Family, Leadership, and the Joy of Connection w/ Tim Sater

Discover how growing up in a bustling, love-filled St. Louis home shaped Tim Sater’s approach to leadership and life. As the youngest of eight, Tim shares stories of his parents’ kindness, the open-door policy that earned their house the nickname “Grand Central Station,” and the lessons he carries into his role as Vice President of Marketing at AAIM Employers Association. Hear how Tim’s global career in marketing taught him the value of being a lifelong learner and the importance of building genuine connections. This episode is full of warmth, practical wisdom, and inspiration for anyone seeking to make a difference in their community and workplace.

Guest Links:

• Tim’s LinkedIn
• AAIM Employers’ Association

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

Transcript

Lisa Nichols  00:02
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 for 30 years, I have been both the CEO of Technology Partners and 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 like this episode today, please go to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen and leave us a five-star rating. 

I am thrilled to have Tim Sater on the show today. Tim is the Vice President of Marketing at AAIM Employers Association. Well, Tim, wow, I am so incredibly excited to have you on the Something Extra Podcast today, my friend. Thank you for making the time. 

Tim Sater  01:37
The pleasure is mine, and it's an honor. 

Lisa Nichols  01:40
Well, you and I have been friends for a long time. I didn't even know how long we've been friends. 

Tim Sater  01:44
It goes back a few years, 10, maybe?

Lisa Nichols  01:47
Maybe. 10 years, long time. And you know, you we've talked about this a little bit, but you've been so gracious to invite me in the past to speak at your annual conference, and we're going to talk about that, the AIM Conference, it's always a sold-out event, right, Tim?

Tim Sater  02:06
Yes, we're very fortunate.

Lisa Nichols  02:08
Very fortunate. But I also just attribute that you got lots of passion, lots of energy, and I know there's so much intentionality that you put into that conference, and I think that that's probably why it sells out every year. 

Tim Sater  02:24
It's a year in the making. And you're right. It is, it's a labor of love, because it takes an enormous amount of time and energy. But the reward is when people leave the conference and they're happy, they're fulfilled, they have a renewed sense of purpose. And check all the boxes.

Lisa Nichols  02:41
And inspired, right? It's always very inspiring conference because of the people that you have in the room and your speakers. But you know, the other thing we've talked about this, you've been so wonderful to introduce me to so many amazing guests for the podcast, like Donnie Campbell, who is the coach behind the Ted Lasso series. Jeff Glasbrenner, you know that has an amazing story. Rich Gund, you've introduced me to some wonderful podcast guests. So, I'm like, I need to have Tim on, because you are one of those amazing people as well and inspiring. So, I just can't wait for our listeners to learn from you today, Tim.

Tim Sater  03:21
Well thank you. And I just love connecting people, because I think they have such a great story that I want. I think everybody on planet Earth should hear their story, because of it's inspiring, primarily, but for just hear the warmth and the love and the kindness that oozes from these people. And I just think that they should have a platform to tell their story. 

Lisa Nichols  03:42
I couldn't agree more. That's one of the reasons I love doing this podcast, because I meet these amazing people like yourself, and then I'm like, I want to share this person with everybody, right, in my circle. So, let's tell, tell us just a snippet. I don't want to talk about this too much, but yet, I'd love just to have a snippet about your childhood, where you grew up, what you like to do as a little boy.

Tim Sater  04:06
Well, I tell you, I'm again, very fortunate. I look back every day and feel blessed. I grew up here in St. Louis. My parents were from here. My parents were I was just so lucky and fortunate, because my parents were just absolutely amazing people, very simple, very salt of the earth, very loving, very kind. I grew up in a household, I'm the youngest of eight people who know me so and to kind of frame that my house had a nickname, and everyone called it Grand Central Station.

Lisa Nichols  04:46
That's awesome. I love it. People came to your friends came to your house.

Tim Sater  04:51
All the time our house was full. We had people live with us for periods of time, friends of my brothers and sisters. You know, growing up was really special, because my parents were so, like I said, kind and loving and supportive in every single way. So much, so, I always tell the story my older brother was, fought in Vietnam, and my mother, for two years that he was in Vietnam in combat, tried to call the president, tried to write the president to get her send her son home. And that's what kind of mom was. She was very tenacious when it came to her children.

Lisa Nichols  05:32
She was for you, right? And was for you.

Tim Sater  05:35
And because I'm the youngest of 8. She was, you know, I was, she was 40 when I was born, my dad was almost 45 and I say that because my brothers and sisters got to spend a lot more time with them than I did. But growing up, I said they made each one of us feel special. Our house was always full of music. It was always full of fun and laughter. Constantly. We grew up doing a lot of camping activities, but at the core of it was always about love and laughter.

Lisa Nichols  06:06
Okay, now I'm getting teary eyed. I'm getting teary eyed because I just, I know from your parents, I'm sure there were times that they were tired. I'm sure that there were times, Tim, where they're thinking, you know, money might be tight. You know, with that many kids, and how do you spread your energy, you know, but you just said to me, they made each of you feel really special. And I just think I mean that just says so much about your parents and their character, because that's not easy. 

Tim Sater  06:36
No, not with 8 children, and my mom stayed home, obviously. And my dad was a butcher, a meat cutter. And so, I say that because I remember thinking he would get paid in meat sometimes. And I remember saying to my mother when I was little boy, saying, can we have something other than steak? Can we just have maybe a hot dog? 

Lisa Nichols  06:56
That's so funny. That's so funny. Oh, my goodness, but he did what he could, right? I mean, sometimes bartering was a big thing back then, right? It really was.

Tim Sater  07:08
But I'd say it was very special growing up. I'm very lucky. 

Lisa Nichols  07:11
Yes, oh well, I always say the same thing too. I feel like I hit the jackpot with my, with my parents, who are both now gone. I was telling somebody this morning, I said, I think of them every single day, though. And I'm to your point, I'm so grateful, because I know that's not always the case, Tim. And so, you know.

Tim Sater  07:33
I agree. And I remember it wasn't that long ago when you lost your father, and I remember you going through it. And I thought, I know exactly what she's going through.

Lisa Nichols  07:41
And I was a daddy's girl, so whatever my daddy was doing, if he was roofing, putting a new roof on, I'm on the roof with him. I mean, it was a lot of hard work, but whatever he was doing, I did, he was a hunter. And I do remember being a little girl, and he took me one time, not bow hunting, but, you know, shotgun hunting or rifle. I can't remember one of the two, but I just remember going with him because I just was one. Whatever he did, I wanted to be with him, and I didn't get invited back because I was too loud. And, you know, talking and, but anyway, but.

Tim Sater  08:24
You know, just one more, one more point on that. I remember we, we called my father George Bailey from It's A Wonderful Life. 

Lisa Nichols  08:33
I love George Bailey, yes.

Tim Sater  08:34
Because he was so much like him. And, you know, he was just an, just a great father, great all through the years. And I don't want to belabor the point, but you know, I think of all the things about him and, and he told me one thing, I think this is important. And this was about his, his whole entire life, not just any particular period. But he said a rich man is a man that dies with the most friends. 

Lisa Nichols  09:03
I love that. 

Tim Sater  09:04
And he lived that. And, matter of fact, I would even say I was thinking about this last night. My parents were kind of cult. I mean, they were people loved the cult of them because they were so kind and generous and thoughtful. That's why we had a house full all the time.

Lisa Nichols  09:22
Right. No. And as you were describing them, Tim, I was thinking they were open people. Open and inclusive, people not closed. 

Tim Sater  09:33
Oh, very much so. 

Lisa Nichols  09:34
Very much, you know, whatever they could do to support you. That's awesome. Well, I know you have a degree in media communications from Webster. You spent 30 years in marketing, both public, public, private, for profit, nonprofit sectors, but you spent 22 years at MEMC GlobalWafers, which semiconductors. You know, type, but then they, I think they got into Solar Energy, right? When they become Sun Edison, but you spent 22 years there. What were some of the lessons that you learned about staying relevant, because that world like changes so much. I mean, what were some of the things you, you learned during your 22 years at MEMC? 

Tim Sater  10:18
Well, I do think we can probably spend an hour just on that, on that topic alone, I look back, and it was just the most amazing experience. We had facilities in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, all over the United States, and we were the world headquarters. So, everyone came to train at our location in St. Peters, and I got to work with so many, so many wonderful people, experts in their field, in the world. So, every day, I literally got a chance to talk to people from all over the world. And I enjoyed it so much. That's why I was there for so long. You know, people were so, so professional, so intelligent, so good at what they did, and I just felt blessed to be around them. Because there's a lot to learn from people who are who are in that position of you know, it was one of the producing wafers, is one of the most technically sophisticated products In the world, right next to an actual chip, microchip. 

Tim Sater  11:24
But I got a chance to be around people. I never imagined when I was growing up that I would end up being in that spot and talking to people. And I got a chance to visit Taiwan. That was amazing, and of itself, I highly recommend it see our plant over there. I got to see our plants in Italy. One of my roles was our annual report, because we were on the New York Stock Exchange. So, I had to bring our photo teams around and get footage and photographs of all of our technology equipment. So, naturally, I had to coordinate. Anytime I brought a film crew in, for whatever reason, I had to coordinate all that. Make sure the equipment is up and running, make sure the area is clean, make sure there's people there that are willing to be in it.

Lisa Nichols  12:11
Right, right, right, getting all those video releases and things like that. I mean, you learned a lot, you know, as a young man and with a multinational company like that. Now did it at one time Huls bought them right? Huls from Germany. So, when it what an amazing experience. Well, little, little tidbit for you, just so you so that we can connect the dots here. So, I sold for Ceridian. I sold for Ceridian before Greg and I founded Technology Partners, and MEMC was my account. We did your payroll. We did payroll in your HR systems. And I can't remember if we did tax filing for you guys or not, but MEMC was my account. So, I remember going, what was it 79? 

Lisa Nichols  13:01
79, going and visiting.

Lisa Nichols  13:04
Off Salt Lick Road. 

Lisa Nichols  13:06
Off Salt Lick Road, yep. So, there's a little, little connecting point for you there.

Tim Sater  13:11
I did not know that all this time. I did not know that. I know,

Lisa Nichols  13:14
But you were in marketing, and of course, I was talking to the financial people, you know. So, we are paths didn't cross, but they could have. But now you're, go ahead, Tim.

Tim Sater  13:25
I was gonna say, the interesting thing there, I got a chance to work with all the functions. So, I worked with our executive team, I worked with our finance team, I worked with the sales team. So, having been able being in that spot, I got a chance, of course, exposure to all kinds of leadership styles, and people were so professional. I was worked with people who, like, I said, experts in the world, in their field. And, you know, I tried to be a sponge and absorb as much as I could. Also, too, it was really interesting. We used to hire a lot of ex-military people, people exiting the military, military officers, a lot of them, and I got a chance, some of them to this day, are some of my good friends, these guys who ran nuclear subs. They were fighter pilots and so on. So, you can understand the caliber of professional that might be. And they were so experienced and so again, dedicated to their role, and just able to be around them and listen and learn as much as I could. And that's my takeaway from then. 

Lisa Nichols  14:35
I love that. I love that. And it's such a great lesson for young people, you know, be a sponge. You know, Jim Rohn said you are the, the average of the five people you hang around with, right? And so around really smart people and just trying to learn and absorb from them. What a what a gift, you know, as a young professional.

Tim Sater  14:55
An we didn't even talk about the cultures, you know, because every area we had world areas and their culture. And we, we stray, strive to be a close-knit organization, even those 10,000 employees and nine facilities around the world. So, just again, as at a young age, being exposed to cultures, I think, has served me well ever since those days.

Lisa Nichols  15:19
Oh, I, could not agree more, that's awesome. Well, now you're the VP of Marketing for AAIM and our listeners. Some of our listeners may not understand AAIM. Can you tell us just a little bit about AAIM and what your mission is, and why AAIM? I think you joined there in 2012 and I'd love to know just a little bit about AAIM. Tell me why you are attracted to that organization, and then I've got lots of other questions for you, Tim.

Tim Sater  15:48
You know, without sounding too biased, AAIM is an amazing organization with and brings an amazing value to our, to our customers, our clients. We have a full suite of products and services to help small and medium sized organizations from every industry to help them hire, develop and retain their employees. More specifically, we provide a wide variety of tools and resources to HR teams so they can, in turn, help run their business more effectively and more efficiently. Our members have access to world class HR services such as leadership development, compensation, compliance, benchmark surveys, background screening, peer roundtables, HR consulting and recruiting services, just to name a few. And that's probably why, after 127 years, the general public doesn't really recognize our name or know who we are and what we do, because we work almost entirely with HR professionals. 

Tim Sater  16:46
So, it's I've been there 12 years, and what attracted me to it is, honestly, MEMC used AAIM back in the day when I was there, and I remember thinking the brand had such a high, high value, high impact. And so, it never even occurred to me that that would be someplace I would end up coming to. And so, when the opportunity presented itself, I just jumped in right away. And the thought of interacting with so many people in so many organizations, has really been a wonderful experience.

Lisa Nichols  17:25
Right. Because, I mean, you now you're getting to interact with people across industries, right? And different, different levels. So, Tim, tell me, like, how you came in, how do you believe, I know I could, I could summarize a few things, but I want to hear from you. How do you believe that the brand, the AAIM brand, has evolved under your leadership? Because you came in as a VP of Marketing. What kinds of things have you done to help the organization grow and to increase their brand awareness?

Tim Sater  17:58
You know I knew one reason why I joined is because I knew it'd be a challenge. And without going into too much detail, from my understanding was that the previous 10 years, prior to my arrival and my CEO Phil, is that the organization had kind of plateaued. We just thought it had hit the wall, so to speak, and it needed to be reinvented. And so, when he sat down and talked to me about it and explained what the challenge was ahead, I just thought it sounded like a, an amazing challenge, not, not to pass up. Because of the reach and the impact and what could be, right? And so, we started off kind of small. Just basically, we used to use a term, or the analogy of building, rebuilding the foundation of a home, you have to have that foundation. And we thought our foundation had eroded a little bit. Nothing dramatic, but enough. 

Tim Sater  18:59
And so, what we just really was, this is a relationship business. I know every business is relationship today, but it is a relationship business, and we wanted to rebuild the relationships. We wanted to inject, quite frankly, a little bit of fun in the organization, and be a little different. I think before, if I had to put a name on it, it would be very corporate, very structured. And we thought that it was time for a change. It had been decades. Granted we had served our members well and served our audiences, but I think it was time to again reinvent and so we just went back to the foundational elements of it about how we communicated, what we communicated, when we communicated. We started doing more live events the conference came out of that early on discussion, we felt that there was a gap in our workspace and our in our universe, that we could use that as a to leverage our all the things that we bring to the table. And so that was, turns out, that was a pretty good decision.

Lisa Nichols  20:14
A very good decision. Well, and it doesn't surprise me. How old is the organization again? 120?

Tim Sater  20:19
127 years.

Lisa Nichols  20:20
127 years? I mean, there's a great listen there, Tim, we can't continue to do business the same way that we've always done business and expect the same results, right? We've got to evolve. We've got to constantly be looking to make sure that we're, you know, our strategy is right. And sometimes, I mean, we do, we need to constantly be reinventing ourselves, because the world continues to change.

Tim Sater  20:46
And to illustrate that point, I can this, it always draws, makes people's eyebrows raise. We decided to give away a car to one of our member organizations, a person and a member organization. And I remember people thinking, why would you do that? And what is that going to do for you? And what happened was we went to a dealer here in St. Louis. They didn't say no, but they didn't say yes. We went to another dealer, told them what we were trying to do. 10 minutes into the conversation, they handed us the keys to a $30,000 car, and over the course of the year that raised, generated so much buzz amongst our members, excitement buzz, something that we hadn't experienced I think in quite some time.

Lisa Nichols  21:30
Yeah, oh, I love that. I love it. Not simple.

Tim Sater  21:34
No, it wasn't simple.

Lisa Nichols  21:36
You have to get that dealer to donate the car, but I mean, just different, out of the box thinking.

Tim Sater  21:42
And it was we really was, we were trying to bring people together, and whether that be in an email or an event or a video, just try and bring people together and articulate our values. So that, you know, people felt that emotional connection again, that maybe hadn't been there for a while. 

Lisa Nichols  22:00
That is so good. That is so good. Well, okay, so we've talked a little bit about the leadership conference, but, you know, we've talked a little bit about it being a sold-out event, but you know, if there's somebody, a listener out there that's saying, you know, I'd love to do some sort of conference. You know, what do you believe, Tim, and one of the things that you said is, you start a year ahead of time, so it's time to plan, right? Intentionality. My question is, how have you continued to have this sold out, impactful event? I mean, what other tenants would there be? I mean, I can name a few of those that I think, but I want to hear if there's anything different.

Tim Sater  22:48
You know, we ask that question every year because we don't want it to become same thing, same, same and so every year, the first thing we talk about is, what's on the table. How do we you know, the format is proven to be a good format, where we have local CEOs and a feature keynote, someone who's usually from the inspirational, motivational world. Plus we have breakout sessions on different topics or aspects of leadership. And really the purpose is, we would hope that it's something for everyone. So, whether you're an entry level or you're a experienced leader, we there's one of the sessions and one of the speakers should resonate with you deeply. And so, every year, we try and put this as strong as lineup as possible, like, what is, what is topical in the world of leadership? What is, you know, of course, we talk about emotional intelligence, and we talk about leading a multi-generational workforce and things like that. Some of those topics are not are, are continuous, evolving, but some topics are new. So, we always try and get new topics. 

Tim Sater  23:59
But we talked about that. Because what we don't want to do is people that say, Oh, I've been there, done that. I don't need to do it again. Matter of fact, I think one of the reasons why we're successful is that people who attend the conference know what to expect. And here again, you know, it's not just about the obviously, it's leadership as the topic for the day. But one of the things that we try and do every year, and we really put a lot of time and thought into this, is, how do we make it fun? We don't want people to just to show up and sit down and then at the end of the day they leave and say, that was another conference. And what we try and do is make it fun as much as we can, and we've done that any number of ways, games, contests, participation from the leaders who are there, participation from our keynotes and breakouts. 

Tim Sater  24:52
So, one of the things I'll give you a little quick insight is when I was talking to John O'Leary and Orvin Kimbrough. My instruction to them, not instruction, but my advice to them was, when you're up on stage in front of 540 people, we want you to have fun, because that'll transfer to the audience. So, we say that to all of our speakers, it's not just have fun, laugh, joke, tell stories, because we know after 11 years that that's what people like. And they remember that. 

Lisa Nichols  25:24
They remember the stories.

Tim Sater  25:27
They remember. And so, we have a 70% repeat rate from our organizations, and I think that's why, why that is because they know what they're going to get, and they know that it's a high-quality event, and so they're going to sign up there and bring their team of 10.

Lisa Nichols  25:45
For sure. So, let me ask you a quick question. Then we're going to take a break. When is it? How can people, if people are still interested in signing up, how can they get involved?

Tim Sater  25:58
Well, unfortunately, fortunately for us, unfortunately, it is sold out. 540 seats, we've been sold out for a couple of weeks now. And we do have a waiting list, and it does, you know, between now in the conference, people will have things come up and have to, have to jump out. But every year we have a wait list, and every year we use the wait list, because the people, like I said, have you know, maybe something come up personally, right? This year it sold out. And we love saying that, because it just underscores, again, the value and the impact I think it has on the people who attend.

Lisa Nichols  26:32
Well, reach out to Tim. Reach out to Tim on LinkedIn and get your name on the list for next year. 

Tim Sater  26:39
Do it now. 

Lisa Nichols  26:40
If that's something that you want to do, yes, for sure, because, like you said, you have 70% of the company's repeat, right? So, well, we need to take a quick break, and we'll be right back with Tim Sater on the Something Extra Podcast.

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Lisa Nichols  27:21
So welcome back, everyone to Something Extra Podcast. Well, Tim, I've got lots of other things I want to talk about here, but I want to pivot over to leadership and just talk about leadership, in particular, people leadership and team building. You've been described as someone who really builds strong relationships, and I've been a recipient of that. I can attest to that. But what do you believe is your secret to connecting with people so well?

Tim Sater  27:50
That's a good one. I got to think about that. I don't think of myself often in those terms. You know, I think over the years, you know, again, being around so many good leaders and trying to absorb and the best of the best leaders. I read a lot, and I read a lot about leadership. I read a lot about people who have overcome adversity. Because to me that I think the more you can learn and absorb and being around people like that, I think it inherently makes you a better leader in person. I think probably it stems from the fact that playing sports all my life and being team oriented, I could never play an individual sport. And I like to use analogy in the sports world into a business world that there's so many parallels, right, in sports and business. I think just being a solid communicator, being a collaborator at heart, but being a team player. And I'd like to think I learned a little bit of integrity from my father and my, my father-in-law and other people are I've respected over the years. So, you know, it's a work in progress, though. I think we're all our work in progress, and I think everyone admit that, but just trying to continually learn and grow and like, I know Dave Peacock said it the other day on your podcast, continuous learning, continuous growth. And I always admired that about him. I think just being enthusiastic and positive, I think goes a long way. And I think that's what people have described me. 

Lisa Nichols  29:37
They have, they have described you that way, because I've read a lot of things that people said about you, and they have described you, and really, that's attractive. You know, people want to be around people that are positive and up you're an uplifter too. You're an uplifter, Tim, because I know for me and I'm just personal experience, you're always like, how, what can I do to help you? And whether that's getting me on the stage to elevate, you know what Technology Partners is doing, or, you know what, whatever the case. And you're just, you're kind, I've seen you at Target before with Ally. And, yeah, I mean, I just think those are just traits that are attractive right to people. And so, it's really important, I think, to be a good relationship builder.

Tim Sater  30:29
I think, you know, going back to my childhood, I think you're a product of your environment, and I think that's what I grew up in, and to be different from that would be disingenuous, I think. But I really like I go back to what my father said. You know, a rich man is a man who dies with the most friends, and that's what I've always tried to live by. But I really, really enjoy working with people, being around people, and seeing other people succeed and learning from them. 

Lisa Nichols  30:55
You get joy in seeing other people succeed and reach their goals and dreams. So, that's beautiful, and I'm sure that that is your team sees that too, and that's why you've been able to build such a strong team. But we've talked about mentoring a little bit. I think you do enjoy giving back, and you've had a mentor in your life. You were, you know, in a car wash business. And you've told me about John Jansky, I think, and he was a mentor to you. Can you think of one or two things Tim that he taught you? I mean, I love what your dad taught you, and you've see, you've carried that forward with you. You know that a rich man is the one that dies of the most friends. Can you think of one or two things that John taught you that you've carried forward with you? 

Tim Sater  31:46
You know, a lot of good memories from back in those days. And I worked in and around his organization for 25 years. And you know, he was very demanding. He was hard to work for. And I think anybody else in my shoes would say the same thing. But the one thing about him, and you know, Dave Peacock mentioned this the other day when I was listening to the podcast where he writes letters to people. And I was, fortunately, the recipient of many of those from him and some others, but they meant a lot to me when he would write a handwritten note saying, outstanding job on this project, whatever, and it meant so much to me, the acknowledgement, right? I didn't mind putting the time and energy into it, but it was just extra special to have someone, a senior leader, recognize that and reward me for that. 

Tim Sater  32:39
And so, he was always also one of those people, very tough leader, like I said, but he was very caring. I can tell you, one time, my son was rushed to the emergency room, and I just left out the room, out the door, and my phone was ringing just two minutes later, and he said, what's happening? And I told him and well, what can I do? How can I help? Let me know how he's doing. When someone you know expresses that much care for you as a person, it resonated deeply with me. Now, he had done that before, that moment in time, but that's when it sticks out to me. He was always wanting to know, how's my family, how's my how's everything going? How am I doing? And so, it was constant feedback. We enjoyed a lot of laughs over that time, because we were kind of like birds of a feather to a lot of degree. And so, but I can go to him, the thing, the other thing I remember about him, is I can go to him and literally talk about anything. There was nothing that I couldn't bring to the table, whatever that was. And so.

Lisa Nichols  33:50
He was a safe place. 

Tim Sater  33:51
Very much. 

Lisa Nichols  33:52
He made it a safe place to talk about whatever that good or bad, probably. I love that. Well, you know, Jeff Henderson, another just amazing, amazing leader that wrote the book "FOR". I'll never forget, because he was the CMO. He started at Chick-fil-A. He didn't start there. He was like Atlanta Braves, and then Chick-fil-A, and he said one of his first jobs was to drive Truett Cathy around. And he said he is a young man, and he said he was so nervous. It's like, what is he going to ask me? I don't really even know that much about business yet. And he said all Truett wanted to talk to him about was his family. Tell me about your family. Tell me about your kids. Tell me about you know. And he said that made such an impression, because, Truett cared about him as a person, not just what he could do for the company. So, I love that.

Tim Sater  34:48
You talk about inspirational leaders, and another person comes to my mind, my father-in-law, who's no longer with us. But my father-in-law was a senior executive with a Fortune 100 company, and had a wonderful, amazing 40-year career. And he and I were very close, and we would sit for hours and talk about business and talk about the functions and the roles. And I know from talking to him, I admired him as a leader. Disregard the fact that he was my father in law, but as a person, as a leader, I was always very I was just amazed at his ability and his way with people and but he was, at the core, a deeply caring person, and he cared about the people that work for him, and he let them know that.

Lisa Nichols  35:37
That is so special. Well, here I want to, I want to, I want to move into this. I've got a lot of other things that we can talk about, but I know we're kind of running out of time here, but you've been deeply involved with DASA and the St Louis Sports Commission. What drives your passion. And for our listeners who don't know about DASA, why don't you tell them what that is, adaptive sports, and then what, what drives your passion for that in the disability community? Because you are, you do the sled hockey team, you do a lot around that, that world. And so, what drives that, Tim? 

Tim Sater  36:16
And I also serve on the board, and it's been an absolute pleasure. It's been one of those things I look back over the last seven years, it's gone by in a blink, and what happened was it was never on my radar screen. But DASA is an organization here in St. Louis. It's about 26 years old, founded by Kelly Behlmann, who's our Executive Director. She's a physical therapist by trade. And years ago, she realized that there wasn't an outlet for all people, children and adults, to get into a sport to increase their well-being. And so, she founded it, and now we serve over 3000 athletes and families and the greater metro area. We have recreational sport programs. We have competitive sport programs, you name it. We have track, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair soccer, wheelchair rugby, sled hockey. As you said, I coached for six years. We have also, too is we have an ability gym. We call it at the Mid Rivers Mall where the office is, and it's a gym that's especially built for people who in a wheelchair, and people have traumatic brain injury, people have amputations, people have had strokes. It really serves everyone, but I kind of stumbled in it by accident. And I once, I once I got exposed to it, had, I had to be in it. And it's been very rewarding. I've been rewarded more than I've given. I can tell you that.  

Lisa Nichols  37:53
Well, I speaking from a parent who has a special needs child, Tim, I just appreciate you putting your passion and your energy there, because these special people need to feel like they belong. And to your point, it's, it's for their well-being. You know, having something like that that they you know, can meet new friends and try new skills, right? It's just so important. It's so important.

Tim Sater  38:19
You know, to see people. It's not just the children and the adults that in both competitive and recreational programs, but it's their parents and their support system. I got to tell you a story real quick. Just a couple weeks ago, we had a power soccer tournament here in St. Louis. People came from all over. And I was, photography is one of my backgrounds and passion, so I like to go and shoot pictures. And this one girl on our team, young girl in a wheelchair, you could tell that she probably wasn't the most talented person on the team, but she tried 100% gave her 100%. Well anyway, she scored a goal towards the end of the match, and the emotion that poured out of her and the emotion that poured out of the family in the stands was something I'll never forget. We call that a mission moment, right? And you could tell she contributed to the team. She scored a goal that probably she doesn't get a chance to do very often. But that moment, I've experienced so many more moments like that in my 7 or 8 years with DASA, and that's why I do it. I go to sleep at night, and I sleep pretty well. I have to tell you.

Lisa Nichols  39:28
I am sure. I am sure you do well. Let me ask you this. I know you're a man of very strong faith, Tim, how has your faith really guided you both in. Your personal and your professional life?

Tim Sater  39:40
You know, I would have to say so I grew up Catholic, obviously with my 8 kids. You know, people say, Oh, you Catholic? Funny joke there. But my mother and father are very devout to their faith, and I think it rubbed off on me. I do believe in certainly there's a higher power, and I do believe the universe is much more complex than most people realize it is. And I know that there's something else beyond us, beyond our understanding, that drives us and motivates us and shapes and molds us. Do unto others, of course, classic statement. And so, I've always believed in that, and I just try and live every day as best I can and with my family and friends and neighbors and what impact I can make.

Lisa Nichols  40:34
Right? You, I can't remember if we talked about this on the show, but you told me about JR Martinez and how his sister appeared to him and said, you know you're not going to die today, you know. So, I mean, I mean, you hear stories like that, and you're like, how can you not believe in a higher power? 

Tim Sater  40:52
Not to go into detail, but I think looking back, I've been through a lot in my life. Challenges, I think, more than most, and without the faith and the confidence that there is a higher power, I don't think I would be sitting here going through some of the things that I've experienced in the past, one of which was my wife's cancer battle. And anybody's experienced that, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Lisa Nichols  41:20
Yes. Is she okay? Is she in remission? 

Tim Sater  41:26
11 years. 

Lisa Nichols  41:27
11 years. Wow.

Tim Sater  41:28
And she, they at the oncology department, they call her the miracle patient. She had ovarian cancer, very deadly, and she's 11 years out, but watching her go through it, and the strength that she displayed, the courage, the strength, it just fuels me. You know, and like going back to DASA and seeing these kids and adults with things that they have to wrestle with every day, challenges every day. And you know, it sometimes, you're like, it's easy to get, Oh, what was me, you know, this is going on, that's going on. But then you put yourself in a situation like that, that they're in, you're like, it's nothing.

Lisa Nichols  42:08
Right. My daughter and I, my middle daughter, and I say, it's just not that big. Some of the things, it's just not that big comparatively, right? I have a quick question for you, a fun question. You're a diehard Blues fan. I mean, Die Hard. How did it feel for you, Tim, in 2019 watching our Blues win the Stanley Cup? 

Tim Sater  42:36
Oh, it was an out of body experience. It was super emotional. Been a fan since the 70s season, because my older brothers, I have four older brothers, and they were all fans. So, everybody knows me, knows I'm a Blues fan. I played in coach hockey my whole life. I coached my two sons and their hockey career. And watching them go through it, and I'd been disappointed, quite frankly, so many times before 2019, so, it was hard to get all in on that. But, you know, there actually was a point in time I remember thinking, This is it. It's gonna happen. 

Lisa Nichols  43:12
It's gonna happen. We did too. That was amazing. It was just a huge lift, I think for anyone in St. Louis.

Tim Sater  43:20
I was actually a ballpark village night they won. And I was with my wife and my son and his now wife, and it was I'll never, ever forget that night. 

Lisa Nichols  43:32
Really special. Well, let me ask you this. What do you believe, Tim, is this something extra that every leader needs?

Tim Sater  43:43
You know, I could come up with 10 words, 10 adjectives. It's, I don't think it's that simple. I thought about this last night. And, you know, communication skills, being a great communicator, I think, serves a lot of leaders well. Authenticity, being people know who you are and how you're going to be every day. Humility, integrity, curiosity, I think if you just came up with a and smashed all those words together, that would be my answer. That's not what you're looking for.

Lisa Nichols  44:29
No, I completely agree with every one of those. In fact, you know where we were talking about you and how, you know, I ask you, how do you build relationships so well, the word that popped in my head when we were talking is, you're a curious person. You're not curious just for the sake of Tim learning, obviously that you're a growth mindset person, but you're curious not just about things, but about people.

Tim Sater  44:59
I've always been curious.

Lisa Nichols  45:01
I think, and I think that is a huge piece of relationship building. It's I, I've always told people be more interested than interesting. Try to be more interested in that person than interesting. And you know, we've all had the flip side of that, haven't we, where we've been with people and they're just trying to be really interesting. And it's kind of like, whoa, you know. But no, be interested. And that's you, you know? You want to learn about people. You want to learn, like you said about your father-in-law.

Tim Sater  45:34
I'm curious about what they've done. You know, my father-in-law came from, Quincy, Illinois. Small family, nondescript, you know, very humble beginnings, and he became a senior executive with a fortune 100 company, and that his story always fascinated me. I'm like, because there's all those points and the journey where you could have gone left or right instead of straight or vice versa. And, you know, I saw an interview a couple years ago. I don't remember the person's name, but she was an executive with Facebook, I believe, and they asked a similar question, and her answer stuck with me, and she said that she always hired people that had a high degree of curiosity. And she said it never failed her, because people who are curious are going to strive to excel because they want to learn. And so, she said it never, ever failed her one time. And that was one of the sole characters that she looked for in a new hire. 

Tim Sater  46:32
The other thing, too, is, I think, and like yourself, positivity, that's really the first thing that came to my mind. Because I think, you know, I think of, again, going back into the sports world. And yes, there are many ways to be successful as a coach and professional sports or amateur sports. One as a positive and what that impact is, and one can be something different than that, that could still be effective and work. But you know, I think just based on my upbringing and all the people I've been around and the people I know that I respond to the positivity, people like Jeff Glasbrenner. And people like Donnie Campbell we talked about earlier. 

Lisa Nichols  47:14
Donnie Campbell, positivity on steroids, right? Believe, believe. 

Tim Sater  47:21
You know, I could sit and talk to him for hours and hours, and you know that it's what he exudes. It's that confidence on that that that caring personality, but the positivity, like you can accomplish anything. And you know, those are the people I tend to gravitate towards, and hopefully learn from it and reflect.

Lisa Nichols  47:43
Absolutely, absolutely. You know, and hopefully, when we spend time with people like that, we're influenced to be better versions of ourselves in that time. So, I'm a better version of me, Tim, because I know you. Thank you so much for your time today, it has been just a real pleasure. And I'm so excited for the AAIM Conference. I know it's going to be, I know it's just going to rock. It's going to be so it's going to be on fire. It's going to be so good with the speakers that you have. 

Tim Sater  48:18
Thank you, I told someone the other day, it's like me being a kid waiting for Christmas morning.

Lisa Nichols  48:23
It's gonna be good. It's gonna be good. Well, thank you again, my friend. 

Tim Sater  48:26
Thank you so much.

Announcer  48:28
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. 


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