Action 2 Impact Podcast Season 2 EP.1 Catching up with Stephanie Urchick!

Welcome to Season Two of the Action 2 Impact podcast and round two for 2024/25 RI President Stephanie Urchick. She's BACK!

Stephanie is back to talk about her life as RI President, what Impacted her life the most, and where she is going from here. It's a wonderful chat with Stephanie and i'm so glad you could join us.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hi everyone, I'm Gwen Jones, and welcome once again to the Action Impact Podcast, the weekly podcast where I introduce you to those amazing, fabulous, stupendous, awesome people from all over the world that are turning their actions into impact. Well, I have had the honor during the show to uh have the last one, two, three, four, eight, seven Rotary International presidents on my show. In fact, some talking to you, Jennifer, more than once. And it's been an absolute honor to have each and every one of them on the show. Like I said, sometimes twice, or even three times, but I digress. Anyway, one of my favorite things to do, however, is to check back with them. Especially if it's been right after their whirlwind of a year, or two years, or sometimes three. Anyway, that's the story for today's guest, Stephanie Yurchik. You know, the one that I was always teasing her about, saying that she was the first single lady, single lady to ever be Rotary International president. Well, what is she up to? Now, please, she hasn't just dropped her mic, left the stage, and is no longer doing anything with Rotary. But let's just say she's been doing a little bit of relaxation, touching base with her at-home club, and most importantly, reminding everybody that she is simply just a true Rotarian at heart. But don't take it from me. Sit back and enjoy the ride. And we're catching up with Stephanie. Welcome back to the show, everyone. Well, I have had the honor to talk to the last seven Rotary International presidents, except for Shaker. Don't know what the problem is, sir. Come on, you should come on the show. But I have had some great opportunities of after some of these fabulous people have been president, Rotary International president, to come back on the show and tell me about your year. And so I am bugging a past president to come back on the show today. And she was very nice to say that she would. Stephanie Yurchik is on the show to kick off 2026. Thank you so much for being on the show, Madam President. And uh welcome, welcome back to the world of just being a Rotarian. How are you doing? I'm doing great, Gwen. Happy New Year. It's good to see you again.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Good to see you again.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

So I assume that now that you're no longer president, you're just sitting around eating bonbons. You went back to your, you're just like the club secretary and not doing anything anymore. Is that correct? I'm afraid not.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

You know, my my term as president ended on June 30th, but July 1st, I became a trustee of the Rotary Foundation. And this is my second tour of service for the foundation. I served in 2012 to 2014, and so now I have a four-year term. So I'm still active with, you know, rotary events and things happening, but doing it from a different side of our organization.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Now, does every president once they once they I don't want to say step down because you didn't step down, once they end their term, that's the better word to use, do they automatically become a trustee the next?

SPEAKER_00 3:40

We've had some cases where that didn't happen. It isn't an election process. Okay. So, you know, it usually does, but sometimes it doesn't.

SPEAKER_02 3:49

Okay. So it's like they figure, you know, what the heck, you did such a good job as president. Why you stick around and become a trustee? So, but have you been back to like your regular rotary group?

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Of course I have. In fact, you know, one of the one of the things that happened when I came back, I found out that, you know, my club had started an impact group as I was moving to Evanston, you know, to serve in that capacity. And I really strongly believe in the impact model because there's so many, so many people today who are not going to be attracted to our traditional model of, you know, four meetings a month and all of that. So the impact model is fantastic. But one of the things that has to happen is strong mentorship from the parent club. And there has to be strong, you know, events where they're not meetings for the impact members, but they're an opportunity for you to teach them a little bit about rotary because they're not going to meetings. Right. So what I found out was that I kind of fell by the wayside when I left. So now that I'm back, I have actually stepped in and I have a very keen interest in resurrecting the impact group and getting it back on track. It didn't totally go away. It just wasn't functioning in the most efficient way that it could. So a lot of my focus right now is working with my own club's impact group.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

To me, it's kind of funny. So if you walked into a group and said, I mean, it do they all kind of feel like, oh, well, the past Rotary International president is now coming in and saying, you didn't do this and you didn't do this. I mean, is there kind of is it is it kind of weird? Or when you came through the door, was it just like, oh good, Steph's back and she wants to take over this program? Cool, go, girl, have fun.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Well, first of all, I would never say anything about what you didn't do. Oh, okay. That's that's not my leadership style. That's not the way I operate. What I focus on is what's happening that's really good, and let's amplify that. Gotcha. So, but you're right. I mean, uh when you're in your own hometown, you can't be a prophet. I'm just I'm just Stephanie from Cannonsburg, BA when I'm here.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Right. Okay. All right. So so there is a board of directors and a president of your home club, and you are a Rotarian. Yes, yes. Yeah. And I I I personally think that's kind of good. And I and I respect a club that is willing to do that. It's like you were up on that big stage doing all that stuff. Now we'd like you to go pick up trash on the side of the road on Tuesday with the rest of us. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Absolutely. Service is, you know, not beneath any of us. That's why we get together and form clubs because we want to surf.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Yeah. So did it feel kind of like putting on an old sweater again or an old pair of shoes? Did when you walked into that door door for the first time into your club? Was it was it kind of like a did you kind of like let yourself breathe a little bit, like, oh, I'm just going to Rotary again? It was like I have never been away. Okay. Just picked up where I left off. And you didn't have the responsibility, I assume, too. So you could just be a member. And I I use that kind of just in air quotes, which works so well on a podcast, but you know, you could just be a member. How did that feel?

SPEAKER_00 7:26

Well, I don't think when you're a previous president that you are ever just a member. I think there's an implied responsibility that you have for continuing education about rotary, for inspiration about rotary. So I don't think you're ever just a member. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

Spoken like a true past president. So let's get to that presidency. You did a lot, obviously, and you and I think it's it it we just got over the holiday season when we're when we're recording this. So I I the only thing I can compare it to is that there were holiday trees and Christmas trees in August in department stores. So you had all spilled up. One day, that's it. It was Christmas, rip open those packages, done. And when it comes to being president, it's almost the same thing because you become president nominee, president elect, and then you got to go through all these courses and you got to do all this stuff, and then it's one year and bam, it's done. Is there kind of that same similarity kind of go as this?

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Well, yes and no. Okay. So the fact that you do have a nominee period, half a year, which is when you're preparing and tr and you know, getting things in order and organizing everything, and then you have the president-elect year, and you do start to meet with Rotarians and and be part of events, and then you have to have that travel, I would say there's a travel lot of the store, and then you know, the president year. So you really you're really looking at two and a half years of of interacting with the rotary family around the world. So it's not just one year, although I will say that the third year is is the one that goes the fastest.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Right. That is that is the the Christmas Day, if so it seems. So you made history and and I I was probably the one that probably put more emphasis on this than most people, but I thought it was very 21st century that you were our first single lady as president. And I think that's cool. And and down the road here, I'm in the process of putting together a show with all of those women and men who have been first, you know, partners of of our Rotary International presidents and what that was like for them. You, however, were our first single lady, and I think that was awesome. But of course, you had to have somebody to help you. And the majority of the time, I think majority of time, that's my word, you can please correct me, was a dear friend of the show, Tom Gump. In fact, when you were just about to be president, Tom came on the show with you. But what was it like to have an aide, but then be that single person on this great adventure?

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Well, Gwen, I have been single more than I have been coupled in my life. Okay. You know, I was married at one time and was not a long marriage. So, you know, most of my adult life I have been single. I've done everything as a single person. I became a rotarian as a single person. So for me, going through life by my by myself really wasn't anything new. Okay. So in our rotary organization, of course, every president has an opportunity to select an aide. And I did select Tom because he and I had worked before uh together before and a long time, yeah. And and think so much alike and do so many things, you know, in the same way. And, you know, the purpose of having an aide is is really to help coordinate some of the things that happen in Evanston, but also at times to travel with you. So I appreciated having Tom travel with me, especially in countries where what's the right word? Maybe security. Security could have been an issue. So Tom and Catherine were wonderful, wonderful folks to you know, travel with. I've never met a harder working person in Rotary than Tom Gump. And it was just the beginning of what continues to be a great friendship. Tom and I talk almost every day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:06

I'm glad he's you, you know, he let us have this conversation without him. I don't know. I mean, I actually if we called him right now, he'd probably jump on. There is a certain amount to have to have a wife or a husband or a partner there as just a board, just uh like a to throw things at, to be like, oh my God, to be totally honest with that you didn't have, or did you have that? I mean, did you kind of I mean, do you have that that you could have that?

SPEAKER_00 12:39

I think every single person develops a circle of folks in his or her life that serve that purpose. And so while we may not have partners per spec say, we have people in our lives with whom we can confide or you know, ask for suggestions or whatever. So, yeah, I mean, in addition to having great aides, Tom and Catherine were great aides. I also had people, some Rotarians, some not, who were always available to the city.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

So you had that soundboard, you had that oh my god, I'm in the middle of course, you know, to somewhere in India. And God, I really just would really like to take a bath or something. I mean, you get you had that. Sure, sure. That's great. So, because I like I said, I had I people were not, I I had people going, well, it isn't that big of a deal. Stephanie's single. Well, now talking to you, you make it seem like it wasn't that big of a deal. But I think in the grand scheme of things, we're moving away in Rotary out of that very traditional kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

I will agree with that.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Yeah, I'm having a I will agree with that. You know, one of the things that was noteworthy during that two and a half years, Gwen, was that there were so many people, both women and men, who came up to me and said, Oh my god, you're single just like me. There you go. And so, if nothing else, you know, I was happy to be seen as, if you will, a role model. I mean, if Stephanie can do it, then maybe so can I. Right.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

And, you know, we're about to have a Rotary International president who is very proud of his African heritage. And, you know, I'm waiting for, you know, an international president from the LBTQ and his or her partner. I think that'd be great. I mean, that's kind of that's kind of the the trifecta, quadfecta of the whole thing is to have that, is it not? Is that our future?

SPEAKER_00 14:44

I hope it's it's all about the right person with the right skills and the right talent and the right background. And it doesn't matter about anything else. You're correct.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

Okay, I love it. All right, so let's talk about the year. Okay, because you've had a chance to to breathe and take a breath and get back to your club and you know, get back to the world. I I know that I I we had to delay this a bit because you went and got your knee fixed.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

So I did six weeks ago.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

So I'm like, okay, so there's a bit of wear and tear to be Rotary International president, obviously. But how do you feel now? How was it?

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Well, the overwhelming feeling I have is gratitude when I think that there are 1.2 million Rotarians, and here I am, this girl from southwestern Pennsylvania in this small club where I started in my you know my hometown, thinking, and I got to be president of Rotary International. I'm I'm grateful. I'm also grateful for for the reception. The family of Rotary were so kind and were so to me, they were inspirational for me because everybody that I met was proud to be a Rotarian. And that was absolutely like the best part of what I did.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

So by the end of the, by the end of the year, you you did you kind of look at that rotary pin a little differently? Did all of a sudden, because you had those stories? I mean, I know here on the odd on the podcast, I talk to so many Rotarians all over the world every single week that all of a sudden when I look at that little pin, it's very humbling that we have all these people all over the world that are doing such cool stuff. And you got to actually did that humbling feeling kind of come out a little bit?

SPEAKER_00 16:43

Well, I I think what's what's noteworthy is the fact that when you are in any rotary leadership position, you get to really get outside of your club. You know, I remember early on in my rotary career, you know, where there's so many things that were happening. You know, we had district assemblies and district conferences and different events. And I'd say, who wants to go? It's this weekend. And, you know, there were so many people in my original Rotary Club who were just happy going to their weekly meeting and doing nothing else. Yeah. Oh my word, there's so much more to the world of rotary if you get out of your club. Right. When you're in a leadership position and that's become part of your role, you really get to see the absolute splendor, the magic of rotary, if you will. Because you know, you you you you are all over the place. We're in so many different countries. You know, I got I got in two and a half years, I got to 130 countries. I didn't get to all of them, but I got to a lot of them. So I really got to see the amazing work that we do around the world. Wow. So it is humbling. Can be humbling. It is humbling, yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:06

Did it did it make you sit back now that you're done and go, okay, rotary's doing good? Or did you come back and say, okay, now, now especially that my knee is fixed, I I wanna, I wanna do this now, and I want to do this now, and I want to help with this. Did it it did it charge you or did it make you more reflective?

SPEAKER_00 18:29

I think what it did was remind me that we all are interested in changing the world. And that never stops. That never stops. We all, you know, I tell people constantly, look around, open your eyes, and you'll see something that that can be made better. And I and I think that's what the year of service as president really did. You know, I saw I saw so many things around the world. I saw issues in every avenue of service and beyond of things that Rotary is helping with and that Rotary can help with. So there's not going to be a lack of things for us to do. It's a big world, and the world needs to be a lovely problem though.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

Polio is fixed, hunger is fixed, everybody's got great sanitation, everybody's got a job. What should we do, you guys? That would be an awesome problem. I love it. So you said gratitude, and and I know you were talking more outer gratitude, like all the gratitude of these fabulous people and everything. But from a strictly humanitarian part, did you kind of go home and look at your house and go, Wow, look at this clean, beautiful water that's coming out of this tap? And look at my, I don't know, one, two, three bathrooms that I have in my house and my beautiful bed that I'm sleeping in tonight. Did that kind of gratitude change to going to the grocery store and going, God, we have so much food here?

SPEAKER_00 20:09

I think I have always had that perspective. Okay. Because I was so active early on in my career. I mean, I was I was going on rotary projects, you know, I've been in rotary 34 years. And in my first, I don't know, two or three years, I was already on the road going to polio immunization days and working on projects in the Dominican Republic and in Vietnam and all of it. So I've always had that perspective that we have so much. We have we have so much to be grateful for. And and it's part of our responsibility to make the world better for those people who don't have what we have.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

So it so you always had that gratitude. So it's so, but I'm sure it got a little bit more oomped a little bit, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_00 21:03

Or or no, it just kind of felt like no, I wouldn't. Yeah, I think it is. It is because you see so much more. Because you see so much more. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

So then we get to some of that part that you've seen. You went to 130 countries. Yes. I think, I think our our wonderful president from Germany got to go to more, and that's only because he zoomed everywhere. I was really proud of him. He's like, I'm gonna zoom everywhere. I mean, he didn't sleep for a year, he just zoomed into everybody. But 130 countries, what are some that really stick out? Just like the top of your head.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

Well, two that come to mind. The first is Slovakia. When I was president elect, I was also a president's rep to Slovakia. And I contacted the district governor and I said, by the way, my grandmother was born in Slovakia. She said, Really? Where? And I said, You know, I'm not sure. Somewhere in this region of Pachevska Novovesh, and that's the end of it. I get to Slovakia and find out that she had hired a genealogist. No Greek club of Preshov, together with you know some other people, they found the village my grandmother came from and they arranged for me to have a visit there. So I spent three hours there. Gwen I arrived in the village, and there were people dressed up in the Slova Kroia, the costumes, and there was a woman playing the accordion. My father played the accordion. I burst into tears and I cried for three hours. I go to this community center, and women came out of the kitchen. We've been baking and making all this food since 5 a.m. And it really, there were food things there that I haven't had since my grandmother passed away. And she passed away when I was 12. So I'm sitting there crying in the food and eating it. A movie about your grandmother. So I'm sitting there watching the life of Veronica Zilka. And in that video, the genealogist goes into a yard and sees a man and says, I'm looking for family of Veronica Zilka. And this man says, That would be me. And I turn around and there he was in the room. So Rotary found cousins that I didn't know existed. His grandmother and my grandmother were sisters. I didn't know he existed. He didn't know I existed. And so we were united, and I invited him to come to Calgary, and he and his wife and daughter came to Calgary. So that was an absolutely splendid moment for me. The other one that I want to share with you is my best story. You know, the president. So that last one is a pretty good best story, but please, okay, go ahead, drive the topic. So the president of Rotary is invited to Commonwealth Week in England. And I went to Commonwealth Week, and after the ceremony, there is a reception. And so we were at the reception, and both of their majesties came, and I got to meet Camilla first, and she was lovely, and we talked about literacy, but then I watched the king, and he would stop in front of somebody, shake his head, shake hands, and then move on. And the next person shake his head, shake hands, and move on. When he got in front of me, I introduced myself and then said how delighted we were that he was an honorary member of our organization. Well, he lit up like a Christmas tree and he started talking about the Rotary Club in London, about environmental projects. He knew about polio, he knew about the variants. He must have spent two minutes in front of me. We were talking about all sorts of things. Wow. Next morning, we were in the House of Commons, and my colleague introduced me to one of the lords, like a like a senator, and he turned around and he said, So you're the president of Rotary. And I didn't know what that meant. And he said, I was with the king this morning. We were planting trees in his garden, a small group of us, and the subject of environment came up, and the subject of civic responsibility, and then the subject of rotary. And he turned around and said to me, I met the president of Rotary yesterday. So King Charles met me.

SPEAKER_01 25:40

So so you were you were high-t conversation with the king. Yes, I didn't mean him, he met me. I think that is the greatest story. Oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 25:50

Those are two pretty great ones. I I think I think a lot of people forget that we are part of Commonwealth Week. And there's a famous story about the king's father, who you every once in a while would run across the street to go to Rotary. Oh yeah. Yeah. So cool. Yeah. Yeah. So so the king's talking about you, not not talking smack, which is important. So there you go.

SPEAKER_01 26:20

Right.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

And for all of us who will never know, so Camilla seems like a pretty nice person. We don't have any like royal family gossip that we can, you know, make sure the TMZ gets to hear nothing. They were just all lovely people. Gosh.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

She was great and she talked a lot about literacy. That's her thing. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

That's her thing. Well, gee, you mean they're ordinary people, Wani? Ordinary people in extraordinary roles, yes. So we go back to what you just talked about a few minutes ago, that you're just this girl from this small town in Pennsylvania, and the king's talking about you while he's planting trees at the palace.

SPEAKER_01 27:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:05

Isn't that amazing? It's very surreal, wouldn't you say? That's very like really, really, yeah. I mean, uh, truth is is uh funner than fiction, and funner is my word, we'll say. So the king talked about you, you got to meet your your cousins, any other countries poke out.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Well, you know, all of them were special, as I said, because Rotarians were so proud of everything. I mean, I saw so many projects and so many things that they were doing. In a lot of cases, you know, there wasn't time to see much of the country, but in some cases that that was built into the visit. I mean, when I think about the things I got to do, I got to climb Machu Picchu when I was in Peru. I mean, you know, right. If you would have asked me when I was 16 years old, sitting in Manessan High School in Western Pennsylvania, you know, what are you gonna do when you grow up? I would never have considered, well, gee, I'm gonna see, you know, all these all these places. I saw the pyramids in Egypt. You know, uh just amazing, just amazing things happened. And I think for that I'll be eternally grateful. I mean, that the there's nothing else I can do in my life, I think, that will top the experience I had during a year of being president of Rotary International.

SPEAKER_02 28:29

So you use this word proud, that that all of these people came and showed you stuff and they were so proud. And I have complained in the past that one of the worst things Rotarians do is that we don't brag enough. We don't tell people all the cool things. We don't tell people that Stephanie meets the king or that the Taliban is willing, we talk about it on the show all the time. The Taliban trusts us enough to take care of us to put drops in kids' mouths. So we don't we're cooler than we brag about. So have you noticed this maybe increase in pride? And would that pride kind of lead to us talking about ourselves more and getting ourselves out there?

SPEAKER_00 29:17

Maybe. Well, I've noticed it when I'm around Rotarians. Now, what happens when I'm not around them? I'm not sure, but I always talk about the fact that we need to be humble braggards. One of the things I say frequently is we talk to ourselves too much. When I'm in a big room filled with, you know, Rotarians or at a conference, who's in the room? And the Rotarians, okay? It's the people walking on the street who need to know about rotary. It's the people who are in the hotels who you know who need to know about rotary. We definitely need to do more because most people, if they haven't heard about rotary or know very little, they still think we're Romeo, rich old men who go out and eat. Right. And so we have to dispel that, despite how many magazine articles we have, how many podcasts we do, how much you know, PR. That's what's in people's minds. And so we are the ones that have to verbally show them, tell them, and and make them change that perception. It's our job to do that.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

And if it's our job to do that, I think our next generation is doing that. I mean, if you look at our rotor actors, if you look at our interactors, and if you look at some of our more vocal, fabulous uh current Rotarians, I think there is a new generation that is doing that, but they do sometimes hit up against people that are like, shh now, now that's gonna cost you ten dollars to break that much. And maybe you shouldn't tell people about that.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

Yeah, the the good news is that that generation those generations are using social media, which Rotarians who are seasoned, let's call them seasoned.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

Seasoned, good word. Okay, we're writing that one down.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

Seasoned seasoned did not grow up with social media. That's true, and they didn't grow up with that kind of you know.

SPEAKER_02 31:23

This romance will be televised.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

Yes, yes, correct. So that makes me extremely happy that those generations know how to use social media and know how to get the word out. And you know, every time I I open up uh something on my phone and I see an early act, you know, meeting somewhere or an interact, I get really excited, really excited.

SPEAKER_02 31:47

So you threw out this this number 1.2 million. I've heard up to 1.4, and then it that's when we used to count rotor actors, and now we don't count net rotor actors and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Let's just say we have over a million, we have a lot, right? We've also under your administration really started pushing these impact clubs and doing that changes, which is why I asked you the question a few minutes ago. So it's like under your year, we really started massaging this idea of we meet on Zoom and then once a month do an environmental project, or we meet those that that type of stuff and the numbers show those types of groups are growing. How do you feel about that? Because that really did really start kind of taking root under your administration, these impact clubs. How do you think those are doing?

SPEAKER_00 32:44

I think that's great. That's actually something that falls from our action plan. Correct. All the work that we did, you know, when we look at that second priority, expand our reach, that's what these new model clubs are doing. They're helping us reach a population who otherwise would have no interest coming to a country club and sitting with a bunch of people in suits and, you know, doing whatever it is they do. We have to continue to think along the lines of reaching populations who want to serve, who want to do good things, who want to change the community, want to change the world, but they don't want to do it in the traditional ways that have been out there. So I love the new club models. They are absolutely brilliant. Impact is just one of them. I mean, there are cause-based clubs and you know, all sorts of different ways. And you mentioned e-clubs that get together. So that that's going to propel us into a thriving future. We need to continue to stay on that track.

SPEAKER_02 33:55

So you still feel good about Rotary's future now that you've got to say absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

I feel more, I feel, I feel even better about the future now that I have served as president.

SPEAKER_02 34:12

That that's going to inspire some people who are listening to me right now, because you know, I I myself have been doing some some talks around the country and and around about having people find their passion. And I do it by telling some of the great stories of some of these fabulous people that I've met. And I say in my talk that if people find their their why, their reason to be a Rotarian, that I see by 2030 as having at least two million Rotarians. That's my goal personally, is two million Rotarians, if not more. And the way we do it is by people finding their passion. Do you think these types of clubs help foster that passion? And that's why they're growing? Because those types of clubs are very big in India, they're getting very big in Africa, they're getting very big in the continent on the continents of both Africa and Australia, and those areas are growing.

SPEAKER_00 35:12

And I think the reason is because they are adapting to people's lifestyles. I think the passion has always been there. Okay. Rotary, you know, Rotary started with a group of four individuals who had passion for, you know, meeting, developing relationships, and then using that to go out and do great things in the world. That passion's always been there. But what's different is our lifestyles have changed. And up until I don't know, maybe 20 or 30 years ago, Rotary around the world, every club did the same thing. They did four times a month, they took attendance, they they did pledges and sang and all that. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Sure. And if your club is doing that, Stephanie and I are not saying stop it right now. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Yeah, yeah, my club does something. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. But what I am saying is that there are people who want to do it differently. And so when Rotary admitted women that began our march into diversity, when we started looking at these new club models, we've we furthered that and said, you know, we want to have a way to allow anybody, anybody in our communities who have the heart and hands for service, there's a way for them to come into this organization.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

So you've talked about you loved it. We've talked about some of the great stories. You've talked about that you've had a little time to rest, but you're you're back at it though, because the day later you were a trustee. There was a couple things that came at the end of your year that I that I'm would be remiss if I didn't mention. And that is one, the decision to have rotary convention in Dubai, which has gotten a lot of back and forth. I've had some guests on this show saying that that are women. My first approach was I'm a woman. I'm a woman that's been in a very long-term relationship with another woman. I'm part of the LGBTQ community. And therefore, would I feel welcome? I don't want to wear some type of scarf on my head, even though I think the Muslim faith is a beautiful faith. It is not for me. I wouldn't know if I could, I'm a hugger. Deaf, I'm a hugger. So all of a sudden, could I go to a country where I could not hug somebody or I would have to be dressed modestly? And I'm finding from a lot of my Rotarian friends, including women, in some ways that I need to lighten up. Okay. In other ways, that am I missing out on an opportunity to introduce myself to another culture by because I have preconceived notions about Dubai. What is your feeling about Dubai?

SPEAKER_00 38:22

You know, our our convention teams that go and visit cities take all of these considerations in mind and and they ask these questions and they watch and they look and they visit many times. I mean, we're not going to land in Dubai, you know, after a phone call says, Yeah, hey, we're coming. No. 50,000 people coming. Let's do it. Yeah. There's there's a lot of research and a lot of back and forth that happens before a convention city is identified as a potential site. There, and you know, just as Rotary is changing, that is a that is a country that is changing, that is understanding what is happening outside of it, the confines of its geography. And so they want to be welcoming to other cultures. Now, certainly, you know, they've already expressed things about, you know, well, we're not, we won't, we wouldn't appreciate public uh displays of affection right on on a street, okay? And that could be that could be, you know, anybody. That could be male, female, female, female, male, male. They they just don't appreciate that. But you have to remember we're gonna be in a convention center. We're gonna be in our in our environment. A rotary bubble for no better. Yeah, we're gonna be there and we're gonna we're gonna put on the same kind of fabulous event that we have done for so many years. We're doing it in a country we have never visited before. We're doing it in a country in the Middle East. We have rotary in the Middle East. I think for a lot of reasons, I think it's a good decision to expand and go to a place that we haven't been before, especially because of the research and the dedication of our convention teams, both volunteer and staff, who have gone there repeatedly to investigate, to check, to make sure that what people are saying is actually what's happening. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 40:42

So so I I I I I would have to say to my listeners, let's let's let's leave an leave an open mind. I mean, maybe I do need to lighten up. Is that is that kind of how we feel? Well, I think we should go, and we should go to our rotary, absolutely. Well, we have one before then, by the way. So yeah. And then last but not least, and uh I I actually dedicated a whole show to this with our mutual friend Brian Rush, and we called it, we called the show Difficult Conversations at the last at your convention, which was supposed to be an evening of you and the celebration of you and your year. Uh we had a Nobel laureate that came on that had beliefs about Palestinians that were not agreed by all, is a nice way of saying it. I was unfortunately not at the convention, so I cannot speak to what she said. However, I did get an email from a Rotarian who proudly walked out and said, you know, God bless America, and that they were very insulted and left. So one people have the right to express themselves and people have the right to disagree and walk out. However, my question to you is not about what happened. My question to you is about that it happened. Did you even know that this type of stuff was going on and that people were that passionate about it? Because, in my opinion, they should have been there for you. You can disagree with who's on the stage, but I was there for Stephanie kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 42:30

Well, one of the things you may not know, or listeners may not know, is that every single thing that happens on stage is rehearsed. So when this woman was invited to attend and speak, she was going to be interviewed by Scott Simon. So they did have a rehearsal, and Scott Simon posed the questions to her during the rehearsal that he was going to ask her, and everything was fine. When the actual event occurred, she got on stage and hijacked, hijacked that segment. Okay. So Scott Simon did his best to let it run so that we would not be accused of uh stifling her uh freedom of freedom of speech. Right. We cannot be, yeah, go ahead. Yes, but he was also cognizant of the fact that she was going down uh a track that was gonna go on forever.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

So right, we call it off script.

SPEAKER_00 43:32

Yeah, in the bids, yeah. So he he did his best to to bring it to closure, but the the the fact is she hijacked the segment. It was not it was not what was rehearsed, it was not what we expected. So that was unfortunate, but again, you know, people voiced opinions on both sides of the matter. Absolutely. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 43:58

And you know, I I I think that's that's very interesting. And and we've as as people who know my background, I used to run stages in conventions like that. And so we have had people that have run long, we've had people that have rushed the stage, we've had people that have gone on their own tangents, and it's showbiz to me as the stage manager. I try and get to it to run it as as freely as possible. But from what I'm hearing from you though, is kind of like you care, but you don't care because it's just the part of life and everybody there was safe and got home in one piece and it just happened. Is that kind of what I'm hearing?

SPEAKER_00 44:49

Well I don't think there was anything we could have done to change it. And overall, you know, if you look at the convention from start to finish, it had many memorable, memorable segments, and people uh thoroughly enjoyed being in Calgary and were so glad that they went. So it was don't have to tarnish the whole event.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

This one action on this one point should not represent your year, your convention, or your no, not at all, not at all. All right, I love it. Okay, so thank you because those are the ones that came into me. Ask her about this, ask her about that. I I you know, I if freedom of speech is an interesting thing. And if we as you know, I I think it's very interesting that the difference between a a black power salute and a Nazi salute is literally extending your hand. And I think those are always something to remember, and they both have a right to be out there. So thank you for at least being classy enough as president to say, okay, okay, and the lights stayed on, and everything went great, and everybody got home in one piece, and there you go. All right. So what's next for your everyday life? Are are you home now? Are you just home?

SPEAKER_00 46:27

I'm home. Uh, you know, I'm I'm currently dealing with physical therapy three times a week, and I think I have another six weeks of that yet, and until you know, see if you didn't cut Machu Picchu, you would be fine. I did, I wore my knees out. I really did. And the bad news is I need to have the other one done. I probably won't do that until next fall because you know you really need to have about three months of of time when you can do the physical therapy. And I'm looking at my calendar and you know, being a trustee, you know, I I don't I can't do it, I can't do it right away. Well, probably probably next fall.

SPEAKER_02 47:06

I I thank you for fitting me in. And I know you're very busy, so I'm gonna take one more question, and then that's all I'm gonna do. And that is if what do you want people to remember from your presidency besides that you were single, besides somebody walked out, besides Dubai, besides all of these back and forths that we've had a wonderful conversation about? What does somebody want to remember about your presidency?

SPEAKER_00 47:31

That there is magic in Rotary, and there always will be, and we need to continue to tell that story.

SPEAKER_02 47:41

Amen, sister. Thank you so much, ex-Man President. It's been a pleasure, Glenn. I love being with you. Oh, thank you. I don't like to use the word past president because well especially I don't use past, I use previous.

SPEAKER_00 47:57

Because past sounds like P-A-S-S-E-D, and I ain't dead yet.

SPEAKER_02 48:02

No, and I always say when they always put past district governor or rest in peace kind of thing, it's like Rotary International president's like, oh, I don't want we don't we want you guys all to last a very long time.

SPEAKER_00 48:15

In South America, they do PRI, President Rotary International.

SPEAKER_02 48:20

There you go. And I'm better. Yeah, I do, I do. Stephanie Yurchick, thank you so much for being on the show today. It's been wonderful to see your face with Glen. Thank you. Bye. Thank you, Stephanie! What a great conversation. And we did go all over the place, and that is what so much fun with catching up with these Rotary International presents. Yes, they all are exhausted afterwards. Yes, they have to kind of rub their eyes and just kind of go, wow, did that did that two years just happen? Yes, they finally get to hang out in their houses again. Yes, they finally get to see their family again. Yes, they even have a chance to get a new meeting or two. But it's great, isn't it? I mean, when all is said and done, these are Rotarians, just like you and me. They wear that same pin. They join us all around the world in the magic that is Rotary. And in this case, the magic that is definitely your chick. As always, thank you so much for listening to the show. If you have a Rotarian that I should know about, please shoot me an email. Rotarian Pod, all one word, RotarianPod at gmail.com. Have uh people follow us and subscribe and all that other good stuff. And uh, hmm, I guess this is when I sign off. Take care of yourself and the world around you, and we'll hear you next time, right here on the Action to Impact Podcast. Have a wonderful week, everybody. We'll talk to you soon.