Curious Coworkers: BLD Southeast, Lessons from Burnout to Balance

Ever felt like you're being swallowed up by perfectionism, especially when seeking investment for your business? Or felt the pressing need to start taking care of yourself more to avoid burnout? Join Brittany and Benn as we unpack a treasure trove of insights gleaned from our recent adventure at the BLD Southeast Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. This was no mundane conference. It was a vibrant gathering of purpose-driven businesses, a celebration of unity, and a space for transformative conversations.

The panel on preventing burnout was a game-changer. It made us rethink our work-life balance and taught us the importance of finding joy beyond our professional lives. We delved into the concept of planning sprints and discussed the life-altering difference between soul singing and soul sighing. But the learning did not stop there. Our breakout sessions were enlightening, as we explored the intricacies of seeking investor funds without succumbing to perfectionism, the necessity of intentional community in the B Corp space, and the hard work that embracing diversity involves.

But the BLD Southeast was more than just panel discussions and breakout sessions. It was a journey of experiences that spanned a walking tour of Downtown Raleigh, an inclusive Networking session including the new Be Proud network, and the welcoming warmth of the B Corp community. So, let us take you on this journey. Listen as we share our stories, our insights, and the powerful lessons we learned about unity, diversity, self-care, and the strength of a well-knit community. Because at the end of the day, it's all about finding our shared purpose and celebrating it.

Quick Links
Blog Post: BLD SE 2023: Uniting the Southeast B Corp Community
Find Your B Local
Attend a BLD

Dirigo Collective Website

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:18

Welcome to Curious Co-workers. A responsibly different talk show exploring the challenges that arise when our interests conflict with our values.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Hello and welcome everyone to Curious Co-workers. On today's episode, Brittany and I share the extraordinary experience that we recently had at the Southeast Build. It's the BLD or B Corp Leadership Development Conference in the Southeast. Before we dive in, let me set the stage for you. Picture yourself in Raleigh, North Carolina, in the birthplace of B academics, in the heart of the research triangle, on North Carolina University's campus, surrounded by purpose-driven businesses from all across the Southeast. The BLD Southeast represents the gathering of B locals and B Corps from across the Southeast, with communities as far south as Miami, as far west as New Orleans and as far north as Washington DC. The BLD Southeast 2023 Conference was more than just a gathering. It was a celebration of togetherness, a testament to the strength of the B Corp community in the Southeast.

Speaker 2: 1:49

Brittany and I have been deeply involved in the B Corp community, having organized the New England build in both 2021 and 2022. This time, attending a build as guests in the region, we discovered a whole new dimension of connection and inspiration. The BLD or, again, B Corp Leadership Development, is not your typical conference. It's a platform where local B Corps come together to learn, chair experiences and forge bonds that go beyond the traditional confines of business transactions, and it's a reminder that we're part of something bigger, a movement that extends far beyond our day-to-day operations.

Speaker 2: 2:32

In this episode, Brittany and I will be sharing some of our key takeaways, insights and wisdom we gained from the BLD Southeast 2023 Conference, From the powerful, impactful conversations to the importance of self-care. We'll unpack it all, so grab your favorite beverage, find a comfy spot and join me as we reflect on the profound sense of unity and shared purpose that defines our vibrant B Corp community. Hello Brittany, Hi Ben, I'm super excited for our chat today. We're for folks listening at home. We're about a week yeah, less than a week away from BLD Southeast, which took place in Raleigh, North Carolina, last week, and I know for myself it had a pretty profound impact on me personally and how I'm going to be moving forward. I'm curious, before we jump into that, what top-line big takeaways? What are you walking away from the conference thinking about?

Speaker 1: 3:41

I think for me, the number one energizer that happened was I felt like the community did a really good job welcoming in outsiders. I think they realized that a lot of people were traveling for this conference. Granted, the Southeast is a very large region, so it wasn't strange for people to be like oh yeah, I drove five hours, 10 hours, I got on a plane, whatever it was, to come to this conference, so I didn't feel like an outsider, the way that I thought I was going to feel like an outsider. But the point of me bringing this up is that I felt like the organizing committee did a really good job, giving the history of how there be local in North Carolina started, was founded, who the leading B Corps were, and I really appreciated having that perspective.

Speaker 2: 4:34

Yeah, absolutely that context, I think, was definitely helpful. They also had a really great and I really appreciated this and kind of bookmarked this in my own mind from when we start to think about the next New England build. They had a great table that showed all of the regions and all of the different B local groups across the Southeast, ranging I think the furthest north was DC and then, of course, the furthest south being Florida for good, and then, I think, as far west as New Orleans. I'll have to check that it might have been in Alabama, unsure, but still quite the swath of geography to your point, which I think is really cool. Getting into some of the sessions, what were some of your session highlights?

Speaker 1: 5:20

I think this session that I remember the most, and I was the most present in it as well, was the burnout session, for sure, and a few things kind of came into play for me for that session. But my mind goes to like logistics first, and logistically speaking, having a session where it's a panel and it's in a really big room and the whole conference is there, is hard for me to really get involved and not feel like I'm just a number in the room. So I understand why you do keynotes, I understand why you do the big panels. I'm not here to knock those down, but as an attendee I love the small breakout sessions. So there was in the afternoon of the conference. They did two breakout sessions and the one that I wanted to go to was the burnout session. But luckily for me the burnout session was in and it was preventing burnout. It wasn't like, yeah, go get burnt out. Just to make that clear for everybody. It was preventing burnout.

Speaker 1: 6:24

But that session was in the smaller back room and it was my first time in that room all day and just the lighting in there really smoked me. It was like this wall of windows behind the speakers, but we were up a few levels, so it wasn't distracting, it was encouraging, it made the outside feel like it was a part of the room, but then the room itself was pretty small. I mean there was a ton of people in there. Sure, I didn't look around to see how many seats were still open, but I did really just, I appreciated not feeling like I was just a number in that room.

Speaker 1: 6:55

I sat close to the panel and they did such a great job, kind of like like they had this banter going back and forth with the audience a little bit too, which I did appreciate. And they asked. They left room for the audience to ask questions at the end, which I love. A good audience Q&A when the audience and you can tell when the audience is like, really into it or not. And I felt like the audience in that room could have had that panel go on for another two, three, four hours. Like the speakers were phenomenal.

Speaker 2: 7:24

Yeah, absolutely, I think for me that was that space was really huge for me. One of the speakers was Dr Valencia Bell and she shared this really great exercise where each week her and her niece take out a piece of paper, they draw a line down the middle and on one side they list all the things that are bringing them joy and then the other side is all the things that bring them joy at work. So your joy column can't all come from work. That, like you, have to have other things outside of work that bring you joy. And that exercise I did myself after, like at the end of that day and I found it to be really rewarding and felt really fortunate that after that panel ended up sticking around and talking with Dr Bell and a few other folks and felt compelled to really kind of reorganize and restructure some of the commitments I have in my own life.

Speaker 2: 8:21

I have, you know, since coming back from the bill and this is kind of a big deal for me for anyone who knows me I tend to be quick to raise my hand for things and have since stepped back from the board of the Equality Community Center, All of my committee commitments there, as well as the Communications Committee for Teens to Trails. Both organizations I love, both I'll continue to support in whatever ways I can and I think it's important. And a big lesson that came out of that for me was the response wasn't like a guilting oh, but actually can you do more? It was very supportive and very like, loving and kind from both of those communities. So hopefully sharing that experience with our listeners can encourage them to also do some self-reflecting and prioritizing of what's important to them.

Speaker 1: 9:12

I think the important thing to just name there too, is like I think the best case scenario for you, ben, yes, was to step down, but I think for others too, the one thing that really stuck out to me was you don't always have to step down, but if you are involved in a bunch of organizations or volunteer activities, it's this like idea of planning your sprints and like being intentional with your rest days and being intentional with the moments where you are sprinting with doing a ton of work.

Speaker 1: 9:42

It was initially Lavanya Jones who kept saying this idea of planning your sprints and I did really appreciate that because to me, there's moments where we get so sucked into things and burnout is real and I'm not saying I don't want to ever do things that I'm super passionate about again, but, being the planner that I am, it's like think about the fact that you're going to be super busy for those few days, that week, that month, whatever it is, and then be really intentional about what comes after that sprint. Like what can you ensure that you do, that you can rest and you find your personal joy? So it's not saying like don't step up and don't do the thing the volunteer activity that maybe you're passionate about, but it's be intentional that, after you do what you did, find time for yourself, have that self care.

Speaker 2: 10:36

Yeah, absolutely, and actually something else that came out of that session was this concept that I loved. I feel like I often talk about like what makes your heart sing, but they were talking about soul singing versus soul sighing, and I think we all can relate to those moments when you know maybe you're soul sighing and it's not singing right Until like really, really listen, really listen to what that is and what that might mean. Yeah, that was super, super powerful for sure. I know the other, kind of more tactical I went to a session about and I'll own I don't know a whole lot about investing, like financial investing in terms of like seeking out investor funds, and so I went to a really great panel about that and some of the big kind of interesting takeaways that I think could be helpful to listeners.

Speaker 2: 11:28

Is that the thing that a lot of and they had three I'm going to own, I don't remember their names, I can look it up and drop it in the show notes for folks but the three panels they had are all from different funds that literally all they do is fund startups. That's like what they do, and something that they all kind of agreed across the board is like yes, of course you want to be put together, of course you want to be prepared to come to those table, come to that table and make those asks, and not to the perfect get in the way of the good. Something that they expressed is that a lot of times you know it's a several month evolution to getting funded and that there's coaching all along that way. So, especially in the impact space, keeping in mind, like you know, I think a good mantra is not letting the perfect get in the way of the good, but I thought that that was a good reminder even in that space.

Speaker 1: 12:20

And that was your morning breakout session, correct?

Speaker 2: 12:22

Yes, yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:24

Yeah, so good job dividing and conquering on this one. So when you went to that, I went to be intentional, which was also a panel, and it was all it was promoting. All about like and I forget who said it, but it was like we all in the B Corp space are each other's best resources. So it was all about like, being intentional and using B Corps when you can and supporting B Corp. So I know back from my days of being a beekeeper at Revision. I was always sharing discount codes that B Corp employees could get from other B Corps. I was always promoting like, buy from B Corp, like, vote with your dollar, and all of that stuff. It still ranks true and it's so fascinating how there are a lot of people out there that don't realize that the B Corp community is supportive and we all want to help each other. So like, be using each other and, like you know, just use each other.

Speaker 1: 13:18

So what was really cool about this panel is they all talked for a few moments about a smaller topic and what they wanted to talk in depth about when it comes to being intentional. So I ended up going to the one where it was being intentional creating community and it got me really. You know, ben, it's been a year. We didn't do a BLD in New England this year, so it really got me like back, thinking like be intentional about your local community. And I think for me, with Deergo being a remote company, I have really appreciated and maybe taken for granted the fact that there are B Corps right in my backyard and I'm not connecting with them. And I think I need to. I need to find this and y'all listening to the podcast, let me know if you want to get involved, but I think I like really need to find a way to help bring my local B Corp community together more often.

Speaker 2: 14:15

And so for you that's New Hampshire, right Like Southern New Hampshire.

Speaker 1: 14:19

I'm thinking Southern New Hampshire, portsmouth, maybe there's some Southern Maine events, maybe there's some Northern Mass events. I'm just realizing that in New England there is a hub of B Corps. I'm kind of in the middle of quite a bit of them but yet I don't do a great job connecting with B Corps that aren't just like friends, I guess, like employees that work at B Corps that have slowly become friends Like sure I keep up with them. But this session just really did a great job of saying like you can start a movement even as just one person.

Speaker 1: 14:49

And I don't regret not helping plan a build New England this year because I had some personal things going on that I needed to focus on. But it doesn't take a lot of effort to just plan like a networking event. So who knows, maybe it'll be a responsibly different branded and not necessarily a be local branded event. But I'm thinking I want to just advertise come grab drinks, come do coffee with me at this coffee shop, because in the remote world it is really nice to still have your local in person community that you can connect with. So that's kind of what I really took away from that be intentional breakout session in my morning.

Speaker 2: 15:26

I love that. I love that and I think too, we're not alone. There are plenty of other folks that are fully remote. Now too, be locals are a great way to find some of those folks. So for folks listening in other parts of the country like, find your, be local, the closest one to you, and get in touch with those folks and if there aren't a lot of things happening in your area, like you know Britt said, can manifest something yourself.

Speaker 1: 15:51

All right, ben. So I feel like we kind of need to get into the crux of what I felt like was the mover and shaker of the conference, and to me that was the panel that was titled diversity and action embracing the hard work. And, again, a panel of amazing experts speaking their truth up on stage in front of such a large audience, and I commend them for embracing the hard work, speaking about their hard work, but then, like you know, just so open and honest, like communicating with us all, and I want to hear from you, I guess, like what about that session? Like struck you, what's sticking with you?

Speaker 2: 16:35

Oh my gosh, there's so much there. I mean, I think some of the big things from that session is like the you know and I don't know that this is necessarily news, but I think it's always like a good reminder that like it's so important to always be leaning into the work and always be like committed to learning and growing and that that never ends. You know that that never ends. I mean, one of the folks on stage was Jared Myers of Legacy Vacation Resorts and Climate First Bank and know he shared a little bit about, like, his journey as a white man and a little bit about like white men for racial justice, and I've known Jared through that work and that's not like. That's not like, oh, I went to a class and I'm done. It's like no, like you meet every Tuesday like in perpetuity, like it's. You know, it's something that you're always learning and growing and yeah, and that's important.

Speaker 2: 17:33

I thought, in terms of my personal takeaway too, actually hearing Jared speak was a good catalyst for me when he shared that he actually one of the things that's really important to him is how he brings the learning that he's doing back to his company, and so I've actually I actually just reached out to Jared a couple of days ago to connect, to learn more about what that looks like for him and his company, to learn how I can do that better. For us here at Deerego Because I do think that's important too is creating those spaces with intention for that growth and learning, so that we can bring others along on our journeys, because there's a lot of, I think, value in that collective growth and learning. Yeah, what are for you?

Speaker 1: 18:23

I think what was impactful for me from that session was just seeing and hearing how everybody down in the South is so committed to this movement and to this work that even when they're met with challenges or obstacles or legislation, their wording might change.

Speaker 1: 18:45

So maybe they can't say DEI, maybe they can't say CSR or ESP, but they're all still doing the work and they're finding their own detours to get them around the roadblocks to where they need to go to still be able to say they're doing the work.

Speaker 1: 19:05

I mean, none of this is groundbreaking stuff, but it was just so nice being in a room of people all agreeing and saying the same thing and the one thing that the panelists kept saying was just like when the divisive language is interweaved through who you are as a business and what you do as a business, people are either going to get on board or they're not. So weaving in your mission, your values, why you exist as a business, into every decision that you make is ultimately going to make you stronger. So it was kind of just like draw your line in the sand, stand on the side that you want to be standing on and then stand up for that side, and companies can't be wishy-washy anymore and we know this again. It's nothing new, but it was like do the work, don't just talk about it, and make sure it's fully a part of what you do.

Speaker 2: 20:04

Yeah, I think that's a good point and I think also lifting up there was definitely the table stakes felt higher being in the South, right, I mean something that I hate to keep picking on Jared, but like something that you know that he mentioned is the Stop Woke Act happening in Florida Legacy Vacation Resorts, climate First Bank.

Speaker 2: 20:21

They're based in Florida. They by law cannot require DEI trainings, like they're not allowed to do that, right, and so it's some of these things that you know, while we're based we're a remote team, but we're based in Maine and you know, we're fortunate that none of our folks live in places where that legislation impacts us as an organization. The stakes are real and they're high and that, I think, is just so important for all of us to keep in mind that what's happening in some of those Southern states can happen in other parts of the country. And there are, you know, I mean, even here in the state of Maine, there has been some legislation proposed. It didn't pass, but there are, you know, I think there's an awareness that we all have to keep and to stay diligent and know that this isn't something, a fight that you win or lose, but that is an ongoing effort to make that education available to everyone.

Speaker 1: 21:21

Yeah, and I'll just lift up here that B-Lab has a lot of resources. So if companies are struggling or need support, if you can't find what you need, reach out to us. Ben and I are here to help. We'll point you in the right directions of where you can get some resources to help too.

Speaker 2: 21:36

Absolutely, absolutely. And we'll put a bunch in the show notes too for folks, so you can find them quickly and easily.

Speaker 1: 21:43

Overall, though, I would just say there were differences between this BLD and the New England BLD. There were similarities. I think the number one thing that I'm walking away with is just feeling like it. Just it doesn't matter where you are Like. You are so welcome and accepted in any B Corp community, even if it's only meant for people that live in the South or work in the South. That's not the case. So I felt so appreciated and accepted for being there, and there was no better way to be welcomed than with the we the Change Breakfast on that first morning, which was optional, but it was such a great group of women and allies and it was a small group too.

Speaker 1: 22:30

Again, covid just ruined me, the pandemic ruined me, and I love small gatherings now. So at a conference, with what? 250 people? This breakfast that was a little bit more smaller was really, really great for me. And then I absolutely loved my walking tour of Downtown Raleigh again on that first day. It was so special to see how the community, the B Corp community, was stepping up and helping the Downtown area. So, yeah, just really really loved that. The conference was more than one day. You had some optional things to attend and they were maybe smaller groups too, so it was easier to connect with people.

Speaker 2: 23:14

Yeah, absolutely I mean, and that breakfast there was probably still like what 30, 40 folks at it Like it was still a good showing for sure, especially for a day that's like a, I think, was a travel day for a lot of folks.

Speaker 1: 23:28

Ben, I almost completely forgot. But right before lunch they did the network networking, I guess we'll call it, and you got up on stage and you talked about Be Proud. Why don't you tell everybody about that?

Speaker 2: 23:40

Oh yeah, well, thanks, britt. Yeah, it was fun. So basically, be Proud is a network, so B Lab has created these networks for either identities or affinity groups, like professional groups, for you to be able to network within your field or identity group. So we and when I say we, certainly it's been a labor of love for folks that has been in the works since even before me, back in 2019. But officially just launched last week is the Be Proud network, and so the Be Proud network is working to serve the LGBTQ plus community in the B Corp space, helping folks make connection, like build meaningful connection and support, while also providing learning opportunities and journeys for businesses and our allies. So it's definitely a welcoming and inclusive network and so really excited and proud of that work. Thanks, yeah.

Speaker 1: 24:41

So you got up on stage and what was really cool about this format was there was a representative maybe not a leader, but a representative of every network that exists in the community and they had what Nathan was like, timing people to only three sentences or like 60 seconds, whatever. Nobody met that. That was a. That was ridiculous. But it was like speed dating. Everybody got up, gave their little pitch and they were like oh, come talk to me more, come learn more about my network, here's what we do.

Speaker 1: 25:12

And then attendees could go around and they had 10 minutes and there were two different sessions, I guess, where they went around and the leaders, the representatives of the groups, continued to talk about what they were doing, what they were up to, what's coming up for them. And I didn't attend the Be Proud one. I ended up going to the marketers network one, which was super great. I learned a lot of things about them and since already, since BLD Southeast, they already have had an event and it was a great event. But yeah, I guess do you want to talk a little bit about the people that you met that did come to your, your little breakout group, during that session.

Speaker 2: 25:53

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I guess, just for clarity too, my role with Be Proud is as co-chair with Kel Moody, who's based in Portland, oregon, so between the two of us we've got both Portland's covered. And then, just like, tim Frick has been amazing in bringing that to fruition, along with Amanda Yon, who's the administrative lead for the group. So, and more more folks too, kevin Lee has been super helpful, like I feel like I can name a bunch of folks that like helped bring that network to life. So so grateful for everyone who's been involved. And then the folks that stopped by to your point during that kind of network meet and greet session definitely met a lot of new faces, which was great. So it's something that we did kind of fly on the moment.

Speaker 2: 26:42

This was kind of more my community organizer coming out was grabbed people's emails, which you know for folks listening or planning events. Grabbing people's emails is important. To date we've done all of our communication through the Be Hive and recognizing that a lot of folks in that room are in process of certifying, they're not certified yet or they're, you know, new to the Be Corp movement and so wanted to be really inclusive of everyone who wanted to be involved, so captured emails so that we could keep those folks in the loop as to what we're up to, so they can make it to events and things. So cause all of our events are virtual.

Speaker 1: 27:19

You bring up a really interesting point, something that I, like I don't know, wasn't expecting, didn't think of, but, like there were so many community members, I guess is what I'll call them at the BLD, where they were thinking about getting certified, just submitted for certification thinking about it, nonprofit government workers it wasn't just B-Corps in that room, which I think is so important to lift up. You don't have to be at a B-Corp or own a B-Corp to be involved in the B-Corp community. It was really, really cool to see how many quote-unquote newbies there were in the room. I found myself educating them and welcoming them to the community a lot. I was like this is not my community to be welcoming you into. But here you go.

Speaker 2: 28:14

I think that's what's so powerful about the B-Corp movement. Right, we are building a movement To build a movement. We want to be as inclusive as we can be and inviting people along the way. I got started in the B-Corp movement air quote or started joining calls and doing things in the community back in 2020, which was a whole two years before we ever even certified. The community welcomed me with open arms Without that warm welcome and support and feeling seen in all the spaces, which is a whole other conversation, but can be really hard sometimes. I love this community so much and just want to pay the welcome I've had forward and hope that others have that same positive experience, as I feel very confident they will.

Speaker 1: 29:05

A great way to do that, other than planning a whole BLD for people to come to.

Speaker 2: 29:10

Speaking of, what do you think about planning old in 2024?

Speaker 1: 29:15

Wow, ben, I feel like you just put me on the spot. I'm going to say community, I'm reaching out to all of you. Why don't you tell us if you want to build and help us push that forward? If you do.

Speaker 2: 29:29

Yeah, if you're interested for Reels, though, in helping with a New England build. We are certainly not the deciders of if that happens or not, but we can certainly start getting folks together. Thanks y'all. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode. Also want to give a special shout out to the organizers of Build Southeast. It took many hands and a true labor of love to put on such a great conference, sending lots of love and appreciation to Nathan Stuck and Mel Hubner and the rest of the volunteers and sponsors that made the event possible.

Speaker 2: 30:21

Be sure to check out our show notes to find your B Corp community and B Local organizers and if this sounds like something you want to experience, there are two more builds happening this year. Canada is doing their build October 19th and Michigan is doing theirs October 26th, and, as always, we have the quick, easy links for you right in the show notes. Our ask for help from you is that, if you're enjoying this content, leave us a review on Apple podcasts. It helps more folks like yourself find this podcast. Thank you, we appreciate you and until next time, be responsibly different.