S3 Ep18. Climb Higher, Give More: Darlene Repollet on Leadership and Legacy

In this episode of ABWilson's Heart of the Matter, host Aderonke Bademosi Wilson sits down with Darlene Repollet, a woman who embodies the art of purposeful living through service, community and intentional growth. Darlene describes herself as a supporter, a Peloton enthusiast and a community servant, and over the course of this rich conversation, she brings each of those descriptors to life in deeply meaningful ways.

Darlene opens up about her love of Peloton, not just as a fitness tool, but as a lifestyle anchor that keeps her grounded through cycling, strength training, yoga and meditation. She then speaks with great warmth and clarity about her role as First Lady of Kean University in New Jersey, where her husband Dr. Lamont Repollet serves as president. Her identity as a supporter, she explains, was shaped by 25 years as a human resources executive, a career that taught her that the heart of HR is service to people.

The conversation takes a joyful turn when Aderonke reveals that Kean University is her own alma mater, creating a moment of shared pride and nostalgia between the two women as they reflect on how much the campus has grown and transformed over the decades.

Darlene shares three surprising things about herself: that she is retired yet busier than ever, that she grew up traveling the country with her family in an RV and motorhome during summers and that she is an introvert who has learned to function as an extrovert. Each of these reveals a layer of depth, from her entrepreneurial ventures in real estate investment to the quiet recharging that keeps her going behind the scenes.

One of the most moving parts of the episode is Darlene's story of introducing Gratitude Fridays to her HR team during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a simple practice of sharing one thing to be grateful for at the start of weekly team meetings became a lifeline for a group of colleagues navigating extraordinary stress and isolation. Over time, the practice deepened into genuine vulnerability and connection and team members later told Darlene how much it had meant to them. It is a story about leadership, humanity, and the quiet power of showing up with intention.

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Transcript

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (00:01.357)

Welcome to another edition of ABWilson's Heart of the Matter, a podcast that uses overwhelmingly positive questions to learn about our guests, where every episode uncovers extraordinary stories of triumph, growth, and empowerment. Hi, I'm Aderonke Bademosi Wilson. My guest on today's show is Darlene Repollet. Darlene is a supporter, a Peloton enthusiast, and a community servant. Darlene, welcome to the show.

Darlene Repollet (00:36.994)

Thank you, thank you, Aderonke. I'm so excited to be here.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (00:41.795)

And Darlene, what is a Peloton enthusiast? I need to go to that descriptor first because I think I know what a Peloton is. I've never heard those two words together. So tell me about being a Peloton enthusiast.

Darlene Repollet (00:52.471)

Yes.

Darlene Repollet (00:58.03)

So I'm glad you asked because I do need to level-set expectations with that, right? I don't want anyone listening to think that I am top of the leaderboard on Peloton cycling because that is not the case. But I say Peloton enthusiast because literally, generally five days a week, I'm doing something via Peloton.

So this is not an advertisement for them, but whether it's cycling or strength training classes or yoga or meditation, I'm doing it via the Peloton. And that's why I really love it, because I can do it either on my app on my phone or the actual cycle. I just flip the screen around and I'm in my basement doing whatever workout, or I'm on the bike cycling. But to me, I love it because it's the variety of the movement and exercise. And literally, generally five or six times a week, I'm doing something via Peloton. So that's why I say Peloton enthusiast.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (02:05.933)

Well, it definitely sounds like the right description, right? And how long have you been using Peloton and all the features that you've mentioned?

Darlene Repollet (02:18.956)

I will tell you, my husband and I purchased the Peloton bike well before COVID, probably when Peloton was maybe a year or two into having been released. And at the time, I was like, I'm not using this thing. I don't like cycling. There's no way I can get into this. And for the first couple of years, my husband was using it and he was cycling. And then I just started, and then they released the ability to do all these other things via Peloton, right? And that's what really, really got me because I'm really cycling only once a week. Every other time I use it, it's the different forms of exercise and movement and meditation or whatever that they have. So it's been a number of years. Yeah.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (03:19.641)

Okay, thank you. Supporter -- tell me about being a supporter.

Darlene Repollet (03:24.428)

Yes.

So I use the descriptor "supporter" because throughout my adult life, I think that's really what I have become in so many different ways, whether it's as a mom and a wife supporting our household. My role at Kean University is as a supporter. So I'm the first lady of Kean University. My husband is the president of Kean University in New Jersey. And what I do as a first lady is all in a support role in terms of whatever the campus and the university needs. And then I think this role of supporter was kind of born from my professional background in human resources. I spent 25 years as an HR executive and that, to me, is the fundamental role of human resources: supporting the organization, the employees, the managers of the organization, whatever initiatives or concerns they may have.

And so that's why I chose "supporter."

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (04:59.023)

Okay, so I'm just going to go back to something you said that you just slid by. Kean University, shout out. I must say for the record, that's my alma mater. That's where I got my undergraduate degree from. It's in Union, New Jersey. If anybody ever wants to look it up, it was a fabulous, fabulous place to learn. And I will say that well...

Darlene Repollet (05:06.028)

Yes, yes, go Cougars!

Darlene Repollet (05:13.783)

...and

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (05:26.509)

I graduated in '89, which was years and years and years ago. But on top of that, I've been back to the campus a few times over the years, and it is a completely different school. I remember I took my husband one time -- this was probably about 10 or 15 years ago -- and I couldn't find my way around. And he was like, are you sure you went here? I'm like, I am positive. The campus...

Darlene Repollet (05:31.086)

...you

Darlene Repollet (05:40.195)

Mm-hmm.

Darlene Repollet (05:52.044)

...you

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (05:55.787)

...is so beautiful. It was beautiful then. It was small and beautiful, but it has just grown so much over the years.

Darlene Repollet (05:59.565)

Yeah.

Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for saying that and thank you for the Kean University shout out. And I am so honored to be on the podcast of a Kean alum. Like this is amazing. And so, yeah, I would agree. One of the best things about Kean University is the beautiful campus and the landscape, among all of the other things, right? But yeah, and from when you graduated to now, so much has changed, so much has changed. And I'm not surprised that when you first came back, you were like, wait, where am I? I don't even know how to navigate campus.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (06:43.605)

Yeah, and the buildings, the environment. I think I was there about two years ago. Was it two years ago? I think the last time I was there was two years ago. No. Okay, so three years ago was the last time I was there. And I continue to be amazed by just the growth and development.

Darlene Repollet (06:53.815)

Yes, mm-hmm, two or three. Yeah, three, actually -- three years ago. Yes. Yep, it was '23.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (07:13.419)

...of the school, and I'm really, really excited to see where it's going in the future. So thank you, thank you. And community servant.

Darlene Repollet (07:20.398)

Thank you.

Yes, so "community servant" -- that comes from all the volunteer work that I have the privilege and blessing to be involved in, starting with our sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Yes, that's what we are about: community service and social action, right? So...

To be honest, when I was in college, that's what started me. I was a member of the National Council of Negro Women, and then I joined Delta Sigma Theta, and that started my service. So I am a member of several other organizations as well that focus on community service. And then I have an opportunity every week to volunteer at my local food bank. So that's why I say community servant. And there are some things that we're doing within our family as well from a community support perspective.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (08:40.015)

And so Darlene, I want to shout out to all the members of Delta Sigma Theta who are listening and champion and support the hard work of the organization. We are a service organization. And so thank you for the work that you do. And thank you to all the members, all the sorors who are out there making a difference in our community.

Darlene Repollet (08:46.796)

Yes.

Darlene Repollet (09:07.266)

...doing the work.

Mm-hmm. Yes, absolutely.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (09:14.617)

Darlene, I'd like our listeners to learn a little bit more about you. Please share three interesting things about yourself that our listeners may not know and your friends will be surprised to learn.

Darlene Repollet (09:26.67)

Okay, so I don't know if my closest friends will be surprised to learn these things, but I'll go with them anyway. The first is that I am retired. So you heard me mention having a 25-year corporate HR career. I actually left that job -- retired from that job -- in October of 2020.

So it's been a long time now. I can't believe it every time I say it. But what I would say in the context of that is that as a quote-unquote retired person, I am busier than ever, busier than I've ever been, based on all of the different things that I'm involved in. So whether it's campus activities, all the things that I do in support of Kean University as First Lady, the different service organizations that I belong to that I talked to you about, as well as things that I'm doing on my side as an entrepreneur -- all of those things keep me busier than ever. My husband likes to say, "What are you doing today and what are you up to today and how many meetings do you have today?" So, yeah, I would say that.

The other thing I would say is that I grew up traveling with my parents and my family, traveling the country via an RV and motorhome. That was a big part of my growing-up experience. Both of my parents were teachers. And so they had the summers off, right? And my dad was into motorhoming and getting an RV. And my mom used to love to travel. And it was the way that we saw the country and all of the different...

Darlene Repollet (11:50.392)

...beautiful sites across America. So things like the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, the Redwood Forest, et cetera. And that was a big part of my childhood and the way that I grew up during the summers.

And then the last thing I would say -- and this is the funny part, so after my friends listen to this, I'm going to have to ask them, okay, were you surprised or not on this final comment -- I would say I am an introvert who functions as an extrovert. And so you're probably going to say, okay, well, what do you really mean by that? So being in HR, right, I used to love the Myers-Briggs test and all of the things that used to talk to you about understanding personalities and how teams worked. And so by nature, I am an introvert. I recharge my energy and my battery by kind of being by myself, right? However, spending so many years in HR and all of the things that I've already said that I'm doing, that requires me to operate as an extrovert.

And so I don't know -- people who really don't know me well may not realize what my true nature is versus what I display when I'm engaging with the community or working or what have you, if that makes sense.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (13:30.059)

No, it does. It absolutely does. And I just want to go back to your first item where you said you're busier than ever and that you're an entrepreneur. Tell me about that.

Darlene Repollet (13:41.058)

Yeah.

Darlene Repollet (13:45.87)

Yeah, so entrepreneur in the aspect of real estate investment. So when I first retired, I really didn't know -- beyond the Kean University campus stuff. And even then I didn't know exactly what that was going to look like because my husband started that job in July of 2020. And like I said, I retired in October 2020, right?

And so keep in mind, it's COVID, just coming into the job. So I didn't even really know what the first lady role was going to be. But I retired and didn't know, like I said, what I wanted to do. And then ultimately, in 2021, I decided to do some real estate investment. So I belong to a women's real estate investment network that's countrywide, and I went through mentorship with them, et cetera, and have spent the last several years really trying to find my way with that. And my focus is on individuals -- helping individuals who may be in situations where either their home is kind of distressed, meaning it's in a state that needs significant repair, or maybe they themselves are in a bit of a distress situation. It could be like foreclosure, or maybe a divorce scenario, or maybe someone in the family passed away and they gained this property, this home, that they really don't have an interest in owning. So my goal is to help individuals in those scenarios from a real estate investment perspective. And so I've been doing that over the last several years as well.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (15:48.079)

Thank you. Thank you so much. Can you tell us about a recent accomplishment or success that you're particularly proud of?

Darlene Repollet (15:49.378)

Mm-hmm. Yep.

Darlene Repollet (15:58.59)

Yes. So I thought about this question and the most recent is actually, believe it or not, a podcast. So I too have a podcast supported through Kean University and it's called Climb Higher with Her. That's the name of the podcast. We just launched -- or released -- episode number six...

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (16:10.136)

...You

Darlene Repollet (16:28.194)

...earlier this week. So the podcast is in its infancy, but I'm excited about it, right? And this podcast was not something that I personally had set out to do. You know, sometimes there are people in our lives that challenge us to go beyond our comfort zone and kind of see our strengths when we may not see them in ourselves. And I'm blessed to say that's my husband. So I also like to say that I was voluntold on more than one occasion. But with regards to this podcast as well, he sort of voluntold me -- he said, I have this great idea, I think you should do a podcast. And so I thought about that a lot and...

We focus on leadership, specifically women in leadership. And so all of our guests on the podcast are women leaders. They might be well-established leaders, they might be emerging leaders across various different career fields. And we have a conversation each time about leadership and they share their stories. And the podcast, although all of our guests are women leaders, really the messages and the stories that they share are intended to reach different audiences. So it doesn't matter -- male, female, new in your career, student, more experienced professionals -- I think the information that is shared is applicable to everyone. I've had one particular individual, a man, come up to me and he said, hey, I just listened to the last episode of your podcast and I was lying in bed and my wife was next to me and she overheard and she's like, what's that you're listening to?

Darlene Repollet (18:49.334)

And then they both ended up listening to it together, right? So that warmed my heart because that's actually the goal and the idea and the vision that I had for the podcast -- yes, we're going to focus on women leaders, but they're going to share information that is going to be applicable and hopefully resonate with any audience.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (19:14.785)

And how can people find the podcast?

Darlene Repollet (19:17.612)

So people can find the Climb Higher with Her podcast anywhere that they listen to their podcasts. However they listen to ABWilson's Heart of the Matter podcast, they can search and find Climb Higher with Her. But obviously the most well-known are Spotify and Apple Podcasts. So wherever folks listen to their podcasts.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (19:40.419)

Darlene, congratulations. And I know I've definitely listened to one of the episodes and I'm looking forward to listening to others, right? And when I think back to early in my career, I was trying to devour everything about being a manager because I knew -- even though you start at an entry level position -- I knew I was going to end up managing people at some point in my life.

Darlene Repollet (19:42.538)

Thank you.

Darlene Repollet (20:05.964)

Right.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (20:06.139)

And so I read everything -- podcasts weren't around then, but they had different interviews -- and I picked up a lot of my learning from magazines directed at women leaders. And so I think that there is a great opportunity for people to continue to learn through the work that you're doing.

Darlene Repollet (20:12.472)

Yes.

Darlene Repollet (20:28.642)

Thank you, thank you, we are excited about it.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (20:34.329)

Please tell us about a time when you made a difference in another's life. What were the circumstances? Paint a picture for me.

Darlene Repollet (20:43.212)

Yeah, so this one brings me back to COVID. To take a little step back -- this was when I was in my corporate career, at the very kind of tail end of it. Like I said, I left in October 2020, right? So probably a year before that, I started managing a new team. It was a small group of HR managers that I was leading. And then 2020 comes around and, you know, we're in the midst of COVID, right? We're all virtual. Everybody's in their remote offices somewhere in the home, whether it's at the kitchen table, dining room table -- that was mine at the time, the dining room table. And we were all just kind of isolated, right? And dealing with the stress -- frankly, the anxiety and the pressures. HR as a discipline across the country had never gone through this; of course, none of us had, right? So we're dealing with personnel issues during a global crisis. And this was, keep in mind, a new team that I was just getting to know and they were getting to know me. I had only really been working with them for a period of about four months before everyone was sent home mid-March. And I kind of noticed not only in myself, but in the team, that we were all under this huge weight and it was becoming quite stressful. So we met weekly. We had typically been having our Friday team meetings and I introduced what we called Gratitude Fridays. And initially the folks on the team are like, okay, what are we doing? And I wanted us to focus on what was the one thing that we were grateful for, whether it was personal or...

Darlene Repollet (23:05.08)

...professional, in that week. So again, we met every Friday, right? So before we got into the business of whatever our team meeting was going to be, we had our gratitude moment and we would go around the Zoom. We all know the Zoom pictures, the squares, right? We would go around the Zoom and say what we were grateful for. And initially it was kind of surface. People would say, I'm grateful that the sun is out, or whatever kind of surface-level things. But over time, we truly got to not only know each other more as individuals and as a team, but really started to think about and dive into what we were expressing gratitude for.

And I even remember myself sometimes getting emotional with regards to something that I was sharing with the team as part of Gratitude Friday. And from time to time, others on the team would get emotional. And it really, it really allowed us to be vulnerable with one another. And so when I was leaving that October, a couple of the team members talked about how those Gratitude Fridays really kept them going and it was something that they looked forward to. And in the moment, when you have an idea like that or you do something like that, you don't necessarily do it for that. But ultimately I realized what the impact had been on us as a team.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (25:01.717)

Hmm. Thank you. Thank you so much. So when you think about creating that moment for your team, what were the key strengths and qualities you relied on to make a difference?

Darlene Repollet (25:04.493)

Mm-hmm.

Darlene Repollet (25:19.468)

Yeah, I think a simple exercise like that, right -- like I said, it kind of became the heartbeat of the team, if you will. And it allowed us to shift our mindset from, in the midst of a global pandemic, kind of this survival mode to gratitude and appreciation. Even if it was only for that moment. But I kind of feel like, based on what I told you, it lasted with people. I know it lasted with me. And it was another way for us to make sure that we were prioritizing our wellbeing, frankly.

And I think as a leader, if we can show authenticity and acknowledge that in the end we're all humans and we have to take care of ourselves -- that's ultimately the difference that I think was made by Gratitude Fridays.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (26:49.391)

Thank you.

Darlene Repollet (26:51.744)

Mm-hmm. It was nice to be able to go back and kind of reminisce about that, by the way, based on your question.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (26:53.796)

Don't...

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (26:59.023)

Well, thank you for sharing it, right? Because I think when we are facing something huge and traumatic like a pandemic, we are worried, we are concerned, we tend to look outward and see what's happening. But there are moments that we can find gratitude. There are moments -- and not just gratitude, but joy. You can find moments of joy even in relatively dark times. And then it helps to put things in perspective, but then remembering to find gratitude and joy when things are good.

Darlene Repollet (27:28.215)

Yes.

Darlene Repollet (27:38.648)

Yes.

Darlene Repollet (27:49.667)

Very true, very true. And it's like you said, that's in our minds, right? And it has to become a habit and a practice that regardless of what we're going through -- good times, challenges, bad times -- we're always trying to think of, hey, what's the one positive, where's the joy that I can take from this? Where can I pull gratitude from this? Because it makes the good times that much better, but I think it also makes the challenging times more bearable.

And it's not easy to do. Sometimes you can get so pulled down, or sometimes we don't allow ourselves -- which I think is what you were getting at -- we don't allow ourselves to have joy. But we should, and so it's a practice and a habit.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (28:51.583)

And I'm going to ask you the joy question in a few minutes, but one of the things that I try to do -- and I welcome your thoughts on this -- is when I'm really excited or feeling really, really great, to stop and say, this is a joy moment, right? Because things happen so quickly and you have to have a certain presence of mind to say, this is a joyful moment. Let me...

Darlene Repollet (28:56.171)

Okay.

Darlene Repollet (29:10.508)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (29:21.079)

...remember how this feels.

Darlene Repollet (29:23.05)

Yes, I agree, completely, completely. We often, because we're go, go, go -- it's like, okay, met that milestone, now what's the next thing -- we don't allow ourselves to sit in that for a period of time and really relish it, right?

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (29:34.756)

Yes.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (29:44.129)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I remember.

Darlene Repollet (29:46.103)

These are all things that I think we all should practice so it becomes habit. But like I said, it's not always easy. And I know I'm challenged with that, right? So it's acknowledging that we just need to continue to practice that.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (30:05.195)

And I would agree, and especially what you said about acknowledging milestones, right? I remember I was talking to a friend a few years ago and I was like, okay, so I did this, this, this, and this -- now I've got to do this. And she says, hold on, hold on. You did this, this, this, and this? Have you celebrated that? And I was like, you know what? I haven't. It was a checklist and each check...

Darlene Repollet (30:19.182)

Thank...

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (30:32.611)

...has the potential to be a success, right? It is a success. And I think we -- I will speak for myself -- don't allow ourselves to relish those checks and see them as a success.

Darlene Repollet (30:36.674)

Yeah.

Darlene Repollet (30:48.108)

Yep, I agree. I agree completely. We're going to keep working on that, Aderonke. I know I am.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (30:53.835)

Yeah, we do. We do. Yeah. And this is a reminder for anybody that's listening -- pause. What was your success today? Where did you find joy today? What are you grateful for today?

Darlene Repollet (31:03.052)

Yes.

Darlene Repollet (31:10.539)

Amen to that.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (31:15.577)

Darlene, can you recall a situation where you overcame a challenge that led to personal growth? What did you learn from that experience?

Darlene Repollet (31:27.138)

Well, I'll take it back, honestly, to when I decided to leave my 25-year corporate job and move into entrepreneurship.

I did not understand nor anticipate what mindset shift and mindset change was needed for that. You know, it was a new chapter and I don't think I fully recognized and appreciated that as I was moving into it. So what I mean by that is I had grown up really in that corporate world, because I was at the same company, believe it or not, for 25 years -- which is rare. But I grew up in that company and I grew up in the corporate world. I started there right after my graduate work. I was single at the time. I ended up getting married while I was still at that company. I had two children while I was still at that company. And really, like I said, grew up in the corporate world. And so then all of a sudden I'm retired.

And I'm like, okay, well, I know I want to do something, but I don't know what it is. And then ultimately, like I said, I found real estate investment. But at the time I didn't understand how my day needed to be different and how I needed to operate differently. So for example, when you're working a traditional job -- I'll just call it a traditional job -- you come in, you know what your hours are...

Darlene Repollet (33:12.618)

...you know what the goals are, you're reporting to someone, right? Even if you're the CEO, you're reporting to the board. So you're reporting to someone and there are goals that the organization has as a whole. And then based on whatever your job is, you have your goals within that, right, to help achieve the overall goals. And while it's not really routine, there's a set pattern and a cadence to all of that. As an entrepreneur, my gosh, I had to realize that this is all on me now. I'm the CEO, I'm the employee, I'm setting the vision, the mission, the goals, and if I don't do it, it doesn't happen.

That was a huge mindset shift for me and a realization like, wow, okay, so now I need to create all of this and I need to formulate this. And so that was a significant adjustment for me, frankly, in terms of just realizing and developing those new skill sets and that new approach to my day.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (34:41.151)

And has your day evolved during your time in retirement? Has there been a change, or are you pretty much on the schedule that you set when you started?

Darlene Repollet (34:55.63)

That's a great question, because I will say it's -- while it's set to a certain degree, it is still evolving. Because you remember how I said before, I'm retired but I'm busier than ever. I feel like I keep adding things. So while I have this sliver of real estate investment, I have all the other things too, right? From first lady responsibilities to the organizations that I'm committed to, podcasts. So I actually really need to be very regimented with my calendar management. And it seems so simple, but it is so critical to manage my day, because otherwise the day gets away from me and I'm like, okay, what did I accomplish today?

So I have to be really focused on -- all right, right now I'm working on podcast stuff, so everything else is kind of off to the side here. And okay, now for the next several hours, I'm doing real estate investment, because if I do nothing over here, there are going to be no properties to be found because I'm not doing the work. So I've had to get into a committed routine and regimen, frankly, around how I'm managing my calendar and my time.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (36:28.815)

Thank you.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (36:32.577)

You are listening to ABWilson's Heart of the Matter podcast.

Welcome back to ABWilson's Heart of the Matter. My guest today is Darlene Repollet. Darlene, we've talked about what retirement looks like for you and the fact that you are so much busier than before. We've touched on your podcast, Climb Higher with Her. And you've also talked about when you were in corporate as an HR executive...

Darlene Repollet (36:50.38)

Yeah.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (37:06.229)

...introducing Gratitude Fridays for your team. What self-care practices or strategies help you to sustain your energy and motivation while navigating your journey?

Darlene Repollet (37:20.406)

Yeah, so the first one actually ties back to Gratitude Fridays and it is my prayer/gratitude journal. I try to write in that every morning. And I'll come back to that in a minute, because I want to tell you my next thing -- I talked about working out at least five or six days a week. I find that that helps me. It's the endorphins, it's my wake-up in the morning. So I work out in the morning. Now, I had become so committed to making sure I work out that I was sacrificing my prayer journal, my gratitude journal. And I was like, okay, that can't happen. So I said, you know what? First thing when I wake up, I'm going to the prayer and gratitude journal, and then I'm going to work out. So I do both of those things early in the morning.

And then I started -- how many weeks am I in now? I think only three weeks -- I set a limit on my phone for social media to one hour. Unless I'm on social media due to something that's work related, right? But to avoid me from getting into that doom scrolling habit. And let me tell you, Aderonke, when the first day I set that limit and the one hour came up on my phone, I said, this can't be. I could not have been on here an hour already. It was shocking.

So because it was so shocking to me, I was like, yep, that's why I need to keep this limit. And you can override it. So like I said, I override it if I know I'm truly on social media due to something work related. But that has helped me a lot as well. Because remember, I talked about being regimented with my calendar management.

And then the last thing I will say...

Darlene Repollet (39:39.587)

...And I had dinner last night with a couple of girlfriends. Making sure that I connect and have time with girlfriends of mine for socialization -- it really just does my heart good to be able to have a couple of hours with friends from time to time where we can just sit around and talk with one another, share stories, laugh, sometimes cry. It just feels so good afterwards. So those are the ways that I try to practice self-care.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (40:22.561)

And just to go back to your one hour of social media -- the time goes by so quickly.

Darlene Repollet (40:28.746)

It does. It was literally shocking to me.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (40:36.655)

Darlene, how might sharing your experiences of success and growth create a positive ripple effect in your family, community, the world?

Darlene Repollet (40:48.302)

So I thought about this question and it's funny because I often pray the following: may my success be someone else's miracle.

Darlene Repollet (41:11.444)

May my success be someone else's miracle. And what I mean by that is when we share our stories and the things that we do -- and the challenges maybe, the messy parts that got us to where we are -- those are the gems, right? And so to be able to share that with others, which hopefully leads toward their success, their breakthrough, their miracle, I think that's really what we're here for. So that's why I'm excited about, for example, the podcast, because it gives the opportunity for people to share their stories, share their wisdom. And you know, I think about -- if in the various things that I do, if there's just one person that benefits from it, then that's golden, right? We achieved the goal of helping just one person on something. And so I think that's the piece. And if someone then hears something from your podcast or from my podcast or just in general conversation, and that impacts them and they have success, and then they share their story -- there's the ripple effect, right?

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (42:58.743)

Indeed, thank you. What exciting opportunities do you see on the horizon? How do these opportunities align with your passions and aspirations?

Darlene Repollet (43:11.166)

So I am super excited to share that in 2025, I did the legwork to create our family foundation. So we have a nonprofit organization that was just formalized in 2025, and we are about to have our first fundraiser in exactly 30 days from today. So on May 2nd. And so the foundation is called the Repollet Education Philanthropy Foundation. And we focus really on two areas of funding needs for college students. The first is emergency or gap funding. So what do I mean by that? What are some examples? Like if you have a student who maybe has a couple thousand dollars in fines or back money that's owed, but they don't have that money -- whether that is to pay the tuition bill or maybe that's something that's owed back and they can't actually graduate, right, until that's paid. Or maybe you have a circumstance where there's a commuter student and their car has broken down. Well, they don't have funds to fix that car and so now they might not be able to get to class for a week or two.

That's what I want our foundation to be able to come in and help with in those scenarios -- the emergency and gap funding. And then the second part is really exciting to me and ties back to my passion, because we are looking to provide funding to help support students on travel learning and study abroad so that they have...

Darlene Repollet (45:23.048)

...access and exposure to international studies. Most of us know education can and should happen beyond the classroom, right? So if you travel, if you have an opportunity to travel, your world just becomes that much bigger. And so I'm super excited about that funding avenue that we're looking to pursue as well.

And that's the Repollet Foundation. So I had no idea, really going into the latter part of '24 and all of '25, in terms of what it took to get approval for a nonprofit, a 501(c)(3). So that was a huge learning experience and, like I said, we've had two board meetings thus far and we're about to have our first fundraiser in 30 days. So, you know, the travel component is so special to me because remember I talked about how I traveled with my parents every summer in an RV. And there were some special travels and vacations that we've done, my husband and I, and then with our daughters.

And so to be able to help students travel -- because many students may not have traveled at all before, some of them might not even have a passport -- to be able to help with that, I think is huge and I'm excited about it.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (47:04.811)

Two thoughts. Why travel? I mean, I'm a big believer in travel, and travel does open your eyes. It gets you to see the world, but it gets you to see your space differently. And I know you've talked about your family traveling, but you don't think of funding for students to travel. I find that first of all fabulous, but also very, very interesting. How did you come up with that?

Darlene Repollet (47:36.523)

Yeah, so I will tell you -- I didn't want our foundation to be the traditional scholarships. We could have gone that route, but I didn't think that that would be special, if you will. So I felt like -- and this is my education around this -- it came about due to obviously my affiliation with the university and learning and hearing about students' stories, right? And so that's a big part of what informed this. Although the beneficiaries of our foundation will not just be Kean students, this is open to any students in higher ed.

But to answer your question, I started to hear students' stories on the emergency gap funding piece -- real life examples -- and that's what informed that prong, if you will, of our funding. And then to your question around why travel: travel is meaningful to me and my family and that's where our passion is. And I was able to see -- when we, and this is during grade school, when we had the opportunity to take our daughters to places that they were learning about -- to kind of see how it just came to life for them. So much more so. For example, this was either fourth or fifth grade, our oldest daughter was studying colonial times in America, she came home and she's like, can we go to Williamsburg, Virginia this summer? And that's where you have all the colonial history in one place. And we're like, yeah, sure. So we went and you could see the lightbulbs going off in terms of, I heard about this in class, I've read about this, and now I'm seeing it.

And then another one is with our youngest daughter...

Darlene Repollet (50:00.173)

...she was studying ancient civilizations. And at the time, we had a friend who was stationed and working in Greece. And we had been planning to go visit this friend anyway. And so we went during the time that Taylor -- that's our youngest daughter -- was studying ancient civilizations, and we were able to go show her in Greece all the things, right? And you just see it come to life, like I said. And so I really believe that, number one, for our foundation to pick supporting travel learning and study abroad, that allows the opportunity for students to have the world open up to them, for them to experience different cultures, different languages, different food, for them to sometimes -- and this is the first time a student is getting on an airplane -- and why shouldn't everyone in the world, if they're interested, be able to explore the world and go learn? And so I hope that answers your question.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (51:16.943)

It does, it does. And my second question is, how can people -- if they're listening -- make a donation to the foundation?

Darlene Repollet (51:26.426)

That's so nice of you. Yes, we have our website and we are in our infancy. So the website is not yet accepting donations, but the fundraiser -- we sent out the invitation to it, and we're on a Zeffy account. So we're using Zeffy. It's Z-E-F-F-Y if people are not familiar with that platform, and they're able to go there and make a donation to the Repollet Education Philanthropy Foundation if they're so interested.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (52:05.817)

Perfect. Darlene, what brings you joy?

Darlene Repollet (52:10.35)

What brings me joy? So, remember I talked about being an introvert, right? So the ability to sit and be with my family -- my husband and my two daughters, and then of course my extended family, but really my husband and my two daughters -- because we're all going so fast. So to be able to be with them brings me joy. And then travel. The opportunity to explore new areas, whether it be here in the US or abroad, is also what brings me joy. I like to be out and about, to see things, to experience new things when traveling.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (53:09.891)

We are coming to the end of our conversation. And so I'd like to know what book recommendation you may have. It can be a book that you've read recently or something that has stayed with you over the years. And I always say, you can have more than one.

Darlene Repollet (53:28.28)

Okay, good. So the crazy part is I intended to bring these books so I could hold them up on screen and I'm looking around at me and I'm like, darn it, I forgot. So the first one is -- and I read this, so this book is not a new book, it's been out for quite some time, but I read it when I was going through my transition from corporate world to entrepreneur. And it's a book called Mindset, and that's by Carol Dweck.

And it really helps you to focus on the explanation of what is a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. And a growth mindset really means that you believe that abilities -- someone's abilities -- can grow and develop, versus a fixed mindset, which is when you think that someone's talents and their intelligence are just that, that they're fixed and they're unchangeable. So remember how I talked about needing to have a different mindset and change my mindset. That book was really helpful to me.

The other book that I like to talk about is a new book that I'm still in the middle of reading. It is called Zip It. That's by Karen Amen. And it's a 40-day challenge to encourage us to be mindful and aware of our words and what we say to others and to ourselves.

Darlene Repollet (55:29.086)

And it's encouraging us to use our words wisely and realize the power of the tongue. And the book is set up as a 40-day challenge. So you read a portion and then it encourages you to do some reflection, et cetera. And so I've been enjoying that book. And then if I can, can I give a plug for a last book?

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (55:55.119)

Absolutely.

Darlene Repollet (55:57.483)

Leadership by Design is a new book recently published by Dr. Lamont Repollet, my husband, and a distinguished Kean professor, Robin Landa. And that book is called Leadership by Design.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (56:18.711)

Excellent, thank you. And correct me if I'm wrong -- you talked about that book on one of your podcast episodes. I remember.

Darlene Repollet (56:19.938)

Yes.

Darlene Repollet (56:24.054)

We did. Robin Landa was one of my guests. Yep. Yes.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (56:29.229)

Yes, I remember the book. Darlene, is there anything else? Do you have any final thoughts that you'd like to share?

Darlene Repollet (56:42.272)

You know what? I don't have necessarily anything else to say, but I will tell you that I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. I love any time I get a chance to talk to you and see you. And I can't wait to turn the tables on you and have you on Climb Higher with Her next season. So it's coming, I can't wait.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (57:08.591)

Darlene, thank you. Thank you so much. First of all, I appreciate you saying yes, right? I never take for granted when people say yes to being on the show. And I just want to share some of my appreciation nuggets that I'm taking away from our conversation. One is that you're an introvert who functions as an extrovert. Your podcast, Climb Higher with Her. The fact that you introduced Gratitude Fridays has planted a seed for me. And your comment: may my success be someone else's miracle.

Darlene Repollet (57:47.608)

Hmm.

Darlene Repollet (57:54.061)

Yes.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (57:56.535)

And then of course the work you're doing with your newly established family foundation and your two pillars, emergency or gap funding and providing funding for students to travel internationally so that they can truly experience the world. Darlene Repollet, I truly appreciate you taking the time to join me on ABWilson's Heart of the Matter...

Darlene Repollet (58:10.509)

Yes.

Aderonke Bademosi Wilson (58:23.339)

...a podcast dedicated to asking overwhelmingly positive questions as we uncover incredible stories and wisdom of people you may know. Darlene Repollet, thank you so much.

Darlene Repollet (58:37.358)

Thank you.