Inspiring Ownership & Purpose w/ Erin Suelmann & Susan Conrad

Sit back and enjoy listening to two remarkable guests, Erin Suelmann, Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis, and Susan Conrad, an experienced consultant. Together, they dive into the collaborative journey of shaping the Down Syndrome Association’s strategic vision. As members of the Strategic Planning Committee, Lisa, Erin, and Susan share insights on impactful leadership, meaningful community service, and the power of thoughtful planning to make a lasting difference. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation that celebrates partnership and purpose.

Guest Links:

• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Susan’s LinkedIn
• Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis
• Eicon Partners

Credits: 
Host: Lisa Nichols
Executive Producer: Jenny Heal
Marketing Support: Landon Burke and Joe Szynkowski
Podcast Engineer: Portside Media

Transcript

Lisa Nichols  00:03
Chromosomes, little strands of nucleic acids and proteins are the fundamental genetic instructions that tell us who we are. At birth, most people are born with 46 chromosomes, but each year in the United States, about 6000 people are born with an extra chromosome, making them a person with Down syndrome. If you've ever encountered someone with Down syndrome, you know that they are some of the kindest, most joyful people you will ever meet. They truly have something extra. 

My name is Lisa Nichols, and I have spent the last 24 years as both the CEO of Technology Partners and as the mother to Ally. Ally has something extra in every sense of the word. I have been blessed to be by her side as she impacts everyone she meets. Through these two important roles as CEO and mother to Ally, I have witnessed countless life lessons that have fundamentally changed the way I look at the world. While you may not have an extra chromosome, every leader has something extra that defines who you are. 

Join me as I explore the something extra in leaders from all walks of life and discover how that difference in each of them has made a difference in their companies, their families, their communities and in themselves. If you liked this episode today, please go to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen and leave us a five-star rating. 

I am thrilled to have Erin Suelmann and Susan Conrad on the show today. Erin is executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis, and Susan is the founder and president of Eicon Partners. Well, Susan Conrad and Erin Suelmann, I have been looking so forward to this conversation with the two of you, because you know what, we are special friends.

Susan Conrad  01:58
That is true. 

Erin Suelmann  01:59
That's right. Thanks for having us.

Susan Conrad  02:01
Thanks for including us.

Lisa Nichols  02:02
Absolutely. No, I just, I was thinking about it this morning, and we've all been friends for many years now, so it's just a conversation among friends. And recently, the three of us really had the privilege of working with one another on the strategic planning committee for the Down Syndrome Association. And so, I want to talk a lot about that and dig into that, but before we dig into it, I really would love to talk about growing up. So, Susan, I think both of you maybe grew up here. Susan, I think you grew up here, right?

Susan Conrad  02:37
Correct. Native St Louis, and born and raised.

Lisa Nichols  02:41
So, what was growing up like for you Susan?

Susan Conrad  02:44
Well, I grew up in a very, what I would say, loud family, Irish, German, lots of volume in our house, right? So, the sometimes the loudest one won, but actually, was fortunate to be in a great family. My dad's a serial entrepreneur. My mom is a nurse, and kept us all alive through the whole process. I've got a couple great brothers and so just a family that enjoyed being together, and we were all in business together. And I always like to say, boy, in a being in a family business is some of the absolute best work that you get to do, it can be also some of the most challenging get to do. But we really enjoyed doing that, and it, I think it really set the seeds for the entrepreneurial paths that my brothers and I have followed and, and so we've been fortunate to be able to stay working together in different ways, and investing together and raising our families together. And so, I feel incredibly blessed to be able to pull both of those parts of my life together.

Lisa Nichols  03:46
That is so cool. And you know, the coolest thing about the whole thing is you are still speaking, Susan. And that is not always the case. So, I want to talk about that because I knew that you were part of the family business, and so we'll talk about that a little bit later, but thank you for that, Erin. How about you? You and I are also connected in a very special way. 

Erin Suelmann  04:12
So, I was actually born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, but I moved up here when I was about three, so pretty much lived in St Louis my, my whole young adult life. And I have a brother with Down syndrome, and he is now 38 years old, and kind of in the opposite of Susan. I have a relatively small family, so my parents and my brother and I, not a huge extended family or anything like that. So really, just supporting each other. And absolutely, I have been shaped by having a brother with Down syndrome, and just kind of the change that that had on our life and how we had to reprioritize, know what's important and how we treat people. And I. And how we go about our day to day. So, that was a huge, huge piece for me. And then I went off to college in Colorado, and so I lived away for a little bit, and then I moved back in 2012 to be near my family.

Lisa Nichols  05:11
Right. I'm glad that you brought that up, because you did move away. And I think when you graduated, weren't you in the public health sector? Didn't you start there, Erin?

Erin Suelmann  05:22
So, I love people, I love humans, and I love different cultures and different ways of thinking. So, I went off, I was going to get my PhD in anthropology, and I was, you know, going to do all this great research. And then I got into that program, and I realized, you know, I really want to be helping people like today. So, I ended up getting a degree in anthropology and then a degree in a master's in public health as well. So that's that is where my drive for really quality programming and behavior change and maternal and child health, my passion for all of that stems from my graduate degrees.

Lisa Nichols  06:02
Well, I tell you what, we are super grateful, aren't we, Susan, that she came back to St Louis in 2012 you know, and I know that you became the ED for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis in 2016. I really want to dig into that. But Erin, what was the impetus for the move? Was it to work for the Down Syndrome Association? I'm not really sure I know why you guys moved back, but I'm so glad you did.

Erin Suelmann  06:28
So, I was living in I moved from Colorado, and then I moved to Arizona. I was like, I can't handle any the snow. I'm gonna go to get my master's degrees in Arizona. I love the southwest. It was absolutely beautiful. But then my husband, at the time, we moved back to Colorado so he could finish his degree, and then, really tragically, I lost him. He ended up taking his own life for mental health, you know, obviously mental health reasons. And that was just really tragic, and I needed to be back where I had my family of origin and my best friends and all of that. So I took some time off, and I tried to figure out, what am I going to do with myself now that my world has been upended and positioned at the Down Syndrome Association became available, and it was just, you know, I just kind of knew, like, this is what I'm supposed to do next, so that, you know, out of something really tragic, I had the opportunity to do something with my life that is just the most meaningful thing I've ever done.

Lisa Nichols  07:39
Well, and it's, it's like an extended family, isn't it, Erin, I mean, you consider them your family. Well, Erin, I am sorry I did not know that about your husband. I don't think we'd ever talked about that, but you've been through some things. So, if I'm sure, you know, I'm sure every day, I'm sure there's pain there. But if any of our listeners are facing something like that, I'm sure Erin would be more than happy to talk with you and at least give you her experience and what maybe has helped her not ever necessarily recover, but the healing process from that era, and so I am so sorry to hear that. I'm really sorry to hear that.




Erin Suelmann  08:26
It's important to talk about. I think, you know, it's, it's just something that needs a lot more attention in our society. So, I think it's really good to talk about if you're having those thoughts, or if you have somebody in your life that's having those thoughts. So, I'm a sounding board, or somebody that is happy to listen.

Lisa Nichols 08:44
Right. And I, I do think you're right. I do think it's so important to talk about it. I think about, well, you both know ally dance for the Independence Center, which is a wonderful organization here in St Louis that helps people with mental health issues and, and, you know, one of the things I've learned through the association that we've had with Independence Center is that there should not be any kind of negative stigma. I mean, people need to talk. It's just like people may be dealing with cancer or diabetes or something like that. And I mean, mental health is more of a sickness to the brain. And you know, there's not anything shameful about it. We do need to talk about it. So, if anybody's having those feelings, you know, there, there are resources out there, just know that you're not alone, right, Erin? Well, Susan, you have a degree in finance from Mizzou, and then also an MBA from WashU. Let's talk about it. Because you started your career in your family business. I think it was called Eisenhart and Associates.

Susan Conrad 09:58
So, I started technically, in the cultural mecca of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, as a financial analyst for Phillips Petroleum, I was going to be like an oil and gas Baroness. That was my desire. That's that was my game plan. That wasn't very well thought out. But here we go, because I had worked in the family business since I was 12, so we probably violated a lot of like, thanks, you know. But I thought, Okay, I'm gonna go out and I'm not gonna get a real job, and wonderful people, wonderful organization, but also, you know, it's a great lesson in learning, you know, where are you supposed to be? And I remember thinking, this is, you know, pre-Dilbert days, but if I died in my cube, nobody would know, for three days, like it could take a while. And I thought, No, I'm just so used to being more entrenched. You know, Erin, a little bit similar. He's like, this is not where I'm supposed to be right now, what am, what's the opportunity I have, and where can I use, you know, some of my passion and talents and, and so really came back to the family business, not expecting to and worked there for a number of years. We completed a lot of acquisitions. Grew the family business from 100 people to 2200 people before we sold it. We were able to expand geographically and kind of the traditional finance path and mergers and acquisitions and spreadsheets and cash flow projections, all those good things.

Susan Conrad  10:48
What I realized is that the real impact on the business happens in how we work together. So I kind of came at the whole people, leadership, strategic planning, culture, development space, by what I call the traditional finance, show me the ROI what's the bottom line? What's the burn rate, those kinds of things, and realize that we could probably financially engineer a lot. But it was how people work together that really determined how successful we could be, and how much more successful we could be if we did it in a way that included people and gave them an opportunity to learn and grow and so kind of building shared success models, those kinds of things. So, I like to say my left side of my brain and my right side of my brain are in equal competition all the time. But I really am a believer that you can achieve great results and build a very, very strong culture at the same time. So, both the people and the business are thriving. So that's, you know, kind of the fast path. Obviously, it took a few turns in different businesses, but the through line is, I really do believe you can have both if you're intentional, if you develop really good leaders. Working with Erin is proof positive of what's possible and what she's been able to achieve with all of her incredible team members at the Down Syndrome Association. So we just have too many cases out there to, to say we shouldn't pay attention to this and try to be more intentional about it.

Lisa Nichols  12:55
That's really good. Susan, that's really good. Well, I was gonna say, you know, when you sold the business you guys, I think you'd grown it to 20 offices or something like that. I mean, crazy, crazy kind of growth. But then you stepped in that same year and founded Eicon partners. So, you know. I mean, that entrepreneurial spirit is, is in your DNA, girl, totally in your DNA. You know, and I was gonna ask you about that, because I know that you're all about business results, but improving people's lives in this with this people centric approach, I mean, and you just talked about, you believe that you can do both. But you know, how, how have you personally, like, balanced the two of those? Because sometimes, you know, and I could put words in your mouth, but I don't want to do that. I'd love to hear from you. I mean, how have you balanced those? Because sometimes the business results require a certain type of leadership, right? And certainly, the other side, the human side of it, you know, requires some a certain type of leadership. 

Susan Conrad  14:03
Well, I think that balance is a great idea, but it implies that one has to go down for the other one to go up. And so maybe, if we rephrase it in terms of, like, how do you achieve this kind of harmony in your life where you're personally and professionally living into your gifts and the opportunities you have. You're making a difference. You're being able to, you know, enjoy the fruits of your labor, you're, you know, spend meaningful time with your family. So, I like to think about, how do we achieve meaningful results on purpose. So how are we really clear on what it is we're, we're striving for, and it doesn't mean we don't have to make hard decisions. And there are times when it feels like one area of your life is getting more attention than the other. I can tell you, Mike, as I was building my business the. There were a lot of times I had to throw the kids in the back of the car and I told them we were going to see Christmas lights. And they all realized that we were doing property inspections and that maybe they would see some Christmas lights along the way, you know. So, you there are ways you may have to work that in. But all in all, I think when you're when you're living into who you're meant to be, and you find the places and the people that help you do that, that's when you maybe feel more what I'd call in-balance, or you are actually surrounded by people who can help you figure out how to, you know, harmonize both areas of your life.

Lisa Nichols  15:38
I love how you put that? I love Harmony. Harmony is a better word. I think, you know, I really do that's, that's really good. And, you know, I always say, because people always say, how do you balance everything that you got going, you know, how do you balance, and always say, you know, it's, there have been times where my kids needed me more, and, you know, I'm putting, not putting the business on the back shelf, but it's not as high of a priority. And then there's times where, you know, really, you've gotta lean into the business. Things are maybe tight and lean, and you've got, you've got a, you know, a workforce that's depending on you, right, to make good decisions and things like that and to move the business forward. So, I think harmony is the best word there. I like that. I don't know. I see a book in your future, Susan. Okay, so you know, Erin, you've already mentioned Andrew, and we probably don't have nearly enough time, we'd have to do two podcasts to really talk about how Andrew has, has really enhanced and has informed your leadership style. But can you talk about some of those ways just a little bit here for our listeners?

Erin Suelmann  16:59
Well, and I just want to piggyback on what Susan had said. I think I personally believe you can't have a long-standing successful business without prioritizing your people. And so, I think it's not even enough to say you can have both. I think you absolutely have to focus on your people first, because ultimately, if you don't do that, your business won't be successful. And I really do believe that. And or whether you know it's business or for profit, or which Susan said yesterday, for purpose, which I love that. And so, you know, a lot of what Andrew has taught me about leading people and being on a team is that we are all imperfect, and that is not a weakness, that's not something that we need to hide, but something that we can lean into. And if we're doing it correctly, we're identifying areas where we need more support. And so, we talk about people with Down syndrome, and they need all these extra accommodations, and but I think that everyone needs help. Everyone needs something to be able to be their best self. I mean, how many of us rely entirely on our Google calendars. Well, that's an accommodation. I mean, that's a visual schedule that we're using. I can't survive without having my, my visual calendar, my Google Calendar. 

Erin Suelmann  18:32
So, I think it's just, you know, we all need to challenge ourselves thinking, you know, what do I use day to day, that that supports me and being the best person? And it's the same thing for people with disabilities. So again, you know, being open to identifying areas where you need support, being the kind of leader that takes feedback from your coworkers, from your colleagues, from your team members, that leans into giving them what they need to succeed, and just having that really open dialog all the time, because nobody comes to the table with all the answers. So, I think that's what Andrew has, one of the many things that Andrew has taught me right is that we're just all doing our best and like, let's just give each other grace and understanding.

Lisa Nichols  19:21
That's so good. That's so good, Erin. And like I said, if we were to go through everything, we would have a very long Podcast, because I told you many, many times, Ally's been one of my greatest teachers in life, and I learned something new from her almost daily. But let's talk about the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis and Erin. I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of you and how you have grown the organization. It truly has really expanded under your leadership. I think our DSA is probably one of the largest in the nation. Other DSAs look to us for best practices. It's really incredible. And I think isn't the DSA supporting about 2000 plus families now? Is that right?  

Erin Suelmann  20:13
That's right? Yep, about 2200 individuals that we directly and indirectly support.

Lisa Nichols  20:18
Yes, which is amazing. And we've even got some satellite offices, which is really exciting too. But you know, why don't you, because Susan already talked about it in the beginning, why don't you, for our listeners who don't know, why don't you let us in on the vision, the mission of the Down Syndrome Association? Then, then we'll get into a few other things.

Erin Suelmann  20:40
Sure. So, we were founded in 1976 so almost 50 years ago. And if you can imagine at that time, if you can imagine, or you can remember, at that time, there was really no support for people with developmental disabilities. The ADA had not been passed, and you know, at that point, people were still being institutionalized, because there just was such a lack of understanding and a lack of attention paid to the needs of people with disabilities. So, in 1976 families got together and said, Hey, we're gonna know more of this. We're gonna take our babies home. We're gonna raise them, and they deserve all the rights that every other child has. So, they founded the Down Syndrome Association at that time. It was called something else, and they used the terminology of the time, which I won't repeat, but you know, it soon after became the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis. And since then, we have grown. It was primarily focused on the family support. And then, as you know, we have been, I think, very adaptable and flexible and responsive to the needs of the community. We have just increased our programs and services. 

Erin Suelmann  21:51
So now we have direct programs for people with Down syndrome, lots of family support opportunities, support groups, workshops, trainings, lunch and learns. We do stuff with the education community, the healthcare community, and now we are, you know, continuing to support families as their individuals with Down syndrome age. And you know, we, we redid our as part of our last strategic plan, we tweaked our mission a little bit, and now it's to serve support and celebrate the lives of people with Down syndrome, and we added that word celebrate, kind of at the last minute, because I said it's such a huge part of what we do. It's not enough to just serve and provide this family support. We need to let the world know that people with Down syndrome are amazing. They deserve everything in life that we're everyone else has, and so that is that has to be in our mission. So, I'm really excited about that, and we envision the community, an inclusive community where all people with Down syndrome can reach their full potential. That's too much to ask.

Lisa Nichols  23:00
I don't think so either. And with people like Susan guiding us along, Erin, you know, in a wonderful board, yeah, that's I love that you added that celebrate. And we're going to talk about that because there's some cool things coming up that we want to tell our listeners about. Well, I'm going to ask just another question here real quick, and then we do need to take a quick break. But Susan, I want to go back to you just for a few minutes. You know you've since when you founded Eicon, I mean, you've actually been able to work with some really iconic brands, absolutely. One of those is the Chapman and company leadership. If anyone is listening, Bob Chapman, you've worked with Moneta, you've worked with others, but let's go back to this people centric leadership, because I know the Chapman and Company is all about that you and I have a mutual friend, Gary Baker, who is all about people centric and human you know, leadership. How do you personally define that? How do you define it? Susan, and why do you think it's so important in today's knowledge economy?

Susan Conrad  24:15
Well, you know, every business is a people business. There's, there's just no way to escape the human element of what we're doing. And I think we have, we have come so far in the evolution of what businesses look like, right? There was the Industrial Revolution, there was the knowledge revolution. And I think, from my perspective, what we found is the people who are most successful and I would say success is defined by each person, but what I look at it is who's really living their best life and enabling that for other people, right? We're here not, you know, not to just fill some bank account. I mean, please tell me there's more than that and so being. Being able to say we can have a positive and profound impact on the world if we do that through our businesses. right? There's wonderful services and agencies that can support families, but the place that people spend most of their time is at work, and so if we can think about how we work together, how we're leading people, how we're either enabling their growth or hindering their growth. There's like no neutral it's either we're helping or we're not. And so if we can do that with intention and we can create success where everybody can share in it, then guess what? We get more innovation. We get more opportunity to grow. We get more positive outcomes for everybody involved. We can reinvest in the business. We can create more jobs. 

Susan Conrad  25:45
And so, for me, it seems like the logical thing we should do in terms of wanting to take our businesses to the next level. Yes, people are wildly successful by not focusing on the people element, and they're probably successful in ways that don't have as much appeal to me. You know, I like financial freedom, don't get me wrong. I have anything against it, but I think there's more to what we're called to be for each other. And so, I think there's, you know, there's just this element of faith and there's this element of responsibility that says, Okay, if you are in a leadership position, you are given a responsibility to shepherd and steward. As Bob Chapman would say, the lives that you have the privilege to lead are those in your span of care. And so how do we think about the language of business? How do we think about the way our leaders are being developed and encouraged and trained. You know, to me, one of the greatest rewards is getting to work with Erin and the people on our team. Because you see what the impact of great leadership has, not just on our staff, but on every one of those 2200 families, on the caregivers, on the educators, on health care professionals. It is magnified tremendously. And every leader has that opportunity. 

Susan Conrad  27:05
And so, for me, it's about saying, Yes. We, we need to be good stewards of our businesses and our resources, but the best way to do that is to fuel them with incredible people and culture. And so, I'm totally in agreement with Erin, you have to have your people focus. It doesn't mean we don't have high expectations. It doesn't mean we don't set ambitious goals, or we address challenges or gaps in that, but we do it in a way that's respectful and mindful of what everybody can bring to the table, and if not, how do we help them get to where they can be successful with us or somewhere else? But we're going to treat them, as my buddy Bob Chapman would say, like somebody's precious child. And if we start taking that mindset first versus people or a function, then it's going to transform the way we all do business together. I hope that answers your questions. I'm very passionate about it. 

Lisa Nichols  28:06
I love that. Absolutely. Yes, you are passionate, and I am too, and I know Erin is, you know, here's the thing, I love, what you said, as a leader, it's your responsibility. It's your responsibility to help people be the best version. And I know that there's studies out there that say if, if people are happier at work, if they are growing at work, if they feel valued, they're going to bring that home and they're going to be a better husband or wife or parent, right? I mean it, it's in all aspects, and it's interesting, because last week, I was speaking at a conference in Dallas, and one of the things that I talked about is I know that you guys have probably read some John Gordon, wrote "The Energy Bus", best-selling author. He talks about during our lifetime, this is really profound during our lifetime, on average, the average person is going to influence 80,000 people, 80,000 people. 

Lisa Nichols  29:10
Now here's the thing, influence can be positive or negative at the end of your life, and to quote Maya Angelou, people are not going to know, they're not going to remember what your title was. They're not gonna remember, you know, what products, services, they're not gonna remember the EBITDA of the company, right? What they're gonna remember is how you made them feel, how you helped them grow. What words did you use to impact their life? You know, and, and Erin, that is what I love about what you're doing every day with the Down Syndrome Association and all of these families and, and young adults that you are impacting and obviously your staff. So, I love everything you just said, Susan, and I'm with you. I'm with you, ladies, but we do need to take a quick break, and we'll be right back with Erin and Susan on the Something Extra Podcast.

AD  30:00
Hey, there in a challenging business climate like this, savvy leaders look to technology to find an edge. This can mean the difference between staying ahead of the curve or playing catch up. It's time to collaborate with the highly skilled experts at Technology Partners. Our team of technologists draws upon decades of experience for your project, with each bringing a passion for solving problems and a track record of success. How can we help you overcome your biggest technology challenges? Visit technologypartners.net to book a free consultation with one of our leaders.

Lisa Nichols  30:30
Welcome back everyone to the Something Extra Podcast with my two dear friends, Erin Suelmann and Susan Conrad. So, Susan, Erin and team hired you to help them with their next strategic plan for the org. First of all, tell me why you were so excited to do this work with the DSA.

Susan Conrad  30:51
Well, for any of you that have been I have been touched by an individual at Down syndrome, and I really, you know, I'm fortunate to call Ally, your daughter, a friend, and have watched her grow up and see that the positive and joyful influence she's had in your life, but also in my life, right as a bystander. And so, when that opportunity came up and I got to visit with Erin and understand what is it she was trying to achieve and create a bold and ambitious vision and strategy for the organization to build on the legacy of success that they have, but also be really intentional about the impact they were trying to have going forward and listening to her passion and her energy. To me, that's the first criteria is, do we have a leader who is courageous enough to envision something better and say, you know, I want to work really hard to help people see it and also come along and help us make it happen. And so, getting to know her a little bit and understanding the journey that they had been on and the success they've achieved and the potential that they had in front of them, I thought, well, who could say no to that. So, I would say I was actually fortunate that Erin said, Oh, I'd like to work with you. So, I really don't think it was, it was not so much my decision to work with Erin. It was Erin saying, Who can help me achieve the ambitious future that I see for all of our families? 

Lisa Nichols  32:19
Yes, that's so good. Well, Erin, I know what I thought about the whole process, but I would love to hear what you thought about the whole process. And you know, I would love to know what brought you joy during the process.

Erin Suelmann  32:35
Well, I loved, I love working with Susan, present tense. Past, present and future. I think that one of the things that drew me to Susan was, you know, right? Because I did say I tend to have big ideas. I learned that, you know, DISC assessments, and I'm a high I so lots of ideas, and I truly believe that we can, you know, transcend like what we think is possible today. And so, when I talked to Susan, I said, I, you know, I really want to focus on big program shifts and changes and how we can build a plan that is bold, like she said. And I was really impressed with her background, her very diverse background, and because the strategic planning process can be really daunting, and especially for a small team. And you know, if you have a leader like myself, who I wear a lot of different hats, there's only 14 of us, so I'm payroll, and I'm HR and finance, some the director of all of those things. So, you know, thinking about adding strategic planning into the mix, you know, you really want a partner who's going to go along on the journey with you and be, be your thought partner and challenge you and help you think big. 

Erin Suelmann  33:53
But Susan did a really fantastic job of helping us break something really, really big into really manageable parts where we all felt like we had a part to play, the Board of Directors, the staff, I feel like everybody has gotten an opportunity to weigh in, and, of course, most importantly, the people that we serve right like that. It has to be. It is. It is their plan above all else, because they were able to weigh in and talk about what they want. The future for people with Down syndrome look like. I kind of think of the Down Syndrome Association as like we're the we're the we help manifest the dreams of our community. It's not about what I want. It's not even really about what the board wants. If we're not taking into account what people that we support and serve want, and we're not doing it correctly. So, I love working with Susan. I always laugh and say, I wish she could just sit in my office with me all day and we can just, you know, like she can just be the same. We're open for her, you know, like we can just have a great day every day, because I just really enjoy working with her so much.

Lisa Nichols  35:07
Yes, that's so cool. Well, Susan, since our listeners were not there, they were not there during these, you know, I would love for you to just break it down, if you can, as easily as you can I know it's not, it's, it's not simple, it's simple, but it's not easy, right? What we went through, and to your point, Erin, I mean, sometimes these can be like, just not, you know, a monumental, monumental and arduous. But I found the process fun. I mean, Susan made it fun, but, you know, take us through that process that you go through Susan when developing a strategic plan, and I think you really to kind of Erin's point, really fostered this collaborative approach where everyone in the room has a voice, but tell us about that process, if you would. 

Susan Conrad  36:02
Sure. So, you know, it does start with this idea, we need to inspire ownership of the people who can bring this plan to reality. So that includes both the staff, right, so the leadership and the staff the board, but it also includes the families that are served. We had individuals with Down syndrome participating in our listening sessions. We had over 300 people engaged in sharing what is their vision of the future, what are their real needs today, and what are the things that have them concerned for the long term? So really trying to understand what's working well and where we have opportunities to be better. And so, distilling all of that information and the data that's collected inside the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis, it does take a bit of a process. So, we put together a focus team that said, how do we help distill all of this information into in into ways that people can understand and we can begin to ask better questions about it. And so, what are the things that we should be thinking about, right? So, there's kind of a, what I'd call the fiduciary responsibilities. There's the strategic responsibilities, but there's also these generative responsibilities. What's around the corner. What do we need to anticipate because of the changing environment? 

Susan Conrad  37:25
You know, one of the things I learned there's a high correlation between aging individuals with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's. So how do we begin to be at the front side of that to save some of the worry and the concern and be there for the families who need that kind of help. And so really trying to address a really big opportunity and bringing it into focus, saying, Hey, what could we do over the next five years that would be impactful and meaningful for the community, and the Association does a really good job of saying, We are the stewards of this effort, and so how do we help enable those dreams, as Erin described and with the expertise that they have in their community, like, how do we really leverage some of these opportunities to say, let's change the conversation around how we think about individuals with Down syndrome or intellectual disabilities? How do we think about raising the awareness in our community so we are more equitable in our public sectors, we are more equitable in education. We think about them as accommodations and not inconveniences, when we're making some of these shifts in the way we're providing health care or education. 

Susan Conrad  38:46
So, the process is really about we start big. We have a focused group on, how do we distill that information? Lisa, you were so generous, along with about 11 other people that said, hey, we'll dig in. Lisa, you know, and her team brought their technology talents to help us distill some of this information. She was like, we can leverage AI to help us, you know, take a look at all this, this information that would be overwhelming to any one person, right? And you think about it, it's probably overwhelming to a lot of families. And so how do we bring that process in so that we can have a very focused conversation with people who have a variety of perspectives, and we begin to get really clear on what would we be so excited to achieve in the next five years? Let's pass that picture, and then we'll work backwards from point. If this is the compelling picture for going forward, let's start breaking it down into how do we make that happen? 

Susan Conrad  39:42
And so, Erin referenced yesterday, we were together with the staff to say, Okay, now we need to deploy this strategy. And so, we need to make sure that the people who are on the front lines are having very their input, saying, here's some of the best ways to make that happen. And so, you know, it's a series of intentional conversations, and it does require time and dedication from everybody who's involved, but I have yet to meet a person in this community that isn't passionate about making that a reality. And so, you're like, Well, who wouldn't want to work with a team like this? You know, it makes you it gets you excited, and it, you know, spurs your creativity too. So, it's, it's truly a gift to be able to work with Erin and the team, and you, and the other members of the board who are, are saying, Okay, we're committed. Let's, let's make it happen. We got some work to do. Let's go. 

Lisa Nichols  40:35
I didn't, I didn't intend to talk about this, but you guys are doing so many amazing things. Erin, I when I heard, when I heard about this, I got so excited, because, see, I believe, I truly believe, that the Allys and the Andrews of the world make the world a better place. And I think we need more of them. I think we need more visibility. I mean, I know our team, there are people in our team that will say, can you just bring Ally in? I need an Ally hug. You know? I say when Ally Nichols and I know Andrew is the same way, when Ally Nichols walks in the room, the joy meter goes up. You know, we could all use a little bit more of that, even in our businesses, right? Erin, and we'd love for you to tell our listeners about the pop-up shops that you've kind of piloted, and it's not just good for our people, that we serve, our adults, that we serve it's good for the people in the organizations that they've got, these pop-up shops. Tell, tell our listeners about this.

Erin Suelmann  41:36
So, this was something you know, like the best ideas they've come to you at the most random of times. I think I was, you know, folding laundry or doing something pretty mundane, when your brain can activate those creative neurons. And, you know, we were thinking about employment and people with disabilities are underemployed in our country, and we were thinking about that specifically related to people with Down syndrome, and how sometimes the system fails our folks with Down syndrome, because they just have really unique physical and intellectual needs. And so that was kind of when it was before COVID. It was when the food truck craze started. And, you know, we said, why don't we don't want a truck that sounds complicated. We don't want to be making food that also seems like not a business we want to get into right now. So, we were like, What about snacks? You know, prepackaged snacks, and they can pack the snack boxes, they can have a hand in creating the snack box menus and all of these things. And then what was unique about our model is that we would go into businesses. So, we wanted to be in front of business leaders. We wanted to be in front of their staff to showcase the abilities of people with Down syndrome. 

Erin Suelmann  43:00
And so, people with Down syndrome are getting job training skills and customer service and some of that executive functioning and decision making and following directions and all of that good stuff that you need to be able to do as a good employee. But then you have the opposite side, where we're raising awareness, and then the hope is that it leads to job matches. So, 2020 we hired somebody who was going to be their full-time job is to be managing this program. He started in February of 2020 we had 75 pop ups scheduled for that year already in businesses across the region. And then we all know what happened in March of, of 2020, so we had to pivot, you know, like we all did, and but I'm happy to say that it's coming back with a vengeance, you know. And over the past year, we've we have new products. Now we have a beautiful partnership with Dubuque Coffee here in Brentwood. And so, they, we work with them. To our friends with Down syndrome package the beans, and they have our we have our own beautiful label, and now we have, we have coffee and mugs that are hand painted in addition to everything else. And so, the model is still that we go out into the community, into businesses, and we pop up, and it's just really joyful for everybody involved in the program.

Lisa Nichols  44:26
I just love it. I love it. Well, you guys are moving into some new space, some bigger space, which is so exciting. In fact, there's an open house coming up. What are you excited about, Erin? What do you think this new space is going to allow the Down Syndrome Association to do?

Erin Suelmann  44:41
Oh my gosh. Well, so we know I'm really excited everybody has an office with the door they can close. So, I know my staff is really excited about that. They all have a space to call home. And what I'm most excited about is that we have about a 4,000 square foot community room, where we have all of our programs, our education conferences. We just had our new mothers’ luncheon last Saturday, where we had moms, babies, three and under to come together for fellowship. And so, I'm excited about everything that's possible in that space. And, you know, just to kind of, you know, some of you know, some of our strategic goals for the next five years include continuing and growing our programs to help people with Down syndrome become more independent, to transform healthcare for people with Down syndrome in the region, to advance inclusive education and to reach underserved communities. So those are our four, goals for the next five years, small little things, you know, but, but really, I just think there's so much to look forward to in our new space, the possibilities of things that we can do here, and also, you know, really trying to get out into the community as well and serve those people that have felt left behind by, you know, maybe by our association, they haven't felt like they want. So, we want to make sure everybody where they're at as well. 

Lisa Nichols  46:10
It's an exciting time. It's an exciting time. And I think as one thing perpetuates some, one thing perpetuates another, sometimes too, right? And we just don't even know what the future may hold, but now you've got the space. And who knows. You know, we can, we can imagine, right? We can really imagine. So, I would love for you to talk a little bit about this exhibition that is coming up that is going to be so cool. And I've actually, I've actually previewed some of these, Erin, and tears flowing. You know, it's just beautiful. Tell us about that that's coming up in March. I think World Down Syndrome Day on 3/21.

Erin Suelmann  46:50
Yes, thank you for bringing that up. I'm so excited. We're working with a photographer named Randy Bacon. He's out of Springfield, Missouri, and he had done an exhibit black and white photographs of people with Down syndrome in partnership with the group in Kansas City several years back. And we got wind of that, and we were able to meet him and see his work, and we just said, you know, we need to keep this going. We need to photograph and tell the stories of people on this side of the state, and Southern Illinois, and then, you know, even go beyond that, to showcase the lives people with Down syndrome. So, Randy is an absolutely exquisite artist, and he has taken 15 black and white portraits of individuals with Down syndrome, and him and his colleague, Mandy, they are telling the stories of these families. He's also doing motion portraits. So, I don't know if you've seen motion portraits, but it's like a black and white photograph, but there's movement, there's no sound, there's movement. So, it's like you're it's just very, very intimate. And then there's also going to be video. 

Erin Suelmann  48:03
So, we will have the stories of 15 very, very unique families, and that is going to be kicking that off on World Down Syndrome Day in 2025 and we're partnering with the Regional Arts Commission at the foundry to have a celebration of that exhibit, which will be there for about two months, and then our goal is to have it traveling throughout the region. So, we would love to host it in corporate buildings and disability agencies. We want to get it at the rotunda Jefferson City, in St Louis City Hall, all of these places where everyone can see and read these stories. There's a little bit of an advocacy lens, just in terms of, you know, people really understanding that Down syndrome is not uniform across all people, that everyone with Down syndrome has, has come from a different place, has a different life experience. And so, you might have somebody that has Down syndrome and autism or Down syndrome and regression disorder or Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease, or, you know, they just have an incredible story about their journey raising a child with Down syndrome or having Down syndrome, so and that there's a lot more work to be done. So, I'm really, really proud of everything that we've done today. And, I mean, I'm just like, a small portion of the incredible advances that have been made in this community. I'm just like, you know, a little needle in a haystack, but that there is a lot more work to be done and a lot more energy and attention that needs to be given to this population.

Lisa Nichols  49:42
I mean, Erin, you said you're just a little bitty piece of it, but what I always say it's everybody doing their piece. Bring everybody doing a little, and we can do so much together. And so, I would just encourage our listeners, if this resonates with you and you want to volunteer, or you want to get involved. And I love the caption of this exhibit is going to be called, Belonging. It's so beautiful. It's so beautiful. So, if you want to get involved in that, please, please, please, reach out to Erin, and we'll have all of their information in the show notes. I want to do a quick lightning round for you ladies. And then we're going to land the plane, and I'm going to ask you about something extra. Let's do a quick lightning round. What do you do for fun? Either one of you who wants to go first?

Erin Suelmann  50:33
Oh, gosh, do you have, do you have time for fun? No, I truly am. It's I love being with my family. I have an almost six year old and an eight year old, and so my idea of fun is just the little things that when we get to spend that special time together, that's just fun for me. And it's not always big or exciting, but cooking with my kids or baking or riding bikes. That's my fun.

Lisa Nichols  51:03
I'm with you, girl, it's a walk in the park. For me, it's baking a cake with our grandson. Whatever. You know, it doesn't have to be big, monumental things. Susan, what about you?

Susan Conrad  51:14
Well, I'm a newlywed, and so my husband and I have four kids between us, two of them are getting married, so we've been spending just a lot of time enjoying being with our family. And to your point, it's the little things, even now that they're grown, we enjoy just, you know, three of them live out of town, so taking a little trip down I-44 or up 55 to Chicago, and cooking or playing golf or just, you know, hanging out with a really good cup of coffee, we try to go on the hunt for where's the best local coffee spot. And so, it's, I guess, becoming more apparent to us that it doesn't have to be big things. It's the little moments that that really are the ones that create the best memories.

Lisa Nichols  52:00
I've got a friend that has a magazine called moments matter, and they do, but it's the recognition of that, right? And it's the awareness that we have that it's like, you know what Ally says every day, and it's just so funny to me. It's just so sweet. It can be just the most ordinary day, and she'll be like, this is a really good day. This is a really good day. And just that positivity. It's one of the things I've learned from her, you know, is it's speak it out. It's, this is a good day. And it may not even be anything super special, but you know, the fact that we're alive and breathing right, it's such a gift. So well, tell me this. How do you grow and learn? Do you read books? Do you listen to audios? Do you listen to podcasts? Do you go to conferences? How do you grow and learn? And if there are any recommendations for our listeners, I'd love for you to share those.

Erin Suelmann  52:58
I do all of those things. I love podcasts. So, know this wonderful podcast. I listen to one called women taking the lead, which I really like, you know, just I love taking in information and processing that and but I really like, love working with individuals, like Susan and you and, and I just that's like, the best thing for my brain is just learning from other really amazing individuals and other amazing women.

Lisa Nichols  53:35
I agree with that Erin, and that's one of the reasons that we started the Something Extra Podcast, because I believe I learn, I've grown so much personally and professionally, just from people, right? And so, Susan, how about you?

Susan Conrad  53:50
Well, I try to hang out with the two of you as often as I can, because that really helps. I'm with you on the podcast, and what a great way to really just expose yourself to different ways of thinking. And so, have quite a variety on my Spotify list that I really dedicate time every morning to saying, okay, where, where am I going to get some inspiration? Where am I going to get some energy, maybe a new idea? And so, the something extra podcast is on the top of that list, which is great. One of the books that I'm reading right now that I can't in any of my clients. If they hear this, they'll be like, Oh, here she goes. But there's a great book to read right now, and it's called "Give To Grow." And it is by Mo Bunnel, M, O, B, U, N, N, E, L, L. Mo does a phenomenal job about how do you build authentic, real relationships for real results and so that that really aligns to my purpose around meaningful outcomes, right? So, we want to achieve results on purpose, align it to what we're here to do. But his book is phenomenal. It really trying to rethink the way that we develop relationships that allow us to have more impact together. So, I can't recommend that one enough. He's got all kinds of resources around that, and his podcast, and so he's a great thought leader in that space. 

Susan Conrad  55:13
And, you know, just really trying to be around people that can encourage you and help you. So, I, you know, I think I have a coach. I encourage people to get coaches, because I think, you know, there's seasons in your life, and that helps you have a space where you can think through some of the challenges of being a leader, but also helps you really get intentional about achieving what's you know on your wish list and manifest what your vision is. And so, you know, being able to see Erin do what she does and her pursuit of constantly, you know, learning from other people participating in the National Down Syndrome Association events. She was, you know, at the Board of Aldermen, and her and Andrew were speaking and saying, Hey, we need to help raise the we're here. We want you to hear from us, right? So, she's walking the talk and surrounding yourself with people like that, and getting to see them in action is, you know, one of the best ways you can grow, because then it, it can't help but ask you, you know, make you ask yourself, like, okay, so what could I do? Like, where can I maybe have a different impact? And so, to get, like, I said, hang out with the two of you, and your dance cards will be full, but I guarantee it's time well spent.

Lisa Nichols  56:31
Yes, well, the book will be here tomorrow, Susan, so thank you. Maybe you'll get a little kickback from that.

Susan Conrad  56:42
That's not what it's about. It literally, givers win. 

Lisa Nichols  56:46
Givers win. I always say, be a net giver. It will come back to you in spades. It will. And so that's not why we do it. But I love that. Thank you both for sharing. Well, I could keep going and going and going with the two of you, but I think we need to land the plane here and ask you the question, what do you believe is it something extra every leader needs? And Erin, you want to go first?

Erin Suelmann  57:11
Sure. I think that every leader needs to be vulnerable. I think that authenticity with your team shows that you are human, and it shows that you are willing to learn and you're willing to admit your mistakes, and that you're doing it right. You're growing from your mistakes, and you're better on the other side of them. And I think you know, if you can show your team that we're all just human, and we're all in this together, and we all have bad days and good days and things going on with our families or you know, but we're showing up. We're doing our best, and I think that's the best thing you can do to inspire your team to be open and honest and give their best every day. 

Lisa Nichols  58:01
So good. Susan, how about you?

Susan Conrad  58:03
Well, she models that really well. I can attest to that fact. I would say, I like to say the 3C of leadership, leaders really need clarity, they need courage, and they need compassion. So, the clarity to know where they're headed, the courage to make it happen and the compassion to say we understand we're all doing our best, and we can all be better, a little bit better every day. And so,  how do we help show up with compassion when you know sometimes the things don't go as expected, and sometimes they go incredibly, much more than you thought. So, for sure, I'd stick to those three.

Lisa Nichols  58:42
That's so beautiful. Well, friends, thank you so much. Thank you for taking the time to be on the show today. I've absolutely loved every single second of this time with the two of you, and I cannot wait for our listeners to learn more about the two of you and learn more about the DSA and all the good things we've got coming down the pike, right? Erin, it's exciting. It's an exciting time.

Erin Suelmann  59:07
Come join us. 

Lisa Nichols  59:08
Yes, absolutely, many hands, right? You'll take the, you'll take any, any level of participation, I'm sure. Well, thank you so much, again. Thanks ladies. Have a great rest of the day.

Erin Suelmann  59:24
Thank you so much. 

Susan Conrad  59:25
Make it count.

Announcer  59:26
Thank you for listening to today's show Something Extra with Lisa Nichols as a Technology Partners Production Copyright Technology Partners Inc. 2019. For show notes, or to reach Lisa, visit tpi.co/podcast. Don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or wherever you listen, you.

*Please note, the preceding transcription has been automatically generated and should be used for informational purposes only.