The Women's Foundation of Greater St. Louis honored Enterprise Bank for advancing women in the workplace based on leadership, compensation, flexible work policies, recruitment, and retention. Kirkwood Branch Manager Livia Vrapi is a shining example. Livia started her career at Enterprise Bank as a teller and today leads a team dedicated to helping individuals and businesses meet their financial goals. Enterprise Bank SVP Dan Iadevito, Erin Joy, and Jane Maddox, CPA tax partner at Anders celebrate women in leadership.
Ariana Jahja
As an executive coach, how do you help people?
This sounds cliché, but the answers we seek are already within us. My old coach used Michelangelo's carving of the Statue of David as an analogy for growth and development: the sculpture was already there, but it took time to fine-tune the masterpiece through attention and focus. With enough curiosity, self-exploration, willingness to take responsibility, and support from a coach or mentor, we can recognize and tune into our blind spots and uncover the greatness already within us.
Why are compassion and grace important pillars of individual success?
Having compassion and grace for ourselves opens us up to learning from our behavior, leading to self-mastery, self-awareness, and lifelong learning. This also allows for compassion for others, especially others who aren't like us.
What is "self-talk?"
Our inner self-talk, a mix of our conscious and unconscious thoughts, becomes our outer reality. Pay attention to your positive-to-negative self-talk ratio. Notice your tone you take with yourself. The positive should outweigh the negative. Humans are wired for negative self-talk due to a psychological concept called negativity bias. Because our self-talk is so habitual, it can feel like the truth until we realize we have the power to notice and change it.
Melissa Betz
What is it like to play “a round” at work?
As a teaching professional, I love helping women become comfortable on playing on the course, in company tournaments, and helping young girls make their high school golf team. Watching new golfers' faces light up when the ball is airborne for the first time is so much fun! I also love working side-by-side with my husband to build a business we are enthusiastic about.
Name your dream foursome.
Annika Sorenstam, Condoleezza Rice & Caitlin Clark. Annika was considered the greatest female player of all time and invited to play in a PGA Tour Event, leading the way for other women to follow. It’s groundbreaking to watch women compete with men (especially since I was always trying to compete against my older brother). Condoleezza Rice caught the golf bug later in life and became one of the first two female members admitted to Augusta National Golf Club. To this day, she is a huge inspiration for girls and women in sports, inspiring them to gain confidence and strength and become strong leaders. Caitlin Clark is breaking records on the court and drawing record-breaking crowds and viewers to women's basketball.
How did you get into golf?
My dad has always been an avid and excellent golfer. We grew up going to the driving range as a family. I loved spending time with my dad on the range and at the course. To this day, whether we compete against each other or play on the same team, we always have a great time. It’s never too early or too late to learn to play.
Jennifer Bardot
Describe G.R.I.T. and the power of owning it.
G.R.I.T. stands for Growth, Resilience, Intention, and Tenacity. The power of owning your G.R.I.T. allows you to embrace your passion and elevate your goals to new heights. When I started owning my power, I put myself in positions to intentionally stretch myself. When you own who you are, you surround yourself with people with similar values and aspirations. You become comfortable with your choices and recognize and appreciate your individuality.
You have a new line of jewelry. How does this business venture align with your G.R.I.T.?
As a publisher and author of stories profiling women with G.R.I.T., I see the gems in the experiences they share and the lessons they have learned. My jewelry line is a way to showcase the strength and beauty of women. It highlights the individual pearls of wisdom in each of our stories; like little pieces of charcoal that handle stress exceptionally well.
You've inspired so many women around the world. Who inspires you?
I am inspired by women who see their strength and authentically share their stories. I am inspired by changemakers and rebels who dare to speak up. I am inspired by my children and the women that I serve.
Trisha McConkey
Describe the idea behind "HomeWork with Trisha."
I work as a construction loan specialist in the home construction and renovation industry. My husband and I have spent the last year working on our historic home renovation in Kirkwood. And we’ve worked really hard to raise six kids. My insights about all of that can be found on social media @"HomeWork with Trisha."
How would your six kids describe you?
These are the exact words from all six kids. “She has taught us what it’s like to grow up in a loving home full of encouragement and to be our best selves. She is such a hardworking woman who has made a great name for herself. She has shown us what it’s like to not give up and keep pushing toward our goals. Our mom is our best friend and role model all in one. She is the one person we have always aspired to be, and we hope one day to be like her, to have people describe us the same way we have described her.”
What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
I didn’t graduate from college. While I value higher education, too much emphasis is placed on getting a degree. I educate high school students about all career opportunities.
Jasmine Gura
What is the Girl Scout Gold Award?
The Gold Award is the equivalent of the Boy Scout’s Eagle Scout Award. The project must last at least eighty hours, be sustainable, and have a local and global impact.
What was your project?
I made twelve pollinator houses. My inspiration came from trying to grow pumpkins in our backyard. We noticed that the flowers weren’t being pollinated by bees, so we pollinated the flowers by hand. Solitary bees are native pollinators in Missouri, but their nesting habitats are endangered due to pesticides and urban development.
What is a Solitary bee?
Solitary bees are non-aggressive. Their only job is to pollinate. They do not produce honey, do not have a queen, and do not live in hives. They look for natural holes in trees to create nesting cavities. I made the pollinator houses out of wood with holes drilled deep enough to nest and a roof to keep the water off.
What was your favorite part of this project?
Build day was the most fun. My dad and I drove to my grandpa’s house in Chicago because he has all the tools. It was tough work, but I learned how to use all of the tools. I’m excited to see the bees begin to build their nests.
"We must remember we are human beings, not human doings. Take the time to pause and gather energy to get things done more effectively."
"G.R.I.T. is an inclusive community of dynamic women who share their personal experiences as a roadmap to empower others."
"No parenting book prepares you for any of it. We've worked really hard to raise six children who love and grow with each other everyday."
"Girl Scouts, get your Gold Award. It's hard but you learn a lot about project management and it's rewarding to help the the environment."
