Q&A with Stephanie Morris, VP of Education, Leadership (July-Dec. 2024) and Rising Star of Encinitas Toastmasters. Professionally, Stephanie is the Sustainability Coordinator at Waste Not Consulting.
This interview was conducted virtually by Pat Rarus, DTM, also of Encinitas Toastmasters.
Q. Stephanie, you have been a member of Encinitas Toastmasters for about a year now. How has membership and participation improved your personal and professional life? Details, please!
A: Encinitas Toastmasters has really enriched my life in a holistic way. I leave each meeting with more energy than I came in with, which I didn’t expect when I started. I’m an introvert, so I usually feel depleted after being social! We’re so lucky to have a diverse club in terms of age, careers, and background, which is really refreshing. Professionally, individuals and the club as a whole have really helped me grow exponentially in my ability to be assertive, positive, and clear in my communication with coworkers, clients, family, customer service reps, etc. The list goes on.
Q. Stephanie, you recently obtained a new career position. Did your Toastmasters skills give you more self-confidence to apply for this particular role and then ace the interview(s)? Again, please give us details.
A: Absolutely. I tend to downplay my own accomplishments, but we are such an uplifting, supportive group of people that you can’t help but start to push YOURSELF like you would for a fellow Toastmaster. Plus, Toastmasters has made me more comfortable saying YES to those uncomfortable but necessary experiences, like interviewing and networking. I don't know anyone who enjoys a job hunt/interview situation, but I normally think when I'm so nervous and in my head; during my recent interviews, I could really hear the questions, pause if I needed to, and move the conversation in the direction it needed to go.
Q. You impressively chaired ETM’s relocation committee late last year and were ultimately responsible for finding our new meeting place at The Hive. What was involved in this important assignment? Also, have you always been so organized and detailed-minded? If so, please share your secrets to success!
A: My CPA mother will be equally shocked and proud to see me described as such. And my dad’s a retired fire captain, so taking chaos and creating order is just in my blood! Jokes aside, it came down to getting everyone’s input and support, especially yours, Pat! You, the board, and other seasoned Toastmasters knew what we did and did not want to see in a space. There were many prospective locations, so I just pooled everyone’s information and displayed it so that everyone who was part of the search could see it and add their research to it. We could more easily decide on a club. The Hive was just a really lucky strike. I’m somewhat connected to the North County nonprofit world, and I know multiple nonprofits (shout out to ProduceGood and Coastal Roots Farm) that work out of The Hive. It just happened that they had a space that would fit our group.
Q: Stephanie, you were recently voted ETM’s Rising Star amid tough competition. How do you plan to grow even more as a speaker and officer at Encinitas Toastmasters?
A: I love taking on roles, evaluating, and being on the board, but I do tend to put the actual speech projects on the back burner. I have tons of fun thinking on my feet so preparing and planning my own crazy thoughts/ideas into a cohesive speech is a different story. That’s what I’m working on. Building time into my weekly schedule for those preparation steps is crucial if I want to continue to grow!
Q. Stephanie, most of your speeches have been about protecting our environment through conservation. When did you become so passionate about this subject? What are some basic ways that we can preserve and protect our planet?
A: Thank you for letting me get on my soapbox, Pat! Whether you care about saving money on expensive paper towels, so you rip them in half instead of using the whole ones, or you hate wasting food so you always bring your leftovers home and use every bit of the peanut butter jar, or you enjoy growing flowers, whatever… everyone’s got little tricks like that which ARE in essence, conservation. That’s sustainability. I’d start with just ONE more “green” thing that feels useful. When it becomes an automatic habit, add another.
Something I’ve mastered is bringing my reusable cup pretty much everywhere. So, the thing I’m working on now is reducing paper towel use. I got a microfiber cloth to dry my hands.It’s for backpacking, so it’s small, and I want to use that instead of paper towels because, honestly, I hate those air dryers. I’m only at about a 5% success rate so far, but I’ll get there!
The other thing I’ll recommend is REALLY EASY: Spend your money (or keep your money) with businesses and banks that align with your values. Dig deep into the places you frequent and see what they’re doing (or not doing) for the environment and workers along the supply chain. This’ll probably even help save some money because if you really look, you’ll probably wind up cutting down on purchases at Amazon, Temu, Walmart, etc.
Q. Thanks for your detailed answers, Stephanie. Why, in your opinion, should working people – even those very busy – make the time and effort to become active Toastmasters?
A: Like I said, somehow, I leave meetings with more energy than I started with. We laugh, we cry, we eat, we learn… and we get off our screens! And just by sitting in the meeting and listening- you’re improving your and the other members’ progress. Plus, your employer or prospective employers WILL be impressed if they know what Toastmasters is. If they don’t, you’ve just provided something of great value to them.