#93 Badass Summit Adventures

Bear with me....I'm going to brag about my company for a hot minute. Because this story is one worth sharing with y'all.

As you know, I'm a nurse by background. I never felt totally comfortable with traditional nursing -- and many times over the years, I have wondered why I took this career path. I have faced hospital politics, in-fighting, unsupportive co-workers, apathy, and sometimes sheer grit is what got me through my work day.

Until I came to LCS.

Now, I absolutely can't wait to get working every single day. The support and connectiveness I feel with every person in this company is remarkable. And I am lucky to be a small part of a group that is on the cutting edge of innovation.

Here are some of the ways I can prove this.....

Yup. LCS is BADASS!!!!!!!

To celebrate these achievements and to bring us all together, LCS hosted The Summit last week in Denver. All 850 corporate employees ascended to the mile-high city for a week of learning, networking, and fun.

Mission achieved!

I talked to a lot of people during the conference. I mean... a lot. And there was not one negative word about the company. People are genuinely happy -- how rare is that? But that comes from a company where the Executive Team makes a point to create a culture where every single employee feels valued and seen. At the Summit, I sat at the breakfast table with the President/COO. The CEO gave me a hug and called me by name.

There were no egos and no hierarchy. That kind of leadership trickles down to everyone, and creates this incredibly unique culture.

MY LCS MENTORS

I have needed a lot of support along my path with LCS. I needed to build my skills outside of what I learned in nursing, and LCS provided me three incredible mentors along the way.

Check out the POWER of these women! I have learned from the very best.

Erin:

Erin was my boss for several years and my first mentor. She saw something in me and put me in positions to help me grow professionally. After all these years, she still watches out for me and continues to teach me. She taught me about being a Servant Leader, how to build a team, and showed me what the power of a strong mentor can do. She is one of the kindest people I know, and one of the smartest.

Jill:

Jill became my boss three years ago and my life changed. I still don't know what she saw in me when she decided to bring me into Peak, but I will be forever grateful to her. She has taught me about strategy, the power of holding myself and those around me accountable, and the importance of building a network of experts to help me achieve my goals. Plus, she is incredibly badass and an amazing person to be around.

Kari:

When I started with Peak, I had a bad case of Imposter Syndrome. I knew nothing about a big part of what my role entailed -- finance. It was a foreign language to me, and I felt inadequate and unprepared for what I was supposed to do.

Then came a message from the LCS Women's Connection, inviting me to apply for the Mentorship program. So I did. When asked what I needed from a mentor, I said, "I need someone to teach me what I need to know about financial management and I need someone who can help me out of my imposter syndrome".

Do you know who they gave me as a mentor? Only the Vice President/Director of Finance and Accounting, who is also an incredibly generous and insightful person. Kari would pop on a call with me to ask, "Ok, what meetings do you have coming up. What can I do to help you prepare for them" or "Budget season is coming. Want to talk it over". She has been my mentor and friend for the last 3 years, and I hope she will be for a long time to come.

So now you see why I love this company so much.

But here are some other reasons why -- check out the Badass LCS Adventures I got to do and Badass LCS People I got to interact with this week:

POSSE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE LCS FRIENDS

These ladies. What can I say? THE MOST SUPPORTIVE posse ever. We belly-laughed, discussed, strategized together, and leaned on each other in the way that only a super-tight group of like-minded women can. I love all of you and can't wait for our next "Work Outing". See y'all on Teams and in Chicago, if not before. Miss you already.

GROWING UP TOGETHER IN LCS

Jordan and I go waaaaaaaay back when we were both in the Wellness departments of our midwest communities. We linked up on a committee and both realized we have a shared bond of work ethic and passion for innovation.

Back then, Fitbits were so in, and we realized we both had one. He invited me to compete against him in daily steps, so I agreed.

Y'all...the man RUNS. Every day. Like for miles.

I walk. Most days. Like for yards.

I did not win the contest.

But I did win a friend.

Jordan, we have an amazing partnership coming up. Thanks for being willing to partner with me for our LCS Innovation and for my own personal journey. I can't wait to sky-dive with you. It WILL happen.

#justgettingstarted

7 DEGREES OF SEPARATION -- HOMETOWN STYLE

You never know who you are going to meet.

I was having a lovely networking breakfast with Matt, a vendor partner (EverSound, part of UniGuest). We were doing a "getting to know you" conversation. Here's how it went...

Beth: Where do you live?

Matt: Newton, Massachusetts.

Beth: Cool! I lived in Marblehead for many years. We are neighbors.

Matt: Yes. But I grew up in upstate New York and didn't move to Boston until later.

Beth: Where in Upstate New York?

Matt: Geneva.

Beth: Um.....I lived in Geneva from when I was 2 years old until I was 8. What street did you live on?

Matt: White Springs Drive.

Beth: I lived on White Springs Road.

Matt: No way!

Beth: OMG. What elementary school did you go to?

Matt: West Street School.

Beth: Me too! Do you know the Addona family? (see previous Badass Adventures for Kristin's story).

Matt: Yes. Mrs. Addona was my teacher and my mom was friends with her.

Geneva is a small town, y'all. This is highly unusual.

I am so glad I met him and can't wait to keep up this partnership.

GIDDY-UP AT THE LCS RODEO

I have never been to a rodeo. It's one of the badass adventures that Dad has encouraged me to do. "You've got to get to the rodeo, Beth", he has said on more than one occasion.

So I did!

The LCS Rodeo was wild -- the entire stadium was just for us with a country band, line dancing, a drum line, bull riding, horse racing, and everyone dressed up in their best rodeo attire.

PEAK SCAVENGER HUNT

Jill brought the Peak Portfolio into the conference a day early so we could have a team building Scavenger Hunt. This was FUN!!!!

Y'all know I am uber competitive, so I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to keep it in check. But no worries -- my team was the same as me, and we went on hyper-speed to try to get the best of all the other teams. "Denver Nuggets" -- even though we took second place, you all know as much as I do that we deserved first! Thanks for the fun.

COLOR PARTY

This big party held at the Denver Performing Arts Venue was a chance for us to show off our LCS colors and have one final night of bonding before the conference was over. So much fun -- so many incredible people.

ELEVATOR BUDDIES

This story cracks me up. I met up with Will in a crowded elevator. We were talking about coffee when suddenly he said, "You don't remember me, do you? You interviewed me a few years ago for a position." I looked at his name tag and it came back to me that I had. He followed it up with "Yeah, but you didn't give me the job".

The elevator went dead silent, clutching their pearls in horrified shock.

I didn't know quite what to say, but when I looked at Will, and he looked at me, we both burst out laughing. Everyone else in the elevator joined in.

Will is doing great -- he got an even better position that is a great fit for him, and I am glad I got to see that he is thriving. Thanks for the belly-laughs Will!

WHISKEY ROW

Our first night of the Summit was filled with live music, open bar, and incredible people. What an experience seeing people in person who I have only met online. And I loved having an EveryDay Experiences reunion with the team that I worked with on a project for a solid year.

BIGGEST HONOR EVER

I still can't believe it happened. I was caught totally unprepared to have my name called as being the recipient of one of the "Serve" awards for LCS. Kudos to me for not tripping going up the stairs and face planting -- but honestly, I was in so much shock I don't remember much of walking on that stage.

But I do remember what happened afterwards. Immediately, people started texting, emailing and sending their congratulations. And each one had a personal story attached to it. I have never been so humbled and so honored. This was truly one of the most unbelievable professional experiences of my life.

What a Badass Summit full of Badass people. I have Badass LCS pride and I can't wait to see what the future brings.