Speak Arizona

033. The Lazy Members’ Approach to Pathways - Episode 5: To Serve and Protect

[@btwells] A podcast from Trish Blackwelder, DTM, PDG — Episode 5 of 5

Part of my role as Pathways Chair was to manage the D3 Pathways Facebook page and user group.  The thought of posting on social media made my stomach turn; it just makes me uncomfortable.  So I knew my only solution was to venture into that digital space under an alter-ego using an email address of btwells.  Little did I realize the ripple effect I’d now have to live with! Still, the risk will be worth it if my final steps to The Lazy Members’ Approach help other members enjoy their Pathways experience – Thank you for listening!

032. The Lazy Members’ Approach to Pathways - Episode 4: To Learn or Not to Learn

[@btwells] A podcast from Trish Blackwelder, DTM, PDG — Episode 4 of 5

My personal standard has long been that I will not ask someone to do something that I’m not willing to do myself.  Each time I’ve prepared a Pathways presentation, it was based on things I’d experienced myself as I explored Pathways.  I wanted to have personally tested anything I was going to suggest people do themselves. I thought it might be interesting to take a peek into how I learn.

031. The Lazy Members’ Approach to Pathways - Episode 3: Not One, But Two

[@btwells] A podcast from Trish Blackwelder, DTM, PDG — Episode 3 of 5

Well into my third and fourth Paths now, I was struggling to sustain my speaking pace. Leadership Paths are great for leadership skills, but not so great for speaking more frequently on the meeting schedule. That’s when it hit me…I was missing my old Competent Communicator manual.  Good thing I’d already rediscovered how to recreate that experience in Pathways!

030. The Lazy Members’ Approach to Pathways - Episode 2: Now What? Am I Really Lost Without a Manual?

[@btwells] A podcast from Trish Blackwelder, DTM, PDG — Episode 2 of 5

Okay….I’m 100% onboard, but how do I make this work for me without a physical manual? It really came down to rekindling a great idea I’d put in place years ago, and getting one new thing in place that has made all the difference.

029. The Lazy Members’ Approach to Pathways - Episode 1: Enjoy the Experience

[@btwells] A podcast from Trish Blackwelder, DTM, PDG. Episode 1 of 5

The term “new normal” may well describe 2020 but even before the pandemic, I’d heard that term frequently used in a post-retirement sense.  After supporting the district Pathways deployment for over three years, it was time to move on to my next step. But also having officially reached the “senior age bracket,” what would that “new normal” become in my Toastmasters journey? Four basic conclusions would help me define just that.

028. The Lazy Members’ Approach to Pathways - Introduction

[@btwells] A podcast from Trish Blackwelder, DTM, PDG — Introduction

With the Pathways deployment now complete, Past District 3 Pathways Chair Trish Blackwelder returned her energies to her own Pathways journey, taking on the Level 4 elective “Create a Podcast.”  After previewing an episode with her club to complete the speech requirement, she was encouraged to offer the full 62-minutes of material to Grand Canyon Echoes Podcast for final publication in order to finish the project requirement.  This audio ‘diary’ reflects not only her personal Toastmasters journey, but also how the impact of reaching the “senior age bracket” is influencing how she continues that journey.  That exploration became this five-episode series entitled “The Lazy Members’ Approach to Pathways.”  Because her Pathways contributions have taken her beyond the borders of District 3, Trish adopted the pseudonym of “btwells” for use in social media circles.  Given the Grand Canyon Echoes Podcast broader audience, it was decided to publish this series using her social media pseudonym instead.

027. Getting to Know the District Trio

Grand Canyon Echoes met with the 2020-2021 District 3 Toastmasters senior leadership team so that our listeners can get to know them better. The members of the Trio are Club Growth Director, Karen Hewitt, DTM; Program Quality Director, David Hopper, DTM; and District Director, Peter Salazar, DTM. In this episode, each of them shared how they got started in Toastmasters, the challenges they've faced, and the benefits of being active in Toastmasters leadership.  They also shared about an embarrassing Toastmasters moment! This session was recorded Sep. 3, 2020 via Zoom and a video version of the interview is available on the District 3 YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/ToastmastersDistrict3). 

026. Robert O’Donnell – 2019 Presidential Citation Recipient

(Sedona, Arizona) — Grand Canyon Echoes traveled to Sedona to interview Robert O’Donnell, DTM, PDG. Robert is a 36-year Toastmaster and recipient of a 2019 Presential Citation from Toastmasters International President Lark Doley. Listen to learn about Robert’s rise through the ranks of Toastmasters leadership and his current volunteer work providing statistical data to districts around the world. Robert may be reached by email: rod4id@att.net   (Recorded January 4, 2020)

025. Cindy Brown - Applying Toastmasters to Real Life

(Cave Creek, Arizona) — Meet Cindy Brown, a charter member of the Junior League of Phoenix Toastmasters. In the three years since the club started, Cindy has learned communications and leadership skills and applied them to earning an important position within the Junior League of Phoenix organization, and starting a new business. Listen as Cindy explains how joining Toastmasters has made a big difference in her professional life. (Recorded January 2, 2020)  

024. David Hopper & Region Advisor Violetta Rios

The podcast was honored to interview District 3 Club Growth Director David Hopper and the Region Advisor, Violetta Rios. We learned about the role of Region Advisor and the many ways our leadership team had benefitted from Violetta’s visit from Monterrey, Mexico. (Recorded December 13, 2019)