BONUS: The Wind Down 2 with Joanne - The Galápagos Moment

After our full interview, Joanne and I sat down for a more relaxed conversation — a space to debrief, unwind, and share a few favorite things. In this bonus “Wind Down” episode, Joanne talks about the surprising through-line she discovered while telling her story, from childhood to her work in belonging and organizational coaching today.

We also get into lighter moments: perfectionism, Brene Brown, nostalgic foods, the band Elbow, and the places that hold meaning for her — including an unforgettable trip to the Galapagos Islands that brought her to tears.

If you enjoy hearing the human side of each guest, their reflections, and a peek behind the interview, you’ll love these Wind Down episodes.

Topics in this episode:
 • Finding unexpected clarity after the main interview
 • How belonging became central to Joanne’s life and work
 • Recovering from perfectionism
 • Favorite books, nostalgic foods, and personal recommendations
 • Her emotional reaction to seeing the Galapagos Islands
 • A casual, warm debrief between host and guest

Listen to Joanne’s full 2 Part interview if you missed it.

Connect with Joanne: https://strelogroup.com/about/joanne/

Listen to Joanne’s full 2-Part interview if you missed it.

Transcript

Transcript generated by AI and may contain errors

Joanne: [00:00:00] as a biologist, you got a couple bucket list things and the Galapagos Islands. Uh, I, I cried actually. I, I remember, uh, I was reading the beak of the finches.

Jess: Hey, you come on in and grab a seat on the couch. This is the wind down an after interview hangout to debrief with guests and maybe do a lightning round of fun questions. Let's jump in.

Joanne, how did that feel to do the interview?

Joanne: That was really wonderful. I had never really, I've told bits and pieces of the story, but it was this beautiful arc and I was kind of wondering how all the threads are gonna come together the end. So that was really cool. Like, oh yeah, it's my own not feeling like belonging that has caused me to become an organizational consultant and coach in which like my stock and trade is belonging and inclusion.

that's really cool.

Jess: just come together during the interview?

Joanne: Yes, yes. Yeah.

Jess: Wow. That is really [00:01:00] cool. I

Joanne: That is so cool. I really, I honestly, I'd never thought about that before.

Jess: Wow. Okay.

That makes me feel really proud of myself. Pat. Pat on my own shoulder. Yeah. What else?

Joanne: was just kind of fun to see the whole. Right, and hopefully it'll be interesting enough for somebody else to follow the arc as

what's she talking about.

Jess: it was really fascinating and I just kept looking at the time because I was just like, what? I gotta manage time because I know you have a meeting, but the time was fine because yeah, I was very engrossed.

Joanne: Aw,

Jess: I was engrossed. Um, I know, I know the listeners are gonna be very interested. yeah, I'm glad.

It was fun. I wanted it to be fun.

Joanne: It was very fun. Thank you. I appreciate you asking me.

Jess: Of course. I'm grateful that I bumped into you and we just like, I don't know, we're drinking our. Fake champagne next to, or like non-alcoholic champagne next to each other. That was good Yeah.

so we're gonna try this new [00:02:00] thing, for a few minutes, where it's just to let the listener get to know you a little bit more.

And it's also like questions that, the listener can experience a little bit because it's like favorites and recommendations, faves and Rex is the idea, right?

Joanne: Faves and Rex,

so, okay. Let's start. Okay. The first one. favorite book and why.

Hmm. I have lots of favorite

Jess: Yeah. Gut feeling right now.

Joanne: well, right now a favorite book, gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown,

Jess: Why?

Joanne: because I have been working really hard about my own perfectionism, and Brene Brown is the leading. Expert in shame and courageous leadership and vulnerability. And, I love her work And The Gifts of Imperfection is a, the first book that I picked up a long time ago, and I remember it took me three months just to get through the first chapter

Jess: Because

it was like, [00:03:00] hitting. 

Joanne: yeah, yeah.

And so I still like picking it up and reading it. And so any book by Brene Brown is a, is a fave of

Jess: Okay. I'm excited to check this out because I am a recovering perfectionist.

Joanne: Mm-hmm. 

Jess: Um, and so now I know why, when I mentioned that, oh, being a podcaster now is really great for recovering from perfectionism. You like gasped. You have like a very visceral reaction. Now I know why. Okay. okay. Um, favorite nostalgic food.

Joanne: Oh my God. Chinese dumplings. I could eat so many Chinese dumplings. My brother and I, we'd had, we, when we were kids, we'd have dumpling eating contests. And I remember, I think I was a teenager. I ate, my mom would make them, you know, by hand. I ate 25 dumplings in one sitting.

And I'm, yes, parking 

Jess: Okay. Uhhuh. 

Joanne: You got it. And I'm pretty sure I could, like, if I sat down, I could, ugh, I could easily scarf down 30 dumplings.

Jess: [00:04:00] Nice. Nice. That, that's, that's quite a few. That's impressive. favorite song?

Joanne: Uh, so my favorite band is a band you've never heard of. It's

Jess: How do you know?

Joanne: Well, it is a band called Elbow. They are from Manchester,

Jess: I haven't heard of them. Uh.

Joanne: And they have a lot of, they're, they're sort of, uh, emo melancholia, um, but they have this one song, gosh, I can't even think about what the title is, but it's just about a particularly sunny day.

and it's just about, and the, the refrain goes, throw those curtains wide one day like this, is fine, or something like that. And it just is a, as a celebration of the sun coming out, I imagine it doesn't come out very often in, in, in Manchester. And so, I just thought it was remarkable that this entire song was just about one sunny day.

Jess: The song is one day like This [00:05:00] by elbow.

I love that you like, remember a line, um, favorite movie.

Joanne: favorite movie. Gosh. what is my favorite movie? when I was a kid, my favorite movie was The Sound of Music. I dunno if I have one right now.

I was a sucker for Broadway musicals. I still am,

Jess: Um, favorite place in the US and favorite place outside the US

Joanne: oh gosh.

Jess: gut reaction.

Joanne: I would say the Cascade Mountains of Oregon.

Jess: Hmm.

Joanne: So that entire cascade is so much incredible variety of microclimates and geologies and geographies and snowcap, mountains and, incredible beauty. Natural beauty is all in that corridor, mountains in Oregon,

Jess: And

Joanne: outside the us. I would have to say. The Galapagos Islands.

Jess: Mm. That

tracks for you?[00:06:00] 

Joanne: as a biologist, it's like you got a couple bucket list things and the Galapagos Islands. Uh, I, I cried actually. I, I remember, uh, I was reading the beak of the finches. I, as I was traveling the Galapagos in the boat that I was on,

we circumnavigated the particular island in which, um, they had done all this research on Darwin's finches and, and had essentially proven a lot of Darwin's, theories, like supported, like come up with scientific data to support Darwin's theories.

And I just, I just burst into tears. just to think about, all of those fundamental biology principles that came out of that tiny island and the hard work of the researchers that had spent 20, 30, 40 years of their lives, collecting data and, tirelessly.

Counting leaves and bugs and birds in order to, come up with enough data to substantiate what Darwin had theorized a hundred years ago was just overwhelming to me 

Jess: hit you really, really hard.

Joanne: hit me in [00:07:00] all the fields.

Jess: Aw. Well that's it for faves. Andrex.

Joanne: Cool.

Jess: Thanks for sharing. () Alright, well it's time. I know you have a meeting. I wanna respect your time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This was a, I had a great time too. 

Joanne: Oh, good.

Jess: And that's the wind down. Thanks for hanging out with us in this casual space. I'll be doing more of these after certain interviews, so keep an ear out and let me know what you think of these bonus episodes. This is Jess signing off.