Meet Elaine

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elaine. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elaine, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

“I’ll bet you’ve never had a bad day in whole life.” I was an office manager at a wellness clinic years ago and a patient there once said that to me. I think it was meant as a compliment and it made me proud that that was the image I was projecting. Now I could have explained that wasn’t the case, but I just smiled and said nothing. I had just come off a few rough years that included losing my home, business and marriage. But I’m glad what they saw was a happy person.

I think that every hurdle in your life makes you stronger and often leads to a better place than you were before. I would say that my optimism comes from my parents. I’m also often reminded of a book that my mother used to read to me title “Fortunately” by Remy Charlip. It’s a story about a boy who goes through a series of fortunate and unfortunate events that eventually lead to something wonderful. I often say that is the story of my life. I can’t help but be grateful for some of the unfortunate things that happen in life, because they have all lead me to where I am now.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

There are two sides to me, professionally. I am the general manager and morning show host for WDLJ FM – “97.5 the Rock”, a classic rock radio station in the St. Louis Metro East. We are unique in that we are non-corporate and are in control of what we music we play. Our listeners often say that we one of unique in our commitment to the music and the that show host are genuine and connect with our listeners unlike other stations in our area.

I am also the Economic Development Director for the City of Greenville, Illinois. I’m new to the position and came to it from the position executive director of our chamber of commerce. It’s an exciting time in Greenville. We are in the middle of a renaissance. We’re reviving our historic downtown new businesses and a beautiful plaza that will serve to host more events and community activity. We also working to bring in more industry, housing and elements that will attract visitors from all over.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1) Show up. Not only in the sense of being dependable, which is important. Also, find where you want to be and show up. If you feel like you don’t belong, keep showing up. Be courteous and make an effort. You’ll get noticed and if it’s meant to be, to you will feel that sense of belonging.

2) Ask questions. I like to ask questions. I love meeting people and learning their back story. You will learn from everyone you meet.

3) Connect. Network and attend events. You will grow to love it. Even if it’s not immediately obvious, every connection is beneficial. I enjoy making connections for other people. Weather it’s on a personal level or connecting businesses that I think will collaborate well, I love seeing something grow from a connection.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I walk or do yoga. I take that break and then I organize my priorities. I take the one thing on the list that stresses me the most and I tackle it first to get it out of the way. It’s usually not as bad as I think it’s going to be and once it’s done everything else feels easier.

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