
Alara LaPlante: The Sacred Journey Home to Yourself
“Joy and gratitude will transmute anything. So if somebody’s going through a healing journey, focus on your joy, what lights you up, that’s the thing that’s going to heal you. So lean into that.”
Share this:
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.
“Joy and gratitude will transmute anything. So if somebody’s going through a healing journey, focus on your joy, what lights you up, that’s the thing that’s going to heal you. So lean into that.”
“There’s people out there that think they’re good at everything and they’re not. So I think for us, it’s really that business entrepreneur that’s wearing a lot of hats, that wants to wear some hats but doesn’t want to wear them all.”
“I got thrown out of the OR the very first day after 10 minutes. The surgeon walked into the room and he opened up all the doors and he screamed as loud as he possibly could, ‘I will not have Dr. Feinberg’s wife in my room!!’ See, I wasn’t Dr. Feinberg. I was Dr. Feinberg’s wife.”
We have level 1 to 10. 10 is being at the top level. You have your faces, you have your attack, your energy, all the things to be at the highest level for themselves. That’s level 10…If they want to be at a level 10, they’ll work at a level 10. That means in classwork, not just on stage.
“Young Shannon became an overachiever because she was a people pleaser. She needed to please others. And so that really developed in my adulthood as well. “
Show Name
Amet minim mollit non deserunt ullamco est sit aliqua dolor do amet sint. Velit officia consequat duis enim velit mollit. Exercitation veniam consequat sunt nostrud amet.
We publish on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.