What will your work epitaph say about you? Listen as Katrina talks about her career at Consumers Energy and the importance of brining your whole self to work.
What will your work epitaph say about you? Listen as Katrina talks about her career at Consumers Energy and the importance of brining your whole self to work.
Bill Krieger (Host)
Hello everyone and welcome to Me You Us, wellbeing podcast. It's another wellbeing Wednesday here at Consumers Energy. And I'm your host bill Krieger. Today my guest is head storekeeper and inclusion champion, Katrina Springer Fiddler, who's also known by her family and friends as the legacy. So Katrina, if you'd Introduce yourself, we'll get the conversation started.
Katrina
Oh, hello, Bill. And I just want to say thank you for having me on the podcast today. Yes, I am Katrina Springer. fittler, aka legacy as my D and I brothers and sisters have nicknamed me. And the reason they nicknamed me That is because I have had 31 years here in the company. Usually when we are introducing ourselves and presenting ourselves. My lineage is very long. So they get out the violence and the popcorn and everything. And so they they just, they just nicknamed me legacy.
Bill Krieger (Host)
Well, that's pretty cool. So you actually come from a consumers family, if I'm not mistaken?
Katrina
Yes, I do. My dad, he did. 35 years here, I had an aunt that did 35 years here. And I have an aunt that's currently going on her, she's going into her 35th year. But I think she's gonna surpass the 35 year, family time here because she enjoys her day at work here that consumers energy as well as I do.
Bill Krieger (Host)
So well, definitely well earned title of the legacy here is consumers. Now we're gonna get into all the different things you've done here. And I think you and I may be a little bit alike in that I've done a lot of different jobs here. But I think the jobs we've done have been really different. So I want to talk a bit about what an inclusion champion is and what that means to you before we get into the plethora of other jobs you've held.
Katrina
I like that the plethora. That's a good word. I like that word. It's a strong word. Well, an inclusion champion, I had to figure it out when I first got the position, you know, what is it? What do we do? You know, it sounds fun. And we started getting on board it, the light bulb started coming on, you know, basically an inclusion champion. We are a group of employees that I have, that are closest to the work, both union and non union. And we are here to mitigate issues and problems that are having barriers that employees may have around the company. We're here to celebrate employees as well. And to make sure that we're embedding DNI diversity, equity and inclusion into everything that every employee here at Consumers Energy does. We were on hiring panels. Today, this morning, I just came to Jackson to speak to some youth that are actually graduating from a program that Consumers Energy is putting on just to talk to them about my my time here, Consumers Energy, what led me to come to the company, what led me to stay here at the company, what opportunities The company has provided me. And it was it was really an eye opener for me. I think the kids got something out of it. But I think I got a little bit more out of it. We're doing quite a bit. We were trying to change the focus a little bit and open people's eyes a little bit more think think a little bit more inclusively. Let people know that diversity is not just the color of your skin. It's every everything that you have within you everything you can bring to the table and make sure that everybody feels though they are they've been invited to the party. No one's standing on the wall. Everybody's dancing, you know. So that's, that's, that's what I think it is. And for me, this is a I told the kids today that I was speaking with out of my 31 years here, doing all of the plethora of jobs that I've done. I think being Diversity, Equity and Inclusion champion. This is one of this is the best thing that I have done thus far in my career here at consumers and I'm not done yet. So and I let them know that I am not done yet. Sounds like a long time but I'm not done. And I think that everything that I have done in the past has prepared me it was kind of like where they thought you're at nine Days of probation. I've been on probation for 31 years just to be a diversity Equity and Inclusion champion. So I'm excited about what tomorrow and 10 years and 20 years down the road has to bring.
Bill Krieger (Host)
So my and your enthusiasm around this is really inspires me to find out more and more about what it is our inclusion champions do working in DNI, I get to kind of follow and see where you've been and what you're doing. So what really brought you to this point? Why is diversity equity inclusion important to you?
Katrina
It's important to me because I, you know, I look back at the Katrina from 30 years ago, when I came to the company, you know, yeah, young mother and all that and really didn't know what I want to do. You know, and when I finally came upon a career that I wanted to do, which was a malign department. At that time there, it was not common for females to be in the line department, let alone being a female and being an African American or black female. That was uncommon as well. That time I didn't think it was a job for women. And I think if we had something like the DNI, like we have today, that would have made my journey a little bit easier. But to say that, also I want to add is that I actually wouldn't change the path that I went through the things that I went through, because it just made me that much stronger. of an employee of a co worker, and made me recognize who I was as a person, you know, and I asked myself all the time, why, why do you do this? Why are you going through this? Why do you put yourself through these different things? Why do you pick the hardest jobs that the company has to offer? to do and I think it's just a challenge for myself to say, you know what, I can do all things. And I'm a believer and God, you know, I can do all things in Christ that strengthens me. And he definitely strengthens me. So it just makes me a stronger person every day.
Bill Krieger (Host)
Yeah, many times those difficult to go through definitely make us make us who we are. So now if I'm not mistaken, correct me if I'm wrong, your dad was a line worker as well, right?
Katrina
Yes, he was. He was Mr. Curtis grave senior. He was alignment. And a electric lines field leader. His his career was all here in Grand Rapids. Yeah, I, I tell people, I'm his boy, girl, child, you know, your son is supposed to follow in the footsteps. But now, he makes that joke. My daughter followed in the footsteps of me being in alignment, which was totally unexpected. And I had him as a field leader, sometimes, you know, we had to make a bond with each other, you know, let me do me because you cannot climb that pole for me. Let me fight my battles. And that made us stronger and stronger and stronger. A lot of people to this day don't even realize he is actually my stepdad. He's not my biological dad. But we took that step and threw it out the window a long time ago, because they say after you feed them so long, they started looking like you. And people started saying, Oh, she looks just like you. So I just take the compliment and keep going now.
Bill Krieger (Host)
That's beautiful. I love that. But I want to go back a little bit. What was your dad's response? When you said, I'm going to be a line worker?
Katrina
He said, No, you're not. You're not doing that. Are you crazy? I went through it. You are not you're my daughter. And you're not going through that? And I just tell them? Yes, I am. He said, No, you're not. We did that for about a good two or three minutes. And I just, you know, I had to ask them, you know, let me let me prove myself, let me if I can't do it, I will sit down. But he wasn't happy, I can tell you that. He was not a happy camper at all.
Bill Krieger (Host)
So so you get into the line department and you're you're doing your work. And I have to think based on what you said that. There were there was a point in time where you were you were the only right you were the not the only only female but sometimes the only African American maybe on a crew or doing that sort of work. What was that like for you to be the only?
Katrina
Well at the FDA at the time, I will say I was not the only African American female. There is a young lady who still works for the company, Amanda gilbreth. She's actually the first African American female lineman in the company. I came behind her and I actually had the opportunity of having her as a mentor. But I was also judged, too because she was good at what she did. She broke down a lot of barriers as well. I give her kudos to this day. And we cried a lot of tears together. But a lot of people would say to me, are you as good as she, let's see what you can do as well. So there were a lot of times where I was the only girl on the crew. And there was times when she was as well. And there was a lot of times, I will go to school, and I be like, Girl, and everybody else would go out to dinner. But I go to my hotel room, and I study and stuff, I wasn't invited to those types of things and stuff like that. And it was pretty it was it was pretty long. But sometimes I had people, it was my village that kept me going, did have people that were actually positive lights. For my career, I have a gentleman. He's line lineman, still to this day, and he actually came to be my assistant instructor. And I gave him praise as well. But he, he came to the school with me, and he said, You know what, your father was there for me, I'm gonna be there for you, too. We're gonna walk through this together, I'm gonna make a lineman out of you, that kills me. And he would he would come and he wouldn't go out with the boys every night, he'd actually come and talk to my room, or we go down in the lobby, and we study and we talked to me about things, making sure that I was getting it right. And so I had people like that on my team, I had people like Yolanda gilbreth, calling me making sure I was good. And actually getting on the road if I had a breakdown and stuff like that, because it was it was pretty rough. That's pretty rough. But I'll do it again.
Bill Krieger (Host)
And the audience can see this, but I can see that smile on your face that it's so so genuine that yes, you would do this again. And it's interesting that you bring up Yolanda because I actually worked for her when I was a field leader in a wasco. And she is an amazing person. I really appreciated her friendship, mentorship and leadership, as I was developing as a field leader, and she was my senior field leader. So I definitely can relate to that, you know, something you said there really struck me. And it's something that I've always taught people that I've worked with. And that is that none of us could do this on our own, that that we all have to have people in our corner. And if we think we got where we're at through some wonderful thing that we did, were sorely mistaken. Because there were the people that came here before us. And there were the people who they're here for us as well. And so I really appreciate you talking about that, because that is amazing that someone would take the time to make sure that you're studying correctly to make sure that you're getting the information that you need. And to say to you, I'm I'm going to help you through this. I'm here I'm the helping hand.
Katrina
Yeah, I appreciate. Yeah. And I didn't you know, I also had a my dad, you know, that I could always lean on and always talk to him. We had talked before and I suddenly knew that, um, he he asked me, you know, what, what did I want my work epitaph to be the epitaph being that that Tombstone, you know, usually it's the tombstone when you're buried in the cemetery. But he says, I said, pop I said, What are you talking about? See a good old country boy, and I'm talking about he said, you know, what, your work epitaph when you leave here, what do you want to epitaph your work epitaph to be, do you want to be that you are good servant, you know, co worker, or what, what do you want that to be? And I thought about that. And I think about that all the time. You know, I want to be a person, I want my epitaph to say, she was a good person, I'm gonna miss her. Miss us, I'm Katrina legacy, whatever they want to call me, but I'm just to say that I was a fair person, that I was always there and always had your back. That's my biggest thing. I always got your back and a hard worker. And that I'm loyal. That's, that's the one big word I wanted. I hope I can get my epitaph highlighted, you know, no way. Cuz, you know, I like bling.
Maybe some neon lights or
something like that the site loyal, you know, because I think I'm loyal to a fault to people. And I try to be and if I'm not, I try to correct it. Try to be there for everybody that's here. Because right now my job as a DNI, inclusion champion is to have everybody's back. And if and I and I am the person that I am the person that I would like to think that people can say, when they meet me for the first time, or they met me online, and they actually meet me in person, and they say, Boy, she is just like she is alive online. She's even 10 times better in person, you know, and just to know that when you walk away from me, I'm not going to forget you And that I'm always there for you. Even if we don't Talk every day, I just want people to know that I'm there for you. So I'm building a lot of relationship relationships in this position that I'm in, and I am so so excited about it. People that I have not even met in person. It's amazing how how you build friendships, just by just talking to somebody on the phone or talking to them online, you can still build the love and effort and affinity for one another. I have, since I've taken this job, my gosh, I think my Facebook page is like blowing up as the kids were saying.
Bill Krieger (Host)
I can see that and, you know, I really liked that your, your your father did that with the work epitaph, it really can help shape how you treat people in in, you know, it got the legacy to think about her legacy, which, which is definitely a good thing. Now you you're currently an inclusion champion and head storekeeper, you've been a line worker, but I understand you've done some other things around the company, what are some of the other jobs you've had? And what have you learned from that experience?
Katrina
Oh, well, when I, I was in the mailroom, as a pony driver there, I learned where every service center is, and state got me off to a good start, I learned that I'm not a good Meter Reader. And that that's the hardest job in the entire company. learned a lot in the line department. Um, oh my goodness. So I really enjoyed that. It just that taught me how to how to actually interact with a lot of people, a lot of different people that weren't used to me, and I'm not used to them. And then I also came to Lansing for a little while, not a little while, about eight years, to be in the gas line, gas, gas distribution, and gas service, which I really enjoyed that that position as well, that taught me a whole lot taught me that I can, I can come you not fall asleep every day. It taught me I mean, it's little things like that, you know, the job was just the job for me. It's just something else, I'm not checking the box for me, I'm gonna learn this. And hopefully this is it. And then I'm gonna keep going on. And then I came back from Lansing within gas service and gas distribution back to Grand Rapids, came back to Grand Rapids as a semi truck driver, driving 18 wheelers for the MDC there in Grand Rapids. And from that, of course, I learned how to drive 18 Wheeler, which is pretty fun. that taught me you know, be grateful, that taught me to be grateful because I had a hard time coming back from Lansing because I loved Lansing and I had a hard time coming back to Grand Rapids, I really didn't want to leave Lansing, but I had to because I had my children, I was single mother of three, and my children. Hi, my children were in high school at that time. So I had to make that sacrifice to be closer to them. So that I can be closer to what they were doing in their lives. You know what sports and school and things of that nature. So I had to transition back. And that was my, my way in. And I had to do it. And I actually learned how to drive, believe it or not drive a semi in about three days. That's the time limit I had. So yeah, it was. That was quite the trick. Even though I learned I had been driving, had my CDL for a long time and have been driving the bucket trucks and the trailers and stuff like that, you still need a second portion to drive the semis. And I had to learn in about three days. So and I took that test and I think I hit a stop sign and but before I took that test, and I go back on this, you know, pray there's a lot of there's a lot of work that come out of prayer. And before I took that test getting in that truck to drive, I asked the instructor can we do something different right now? And he says what I say can we pray first?
He looked at me like what put my head down and I said will you pray with me and I looked over and I I said a prayer but it's because I had a village behind me and they asked me what time is this test and I said is that such a such time used to have right at that time and you started praying with us and we prayed and I went through the whole driving test with this semi and I clipped assign a stop sign. And when we got back I knew right then I sell hard and fail this thing. And we got back to the lot and I just stopped the truck. Put everything And gear and I just told him, I said, Thank you, sir, for your time, your energy and your effort. I appreciate you. And thank you for letting me experience this. So I know what I have to do for next time. And he looks at me, and he says, What are you talking about? I said, Well, I know I clipped that sign back there. So that's a, that's a fail. And he said, he said, No, no, no. He said, Stop your little girl. Let me tell you something. He said you passed that test. He said, let me tell you one thing he said out of all my 20 something years of driving. I have never had one person that in the middle of in is that can we pray? Christian to?
Bill Krieger (Host)
Well, there you go. That's probably plenty of times where he wanted to pray. I'm sure.
Katrina
So yeah, that's one of my most funny stories. No, I can't believe it. I just walked out like, Are you sure? He said, Yes, I am. I'm sure he said, You did pretty good. Yeah, I think I don't think you're gonna hit any more size than it was. Yeah. So I did that for a long time. And then became my head storekeeper. Where I was over, I think it was about I think the most was about 18 people. So that was pretty fun. And now here I am, a DNI champion, Nate waters when he was doing a health and safety guidance team. We went for a meeting with him. My grassroots team and I just sat there and I looked and I'm like, Man, this job that they're doing, I would love to do something like this teach people train people about safety and stuff. And I finally I asked him, but, you know, how do I get a job like this? He said, You have to be appointed, you know, this, that and the other. And I'm like, Oh, okay. years went on. That was years ago. And then one day out of the blue, he just call me say, Hey, I got an opportunity for you, me and Greg, where I have an opportunity to play. And I jumped on it right away. And I'm so glad I jumped on this bandwagon, because it's just, it brings tears to my eyes, I get emotional about the things that we do as inclusion champions.
Bill Krieger (Host)
It's amazing work. And, you know, you said something early on about relationships. And in each part of these the stories that you talked about the work that you've done in the people you've met, there's relationships in there, from the time as a line worker, when you have a relationship with someone who's willing to help you out to that very quick relationship that developed with the guy who was the instructor for the 18 Wheeler test up through working with Nate who's an amazing person in knowing that I want to do something like this. And it happened for you as a result of these relationships that you've built throughout your time here at Consumers Energy, so I can see the importance of relationships. And sometimes we forget that when we've got our head down, and we're trying to get something done, we forget about all these relationships that we're trying to develop.
Katrina
Yeah, exactly. I was just like I said, I was just talking to the children today. And I let them know, you know, when you're walking down a hallway or something like that, putting your head down and your phone and stuff like that. It's okay to say hello, it's okay. And be prepared to introduce yourself. Be prepared to have a small conversation Hey, I like fishing Do you know because my grandmother used to say to me Hi doesn't cost you a dime. And I'm and she also used to tell me if you say hello, you never know who you're talking to, you could be talking to Jesus himself. And so I always make sure that I stay ready to be ready. And I always had a smile on my face. Every day is not a good day. But you've heard me on on our calls and stuff. In you know, I got that from a lady that said, you know, baby, if you if you can't, if you haven't a bad day, don't you dare go in that room and make somebody else's day bad. You know, and that's a good way to go about life because everybody goes through things. Everybody has situations going on, whatever but you know what, sometimes if you just I've had bad things happen in my life, where even and I just revealed this on an email the other day, you know about domestic violence. As I was going through line school and stuff, I was, you know, going through a domestic violence situation with my husband at the time, and I still have to be a mother to my children as still a mentor to my kids, be a good daughter to my parents and things of that nature. And that was something that I had to deal with. But every day I still will come in to work knowing that I was gonna have a tough day. You know, having the client two or three poles or five poles a day. You know, dealing with whatever they want to deal with me but I just keep a smile. on my face that smile sometimes is medicine for yourself. It really is.
Bill Krieger (Host)
I appreciate that. It sounds like you've taken nuggets from all the people that you've you've met along the way.
Katrina
I try to, because everybody has something to give. I want to take everything from everybody. I'm greedy like that, you know, give me something to go on, you know, give me give me a reason to love on you. Give me a reason to joke with you smile with you, you know what, I'm even willing to be sad with you. But we only go we're only gonna do that for a few minutes. We're not going to wait. Now we don't get it now. Not gonna cry. Alone, we don't laugh it out. Because I've been in situations where it's just the saddest things in the world. And I just got to tell a joke I got I got a laugh, I got a laugh to just make my heart smile to feel better. So I just I just what others want. I have to do that. Because I'm a I want to learn more. Every day I wake up, what am I going to learn today? What am I going to get accomplished today, by learning something new. I always try to let my kids know, as I'm teaching them how to be productive citizens in this world, you know, I got actually like you taxpayers now.
Bill Krieger (Host)
They're off your payroll,
Katrina
So I just I just let them know, you know, when you're going through this life, don't look at everybody. And want Don't, don't put everybody in one box, don't look at them, like all datas. And all day that, you know, walk up to them, Hey, how you doing? You know, like I said, say hello. But get to know somebody before you judge them. And don't judge anybody period. Don't do that. Because you never know when you go meet that person, just that particular person to help you through something, whether it be good, whether it be bad or whatever, you know, that person can help you get through it. So goes back to what my grandmother used to say you never know who you're looking at, you could be looking at Jesus Christ Himself. So treat everybody. You know how you want to be treated and treat everybody the same, you know, because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you black, white, Latino, whatever you believe in, and all of that at the end of the day, when you cut your wrist is all red blood. So to me, everybody's my brother and my sister, we all family here on this earth. We just got to get through it together.
Bill Krieger (Host)
that's a that's a beautiful thought. I really I like that. So we are getting close to the end of the podcast. Believe it or not, we've been talking for a little while now. So I wanted to give you the opportunity to leave the audience with a message. Is there anything else that you'd like to share with the audience? Hmm.
Katrina
The thing that I would mostly like people to take away from listening to me today is that, you know, life like like, Forrest Gump said, Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you get. Just enjoy your measure, eat, um, you know, just have fun in life, you only get one. You only get one learn as much as you can, while you hear love as much as you can love hard for real love heart. And then you know the thing about us here at Consumers Energy we have we have been blessed to work for a place like this that allows things like this to go on, for us to have the conversations that we have for us to be able to live the lifestyle that we live, and I just, I just want everyone to go away just knowing just be blessed.
Bill Krieger (Host)
I like that I do. So Katrina, thank you so much for being on the show today. I really appreciate it. I think we're gonna have to do this again in the near future. So I look forward to that as well.
Katrina
Yeah, I will look forward to it to that'd be great. Maybe I'll bring my dad along. You know, he did enjoy that. Talking about the minority advisory panel or something like that, that he helped create when he was here, and stuff like that. So that will be fun.
Bill Krieger (Host)
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