Stefanie Olson | YWCA Women of Excellence
TK: What inspires you?
STEFANIE: I am inspired by work that builds agency in the lives of others. Regardless of circumstance, I believe it is the ability to see a path forward that keeps us getting out of bed in the morning. I love to be part of the support system for others, either personally or in my work. The connections that lift help us lift each other up are very exciting to me.
TK: What have you learned about yourself through the challenges of the past year and a half?
STEFANIE: I love the slower pace of pandemic life. The quiet time has fed my soul. I want to be able to preserve some of this quiet moving forward.
TK: How do you take care of yourself?
STEFANIE: Jazzercise has been an important part of my life since college. I love that time to exercise, meet friends, and have fun. I wish I could say a deep meditation practice, or something else that feel more evolved is my saving grace, but an hour working out to pop music is what sets me right!
TK: What is the best advice you've ever been given? Or what advice do you have for others?
STEFANIE: Progress moves at the speed of trust. I think we really do need to work on our relationships and build trust. Without trusting relationships established, the policies and practices that will lead to justice and equity cannot succeed. Be consistent, be honest, show up, speak up when you need to but also listen when you should to slowly build trusting relationships and genuine partnerships.
TK: What is your vision for our community? Has it changed through the pandemic and racial justice reckoning of 2020?
STEFANIE: I love right now the phrase "a rising tide raises all boats." I would like our community to truly invest in equity for all its members. I think a zero sum mentality is really working against us in Kansas. We have to start spreading the message that improving the social determinants of health for one group does not mean taking from another -we will all benefit from the end of inequitable policy and practices. The racial justice reckoning has really laid bare the systemic nature of many policies and practices. Seeing how inequity has been designed can show us how it can be redesigned. We keep our lives so small when we fear that our neighbors' benefit can only come at our expense.
TK: The mission of YWCA is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. What does YWCA's mission mean to you?
STEFANIE: The dignity piece of this statement is dear to me. Having dignity encompasses all the pieces we work for including economic stability, agency, getting to define yourself and how you want to live and be in the world and in your own body. If we each have that and respect that for each other the peace and justice piece can flow easily. Racism and freedom would also be a given if each of us has dignity and really feels their own sense of worth and can recognize that sense of worth in each other.
The YWCA is on a mission to empower women at all stages in their careers. Diversity in leadership is particularly vital to our vibrant business community in the Greater Topeka Area.
