Becky Talks Parks: Parks & Recreation Podcast For Passionate Professionals

Mary Liz Jayne is the Aquatic and Fitness Manager at the Lisle Park District.  Like so many others in our field, she has always gone the extra mile to help her residents and staff. But when talk of furloughs started to become a reality last year, Mary Liz thought she needed to double down and prove herself as a hard worker and effective leader. Almost to the brink of exhaustion, she realized that putting boundaries in place and balancing her life with other hobbies was key to maintaining her wellbeing and sense of self.  Hear her story on this week's podcast. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at www.letstalkparks.com.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

During this kickoff episode, Marissa, Anthony, and Becky talk about three industry trends that we believe we will see across our field this year - and think about how our field will be able to lean in and embrace innovation.  Join us for our weekly newsletter at https://www.letstalkparks.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

Whew, we made it!   In this episode, Anthony and Becky sit down to reflect back on 2020 and think about the future of this next year.  As his last year of being a young professional, Anthony talks through some of his highlights as he moves on to the next stage in his career.  Becky talks about the transition between her passion project and making it into something bigger with Let's Talk Parks.   Enjoy this reflection of 2020! Wishing you all the best in 2021! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

Marissa and Becky sit down to discuss how we survived this year as working moms.   We discuss what it was like to navigate a new normal of virtual learning, working from home, and transitioning back into the office.   If you're a woman working in parks and recreation, how have you had to adapt?   How did your views on goal setting, work/life balance, and mental health change this past year? That's exactly what we discuss, plus more, on this episode of Let's Talk Parks. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

For many young professionals there exist an idea of a “perfect” job that often goes along with the “perfect” life. But, as many of us have found sometimes the idea of perfect is far from the reality that exists. We sat down with Brittanie Propes to discuss her journey towards finding balance in her personal and professional life and how it led her to the place she is today. Tune in to learn. · How she obtained her “dream job” only to realize the dream wasn’t the reality and the next steps she took. · How she balances being a working single mother and makes time for her career and family. · How she took some innovative approaches to community wellness during the pandemic. Brittanie Propes is a Motivational Leader, Brand Champion, and Business Driver who draws upon versatility, a competitive spirit, and a solid work ethic to strengthen operational efficiency, customer engagement, and financial results in alignment with brand strategy. Brittanie is currently the Recreation and Marketing Manager for the City of S

What can parks and recreation professionals do during their first year to set their career up for success?  That’s what this episode is all about with Jody Siemer and Marissa Moravec.  Listen in to hear about the tactical steps that young professionals can take to launch their career in a positive direction. Jody Siemer is an outstanding Parks & Recreation professional currently serving the citizens of Kansas City, Missouri as Manager of Recreation.  Jody is passionate about providing guidance and mentorship to the next generation of parks and recreation professional.  She co-founded the Young Professional Section of the Missouri Park & Recreation Association (MPRA).  Thru extensive research, she has compiled this guidance for "Year 1 as a Professional" and presented her findings both at the MPRA state-wide Conference as well as to the Young Professional Section. If you enjoyed this episode and are looking for more information on the topic or would like to learn how you can be

All agencies, public, private, and nonprofit have been negatively effected by the Coronavirus. There is not one agency or person who will not feel the effects. There is NO waiting to go back to the way it was.  Tom O'Rourke is an experienced Park and Recreation Professional with over 40 years experience managing the people who manage great Parks and Rec agencies. Current Professor of Practice at Clemson University specializing in helping graduate students, (and some undergraduate,) understand the Innovative, Creative, and Entrepreneurial skills necessary to sustain the Park and Recreation profession into the future. Connect with him online --> https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-o-rourke-8255bb6/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

In this episode, Atuya and Anthony sit down to talk about how as park and recreation professionals, we have impact the lives in the communities we serve on a daily basis and create lifelong memories.  It is often said that we work so that others can play!  With that said, it is extremely important that park and recreation professionals prioritize their professional development and utilize various tools that helps to keep one connect to their why. Mr. Atuya O. Cornwell is a certified park and recreation professional with over 15 years of experience. Atuya is an active member of NRPA and is passionate about connecting young professionals with professional development tools and opportunities. He is also the 2015 recipient of NRPA’s Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Award.   Atuya has served on NRPA’s Program Committee, Young Professional Network Leadership Team and the Public Policy Committee.  Atuya has presented at the NRPA Annual Conference the last three years, where his ‘What’s

Hello everyone!  This week is election week, and today specifically is November 3, election day. I want to come onto the podcast and remind you all to protect your mental health this week.  We just don’t know what the future holds, so let’s focus on what you can control - which is your perspective, your actions, your mental health. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

Have you ever had someone that truly believed in you?  Who truly saw your potential and walked alongside you to watch you succeed?  Who pushed you to the next level in your career?   That is the definition of a great mentor, and That's what a mentorship can do for you. COVID-19 is going to deeply impact students and young professionals futures. Having the support you need is critically important right now. Having a mentor can be a career (or even life changing) opportunity. But knowing how to find a mentor, or how to structure a mentorship, how to nurture that relationship can be a daunting task. You want it to be meaningful to both parties which requires some thought and intention.    As a young professional, sometimes it can be scary to reach out and talk with others that you look up to.  You know you could learn so much from them, but you really don't where to begin. One thing that I think is important is to always be curious. Always assume you don't know it all

A cemetery is more than just a place for interments, it’s a place for history and place for ecology and a place for human wellbeing. In this episode, Marissa talks with Karl Nesbitt about how cemeteries over time are changing environments and memorialization can also be a place for recreation.  The design of cemetery space is starting reflect the community of users, the people who live locally and how they may use or recreate within that space, this includes volunteer groups who run tours, walking tracks, native ecological friends of groups. Karl Nesbitt (Connect on LinkedIn) is a Parks and Open Spaces Programme Manager, for Recreation Aotearoa and New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective. He manages the implementation of the Green Flag Award across New Zealand and train Green Flag Award Judges in NZ and Australia. World Urban Parks, Alliance committee Executive Officer and World Urban Parks Cemeteries Committee Interm Executive officer. If you enjoyed this episode and are looking for more inform

Brian VanDongen (Connect on LinkedIn) is nationally certified park and recreation professional who has designed and implemented transformational recreation programming for thousands of participants. He works to provide necessary and needed recreational programming for the health and well being of residents. He promotes the value of play throughout life by incorporating play in programming and shares knowledge and ideas to recreation professionals, educators, parents, and students. Brian is the author of Play to Live: Life Skills and Joy Through the Natural Talent to Play. He is also a Member At-Large of the NJRPA Community Recreation Section and a Play Ambassador for the US Play Coalition. Check out his website on BVD Plays (https://www.bvdplays.com/).  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

Typically, we talk to local park and recreation leaders, but every now and then, we expand our perspective a bit and talk to others on a national scale. This particular conversation is important, for a couple of reasons: 1) We are committed to having difficult conversations that will help make a more equitable and diverse future for our field. That happens by continuing to talk to others that have more experience than us in a number of different topics. To be honest, we are okay with doing the best we can if we aren't doing it perfect, and learning from, and getting it right in the future.  2) We also want to share the cool projects that other people are doing, because we want to uplift one another and help the field as much as possible. Hello Ranger is a podcast and blog that really focuses on telling stories within our national parks. We thought it would be neat to hear how local and national parks can really come together to break down some of the barriers to access. Hello Ranger (https://helloran

We are all still navigating these conversations about race and equity, so today's episode is about how to create safe spaces that nurture conversation for growth and understanding. Marissa Moravec chats with Tracey Crawford to talk openly about how to create safe and brave spaces.    Many people might say that these conversations are too difficult or uncomfortable, and may not belong in the workplace.  But these are important conversations to have!  We hope you enjoy this episode!  Tracey Crawford (connect on LInkedIn) was appointed as the Executive Director at Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA) and the President of Special Leisure Services Foundation (SLSF) in late 2011. NWSRA was formed in 1973 to provide a full spectrum of recreation services to individuals with disabilities. NWSRA is a partnership of 17 park districts in the northwest suburbs of Chicago committed to supporting community access to recreation for people with disabilities. SLSF is a 501© (3) non-pr

If you've been curious about how partnerships can help your agency, be sure to tune into the latest episode with Christie Bruner from Healthy St. Pete (https://www.healthystpetefl.com/). You will learn how parks and recreation can partner with local organizations to improve the health in your community.  Here are three things to takeaway. 1.  Power of Partnerships - Break down those silos.  Find common ground and combine resources to make sustainable change together. 2.  Be the Umbrella - Don't recreate the wheel!  Bring organizations together and elevate what is already going on in the community.   3.  Creating a Call to Action - People want to get involved, give them meaningful ways to be part of your initiative. Christie Bruner has a vested interest in health and wellness initiatives in the community and has more than 20 years of experience with sports and fitness for both children and adults. From 2006-2016 she owned and operated a Baby Boot Camp stroller fitness fra

Submit your stories of funny things that have happened to you on the job at hello@letstalkparks.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-talk-parks/message

In this episode, Anthony Iracki sits down with Meg Harrington, who is an Aquatics Supervisor for the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department. In this episode, you'll hear about the transition of Millennials who are becoming managers - those that are working with the younger generations, and those that are still being managed by Baby Boomers. That transition is really interesting, and we have a great responsibility to engage with, train, and support Generation Z, while still managing expectations and sometimes managing up to our own supervisors. I hope you'll join me in listening to the end of this great conversation. Meg Harrington grew up as a parks and rec kid, and has been a lifeguard since 2010. She worked as the Recreation Supervisor in Mexico, MO and is now the Aquatic Specialist for Columbia Missouri Parks and Recreation, where she manages 6 aquatic facilities, hires staff, and trains lifeguards as a Star Guard Elite instructor and runs the swim lesson programs. If you enjoyed this episode and are l

Marissa sat down to talk with Dr. Jeremy Robinette from Western Illinois University about educating our communities about Parks and Recreation. I think so many of us ended up falling into this field. We didn't know that this was a profession until we were in college, or maybe we were already graduated from college and had a degree in something else.  This episode is how we educate our communities about what we do and how to encourage more people to get their degree in parks and recreation. We need to tell our story, share the impact we make, and talk about why it's important.  Dr. Jeremy Robinette is from Western Illinois University who is an assistant professor for the Re creation Park and Tourism department since 2014. Prior to that, he was teaching assistant at the University of Illinois from 2010 to 2014. He is also involved in the Alumni Association for Western Illinois University for the Recreation Park and Tourism department. If you enjoyed this episode and are looking for more information on

In today's world of constant connection to technology and a changing global climate, it is more important now more than ever to connect youth to the outdoors, especially at a young age.  The steps taken to do so can have lifelong impacts, not just for those youth, but for the world. In this episode, Dave Herpy and Becky talk about:  Why connecting to the outdoors at a young age is important.  Why getting youth outdoors helps promote future conservation.  How parents and caregivers can help connect their children to the outdoors. Dave Herpy is NC 4-H Camping Specialist and Adjunct Lecturer of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at NC State University, as well as a freelance writer. He has over 23 years of experience with camps as a camp counselor, camp director, and camping specialist. His greatest adventure in life is being a father of four and sharing his passion for camp with his own children. He can be reached via email djherpy@ncsu.edu or follow him at explorenc.travel.blog.

Hello everyone and welcome back! Thanks for joining us today for an episode about embracing young professionals. In this episode, Chris Nunes talks with Anthony about how to break down barriers between new and older professionals and some of the obstacles that are often faced when doing so. The conversation also covers the many benefits of intergenerational workplaces - and the various outcomes of each stage in your career. Chris Nunes, CPRE, (connect on LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-nunes-cpre-115a102) is the Director of Parks and Recreation for The Woodlands Township, in The Woodlands, Texas. In that position, he oversees the management of 100 full-time and 450 part-time staff divided into nine divisions (Park Operations, Planning, Recreation, Aquatics, Development, Town Center, Streetscapes, Environmental Services and Resident Care Center) a $36.3 million operational and a $6 million capital improvement budget. He is accountable for the maintenance of 148 parks, 15 swimming pools and aquati