cautious and mindful of the board of directors you invite into your head. And we as women especially listen terribly to that board of directors. And if you have one bad seat on there, one bad teacher, one bad classmate, one whatever from your history that you are listening to, it can really sabotage you.”
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