Speak Arizona

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)

023: Bob Myers, District 3 Evaluation Contest Champion

Bob Myers, winner of the May 2019 District Evaluation Contest, tells how he prepares for contests and mentors his club members to be great evaluators and speakers. (Recorded October 21, 2019)

022. Trish Blackwelder, DTM, PDG – “All Things Pathways”

In this episode, Trish Blackwelder explains the Toastmasters Pathways program philosophy and highlights the latest program improvements. She also discusses her role as the District 3 Pathways Chair. Trish and her team are ready to help with all your questions at pathways@aztoastmasters.org or visit the Pathways page on the District 3 website at aztoastmasters.org. (Recorded October 19, 2019)

021. Steve Enteman — All the World‘s a Stage

When he joined Toastmasters, Steve Enteman just wanted to improve his speaking skills, but he soon learned he had a talent for winning speech contests. Listen as Steve recounts his most recent contest experience and the people in his club who helped get him started. (Recorded October 15, 2019) 

020. Michele Zalak & Marc Blanchette—“Melrose: The Musical”

Michele and Mark share their experiences with the annual Melrose Toastmasters musical meeting held in June. With musical examples, they demonstrate what Melrose members and guests can look forward to every year. (Recorded October 13, 2019)

019. Nancy Starr-Cassidy—"Leading From the Back of the Room"

When Nancy Starr-Cassidy went to work at Salt River Project in the 90s, she had no idea what was in store for her. Listen as Nancy shares about her start in Toastmasters, the people who believed in her, and some of her many accomplishments along the way. (Recorded October 2, 2019)