Samantha Meseke | YWCA Women of Excellence Honoree
What inspires you to get up and do the work?
My children, I know my every action, my every word, and how I act in this crazy world will shape them. I try to be the best (not perfect) mother I can be, to raise kind, loving, and giving young men.
What have you learned about yourself through the challenges you have overcome?
I often refer to this quote in regards to challenges, "Sometimes, you get what you want. Other times, you get a lesson in patience, timing, alignment, empathy, compassion, faith, perseverance, resilience, humility, trust, meaning, awareness, resistance, purpose, clarity, grief, beauty, and life. Either way, you win." (Brianna Wiest). I have learned about strengths I didn't know I had when it comes to challenges, especially as a mother. I think we all have challenging experiences that help us grow into better versions of ourselves.
How do you take care of yourself?
Sometimes I have to remind myself it isn't selfish to take care of myself, again as a mother of two young children finding time for the basic needs can be hard. You can't give what you don't have. Along the lines of self-care, music is often my go-to. Music speaks to me, I think it has the ability to inspire and change lives.
Gratitude is another one, it can change the way you feel and think, I often take time to pause and acknowledge how blessed I am. My boss recently spoke of gratitude by sharing a quote, "Trade your expectations for appreciation, and the world changes instantly."
What is the best advice you've ever been given? Or what advice do you have for others?
Again, this comes from my boss (must be a smart guy!?) Develop the talent you have not the one that you want. Stop trying to develop your weaknesses and focus on your strengths. Putting time and effort into developing the abilities that are a weakness only takes away from leveraging your abilities that are a strength and probably get you working outside of your natural state, which can be stressful and unproductive. Take recognition of your strengths. If you don't know what your strengths are, ask your peers.
What is your vision for our community? Has it changed through the pandemic and racial justice reckoning of recent years?
I work for a very innovative company and so is our community. My vision for Topeka is to continue its growth and the creation of a great place to live, work, and play.
Through the pandemic and racial justice reckoning, my hope is that our community will continue to respect each other and simply show kindness. You don't have to understand or agree with everyone, but just be kind...we need more of that in this world.
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?
I feel the mission of the YWCA is essential to our community, a community where everyone should be valued and supported. It is important to me that the YWCA can make such a positive impact on women and that aligns with my company's core values and culture. At MCP we look for ways to impact an individual in a way it can lead to a better quality of life and that is something that rings true for me personally and professionally.
