Siouxland Magazine - Volume 1 Issue 4
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STARTING CONVERSATIONS<br />
RESILIENCE 20<br />
19
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Welcome to <strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | art <strong>Issue</strong> / 3<br />
Owners | Becca Feauto and Stacie Anderson<br />
It’s in these pages that we hope to educate and inspire, even more importantly, to create a community<br />
that thrives on connecting with one another. At our core, we all want to connect. When we seek to<br />
understand, by listening more intently, we find that our relationships deepen and our community<br />
strengthens as a result. With our appreciation for the power of connection through meaningful<br />
conversations, it only made sense to name our business Empowering Conversations.<br />
It all starts with a conversation; with a desire to learn; to see things from another perspective; to seek<br />
truth. The truth is, we have more in common than we have differences. Well, maybe it would be<br />
more accurate to say, what brings us together is stronger than anything that divides us.<br />
We would never want to marginalize our differences. We love the words of Audre Lorde, “It is not our<br />
differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” We<br />
are unique in vast and complicated ways. It’s our hope that we can come together with our unique<br />
strengths, perspectives and ideas to build a community with a powerful narrative of “us.”<br />
Through this humble publication, we will start having conversations. This is an ambitious and beautifully<br />
optimistic attempt to shine light on all the things that make our community strong, but also discuss,<br />
in a productive and compassionate manner, the challenges we face.<br />
We are doing our small part in building a cohesive community by creating conversations that<br />
refocus our attention on our similarities. We are bringing people together; replacing judgment with<br />
understanding. Perspective is powerful.<br />
We’ll continue unfolding our vision for this magazine over the next several issues, but now we<br />
want to hear from you. At <strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, we feel it is imperative to understand what the<br />
community wants and needs. Share your vision and dreams for <strong>Siouxland</strong>.<br />
We want you to lean into the conversation and participate in the discussion.<br />
E m p o w e r i n g<br />
Conversations, LLC<br />
siouxlandmagazine.com
RESilienCE<br />
Tomorrow Will Be Better.....................................................................................................8<br />
What Does Resilience Mean to You?................................................10<br />
Excuse Me?..................................................................................................................................13<br />
Your “Why” is Your Power Supply..............................................................14<br />
A Mother, Attorney and Mrs. Iowa International...............16<br />
Flood Waters Are No Match for Resilience.................................18<br />
ConveRSe<br />
22<br />
I’m 65. In the past two years, I’ve been ‘Mom’ to nine<br />
children............................................................................................................................................................20<br />
Public Office 101......................................................................................................................23<br />
Resilience = Grit..................................................................................................................25<br />
Balance<br />
explore<br />
Digital Well-Being......................................................................................................................44<br />
Amber’s Top 5 Healing JUICES.........................................................46<br />
The Window of Tolerance.....................................................................................48<br />
A Resilient Approach to Stormwater Management........52<br />
Building Resilience through the Outdoors.......................................54<br />
Resilience in the Garden and on the Farm..................................56<br />
If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you can’t just<br />
wait to see what kind of day you’ll have. You have to decide what kind of day you’ll have.<br />
– William James
The purpose of this glorious life, is not to simply endure it,<br />
but to soar, stumble and flourish as you learn to fall in love with existence.<br />
We were born to live my dear,<br />
not to merely exist.<br />
– Becca Lee<br />
Inspire<br />
gRow<br />
Indian Country and Allies Say Goodbye to ‘Hero’<br />
Frank LaMere.......................................................................................................................................26<br />
Surviving Life, One Minute at a Time: Chapter 2............28<br />
One <strong>Siouxland</strong>: Strengthening <strong>Siouxland</strong> Together............32<br />
Colbibi Kitchen is Spicing Things Up......................................................34<br />
Resilience: The Greatness of the Underdog.............................37<br />
Volunteering to Build a Better <strong>Siouxland</strong>.......................................38<br />
Bouncing Back................................................................................................................................39<br />
Downtown is Growing. And Fast...................................................................41<br />
9/11 Remembered.............................................................................................................42<br />
Diversity in Leadership...............................................................................................43<br />
enjoy<br />
At our core, we all want to connect. When we seek<br />
to understand by listening more intently, we find that our<br />
relationships deepen and our community strengthens as a<br />
result. That’s what our <strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is all about!<br />
We can’t wait to talk to you and truly connect with you and<br />
your audience. If you’re interested in learning more about<br />
how to advertise with us, download the media kit on our<br />
website at siouxlandmagazine.com. Always feel free to reach<br />
out to us via phone or email.<br />
Sfumato Pizzeria: Offering a Refined Experience............58<br />
Filled With Love: Cheesecake.........................................................................61<br />
FIFI – The B29 Superfortress will fly into <strong>Siouxland</strong>..............62<br />
What To Do In Sioux...............................................................................................................64<br />
We promise to not disappoint. We’re creating a<br />
magazine you won’t want to put down.<br />
Want to be included in our October issue?<br />
Contact us soon!<br />
Deadline to reserve space is<br />
September 9th!<br />
Media Kit at siouxlandmagazine.com<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
Beautiful photography by Sarah Gill | Sarah Ann Photography<br />
Taken at Briar Cliff University | Additional nature pictures<br />
taken at Stone State Park
AREAS LARGEST STOCKING RUG DEALER.<br />
BEST BRANDS. BEST PRICES.<br />
Inside all HOM Furniture locations • homfurniture.com
Editors Note<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | REsilience / 7<br />
It’s hard for me to fully define this word -- resilience.<br />
I know it’s in us all. We’ve all had to overcome<br />
something that required us to be resilient.<br />
Resilience to me is getting up after you’ve been<br />
kicked down, whether that be from someone else<br />
or yourself. It’s keeping your head high in times of<br />
trial, times of hardship. It can get you through hard<br />
times and forces you to see the good at a time when<br />
it can be very difficult.<br />
I hope this issue helps our readers in their space and<br />
time. I know this life is full of roller coaster events,<br />
finding our true happiness, learning how to stay<br />
positive for our souls can be difficult, but it opens<br />
up the opportunity, a chance to be resilient.<br />
Resilience. There is no doubt that since purchasing<br />
this magazine my resilience has been tested. It is<br />
no easy endeavor starting something new. Some<br />
days I can’t quite catch my breath.<br />
Thankfully, the community I surround myself with<br />
constantly reminds me why I started. The positive<br />
affirmations Becca and I receive on an ongoing<br />
basis fuel us. This is absolutely a labor of love<br />
and we are so privileged to connect in this way. A<br />
strong community is the number one determinant<br />
of a person life expectancy, as well as the quality of<br />
their life. We love our community.<br />
Creating a community magazine focused on<br />
starting meaningful conversations is our way of<br />
contributing to a stronger, more resilient and more<br />
united <strong>Siouxland</strong>. Read, reflect, reread, share, and<br />
certainly, go start a conversation. Enjoy!<br />
“The magazine looks absolutely beautiful. The information within<br />
is intriguing and important. Thank you for making it what it is.”<br />
– Jackie Paulson<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is owned and published by Empowering Conversations, LLC. All materials contained in this magazine (including text, content, and<br />
photographs) are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published, broadcast or<br />
modified in any way without the prior written consent of Empowering Conversations, LLC or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content.<br />
You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of this content.
Resilience<br />
strong<br />
adaptable<br />
grit<br />
Tommorrow Will Be Better<br />
By Stacie Anderson<br />
There’s going to be days when you just need to<br />
call it. When there’s nothing left for you to give and<br />
pushing through can only lead to disaster. Call it a day<br />
and give yourself some grace.<br />
Being resilient isn’t always about pushing forward or<br />
being strong. That’s the beautiful thing about resilience,<br />
it strives for balance. It’s complex, with layers of life<br />
lessons that have built us strong armor to conquer the<br />
world, and at the same time, allows for restoration. It<br />
demands we go within and listen to what we need to<br />
thrive. Resilience isn’t just about surviving. What defines<br />
us is how WELL we rise after we’ve fallen.<br />
There is a beautiful softness to resilience; an ability to<br />
be open and flexible. At times, it’s allowing yourself<br />
to depend on others and giving up on controlling<br />
everything. Relinquishing control and opening yourself<br />
up to explore possibilities often leads to growth, and<br />
thus, even greater resilience.<br />
Resilience is being able to dance in the space<br />
between moving forward with intention and<br />
surrendering with trust. It’s learning through<br />
experience and trusting the lessons.<br />
Every one of us is resilient. Every one of us has something<br />
we have gone or are going through. But we continue<br />
to show up each and every day. We are armored in<br />
resilience. My question for you is...<br />
Is the armor that you needed to be resilient,<br />
and get you through a particular stage of your<br />
life, now holding you back? Do you need to<br />
strip the armor?<br />
Remembering what we already know, what our inner<br />
voice softly whispers, that we are more powerful when<br />
we open up, when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.<br />
It exudes great confidence to expose yourself. Maybe<br />
this is where true strength and resilience comes from.<br />
Anyone can wear armor and claim to be tough, but how<br />
many can show up authentically, completely exposed,<br />
and truly be brave? Can we look at how we define<br />
resilience?<br />
If we are wanting a strong community, to have thriving<br />
businesses, to have healthy and happy families, we<br />
have to start by developing true resilience in people.<br />
We have to open the conversation up by exploring the
flexible<br />
emotional strength<br />
open<br />
soft<br />
Think Like a Tree<br />
Soak up the sun<br />
Affirm life’s magic<br />
Be graceful in the wind<br />
Stand tall after a storm<br />
Feel refreshed after it rains<br />
Grow strong without notice<br />
Be prepared for each season<br />
Provide shelter to strangers<br />
Hang tough through a cold spell<br />
Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring<br />
Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky<br />
Be still long enough to hear your own leaves rustling<br />
Karen Shragg<br />
Stacie and Becca with their daughters at Stone State Park.<br />
softer side of resilience. Can we applaud those<br />
who are unshielded, embrace change, and remain<br />
optimistic?<br />
It all starts with us. Being aware of when life’s<br />
hardships have built walls around us instead of<br />
making us compassionate. Taking on the world at<br />
the expense of our health and our sanity. When<br />
instead we could respect ourselves, staying aware<br />
of our limitations and growing into our potential, as<br />
well as creating a vibrant, supportive community.<br />
Learn from life lessons, embrace change, continue<br />
moving forward, take time to be still and reflect,<br />
surround yourself with great people, and always<br />
remain optimistic. Then tomorrow will be better.<br />
Stacie Anderson is a Certified John Maxwell Speaker,<br />
Trainer and Coach. She recently worked alongside<br />
John Maxwell and his team in Costa Rica; helping<br />
train leaders in their government, educational system<br />
and businesses. She shares personal stories and<br />
experiences when working with others on creating<br />
transformation in their personal lives and business.<br />
KindneSS<br />
‘kīnd<br />
of a sympathetic or helpful nature<br />
(Merriam Webster Dictionary)<br />
It seems “kindness” can be a bit of a buzz word these<br />
days. It’s a value we are taught at a young age, but gets<br />
trivialized over the years. Instead, we wind up with road<br />
rage and don’t try to understand other people’s stories.<br />
There are many synonyms of kindness, but the one that<br />
stuck out to me was “warm hearted.” How can we greet<br />
each moment, each circumstance, each person with a<br />
warm heart? How can we do that for ourselves?<br />
Kindness extended to others will create new relationships<br />
and strengthen the ones you already have. When practiced<br />
with yourself, it’s a form of self-care.<br />
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE: Look up from your phone<br />
and smile at a stranger. Be kinder in traffic. Say “please”<br />
and “thank you.” Try to see other people’s perspectives,<br />
instead of judging their mindset. Speak kind words, to<br />
yourself and others. Give yourself a break. Celebrate life<br />
more often.<br />
TABLE QUESTIONS: What is your personal definition<br />
of kindness? Where do you feel you could be more kind in<br />
your life? How can you be more kind to yourself this next<br />
week?<br />
By Jianna Hoss
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 10<br />
What Does Resilience Mean to You?<br />
Insights from Our Conversation Starters<br />
Man this thing about resilience is tough. When I first thought<br />
about it, I just knew what I wanted to say but as I gave it more<br />
thought and in the wake of watching two of the most powerful<br />
pieces of media, “When They See Us” a Netflix docu-series<br />
and “Emmanuel” a limited showing movie, I had to re-think my<br />
feelings about resilience. I’m reminded of the great poem by<br />
Maya Angelou, Still I Rise from the beginning she writes, “you<br />
may write me down in history”, already pointing out<br />
how a people will be marginalized and relegated to<br />
second-class status. As she writes about the judgments and<br />
treatment of black America she constantly exclaims Still I Rise.<br />
When you think of what a race of people have had to endure<br />
and yet there is a hope that one day our voices will have a<br />
resounding ride to the sky and be as loud as the rolling sea.<br />
When I think of resilience, I think of the #exonerated5: Antron<br />
McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana,<br />
and Korey Wise. I think of all the mothers that have had to<br />
bury their children to senseless violence, especially young<br />
black men, I think of those families that lost loved ones to<br />
organizations such as the KKK, I think of those neighborhoods<br />
that have been redlined and gerrymandered, and yet everyday<br />
those individuals still rise! Let’s have that conversation.<br />
Ike Rayford<br />
Leadership Nut<br />
Growth Believer<br />
Customer Service Savant<br />
Resilience is being able to bounce back when you’ve been hit with a negative<br />
situation. You learn from that mistake and you get back up again. As babies,<br />
we learn to crawl before we can run.<br />
Recently, we had to practice resilience. We had a roof leak, and as a property<br />
owner, one must resolve the problem before it escalates and creates<br />
damaged goods and unhappy customers. We could’ve thrown a fit like a<br />
baby or we could be professional to get the issue resolved. In life, we have<br />
the option to be a cry baby or be an adult and resolve the problem.<br />
Without resilience, I doubt I’d be as confident about myself today.<br />
I wouldn’t have been able to help our family business grow into 31+ years,<br />
these past 10 years. Coming from an immigrant family and first generation,<br />
you have to be confident in whatever you want to accomplish in life. Nothing<br />
is handed to you on a silver platter. You have to put in the hard work and<br />
commitment.<br />
Peggy La<br />
Independent Woman Who Loves & Leads<br />
Eager & Determined Entrepreneur<br />
Local Asian Food Provider
Lillyan Rodriguez<br />
Positive – Growth – Community<br />
Love of the Arts<br />
Connector – Building Relationships<br />
Re·sil·ience.<br />
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.<br />
When I heard the word Resilience, the first thing that came to my<br />
mind was a spring. Then I thought of myself when I was pregnant<br />
and how may body shaped in order to carry my twins. With that,<br />
I thought how not just my body adjusted, but my whole being<br />
changed.<br />
You’ve heard the quote “You need to touch bottom in<br />
order to change”, but I think we moved forward due to<br />
the capacity to recover from any situation. I’m amazed about<br />
human’s capability to do so. I’m sure it makes us stronger and helps<br />
view life in a different way. The more positive thoughts we have the<br />
best we can live our lives.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 11<br />
BOING!<br />
One of the most memorable leadership development<br />
activities I’ve participated in (and I’ve participated in a<br />
lot of them) was an exercise on defining me. At first I<br />
thought – great another self-assessment. But this was<br />
different, creative, personal. Maybe you want to try it<br />
as you read this article.<br />
Start by writing down 12 words that define you. Any 12<br />
words – whatever you feel defines you.<br />
“I Bounce” means that I don’t get too comfortable with<br />
‘good enough’ because that’s the biggest deterrent to<br />
excellence. I don’t settle, I bounce on to the next step.<br />
“I Bounce” means that I look for the learning in every<br />
disappointment, ‘failure’ or crisis.<br />
Do you bounce? Maybe not all the time – but sometimes?<br />
That’s Resilience, Grit, Moxie, Stick-to-it-iveness, call it<br />
what you want, it means taking what comes your way,<br />
rolling with it and continuing to move ahead.<br />
Now, reflect and whittle that down to eight words.<br />
You may be thinking, that’s easy and not all that<br />
enlightening; that’s about to change – whittle that list<br />
down to five words.<br />
And the final step – what TWO WORDS define you.<br />
Can you do it? Define ‘who you are’ in just two words.<br />
I did, my words “I Bounce”<br />
And you probably made the same expression<br />
everyone in the group did when I shared those words<br />
– the expression that said “what does that mean?!”<br />
“I Bounce” means that whenever the bottom<br />
falls out instead of plopping to the ground<br />
like – well you fill in the noun – I bounce, I pop<br />
back up, I hit the ground ever so briefly then<br />
BOING I’m back up and looking for the next<br />
opportunity.<br />
Dr. Cyndi Hanson<br />
God, Family, Friends, Hard-work<br />
Listening = Learning<br />
Getting Involved is Easy – Just Say Yes
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 12<br />
RECOGNIZING YOUR STRENGTHS.<br />
PROVIDING PERSONAL SUPPORT.<br />
CONNECTING YOU WITH THE<br />
RIGHT EMPLOYERS.<br />
712.224.4208 www.elitestaffco.com
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 13<br />
Excuse Me?<br />
By Sonia Wilson<br />
After-hours social and networking functions<br />
are a part of being a young professional. These<br />
functions are usually very informal and can include food,<br />
drinks, and socializing. They are an opportunity to build<br />
relationships and network outside of the office. However,<br />
it can be easy to forget that even though you are outside<br />
the walls of work, you are still in a professional setting and<br />
are representing your organization.<br />
Conversations at these events can quickly take a far-left<br />
turn from comfortable and professional to inappropriate<br />
and unacceptable. In my experience more times than<br />
not, the event remains professional, however, it’s the few<br />
and far between uncomfortable situations that have led<br />
me to analyze and reflect the best way to respond. The<br />
conversations usually start off innocently enough and<br />
before you know it, you’re in wildly inappropriate territory<br />
and are asking yourself, “What do I do?” “What do I say?”<br />
“How do I respond?” If you have ever been a party to one<br />
of these uncomfortable conversations, I’m here to help!<br />
Handling these conversations in a professional<br />
manner takes the utmost courage, confidence, and<br />
preparation. I have found one phrase that anytime I am<br />
in an uncomfortable situation where an inappropriate<br />
comment has been made towards me, I can use to<br />
address the situation. It’s a phrase I have memorized, that<br />
will stop the conversation right in its tracks and hopefully<br />
deter it from continuing. That phrase is, “Excuse me?”.<br />
“Excuse me?” works on every level! Think<br />
about it. This phrase does a few things: it<br />
acknowledges you heard the comment; it<br />
reinforces that the comment said was not<br />
appreciated, and it forces the person who<br />
made the comment to make a choice.<br />
They can either repeat what they said, stay quiet and<br />
move on, or apologize. Either way, you come out of an<br />
uncomfortable and inappropriate situation with your<br />
head held high, your standards adhered to, and your<br />
professional image in tack. Now the delivery, this is key to<br />
ensure success. Practice the phrase at home in front of the<br />
mirror. You have to remain calm, confident, and strong<br />
and not come across as aggressive or angry.<br />
We cannot control what other people do or say,<br />
we can only control our reaction. An EVENT<br />
plus your REACTION equals the OUTCOME.<br />
With your response of ”Excuse me?” the outcome will<br />
guarantee to be positive and hopefully result in a learning<br />
opportunity for both you and the individual who made<br />
the comment in the first place.<br />
Sonia Wilson, Marketing Communications Specialist,<br />
Great West Casualty Company.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 14<br />
From l to r: Bryce Snyder, Shawn Frankel, Peggy Higman, Makadn Craft, Luke Dreier, Ava Higman and John Goldsmith.<br />
Your “Why” is Your Power Supply<br />
Contributed by Peggy Higman<br />
I’m not a good skier and I don’t remember the<br />
accident. While skiing with my family and friends one<br />
February afternoon on a cold icy day at Terry Peak in<br />
Deadwood, SD, I just felt something hit my ski and then the<br />
next thing I remember is waking up on my back, opening<br />
my eyes, and being like, “What happened?” I was all by<br />
myself and I was scared. I had a concussion, whiplash, and<br />
a broken leg. It was an oblique break so I cut completely<br />
through the fibula bone. That was February 2016.<br />
After that, I felt fragile—both mentally and physically.<br />
The recovery was much longer than I anticipated, I was<br />
frustrated with lack of mobility and walking around on<br />
crutches, or a scooter. With my left leg in a boot, I still had to<br />
teach yoga classes and drive my kids all over town for afterschool<br />
activities, I was a hot mess! Soon, I was depressed<br />
and irritable. I needed a goal, something to look forward to.<br />
The previous year, I had persuaded, our babysitter Kayla,<br />
to do a bodybuilding show. We both lifted weights and<br />
enjoyed workouts at USD Wellness Center together.<br />
Honestly, I encouraged her to do it, because I thought I was<br />
too old to compete. While she trained that year, I listened<br />
to her talk about going through the process and she<br />
encouraged me to take the risk and “go for it”!<br />
That June I went to her competition in Omaha Nebraska,<br />
watched her, and afterwards she said, “You know what?<br />
You could totally do this.” I then learned about the Masters<br />
division which has different categories: ages 35 to 40; 40 to<br />
45; 45+. Sometimes there’s even a 50+.<br />
About 2-3 months later, I did some research and hired her<br />
coach, Kathy Kemper, a Bodybuilding IFBB Pro, who has<br />
trained bikini and figure competitors around the country.<br />
The bikini class of bodybuilding has the least amount of<br />
muscle. It is the most soft and feminine look of bodybuilding.<br />
When competing, you are 100 percent putting yourself<br />
on that stage to be judged. You’re judged on your muscle<br />
definition, the balance and symmetry of the muscles, and<br />
so on. But it’s also very discretionary. What one judges likes,<br />
another judge doesn’t. It’s like Miss America.<br />
When people look at bodybuilders or “muscleheads,” they<br />
rarely think about the commitment, the dedication and<br />
discipline it takes to build up that muscle mass, the hours<br />
spent in the gym, the diet and nutrition it takes to compete<br />
is much more involved and specific than most people<br />
would assume. It really takes things to another level. You<br />
have to be tough and not give in to weekend binges of<br />
food and alcohol, and no days off from your training plan.<br />
It can be rewarding, but you are going to have to dig deep.<br />
After the first show, I did two more shows that same year<br />
2017-2018. This past year I wanted to up my game even<br />
more. I did ok, but I knew I had to get even better. I was<br />
recovered from the leg break, feeling stronger and more<br />
than ever enjoying this new challenge. I needed a mentor
and a warrior to help me get to the next level in my own<br />
training.<br />
Enter, Shawn Frankel, Owner of Big Iron Gym in Sioux<br />
City. He’s a legend in the powerlifting and bodybuilding<br />
community worldwide. It took me a year to have the<br />
courage to ask him to help me. I knew about Shawn, and his<br />
gym. Some of the people that belong had encouraged me<br />
to come workout at the gym, but I was intimidated because<br />
they were all so ripped. I was afraid I wasn’t worthy. But…I<br />
also knew from the last year or so of competing, and facing<br />
my fears, that it was time to knock down another one, to just<br />
go for it…again!<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 15<br />
I’ve made big progress from last year to this year. Now I<br />
want to make even more progress. So I’m going to take an<br />
entire year to train and then compete at a higher level. Now,<br />
my goal is a national stage in the Masters Division, and that’s<br />
what I’m going to do in the fall of 2020 with both Shawn and<br />
Kathy to guide me.<br />
For me, to have the inner strength to show up with discipline<br />
every day, I always have to have a goal. Some are big goals,<br />
some are small goals. But if you’re just working to work out,<br />
without the idea of getting better, you’re not going to stick<br />
with it. Without doing it all the time, you’re not going to get<br />
better. So practice breeds discipline.<br />
But, make no mistake, I do struggle from time to time. With<br />
the fatigue that comes from being on a calorie deficit, being<br />
busy with the kids and businesses, there are days when I<br />
really do feel mentally and physically drained, those are the<br />
days that I show up for myself with a little conversation in<br />
my head and remind myself of my “why”. If you know your<br />
“why” you will get things done. I know this from my yoga and<br />
meditation practice. Sometimes I have to crawl into myself<br />
and remind my spirit that the “why” is the power! That is<br />
universal. If you have a “why” and you have committed it<br />
into your mind, body, and soul, YOU have the recipe for<br />
everything…you just need to call on it.<br />
Weightlifting and the pursuit of a physically<br />
strong physique really comes from the inside.<br />
The inner resilience may show on the outside<br />
with muscle definition, but it’s all mental.<br />
If you don’t have the discipline and mental toughness to get<br />
used to discomfort, then you will not continue in the sport.<br />
Because you’re sore almost all the time. What people think<br />
of as sore, I now think of it as my muscle fibers being worked<br />
really well. While they seem sore, they’re actually growing. To<br />
be resilient, you have to know that soreness is temporary, you<br />
are actually getting stronger. Those little things that tear you<br />
down ultimately make you stronger, it’s a muscle you have to<br />
use it. It’s a metaphor for life really.<br />
What also keeps me motivated is that I have now learned,<br />
over time, that I will feel better and I will be more connected<br />
to myself when I leave that gym. I will make better choices<br />
for myself and for others. If I don’t get the workout in, I’m<br />
Omaha Duel of Champions, June 2019.<br />
frustrated with myself, I make poor choices for eating, and I’m<br />
irritable with my husband and my kids. So I’m actually a better<br />
spouse, parent, and all-around better person, if I get it in.<br />
So I consciously say to myself, “Get it in because you know<br />
you’re going to feel better.” I am aware of my options. I am<br />
completely in charge of my choice. So I choose to go.<br />
Looking back two years at that ski accident when I felt fragile, I<br />
am not that woman anymore.<br />
Bodybuilding is something I really enjoy, those workouts put a<br />
smile on my face once I’m done. I absolutely love the feeling of<br />
lifting weights, the comradery of working out with the “guys’ at<br />
the gym. I feel very empowered, as a woman, to be able to lift<br />
those heavy weights. It makes me physically strong, mentally<br />
tough, and it gives me a spiritual high.<br />
I love the process and the growth of my inner strength and<br />
outer strength. Although, I get up on that stage and compete<br />
with others, it’s really about me versus me. It answers the<br />
question, “Have I made progress?” The stage is a celebration<br />
for all the work you’ve done.<br />
Before I started, I had spent a lot of years doubting myself all<br />
the time and just never thinking I was good enough. Now,<br />
I don’t doubt myself the way I used to. This has helped me<br />
see that I can start and finish something and that I am good<br />
enough—for me.<br />
That mental toughness has bled into every category in my life<br />
and helps me with every decision that I make now. I just know<br />
if something comes at me, I feel strong enough in my own<br />
mind and body that I’ll be able to handle it. I also know I can<br />
lift that heavy luggage, or move a couch, or ski down another<br />
slope without being fearful, because I am STRONG! Book<br />
Recommendation: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.<br />
Peggy Higman, ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Yoga<br />
Instructor.<br />
Photo credit (right page) The NewMe Journey .
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 16<br />
A Mother, Attorney and Mrs. Iowa International<br />
Contributed by Emilee Gehling<br />
I don’t know why, but, for about six years, pageantry<br />
was on my bucket list. I had never been in a pageant.<br />
It’s not something my family does or most of my friends do.<br />
I mean, I didn’t even get my makeup done for my wedding.<br />
But pageantry just seemed like something cool and different.<br />
It’s something outside of my wheelhouse and would allow<br />
me to get out of my everyday experience and into a whole<br />
new environment. As a slightly-introverted person, pushing<br />
myself out of my comfort zone is important for my growth.<br />
professionals. You’ve got lawyers. You’ve got PAs. You’ve got a<br />
wide variety of people in government. People from all walks of<br />
life, from all over the world, do this and give it their all.<br />
Not only has that tribe been supportive, but my family has<br />
been really supportive. My husband calls himself Mr. Iowa.<br />
I have four kids (ages eight, six, four and two). My girls love<br />
the dresses—especially my four year old who is obsessed with<br />
princesses. I hide my crown so that she doesn’t steal it. We’re<br />
So, I just asked myself, “Okay, what’s the worst that can<br />
happen?” I thought, “Well, I wouldn’t get it.” Then I thought,<br />
“Okay, well, I’m in that same position right now. So why not<br />
go for it?” Since I’m not getting any younger, I also thought,<br />
“Well, I guess the sooner the better.”<br />
Mrs. Iowa International.<br />
A recently made friend of mine has been in pageantry<br />
her whole life. The lessons she’s learned from that have<br />
enriched her life. During lunch one day, I heard her say her<br />
goal was to become Miss Iowa. Hearing that, it just suddenly<br />
became possible for me. Going alongside her helped me<br />
get over the hump of submitting the initial paperwork and<br />
seeing what happens. Just having a friend there and doing<br />
it alongside me was amazing.<br />
I’ve also been amazed at the tribe of supportive women<br />
that are involved in the Mrs. International organization.<br />
You have super amazing stay-at-home moms. You’ve got<br />
Emilee and Aaron Gehling.
only midway through the year and it has to last the whole<br />
year. It was fun wearing the gowns and while we didn’t<br />
have a swimsuit competition, we did do sports wear which<br />
was very fun, and more my style.<br />
When I started telling people I was running for Mrs. Iowa<br />
International, I was nervous about their reactions. As an<br />
attorney and professional woman, I was worried that<br />
some people would see it as silly or unprofessional. But<br />
I’ve been pleased with how supportive most people have<br />
been. For every eye roll, there are 100 people who say,<br />
“That’s really cool.”<br />
Attorney.<br />
My chosen mission, in my reign as Mrs. Iowa International,<br />
is to promote the discussion on alternate ways to grow a<br />
family which also requires resilience of two families. In my<br />
role as an attorney and as a mom I am passionate about<br />
working with people who have a tough time creating<br />
families or bringing children into their family on their<br />
own. To help these families, I work in adoption as well as<br />
surrogacy.<br />
There’s a lot of misconceptions about surrogacy. There<br />
are a lot of sensationalized stories. So, as Mrs. Iowa<br />
International and someone who works in this field,<br />
I wanted to educate people on what surrogacy and<br />
adoption really are and how life changing it is for families.<br />
In surrogacy, I work with parents who have struggled for<br />
years with infertility. A lot of them have tried to adopt, had<br />
several adoptions that have failed, or are just never the<br />
ones that are picked by the birth mother. That’s why they<br />
have decided to go down this hard road of surrogacy.<br />
In December 2018, I alongside with a business partner,<br />
opened Dakota Surrogacy. What we do is we match<br />
parents that are looking for a surrogate to carry either<br />
their own embryo, a donated sperm, or a donated egg.<br />
We work with a lot of different people; it’s sometimes<br />
single parents, gay parents, or international parents.<br />
I also work with surrogates. They are amazing people. A lot<br />
of them have had their own struggle with infertility. They<br />
went through it and came out the other side. God blessed<br />
them with a child or children, so they just want to give that<br />
to somebody else. To go through fertility treatments and<br />
shots is an amazing gift to give.<br />
It’s a year-plus commitment of these two families<br />
coordinating and journeying together. They experience<br />
heartbreaks and hardships alongside another family<br />
that are so personal. Working with them, we’re a team<br />
of people with the same end goal. All we want is for the<br />
parents to come away with that child or children in their<br />
arms. That’s all we want.<br />
With adoption, it’s the same thing. The end goal is that<br />
you’ll have a child to bring into a loving home.<br />
Adoption is life-changing for the parents. These parents get<br />
to bring a child into their home and spoil him/her rotten<br />
at Christmas. That’s great, but more importantly that child<br />
suddenly has stable support and love that he/she didn’t have<br />
before.<br />
It’s not easy. It’s such a complicated and personal journey. But<br />
that’s what it’s all about.<br />
Emilee and Aaron Gehling with their children.<br />
Mother.<br />
As a mother, it’s so amazing to play a small role in making that<br />
happen for anyone that wants parenthood in their life.<br />
The best part of my day is when I hear of a client whose child<br />
has been born. I ask them to send me a picture. When I get the<br />
picture, I just tear up—literally every time. It’s just amazing to<br />
be a small part of that for a family. It’s the same with adoption.<br />
When I get that final adoption decree for my client, it’s amazing<br />
and I absolutely love it.<br />
As a mom, attorney and Mrs. Iowa International, resilience to<br />
me is learning to stop, slow down and enjoy the ride. To stop<br />
myself and ask, “What’s it going to be like in a year from now?<br />
What will this feel like then?” Life is fleeting and every hardship<br />
passes. Sometimes it’s next week. Sometimes it’s more than a<br />
year. Sometimes it’s a couple of years. But things can change.<br />
Every moment that we go through will pass. Then a new<br />
moment will arrive and it’ll be different. Once I look at what<br />
that future will be, it calms me and allows me to put one foot<br />
in front of the other and to keep moving forward.<br />
Emilee Gehling, attorney and partner at Gehling Osborn Law<br />
Firm and the current Mrs. Iowa International.<br />
Photo credit (left page) Photography by KJ.<br />
Photo credit (right page) Leah Welch Photography.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 17
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 18<br />
Flood Waters Are No Match for Resilience<br />
By Becca Feauto<br />
It came fast, without much warning. A small<br />
town in Iowa tried to prepare, knowing under the right<br />
circumstances this could happen. They hoped it wouldn’t<br />
happen, yet it did. Their town was underwater. People<br />
lost homes, businesses and possessions.<br />
It was like a bad dream you can’t wake up from. Your<br />
home, your town, looking as it never had before. All you<br />
can do is offer a helping hand, knowing you are in the<br />
same position as your neighbor. Your memories, washed<br />
away. Your home, needing to be rebuilt. Your heart, a<br />
little broken.<br />
Here is when resilience kicks in, full gear.<br />
When Loretta Pritchard heard of the potential flood,<br />
she never imagined it would actually play out like it did.<br />
A Hornick resident for 40 years, the small town of 250<br />
people had been in many flood warnings in the past,<br />
but nothing ever happened. Why would this time be<br />
different?<br />
“We went and stayed at my bosses house. When we<br />
left, we really didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know<br />
if our house was in water, it was hard to leave because<br />
you didn’t know what you would come back to. You just<br />
had no idea. When we left our house our basement was<br />
completely dry and it was safe. Then they said the water<br />
was coming through town. ”<br />
All of Main Street was affected by flood waters. The post<br />
office was closed because it had water in it and residents<br />
had to go to Sloan to get their mail for a month.<br />
One resident had flood insurance, but in order to stay in<br />
her home, she would have to jack her house up two feet.<br />
She opted to move.<br />
“We have 4 empty houses because of the flood. People<br />
are still not in their houses and one of our neighbors was<br />
diagnosed with cancer about three months before this<br />
happened. It’s been a lot for them, but it’s good to have a<br />
close knit community.”<br />
Loretta and her husband Jake were amongst the many who<br />
had flood water in their basement, and for those in need,<br />
it was a nice that everybody helped everybody. “You could<br />
set trash out on the curb and somebody would come along<br />
and take it down to the dump for you if you didn’t have the<br />
means to do it.” She continued, “It was just busy all the time,<br />
people with tractors and loaders were just going up and<br />
down the street trying to help people get things cleaned,<br />
it was just amazing.” During this time, the town really came<br />
together and did what it took to not only get their homes<br />
cleaned up, but the extended help of others really made<br />
an impact.<br />
“We had one girl down at the end of the block, she had<br />
no water in her home. She is a good friend to my son and
I knew of her and I talked to her a few times; she came<br />
down and worked everyday to help clean stuff up for<br />
people. The guys from the co-op took time off their<br />
job. You know, if someone wasn’t affected by the flood,<br />
they came in and helped where they could.”<br />
For some residents, even if there wasn’t a lot of water<br />
in their home there were other obstacles. Like getting<br />
back to their homes could prove to be very difficult.<br />
“My son lives about a half a mile north of town and had<br />
only one inch of water in his basement, but they were<br />
surrounded by water. He would take a boat out to his<br />
house to keep the generator going so he could keep<br />
the refrigerator running.”<br />
How to find a new normal during the chaos can be a<br />
mental challenge. Trying to juggle taking care of your<br />
home, family and friends, can weigh on you. One of<br />
the things Loretta appreciated most was all the helping<br />
hands from so many places.<br />
“We’re working on two floors of our home and trying<br />
to get everything situated back up again. I cannot say<br />
enough thank you for everybody that help. We had<br />
about eight <strong>Siouxland</strong> Christian High School juniors<br />
and seniors come out and they worked their tails off<br />
carrying sheetrock and all kinds of stuff. They were<br />
just fabulous.” She also wanted to thank the Salvation<br />
Army. “They were awesome. We cannot say enough<br />
good about them. They were here from the first day<br />
we could get into our house and fixed three meals a<br />
day for the first week and then 2 a day for 2 weeks.<br />
Awesome people and food!”<br />
Throughout this experience, Loretta learned a lot about<br />
herself. “I learned patience. It takes a lot of patience<br />
to get stuff done and to accept help from others. You<br />
can’t depend on everybody all the time. You know that<br />
you can get it done, but you have to get back to your<br />
life, go back to work and stuff doesn’t just stop. It takes<br />
a lot of patience and it’s just hard. My husband was off<br />
for three weeks and he’s a self-employed truck driver<br />
and of course the co-op couldn’t even do anything<br />
because of the blocked roads.”<br />
It took a lot to clean up their basement. Everything<br />
including Loretta’s sewing room and craft supplies had<br />
to be taken out, sorted and dried. Once the basement<br />
had been cleared out, it was time to rebuild. “We were<br />
out of our house for only a week. We took our camper<br />
and stayed at our son’s. We ran out of propane after<br />
three nights so we decided to go back to our house.<br />
However, for the three more nights we didn’t have heat<br />
because our furnace was ruined in the flood.” Mind you<br />
this was in March. And yes it was still cold. After the<br />
furnace was replaced, they stayed in their home while<br />
they started the remodel of the basement.<br />
The community has always been a close-knit bunch,<br />
but after experiencing an event such as this, one might<br />
think they could be even closer. “ If anybody ever has any<br />
kind of a problem it seems the community would always be<br />
right there to help. It was just like when we would build our<br />
house they would hear that we’re going to pour concrete<br />
and I swear that concrete was just like a magnet. People<br />
showed up who you didn’t even expect to help.”<br />
You may be asking yourself how does one stay positive<br />
during a hardship like this? Loretta’s answer was spot on,<br />
she stays positive by looking at the good in the situation.<br />
She has her house and her health.<br />
“I can say I still have my house, other people don’t. I can<br />
still live in my house where other people can’t. I keep my<br />
positive attitude because I can still be in my house. I have<br />
my health and my house.”<br />
Even with their own to-do list to complete, Loretta and her<br />
husband found time to help their neighbors.<br />
“We did help where we could. We were busy trying to<br />
get our own stuff done, but we tried to help others. Our<br />
neighbor next door isn’t in real good health so I guess we<br />
just kind of watch over him a little bit. I’ve always mowed<br />
his lawn and stuff for him because he can’t do it, and he<br />
might buy us supper or something.”<br />
It’s crazy how in a time of uncertainty, an unlikely surprise<br />
can make you feel like home again.<br />
“My mom and dad had this radio forever, I mean, it’s been<br />
since I was a child. After the flood hit, I went downstairs and<br />
there it was, coming all apart so I carried it upstairs and just<br />
put it in the bin for electronics.”<br />
After a few days, I got some very unexpected news. A<br />
council member, Dale and his son had found the radio and<br />
put it back together and were going to put it on Facebook.<br />
We were having lunch provided by the Salvation Army and<br />
Dale mentioned the radio to my husband Jake. He said,<br />
“That’s my wife’s radio.” That’s when Dale said, “You’ve got<br />
to come with me.” We walked me down to the fire station<br />
and handed me an envelope. They found $1,000 in the<br />
radio. All I could say was, ‘Dad you’re still watching me.’ In<br />
his own way; it was just unbelievable.”<br />
Resilience has many meanings, but being positive in a time<br />
of turmoil is a big one. “You just have to see the good in<br />
every situation and be positive. It was hard. It’s not easy, but<br />
it’s all about being positive and knowing everything will be<br />
okay.”<br />
Becca Feauto, co-owner of <strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> and owner of<br />
Pulse Marketing.<br />
Photo offered by Loretta Prichard.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Resilience / 19
conveRSe<br />
curious<br />
Cultivating Meaningful<br />
Powerful narrative of “us”<br />
truth seekers<br />
I’m 65. In the past two years, I’ve been ‘Mom’ to nine children.<br />
By Jackie Foster<br />
The day my daughter started school, I dropped<br />
her off and headed to the nearest gym. I worked<br />
out for hours, twice a day in my powder blue sweats and<br />
matching shoes. After years as a wife and mother, I was<br />
finally doing something for myself.<br />
A year later, in a move that was so unlike me, I decided I<br />
wanted to be that leotard-clad instructor in pink legwarmers.<br />
That meant being front and center—a place that<br />
was so out of my comfort zone. Before each class, I locked<br />
myself in the bathroom for an hour, gripped by fear and<br />
violent diarrhea. I was fired after my second class because<br />
I “didn’t smile enough.”<br />
I was fired after my second class because I<br />
“didn’t smile enough.”<br />
I went home and broke down in the shower. Then I realized I<br />
had two choices: never go back to the gym and the life I had<br />
started to create for myself. Or hold my head high, go back<br />
the next day and smile as I stood in my favorite spot in the<br />
back row.<br />
Three years later, I had my own studio with dozens of happy<br />
clients. Using a Madonna-headset-mic, I continued to “whoop<br />
it up” and sing along to choreographed routines that finally<br />
let my inner personality show. I was no longer “someone’s<br />
wife” or “someone’s mother.” I was me.<br />
My new life away from home filled me with strength, resolve<br />
and a new purpose. But then it all came crashing down in<br />
divorce.<br />
I had met my husband at college in London. We dated for<br />
about 18 months and got married on the first Saturday<br />
after my 21st birthday. My husband’s career in the mining<br />
industry soon took us from England to the bitter Canadian<br />
North and eventually to the desert heat of southwest Texas.<br />
I had studied French and German in college, then worked<br />
for a French bank in London and for an attorney in Canada<br />
before pursuing what I thought was my real calling: to be a<br />
mom.<br />
As expected, I became a mother at 23. Dr. Spock was my<br />
idol. “Baby and Child Care” was my bible. I was thousands of<br />
miles away from my family in England. I’d never babysat and<br />
knew nothing about infants. I didn’t know about feeding and<br />
sleep schedules. I spent many nights alone, rocking a wideawake<br />
baby, sobbing, “I can’t do this… I can’t do this…”<br />
Our second child was born, right on schedule, just under<br />
two years later. This time I was prepared; I put my daughter<br />
on a rigorous sleep schedule. I was becoming a good mom.<br />
Time passed and my two children grew up. The mining<br />
boom took us to the beautiful wide-open spaces of northern<br />
Nevada. I was a Cub Scout leader. A Brownie leader. A PTA<br />
president. I was the “carpool mom” because I drove a station
strengthening our community<br />
Conversations exploring perspectives<br />
coming together<br />
open minded<br />
focused on common good<br />
wagon and didn’t work. I took Girl Scouts to a weeklong sleepaway<br />
camp. I grew and canned my own vegetables. I sewed<br />
quilts by hand.<br />
Somewhere along the way, I lost myself: I was always<br />
somebody’s wife… somebody’s mother. Then came divorce.<br />
Distance. Estrangement. Starting over. Square One.<br />
I became a journalist, a photographer, a newspaper editor, a<br />
Catholic music minister, a social media nut. Somewhere along<br />
this brave new path, I became a woman of faith. I began to<br />
let go of the reins when things got tough. Or at least, I tried<br />
to. I believed there was a Plan. And I was eager to see how it<br />
would unfold.<br />
My partner and I spent several years living and working in<br />
Central California. We took in unwanted or disabled little<br />
dogs. We gardened and I grew bougainvillea—one of my<br />
favorite climbers—and we celebrated Christmas in shorts.<br />
Then we took a leap of faith and moved to the Midwest. It was<br />
a job that came calling. Then, The Plan kicked in again, not<br />
with a fanfare, but with a whisper.<br />
A flyer said homes were desperately needed for kids who’d<br />
been removed from their families. There were several<br />
thousand children in the Iowa “system” through no fault<br />
of their own. They were living in shelters and foster homes,<br />
carrying their few belongings in black garbage bags. Babies<br />
were drug-addicted. Children were hungry and had lice.<br />
Teenagers were running away. Or worse. It felt like it was<br />
meant to be. Which, of course, it was.<br />
We jumped through the DHS hoops—a six-week training<br />
course, four hours every Saturday; interviews; fingerprinting;<br />
home checks; pet vaccinations; locks on all the cabinets. Then<br />
we received our license. But were we ready?<br />
Over the past two years, I’ve been “Mom” to nine children, the<br />
youngest, a 3-month-old boy going through withdrawal. His<br />
young mother was a meth user. He cried constantly. I wasn’t<br />
23 anymore. My back ached from jostling him as we walked<br />
the floor for hours. Sleep? What’s that?<br />
We’ve welcomed boys and girls of all ages—some for 3 days,<br />
some for as long as 10 months. Most times they arrive on our<br />
doorstep with just the clothes on their backs. They’re often<br />
scared, unsure. We introduce them to our dogs, then take<br />
them to Walmart to pick out necessities. Underwear. Socks.<br />
Shoes. A toothbrush.<br />
I turned 65 last summer. Sixty-five. It’s the age when most<br />
people are planning their retirement: traveling, seeing the<br />
sights or taking up a new hobby. But I’m not most people. I<br />
started a new job two years ago and now have a promising<br />
new career I love. Best of all, I’m going to be a Mom again.<br />
No matter how long they stay, I’m Mom. There<br />
are goodnight kisses. Fridays are family night<br />
with pizza and a movie. Laundry day is huge.<br />
And there are always goodbye hugs all around<br />
when they go back home.<br />
Oliver came into our lives about two years ago. Fragile,<br />
malnourished, unresponsive. The trauma he had experienced<br />
was visible through the blank stare of his dark brown eyes.<br />
Today, he’s an energetic preschooler who loves Peppa Pig,<br />
Paw Patrol and Play-Doh. He giggles when he says “poop”<br />
and he’s full of “I love yous.” He can’t wait to show visitors all<br />
the toys in his playroom. And when I come home from work,<br />
he calls out, “Mom!” I shout back, “Lovey!” And he runs into<br />
my outstretched arms for a giant hug.<br />
But you know the best part? He’s not leaving. Because he’s<br />
part of The Plan. Through adoption, we’ll get to watch him<br />
grow up and become a lawyer, a doctor, a chef… maybe<br />
even a superhero.<br />
“We’re a family,” he says firmly, his arms wrapped tightly<br />
around our necks. Who am I to disagree with a 3-year-old? I<br />
am just his Mom after all.<br />
*A version of this story was originally told at Beacon Story<br />
Lab on September 14, 2018. Since then, Oliver’s adoption<br />
was finalized, and Jackie and her partner have taken in two<br />
more foster children.<br />
Photos courtesy of Ally Karsyn.<br />
Founded by award-winning journalist Ally<br />
Karsyn, Beacon Story Lab creates more<br />
courageous, compassionate and connected<br />
communities through the healing art of<br />
storytelling.<br />
The next live storytelling event is 7 p.m. Friday,<br />
September 6 at The Marquee, 1225 Fourth St.<br />
The theme is Fish Out of Water.<br />
Find updates on the Facebook page for Beacon<br />
Story Lab or at beaconstorylab.com.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Converse /22<br />
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Sioux City Scoop | Public Office 101<br />
By Alex Watters<br />
I’ve been around politics for<br />
most of my life. I remember<br />
my dad running for sheriff in<br />
Osceola County when I was in<br />
middle school and I would join<br />
him in parades and knocking<br />
on doors. In high school, my<br />
debate coach was a State<br />
Representative and I recall<br />
doing the same thing with him.<br />
I didn’t volunteer for larger<br />
political campaigns until I got<br />
to college, where my involvement at that time consisted<br />
of holding events for students to get to know candidates<br />
and registering them to vote. Working for a presidential<br />
campaign in 2012 introduced me to the amount of work<br />
that goes into a campaign to get someone elected, and<br />
also inspired me to run for office myself.<br />
The Learning Curve<br />
To my knowledge, there isn’t a manual on how to<br />
implement your ideas or activate your campaign speech<br />
once elected. Heck, if you’re unfamiliar with Roberts Rules<br />
of Order, you may have no idea how to make a motion<br />
in a meeting. Protocol can be unfamiliar and the timeline<br />
for solutions can be difficult. Private companies have the<br />
luxury of being nimble. Government does not.<br />
Finally, and perhaps most difficult about the learning<br />
curve, is that once elected, suddenly you are expected<br />
to be an expert on a multitude of topics. Decisions must<br />
be made about infrastructure, new development, and<br />
countless other things you may have never encountered.<br />
Members of City Council are given memos and trust<br />
city staff to inform us of options, but ultimately each<br />
Councilmember is given a vote and will make a decision<br />
with the information they are given.<br />
Dedicated Time<br />
I‘ve read comments on social media about the<br />
outlandish amount of money that Councilmembers<br />
are paid when we simply have one meeting per week.<br />
After holding this office for nearly 2 years, I have a<br />
much better understanding of the time needed to be<br />
informed and engaged with the community. It’s tough<br />
to give a snapshot of a typical week, but I’ll do my best.<br />
We are given the material for the Monday City Council<br />
meeting on Thursdays around 3 PM. This information<br />
can range from 150 to 500 pages. Some pages are<br />
liquor license renewals, others are the details of various<br />
grant applications, and so on. However, this is material<br />
that should be read carefully to help with questions and<br />
making decisions. SPOILER ALERT: It’s not like reading<br />
the latest New York Times bestseller.<br />
In addition to the weekly meetings, each Councilmember<br />
is given committee assignments, adding one or two<br />
meetings to your calendar each week. Often times<br />
these are over the lunch hour or during the day. Also,<br />
meetings can last longer than an hour and include their<br />
own preparation/readings. These randomly scheduled<br />
meetings make it difficult for anyone’s schedule, let alone<br />
a professional with an 8-5 career. If you aren’t retired or<br />
own your own business, flexibility from your employer<br />
will be critical. I am so thankful that Morningside College<br />
is supportive of my involvement in the city.<br />
Community Engagement<br />
In addition to the time commitment and learning curve,<br />
the community engagement aspect of public office is<br />
significant and can be overlooked. Depending on the<br />
topic, I receive emails, Facebook messages, or phone calls<br />
from people who want to share their opinion. I welcome<br />
this dialogue and have found that oftentimes their advice<br />
can be very helpful, but it is also easy to fall behind. It’s my<br />
goal to respond to everyone.<br />
In addition to yielding random correspondences, as an<br />
elected official, you are expected to make an appearance<br />
at as many community functions as possible. For a social<br />
butterfly, such as myself, I take this as a challenge and try to<br />
attend everything. And for anyone that says there’s nothing<br />
going on in Sioux City, I would love to share my calendar<br />
with you. To be honest, even prior to being elected I tried<br />
attending as much as I could. I WANT to know about<br />
everything that is going on in our neighborhoods and I<br />
WANT to learn about all the wonderful organizations that<br />
are adding so much value to our community.<br />
Holding public office has taught me that it is difficult to<br />
manage all of these things and achieve any type of work/<br />
life balance. In addition to my full-time job and serving on<br />
the City Council, I want to spend time with my girlfriend<br />
and visit my family. However, for me, service is worth it. I<br />
encourage anyone who is looking to make a difference in<br />
our community to volunteer, serve on a commission, or<br />
seek public office. We need YOU! One person truly can<br />
make a difference.<br />
Alex Watters, City Council of Sioux City<br />
awatters@sioux-city.org<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Converse /23
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Converse /24<br />
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<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Converse /25<br />
Resilience = Grit<br />
By Tony Micheals<br />
Were you ever cut from an athletic team in high<br />
school? I sure was. A bunch. Baseball, basketball<br />
and golf. When I finally found a sport sans the cutting<br />
process, I excelled and gave it 100 percent. (Text me<br />
at 712-274-1057 and I’ll tell you what sport actually<br />
welcomed me onto the team.) I love the theme of this<br />
issue, resilience. I do however, prefer the term “grit”<br />
because it sounds like something out of a Western<br />
movie.<br />
Being rejected in other sports made me more<br />
appreciative of opportunities. I worked at a horse track<br />
in Omaha. Co-workers laughed at me when I told them<br />
I wanted to get into radio. Their laughter fueled me. I<br />
think of them when I put my headphones on in the<br />
morning. Even 24 years into this career.<br />
I’m lucky enough to share a studio every weekday<br />
morning with “Can-do Candice” Nash. She says we are<br />
all self-employed. YOU decide where to be employed.<br />
Her work ethic and proving people wrong is a true<br />
inspiration. She offered to work for FREE for two weeks<br />
starting her career to prove she could do it. Believe me,<br />
she can. I’m inspired to see others buck the odds and<br />
reach their potential.<br />
In fifth grade, Mrs. Swanson assigned us an essay to ask<br />
our parents who inspires them. My mother mentioned<br />
our neighbor Connie. She has physical limitations and<br />
overcame challenges daily without complaining and she<br />
excelled with a very busy and fulfilling lifestyle.<br />
Witnessing these<br />
examples of fortitude<br />
helped me out 2<br />
decades later when we<br />
were blessed with my<br />
son, Trey. He’s now 16,<br />
non-verbal and happens<br />
to be very involved with<br />
his autism. It must be<br />
so daunting to live in<br />
a world comprised of<br />
people so unlike you. He<br />
communicates in his own<br />
way. He acts differently<br />
than his peers. We’ve<br />
raised more than a few eyebrows while running errands in<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong>. Yet, he smiles through life more than others his<br />
age who have far less obstacles. A lot of people who have<br />
the gift of gab could learn a lot about being resilient from<br />
Trey. That lil’ cowboy has a lot of grit.<br />
Tony Michaels, KSUX morning show co-host /<br />
Fan of grit<br />
Paid advertisement.
InSPire<br />
Lessons learned from stories in our community.<br />
Frank LaMere, pictured in center of back row wearing hat.<br />
Indian Country and Allies Say Goodbye to ‘Hero’ Frank LaMere<br />
By Kevin Abourezk<br />
“He knew what he was facing, and he faced his<br />
illness with the sam courage he showed in other<br />
aspects of his life.”<br />
– Dennis Carlson, friend to Frank LaMere<br />
LaMere had spent a lifetime fighting for change to improve<br />
the lives of Native people and is considered by many<br />
to be the driving force behind the movement to close<br />
the beer stores in Whiteclay, an effort that culminated in<br />
the April 2017 decision by the Nebraska Liquor Control<br />
Commission to not renew the town’s four liquor licenses.<br />
‘We lost a hero’<br />
Numerous tribal leaders expressed grief over the death of<br />
LaMere. “If there was injustice anywhere in Indian Country,<br />
Frank LaMere likely had a voice in demanding better<br />
treatment and justice,” said Frank White, chairman of the<br />
Winnebago Tribe.<br />
LaMere was the longest serving Native member of the<br />
Democratic National Committee and founded both the<br />
Nebraska Native Caucus and the National Native Caucus<br />
of the Democratic Party.<br />
“Dr. Frank LaMere would often tell me, ‘We do our best<br />
for the most people’ and would immediately follow up<br />
with ideas for actions in the streets and in the halls of<br />
government,” said Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska<br />
Democratic Party. “Frank was the heart of our Democratic<br />
Party and many grassroots fights across our country and<br />
nation.”<br />
“We lost a hero today who had unfinished business that<br />
we must now complete.” Lance Morgan, president and<br />
CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., the Winnebago Tribe’s economic<br />
development corporation, said LaMere’s legacy of fighting<br />
for change paved the way for the success of younger<br />
Native generations.<br />
“His decades-long dedication to Native rights steadily<br />
changed people’s minds,” Morgan said. “Leaders like<br />
Frank kicked in the door so people in my generation<br />
could walk through it. He will be missed but not<br />
forgotten.”<br />
‘Frank educated them’<br />
With LaMere’s passing, many in Indian Country have<br />
expressed concern about who might be able to replace<br />
LaMere in advocating for Native rights. John Maisch, a<br />
longtime friend of LaMere’s and film director, said no one<br />
person could ever hope to accomplish as much as LaMere<br />
did.<br />
Still, Native people and their allies have no choice but to<br />
continue to seek to fulfill the many social justice efforts<br />
LaMere began in his life, Maisch said. LaMere would often
non-profit<br />
community<br />
family<br />
small business<br />
people<br />
talk about how others would call him and ask him how he<br />
planned to address the latest wrong committed against<br />
Native people. “John, people know what to do,” he would<br />
tell Maisch. “They shouldn’t just wait for me to do it. They’re<br />
empowered and they can do it.’” “Now really we don’t have<br />
a choice,” Maisch said. “We have to pick up where Frank left<br />
off and where we left off with Frank and go forward.”<br />
Bryan Brewer, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe,<br />
was among those who marched beside LaMere from the<br />
Pine Ridge Reservation to Whiteclay several times. He said<br />
LaMere did what no one in Pine Ridge could – make those<br />
in power listen to the Lakota people’s pleas to close the<br />
Whiteclay beer stores. One of the most successful strategies<br />
LaMere employed was to get non-Natives involved in the<br />
effort to close down the beer stores, Brewer said.<br />
“When the people in Nebraska got involved, that’s when<br />
things started happening,” he said. “Frank educated them,<br />
and people started speaking up and there was a lot of<br />
support.” “Frank and those people did it. They actually<br />
closed Whiteclay.”<br />
Among those non-Natives enlisted by LaMere and Maisch to<br />
fight for the beer stores’ closures was Nora Boesem, a South<br />
Dakota mother to numerous Lakota children suffering from<br />
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.<br />
Boesem spoke before Nebraska liquor regulators and<br />
anyone else who would listen about the challenges of<br />
raising children suffering from an entirely preventable<br />
disease, many of whose parents had drank on the streets of<br />
Whiteclay.<br />
Her testimony about the innocent victims of Whiteclay’s<br />
massive alcohol sales was pivotal in influencing Nebraska<br />
state leaders to seek the closure of the beer stores. Boesem<br />
said LaMere convinced her to speak out against Whiteclay’s<br />
alcohol trade by telling her that it was important for her<br />
children to know she had fought for them, even if they<br />
weren’t successful in closing the beer stores.<br />
“That’s a gift that Frank gave me that I can at least have my<br />
children know I fought for them,” she said.<br />
She said she also learned to be willing to step out of your<br />
comfort zone in order to make others uncomfortable. It was a<br />
lesson she learned in a particularly unnerving incident when<br />
she, Frank and others were escorted out of the governor’s<br />
office by the Nebraska State Patrol after a particularly<br />
contentious encounter with the state’s chief executive.<br />
“It’s easy to sit in a room and talk about how important<br />
something is but when you have to really walk over that line<br />
and make that decision that could change your life, how<br />
many people will do it?”<br />
“He always said, ‘If you haven’t been difficult, if you<br />
haven’t made someone mad, you’re probably not doing<br />
all you should be doing,’” she said. “You really do have to<br />
be willing to cross that line and take the step to show that it<br />
matters that much.”<br />
‘We’re going to keep it going’<br />
Matt Ohman, executive director of <strong>Siouxland</strong> Human<br />
Investment Partnership, a nonprofit in Sioux City, Iowa,<br />
that LaMere had worked with for nearly a decade, said<br />
LaMere was pivotal in bringing together leaders from many<br />
nonprofit and government agencies to help improve the<br />
lives of Native people in Sioux City.<br />
Among those he built relationships with were Iowa<br />
Department of Human Services leaders, whom LaMere<br />
had heavily criticized following the deaths of several Native<br />
children in non-Native foster homes over 16 years ago.<br />
“There was a lot of anger,” Ohman said about the deaths<br />
of the Native children. “It’s a testament to Frank because<br />
he used that to really develop a relationship with the<br />
Department of Human Services here, and now they are<br />
some of the biggest allies to the Native people.”<br />
LaMere’s latest effort involved seeking Indian Health<br />
Service funds to build a detox center or halfway house<br />
for Native men in Sioux City. He and Ohman had traveled<br />
several times to Washington, D.C., to try to convince<br />
Congressional leaders, including Rep. Steve King of Iowa,<br />
to support efforts to fund the project.<br />
Ohman said language has been included in the Interior<br />
appropriations bill now being considered by Congress<br />
to provide funding for treatment programs for Native<br />
people in Sioux City. He and other representatives from<br />
his organization visited with LaMere in his hospital room in<br />
Omaha shortly before his death.<br />
“His body had been through so much, but he was in good<br />
spirits,” he said. “His biggest concern was, ‘I’ve got so many<br />
things going on right now, there’s so much work to do and<br />
here I am.’”<br />
“I just assured him, ‘Hey, we’re not going to let the<br />
momentum die on any of these things while you’re<br />
recuperating. We’re going to keep it going and make sure<br />
all of this stuff keeps moving forward.’”<br />
Kevin Abourezk is managing editor of Indianz.com<br />
Photo courtesy of Kevin Abourezk.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Inspire /28<br />
Jason and Sam pictured with their children.<br />
Surviving Life, One Minute at a Time: Chapter 2<br />
By Samantha Geurts<br />
In 2010, Jason and I found out I was pregnant.<br />
I was much more excited than Jason was, because this<br />
would put me back to seeing happiness and life with<br />
adding family instead of saying good-bye to them. My<br />
pregnancy was amazing. We decided not to find out the<br />
gender, since we were just happy for the chance to be<br />
parents, even with the constant fear of more trauma. I<br />
would fear this pregnancy would end the same way. On<br />
several occasions my fears got the best of me. I wouldn’t<br />
eat at restaurants because I feared the food would make<br />
me sick and hurt the baby. I stopped running because<br />
I read that high heart rate could hurt the baby. I read<br />
everything and followed all the recommendations from<br />
the doctors and other mothers I knew. I wanted the best<br />
for this baby, but now I realize that happiness and tragedy<br />
don’t discriminate.<br />
Since my mom’s death, my dad had really stepped up<br />
into the role of both parents. Even though us kids were<br />
all grown, he gave great advice about marriage and<br />
whatever else was troubling me for that day. He was<br />
extremely excited to be a grandpa. We surprised him<br />
on his birthday with a cake that read, “Happy birthday,<br />
Grandpa!” Dad and I talked every day, just as I did with<br />
Mom and Nikki. I remember, I was talking to Dad just<br />
before I left work for lunch. He asked me if Jason and<br />
I wanted to go to the street dance in town, because he<br />
has tickets. Being pregnant and tired most of the time, I<br />
turned them down. I wanted to head to lunch and told<br />
dad I would call him from the car. I called him back five<br />
minutes later, and he asked the same question about the<br />
Sharing the news that they are expecting with her dad.<br />
street dance tickets. I didn’t think too much about it at the<br />
time, but it got me talking to my sister about Dad’s recent<br />
behavior. Dad had started dating for the first time since<br />
Mom died, so we thought his behavior had to do with his<br />
future. Maybe Dad was going to sell the house and move,<br />
and he was nervous about how we would react. I really<br />
wish this was the case.<br />
I was 20 weeks pregnant and sleeping in when I got a<br />
phone call from Dad. He told us he was visiting his<br />
girlfriend for the weekend but he ended up in the ER<br />
and was admitted. He hadn’t been feeling well and had a<br />
horrible headache. They found a brain tumor.
Just before Dad’s surgery to see if the tumor could be<br />
removed, Jason and I were on vacation with his family. I<br />
was standing on the beach with my sister-in-law having a<br />
conversation about struggling with the fear that traumatic<br />
things were always going to happen to me. I feared that I<br />
will lose this baby somehow. Even in her comforting words,<br />
I still felt a pain of doubt in my future and how I would<br />
be able to heal from the pain I was feeling. Reality was<br />
different then what I had imagined, especially when it came<br />
to loss and grief. I really thought I had paid my “dues” to<br />
the universe, to God, but now with Dad’s cancer, I was in<br />
shock that the most important things in my life could be<br />
taken away from me without a second chance. Nothing is<br />
guaranteed.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Inspire /29<br />
Dad survived the surgery, but the tumor wasn’t removed<br />
completely. Dad began radiation and chemo to try and<br />
shrink the remaining cancer, however, the treatment posed<br />
a big risk in his health. He ended up making the decision<br />
to stop treatment due to his extreme decline in health, but<br />
it was too late, he died a week later. My brother, younger<br />
sister, myself and several of Dad’s friends were there.<br />
Everett’s birth, 2010.<br />
I gave birth to Everett November 2010. After a long 36<br />
hours of (back) labor, I delivered Everett via C-section, due<br />
to D-cells which is when the baby’s heart rate slows with<br />
every contraction. He was the perfect baby! He ate, slept,<br />
pooped. Every worry I had while pregnant seemed to be<br />
gone, with seeing his face. This feeling of freedom from<br />
trauma didn’t last long, as my worry for my unborn child<br />
moved to the worry of my newborn child. All these feelings<br />
I had, when expressed, were chalked up to me being a firsttime<br />
mom. Looking back, I can say my intuition had already<br />
kicked in while pregnant, but it wasn’t until the outside<br />
world could see that of which I was feeling.<br />
Around the time Dad had died, Everett was 5 months old. I<br />
am so grateful Dad was able to experience being a grandpa<br />
before he died. As a new mother, without my mother around<br />
to guide me, I did not have the guidance to know what to<br />
expect with a baby. At Dad’s funeral, I remember a few<br />
comments from family and friends, “He seems so different<br />
than our other friends’ baby.”; “He sleeps a lot.”; “How old<br />
Proud grandpa.<br />
is he? I would guess 3 months”. Prior to this I remember<br />
visiting a friend of mine who had a baby six weeks prior to<br />
me having Everett. We were both first time moms and had<br />
a lot to visit on. Her son was just over 4 months old and<br />
Everett 3 months old, at the time of this conversation. She<br />
made a comment about being thankful they brought toys<br />
to church to distract their baby from making a fuss. My gut<br />
went into hyper mode, since Everett didn’t show interest in<br />
anything.<br />
At five months old, Everett still had not progressed past<br />
the regular, eating, sleeping routine. He would do some<br />
cooing, but only just enough for us to question if there was<br />
something there to be concerned with. At this point Jason<br />
was starting to see what I was feeling long before him. We<br />
visited with the pediatrician, who brushed it off and said we<br />
could discuss it at his 6-month visit. This was not an option<br />
for us. We decided to get another opinion. We met with<br />
another pediatrician who agreed with our concerns for<br />
Everett’s development. She scheduled Everett for an MRI.<br />
A few weeks after Everett’s MRI we got a diagnosis of Dandy<br />
Walker Variant. His brain had abnormally developed<br />
while in utero. With Everett being only 6 months old, we<br />
had every hope that he could overcome the difficulty in<br />
achieving his milestones. The neurologist agreed and said<br />
that he may not excel in sports, but should be able to live<br />
a full life.<br />
For several months I was in denial of Everett’s diagnosis<br />
and chose to miss-interpret Everett’s abilities on social<br />
media and isolated myself to those that didn’t know me<br />
well. Even if someone asked me, I would walk away with<br />
fear I would start to break.<br />
A mother is supposed to be strong and can<br />
save her babies. I honestly do not remember<br />
when I finally came out with Everett’s diagnosis<br />
on social media, but I know it was quite a while<br />
after the initial diagnosis.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Inspire /30<br />
either. It wasn’t noticeable to me at first, but then I started<br />
talking with my siblings about it and realizing they also<br />
have the same thoughts of constant fear for tomorrow and<br />
how this isn’t usual. I would lay awake with the thoughts<br />
of what could happen to my family while I slept. I also felt<br />
a different kind of grief than I felt with the loss of Mom,<br />
Nikki, and Dad. This grief was like waves of an ocean.<br />
Grief from loss heals with time. You never stop missing<br />
them, and things never go back to the way they were, but<br />
you find a new normal with each passing moment.<br />
Grief with the diagnosis of a medically complex child left<br />
me with a black hole of what I am supposed to do with<br />
each passing moment. I isolated further from my friends<br />
and have now found that social environments are hard<br />
for me to attend with. The trauma tells me stories of how<br />
people may see me, and my ego is like a terrible twoyear-old<br />
that wants to throw the biggest temper tantrum<br />
known to man and my heart aches for the life I thought I<br />
would be having. I was ready to have a dozen babies, well<br />
not really, but the moment I was pregnant, I knew being<br />
a mom was all I had ever wanted, but now I struggle with<br />
having one child that is so different from what I thought<br />
raising a child would be.<br />
Everett trick-or-treating.<br />
I suppose it happened when Everett’s disease<br />
progressed, and his milestones grew further away from<br />
those of his peers. Friendships of mine strained with<br />
the depression and guilt I felt for the resentment I had<br />
for the life I will no longer be living. It was the biggest<br />
rollercoaster of emotions I had ever experienced.<br />
Shortly after Everett turned one I quit my job to stay<br />
home with him. My motivation was to do whatever it<br />
took to get Everett better and me staying home with him<br />
would do this, so I thought. This was not the case. Shortly<br />
after he turned one Everett started having seizures.<br />
These seizures would rob him of the gains he made in<br />
milestones. It was consistently two steps ahead and five<br />
back. Everett never gained the ability to sit up on his<br />
own, only rolling over one time at seven months old, he<br />
never crawled, and even holding his head up became an<br />
effort we could not imagine. He had the ability to hold<br />
his head up, but the combination of high and low tone in<br />
his muscles made this ability very difficult. He has never<br />
eaten more than pureed food. And swallowing fine<br />
liquids goes straight into his lungs. My days were spent<br />
managing Everett’s care, which included therapy services<br />
and new specialty doctors. When we took Everett back<br />
to the neurologist, I was ready to raise hell with the<br />
statement they gave us six months earlier, “Everett will<br />
be fine, just a little clumsy”. What the last several months<br />
showed us was this is not the truth. To my astonishment,<br />
Everett was scheduled with a different neurologist. We<br />
would live with “undiagnosed” CP as Everett’s diagnosis<br />
until the summer before Everett turned three.<br />
I have heard of PTSD, and I knew the definition of trauma,<br />
but I never thought I would ever be one to suffer from<br />
Summer of 2013 we finally received a diagnosis for<br />
Everett. Beta-propeller Associated Neurodegeneration,<br />
or BPAN. Everett received his diagnosis through<br />
whole exome sequencing. At that time Whole Exome<br />
Sequencing was a very new way of genetic testing, as it<br />
looks at everything. It is spell checking for your genetic<br />
code, finding the miss spelled area of genetic coding. I<br />
did my best navigating our undiagnosed child’s first two<br />
years the best I could, learning most from reading and<br />
learning from other parents through social media. The<br />
one thing that never crossed my mind was that we would<br />
out-live Everett.<br />
After the BPAN diagnosis we asked Everett’s neurologist<br />
what this means for Everett. He said that BPAN was<br />
only discovered a year before, so there is little to no<br />
information on this syndrome. We asked if anyone else<br />
has this diagnosis. What he told us was no, when the truth<br />
was yes, but not many. I found out 3 years later that there<br />
was an entire research group looking into BPAN and had<br />
discovered it while researching another syndrome within<br />
the same family.<br />
Everett had a one in a billion chance of this<br />
happening. These statements should make<br />
me feel relieved, however, anger is all I feel.<br />
Why Everett?<br />
When I finally discovered the research group, we found<br />
valuable information on what BPAN really means. BPAN<br />
is an X-linked syndrome and most males do not survive<br />
pregnancy. Everyone that has the BPAN diagnosis has<br />
seizures. This syndrome is also neurodegenerative.<br />
Everett is deteriorating right in front of us with each
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Inspire /31<br />
Everett celebrating his birthday.<br />
passing day. I would love to spend all my time finding<br />
a cure for Everett, but I am spending all my time making<br />
sure that the common cold doesn’t take him from me.<br />
Everett is now eight years old. He weighs 65 lbs but<br />
keeps his mom strong. His seizures are being controlled<br />
with a ketogenic diet. He has dystonia and hypotonia;<br />
CP; doesn’t drink any fine liquids orally, but through a<br />
gtube; an ACE tube to control constipation; osteopenia<br />
due to not using his bones as he should; hearing loss;<br />
severe optic atrophy; and multiple medications.<br />
Even in all this, he tries every day. He is the<br />
perfect example of “one minute at a time”.<br />
I refuse to have the persona of always having my shit<br />
together, when the reality is the opposite. I try to walk<br />
with my children through the truths of life; hoping to<br />
provide them with tools to work through what life brings<br />
them.<br />
Jason and I will be celebrating 12 years of marriage this<br />
August. We added to our family with two more boys.<br />
Lincoln is 4 and Landen is 2. After Lincoln was born,<br />
Everett went through his fist regression. It was the first<br />
time we realized stress can cause his body to regress. We<br />
rebounded as a family and found again, a new normal.<br />
Landen was our surprise baby and adds so much value<br />
to our family of five. We still don’t know much about<br />
BPAN, or what the future looks like, but learning to see<br />
Everett with his siblings.<br />
the small miracles, such as the ability for Everett to use<br />
his eyes to talk to us, are worth living to see.<br />
I wish this story was triumphant with the love for God<br />
that would cure Everett and all the pain life has brought<br />
me, but in retrospect, this also brought a lesson in<br />
selfish praying and the idea of what miracles should<br />
look like in the reality of what a miracle is which has now<br />
propelled me into my spiritual awakening. With the last<br />
15 years being combined with the trauma and continued<br />
navigation to life of a complex child, I allow light to shine,<br />
even in the darkest of corners. The road is rocky, but I<br />
will survive, one minute at a time.<br />
Samantha Geurts, born and raised in SW Minnesota<br />
has grown to be a wife and mother along with being<br />
a licensed hairstylist, yoga instructor and a full-time<br />
paraprofessional for the local schools.<br />
Photos courtesy of Samantha Geurts.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Inspire / 32<br />
One <strong>Siouxland</strong>: Strengthening <strong>Siouxland</strong> Together<br />
By Philippa Hughes<br />
Two years ago as our community anticipated the<br />
influx of hundreds of workers from across the<br />
country and perhaps the globe to support our<br />
growing economy, a group of about 30 community<br />
leaders from all sectors and all sides of the rivers<br />
came together to answer the question, “Are we<br />
ready to welcome and support our new neighbors?”<br />
While we certainly recognized we had challenges to meet,<br />
we also agreed we are a resource-rich community. We are<br />
rich in organizations that strive every day to fill gaps and meet<br />
their clients’ needs, faith-based organizations that reach<br />
into the streets to serve, businesses that focus as much on<br />
their employees as their bottom line, and genuinely caring<br />
people who want to help others in whatever way their time,<br />
talents, and treasures allow.<br />
What we also acknowledged was that our many programs,<br />
initiatives, organizations, and resources are not always<br />
meaningfully connected. Even in that room two years<br />
ago, among a group of well-connected leaders, new<br />
partnerships were forged, and a greater awareness of our<br />
region’s resources showed attendees that the answer to<br />
our question wasn’t to add a new program, but to betterconnect<br />
existing ones.<br />
And that’s how One <strong>Siouxland</strong> was born. We serve as<br />
a connector of ideas and resources, be they nonprofit,<br />
governmental, business, educational, or otherwise, in an effort<br />
to help our community fill the gaps and expand the resources<br />
that help newcomers feel more welcome and desire to remain<br />
in <strong>Siouxland</strong>, and help long-time community members<br />
understand and embrace our changing demographics.<br />
Many of the vehicles (also referred to as initiatives, programs,<br />
and partnerships) to achieve each pillar’s vision are underway.<br />
One <strong>Siouxland</strong>’s role is different for each vehicle; for some, we<br />
are leading the effort. For others, we are a convener, a funder,<br />
or a voice for those not at the table. Always, we strive to<br />
strengthen our community’s resources so that the newcomers<br />
who move here for work will stay because they were welcomed<br />
and provided the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to<br />
the economic, civic, and cultural fabric of our community.
The work of One <strong>Siouxland</strong> is organized<br />
around five pillars that are essential in a<br />
welcoming community:<br />
Equitable Access; Civic Engagement;<br />
Connected, Safe + Healthy Communities;<br />
Education + Workforce Development; and<br />
Economic Development.<br />
A few of the many vehicles that are driving the implementation<br />
of the One <strong>Siouxland</strong> Strategic Plan for Welcoming &<br />
Integration are:<br />
Community Resource Center. One <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
stakeholders identified this initiative as the one that would<br />
make the greatest impact on our entire community. We<br />
envision a center that houses the social, health, and other<br />
essential needs of our residents, in addition to professional<br />
and retail services that complement the mission to welcome,<br />
support, and connect all who enter. Together with Growing<br />
Community Connections and dozens of partners, One<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> is developing a business plan and working with<br />
investors to make the center a reality.<br />
Rising Leaders Academy. Community stakeholders<br />
also prioritized the concept of a ‘pre-leadership program’<br />
that would identify and develop individuals from<br />
underrepresented populations to grow into leaders in<br />
business, nonprofit, governmental, and other sectors. The<br />
collective expertise of Leadership <strong>Siouxland</strong>, Leadership<br />
Dakota County, NAACP Sioux City, the Sioux City Human<br />
Rights Commission, Northeast Community College, and<br />
Women Aware is shaping this program.<br />
Civic & Community Engagement. Most newcomers<br />
strive to engage in their new community, despite the many<br />
barriers standing against them. Whether as volunteers in<br />
their faith or cultural communities, at a local fire department,<br />
or at their children’s schools, newcomers are giving back<br />
in the ways that matter to them. At One <strong>Siouxland</strong>, we are<br />
working with our city and business leaders, educational<br />
institutions, nonprofit organizations, and newcomer leaders<br />
to develop a culture of civic and community engagement<br />
in <strong>Siouxland</strong>. The first priority is to equip organizations<br />
providing naturalization education and legal assistance with<br />
more tools to support and maximize their efforts so everyone<br />
who has a legal path to U.S. Citizenship has the resources<br />
to get there. From there, One <strong>Siouxland</strong> is partnering with<br />
grassroots organizations that provide voter registration and<br />
non-partisan education to present and explore the issues<br />
about which they will vote. And finally, we are working<br />
closely with area Complete Counts Committees to ensure<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong>’s 2020 Census is an accurate representation of<br />
our diverse community.<br />
Workforce Development through Postsecondary<br />
Opportunities. Newcomers will play a significant role<br />
in filling tomorrow’s workforce needs. In Iowa, where the<br />
Future Ready Iowa goal is to reach 70% of Iowa’s workforce<br />
with education/training beyond high school by 2025,<br />
that amounts to almost 140,000 additional credentials<br />
beyond the current rate. <strong>Siouxland</strong> is rich with refugees<br />
and immigrants that are currently underemployed because<br />
of language barriers and restrictive foreign credential<br />
transferring. Connecting them to upskilling opportunities<br />
or new careers not only improves their family’s economic<br />
outlook, but also increases tax revenue to the government<br />
and potentially puts more discretionary income into the<br />
economy.<br />
Supporting Entrepreneurship. Studies show that<br />
immigrants and their children are more than twice as likely to<br />
start a business than U.S.-born Americans, and currently make<br />
up about 40% of the Fortune 500 companies. One <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
wants to help our community harness that entrepreneurial<br />
spirit by connecting entrepreneurs to mentors, information,<br />
training, financing programs, and other tools to plan, launch,<br />
and grow <strong>Siouxland</strong>’s next great company. We are thrilled<br />
to have local government engagement and support in<br />
this area, and look forward to the day when today’s new<br />
entrepreneurs become tomorrow’s success stories and<br />
mentors for a new generation.<br />
Recently, One <strong>Siouxland</strong> was selected as one of six cities<br />
on the inaugural Looking for America tour. A collaborative<br />
effort of New American Economy, the American University<br />
School of Public Affairs, and CuriosityConnects.us, Looking<br />
for America uses art as a jumping off point for moderated<br />
conversations about the values that connect us and the<br />
issues that divide us. We are currently looking for artists of all<br />
cultures, political ideologies, faiths, nationalities, and other<br />
diverse backgrounds to be part of the art exhibition, which<br />
will open at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center starting<br />
September 29, 2019. On that same day from 2-5pm, about<br />
50 <strong>Siouxland</strong>ers will join us for a late lunch and what we<br />
expect to be very empowering conversations. Please reach<br />
out to Erica@One<strong>Siouxland</strong>.org for more information about<br />
the event.<br />
Philippa P.B. Hughes is a social sculptor and creative<br />
strategist.<br />
Photos courtesy of One <strong>Siouxland</strong>.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Inspire /33
grow<br />
Don’t fear failure. Embrace it. It’s where the learning happens.<br />
Colbibi Kitchen is Spicing Things Up<br />
By Rosalind Torres<br />
“When people I have never met before are telling<br />
me that they absolutely love my salsa, I realized<br />
that I can turn this hobby into something greater.<br />
Everytime I see someone take a taste of my salsas<br />
for the first time, I love seeing the reaction on<br />
their face as they enjoy its bold flavors.”<br />
What motivated you to start your business? What<br />
drives you each day?<br />
My business started simply as a hobby, making salsa for<br />
friends at our get-togethers. Everyone loved my salsas<br />
and some even told me that they were willing to pay me<br />
if I made salsa for them to take home. I happily agreed<br />
and began making salsa for them. They shared the salsas<br />
with their friends and family and they also fell in love.<br />
They would then reach out to me for some salsa and the<br />
demand has been growing ever since.<br />
What’s unique about your business?<br />
What makes my business unique is and we truly only use<br />
fresh vegetables and fruits without any artificial flavors<br />
and preservatives. As far as I am aware, Colibri Kitchen is<br />
the only salsa business in <strong>Siouxland</strong>.<br />
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to<br />
overcome as you’ve grown your business?<br />
The biggest challenge Colibri Kitchen faces as a<br />
business is the struggle to meet the increasing demands<br />
for my salsas (which can be seen as a good problem to<br />
have). While I do get help when it comes to selling my<br />
salsas at the Sioux City Farmers Market, I am the only<br />
one that produces the salsas and drinks. There is only<br />
so much one person can produce in a limited amount of<br />
time (I have a full-time job and have to take care of two<br />
kids). I hope I will be able to find a way to meet growing<br />
demands and ensure everyone would be able to enjoy<br />
my salsas.<br />
What has been your greatest reward?<br />
My biggest reward has been to have the opportunity<br />
to share my passion for making great salsas with other<br />
people. Seeing people come to my stand early in the<br />
morning just to get some salsa before they run out<br />
brings a smile to my face.<br />
How have you benefited from the startup<br />
community in Sioux City and the region? What<br />
resources did you use?<br />
Colibri Kitchen has greatly benefited from the startup<br />
community in Sioux City. When Colibri Kitchen won first<br />
place in the Sioux City Growth Organization’s Innovation<br />
Market, it showed me that my dreams were viable and<br />
had potential to grow. The $5,000 awarded to me<br />
allowed me to get the necessary supplies, equipment<br />
and paperwork to make Colibri Kitchen a reality.
personal growth<br />
leadership<br />
Why is it important for the community to support<br />
startups and small businesses? What more can be<br />
done to help them?<br />
There are several reasons why it is important for the<br />
community to support local startups and small businesses.<br />
I’ll give one practical reason and one idealistic reason.<br />
Practical: If the community supports startups and small<br />
businesses, it would lead to an increase of different goods<br />
and services to the people of Sioux City. This increase<br />
would attract new customers, tourists, and investors. This<br />
would, in turn, provide Sioux City with increased revenue<br />
and opportunities for growth.<br />
Idealistic: Having the community support startups and<br />
small businesses would create a sense of bonding and<br />
unity. It shows that regular people that we know in our<br />
daily lives can pursue their dreams and be successful if we<br />
believe in them and provide our support. These business<br />
owners would return the favor by providing the highest<br />
quality products and services.<br />
What advice would you give to someone looking<br />
to start a business?<br />
My advice to someone that is looking to start their own<br />
business is to never give up. No matter how bleak your<br />
prospects look, it can always get better if you keep your<br />
head up. It is also important that whenever you or your<br />
business do something, it is done with love and respect<br />
to both what your business makes/provides, and to the<br />
people it is meant for.<br />
How can the community continue to help your<br />
business?<br />
The best way for the community to help my business is<br />
simply by continuing to show their love, support and<br />
sharing the salsas of Colibri Kitchen with their friends and<br />
family. Word of mouth can really go a long way.<br />
What are some future goals for your company?<br />
There are few goals in mind for Colibri Kitchen.<br />
Our goal is to get our own permanent location in Sioux<br />
City. This would allow us to hire more people to make great<br />
quantities of salsas in order to meet the rising demands.<br />
This would also allow our salsas to be readily available<br />
any day of the week to our customers as opposed to only<br />
once a week at the Farmers Market.<br />
Rosalind Torres is the owner of Colibri Kitchen, a business<br />
that specializes in producing fresh salsas and beverages,<br />
using only fresh fruits and vegetables without using any<br />
artificial flavors and preservatives.<br />
determination<br />
business development<br />
influence<br />
IAWESTCOAST.COM I 866.537.6052<br />
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IOWASBDC.ORG I 712.274.6454<br />
Do you need free, confidential and customized business<br />
counseling? Contact SBDC for advice on developing a<br />
successful business plan.<br />
SIOUXLANDEDC.COM I 712.279.6430<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Economic Development Corporation offers<br />
financial assistance programs and services to assist<br />
small and medium sized businesses in getting started or<br />
expanding.<br />
MAKERSPACESIOUXCITY.ORG I 712.251.6050<br />
MakerSpace Sioux City offers shared space for hobbyists,<br />
inventors, artists and innovative people to come together<br />
to create and teach through hands-on learning.<br />
SPRINGBOARDCOWORKING.COM I 515.809.0052<br />
Springboard Coworking offers shared office space in<br />
downtown Sioux City for entrepreneurs that combines<br />
the best elements of cafe culture with a productive,<br />
functional, and affordable work environment.<br />
ISUSTARTUPFACTORY.ORG I 515.294.7444<br />
ISU Startup Factory is designed to help businesses bring<br />
new products to the market and work with companies to<br />
make them attractive to outside capital investors.<br />
VENTURENETIOWA.COM I 515.471.1300<br />
VentureNet Iowa connects ideas to resources,<br />
management, and investors, to create jobs and build<br />
businesses in Iowa. If you have a business idea in the<br />
areas of Biosciences, Advanced Manufacturing, Value-<br />
Added Ag, or Information Technology, you may qualify<br />
for assistance through VentureNet Iowa.<br />
Did you use one of these great resources? We want to<br />
share your story! Visit our website at siouxlandmagazine.<br />
com, fill out the form and connect with us today!<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Grow / 39
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Grow / 36<br />
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Resilience: The Greatness of the Underdog<br />
By Todd Rausch<br />
This word has so many meanings for so many<br />
people. For me, it’s about overcoming adversity,<br />
to hang in there till the end and win. I am going to<br />
share a recent experience and what it ultimately means to<br />
be a business owner.<br />
My wife Michele asked me last week if we could go to<br />
Southern Iowa and help support small businesses who<br />
had been affected by the terrible flooding in the recent<br />
months. I said sure, so Friday we started on our little 400<br />
mile round trip down the back roads of the Iowa West<br />
Coast. Truly, it was very scenic and a nice break, but when<br />
we got to where it had flooded, it was a devastating sight.<br />
We were there for two days. We visited 11 businesses,<br />
8 of which were small businesses and we talked to the<br />
owners. What we found out is the obvious, that not all<br />
small business owners treat their customers the same.<br />
For a business owner, the biggest key to being resilient is to<br />
provide the best customer service you can no matter what<br />
the situation. Our internal ability to smile, be friendly, and<br />
be appreciative is not stopped by outside circumstances.<br />
Resilient people overcome external difficulties with internal<br />
fortitude.<br />
I wish all of these owners the best and hope you can learn<br />
from our experience. Treat every customer as a buyer and<br />
as someone who is there to receive the best you have.<br />
Contact:<br />
Todd Rausch, Regional Director<br />
todd.rausch@witcc.edu<br />
712-274-6454<br />
Todd Raush is the Regional Director of America’s SBDC Iowa at<br />
Western Iowa Tech Community College.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | grow / 37<br />
The first place we stopped was a small cafe. We were<br />
the only customers and we just wanted some pie and ice<br />
cream. The owner acted like we were bothering her by<br />
giving her our business. Not a good start.<br />
The second place we stopped was at a Lavender Farm, the<br />
girl helping us was friendly and helpful. Then we talked to<br />
the owner and heard the hard luck story of the last eight<br />
years. I have had a business failure and can sympathize.<br />
Another place we stopped was a winery and cider<br />
maker. The owners were friendly and positive. They even<br />
encouraged us to get supper from the small business<br />
next door which we did and they brought it to our table.<br />
Amazing service!<br />
We then stopped at a brewery and had a great time with<br />
the owners as we tasted their products. Outstanding.<br />
Our hotel for the night was a small town hotel that was as<br />
hot inside as out. When my wife told the owner that the<br />
a/c wasn’t cooling the room the reply was, “It gets better<br />
after dark”. That one, not so good.<br />
The next day was a rough one as well as we were literally<br />
told at a winery that we were a bother to the employee<br />
because she couldn’t get her work done. Again, we were<br />
the only customers there.<br />
The bottom line is that when these businesses needed<br />
help, we went down to give them our business and<br />
support them. The resilient ones were happy and<br />
helpful. For these business owners, it takes resilience and<br />
gratitude at a time of uncertainty.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Grow / 38<br />
From l to r: Sarah Keely, Korey Kletschke, Kalynn Sortino, Karissa Meyerhoff and Tyler Zellmer (SCGO 2019 Board Members).<br />
Volunteering to Build a Better <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
By Sonia Wilson<br />
You have probably heard at one point or<br />
another someone say, “There is nothing to do<br />
in Sioux City.” Maybe you have even caught<br />
yourself thinking the same thing. But where have<br />
you been looking? Economic Development is on the<br />
rise, the housing market is expanding, and nonprofits<br />
in our community are continuing to make a difference!<br />
And this is the best time to get involved! Don’t know<br />
how? Here are a couple helpful hints to kick start your<br />
community involvement.<br />
Join A Local Organization<br />
Whether you are looking for a short term volunteering<br />
opportunity or an ongoing commitment to make a<br />
difference, there are hundreds of nonprofit organizations<br />
within the area that need your help. Find your passion,<br />
and go! Are you an animal lover? Check out the Human<br />
Society. Want to help children in need? There are a<br />
multitude of afterschool programs and mentorships<br />
available. Want to focus on your professional growth<br />
and development skills? Join Sioux City GO!<br />
Passion Is The Key<br />
If you are passionate about the cause, you will become<br />
more engaged and have a larger impact on your<br />
community. Once you find that passion, step into an<br />
engagement level that is right for you. The most common<br />
would be to donate your time. Want more of a leadership<br />
role? Join a board or sit in on an advisory council, help<br />
facilitate and organize an event, or provide marketing<br />
and outreach assistance. Of course a leadership role<br />
requires more time but if you are helping a cause you<br />
love, it’s not work and you will be able to initiate real<br />
change.<br />
Donate<br />
If your time is limited and you still want to make a difference,<br />
donate. A financial donation can go a long way. Not sure<br />
where your funds are going? Just ask. Any size donation,<br />
large or small, can make an impact on any size non-profit<br />
organization. Think about all the different elements it takes<br />
to build a house. Its needs a solid foundation and is built<br />
one brick at a time. As a young professional, you may think<br />
your dollars won’t make a big enough difference. But the<br />
truth is, every dollar and every hour spent volunteering<br />
does make a difference. You can help be the building<br />
block to an organization’s success.<br />
As young professionals in Sioux City GO, we understand<br />
the importance in community service, volunteering, and<br />
the overall benefit of getting involved. That is why our<br />
Civic committee encourages involvement by maintaining<br />
a list of open board positions in local organizations, and<br />
volunteer opportunities as well as staying informed on a<br />
variety of issues including government, and economic<br />
development within <strong>Siouxland</strong>.<br />
What are you waiting for? Be the leader, the game changer,<br />
ignite your passion, and get involved to build a better<br />
tomorrow for <strong>Siouxland</strong>.<br />
Sonia Wilson is the Marketing Communications Specialist at<br />
Great West Casualty Company and Marketing Board Adviser<br />
for Sioux City Go. Photo credit Sonia Wilson.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | grow / 39<br />
From l to r: Heather Mansfield (Wells Enterprises, Inc.), Andrea Kovarna (FiberComm), Tammy Koopmans (Great West Casualty), Jean<br />
Guy Richard (D2), Peggy Smith (Executive Director, Leadership <strong>Siouxland</strong>)<br />
Bouncing Back<br />
By Peggy Smith<br />
If you met ten new people today and spent ten<br />
minutes with each of them, you would hear about<br />
their lives, their joys and, yes, the challenges they<br />
have faced. Each person’s story would be unique and<br />
the level of adversity faced would be of differing degrees<br />
– but you would learn how each of them were resilient and<br />
handled their challenges.<br />
Life happens, and stress and frustrations are not going<br />
to disappear anytime soon from the workplace, or our<br />
everyday lives. We never know what may be right around<br />
the corner for us, so it makes sense to learn how to handle<br />
whatever may come up.<br />
Resiliency is one of the domains of Positive Leadership, a<br />
model that explores the characteristics of strong, effective<br />
community leaders. When I think of resiliency, I think of<br />
a kid’s small “super ball” - you know, the kind of rubber<br />
ball that bounces back again and again and again – with<br />
each bounce getting stronger and the ball going higher.<br />
Learning to bounce back and thrive when faced with tough<br />
situations is critical to becoming a respected leader. After<br />
all, in today’s world, change is the one constant.<br />
In today’s world, ways of working and living<br />
evolve daily, and not changing and adapting<br />
is not an option. Strong leaders can adjust<br />
to changing environments without acting in<br />
dysfunctional or harmful ways.<br />
Change can be a powerful and positive force, however even<br />
the most positive change is disruptive – even if in a good<br />
way! True leaders can cope well with high levels of ongoing<br />
disruptive change and sustain good health and energy even<br />
when under constant pressure.<br />
It isn’t easy practicing resiliency. Things like our own feelings,<br />
other people and their reactions, too many commitments,<br />
lack of purpose or vision and lack of organization can all<br />
be factors that prevent us from bouncing back. But if we<br />
can learn the art of resiliency, we are set up for success in an<br />
ever-changing world. Participants in Leadership <strong>Siouxland</strong>,<br />
a community leadership program, experience firsthand<br />
opportunities to practice resiliency. The curriculum of<br />
positive leadership is a tool used that provides education<br />
and skill building.<br />
Even more importantly, the stories participants learn from<br />
the people they meet and the situations they experience<br />
showcase all the ways leaders can adapt and make a<br />
difference. Because, as leaders, others look to us to see how<br />
WE handle adversity. Because we, as leaders, set the tone.<br />
Because we all want to make a difference – an impact – and<br />
sometimes it is only through resiliency that we find our way<br />
to do so……Because often it is the difficult situations that<br />
provide us the most opportunity to grow and shine. And<br />
bounce! So, bring it on – we can handle it!<br />
Leadership <strong>Siouxland</strong> is now accepting applications<br />
for the 2019 – 2020 class. Apply by August 15 at<br />
www.leadershipsiouxland.org.<br />
Peggy Smith is the current Executive Director for Leadership<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong>, a role she assumed in 2017. Photo courtesy of<br />
Leadership <strong>Siouxland</strong>.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Grow / 40<br />
Fankhauser, Farrens & Rachel, PLC is a full-service law<br />
firm in Sioux City, Iowa with attorneys who practice<br />
in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The Firm was<br />
originally created in 2016 by attorneys Theresa Rachel<br />
and Dean A. Fankhauser, both having previously<br />
practiced at other law firms in Sioux City. Dean and<br />
Theresa wanted to provide clients with exceptional<br />
service at an affordable rate and give their clients full<br />
access to their case files 24/7. The Firm embraced<br />
technology to make that happen. In 2019, attorney<br />
T. Cody Farrens partnered with Theresa and Dean,<br />
Fankhauser<br />
Farrens &<br />
Rachel, PLC<br />
sparking the change in name from Fankhauser Rachel,<br />
PLC to Fankhauser, Farrens & Rachel, PLC.<br />
The Firm’s services include: Estate Planning and<br />
probate; Family Law, including dissolution of marriage,<br />
child custody, child support, and juvenile law matters;<br />
personal Injury; business law and planning; Criminal<br />
Defense; and, guardianship/conservatorship law.<br />
When you choose Fankhauser, Farrens & Rachel, PLC,<br />
you get a team of lawyers who work tirelessly to achieve<br />
results in alliance with your goals.<br />
T. Cody Farrens<br />
Licensed in: IA, NE & SD<br />
Practice Areas<br />
• Litigation<br />
• Personal Injury<br />
• Dissolution of marriage<br />
• Child Custody<br />
• Child Support<br />
• Juvenile Law<br />
• Criminal Defense<br />
• Guardianship/Conservatorship<br />
matters<br />
Passion for the Law: My<br />
passion comes from the people<br />
I work for. And, I do whatever<br />
I can to ensure that when my<br />
representation ends, they are in<br />
a better position than they were<br />
before we met.<br />
Dean A. Fankhauser<br />
Licensed in: IA & NE<br />
Practice Areas<br />
• Litigation<br />
• Business transactions<br />
• Contract formation<br />
• Business formation<br />
• Corporate Law<br />
• Probate<br />
• Estate Planning<br />
• Guardianship/Conservatorship<br />
matters<br />
• Criminal Defense<br />
Passion for the Law: My passion<br />
for the law stems from trust in our<br />
legal system to equitably resolve<br />
conflict, protect people from an<br />
oppressive government, and<br />
ensure individual liberties are<br />
protected.<br />
Theresa Rachel<br />
Licensed in: IA<br />
Practice Areas<br />
• Litigation<br />
• Dissolution of marriage<br />
• Child Custody<br />
• Child Support<br />
• Juvenile Law<br />
• Criminal Defense<br />
Passion for the Law: My<br />
passion for the law was<br />
ignited from watching family<br />
members struggle to feel<br />
heard in the justice system<br />
and wanting to be a part of<br />
building something better<br />
“Best attorneys in town! Knowledgeable and<br />
professional. I refer them every chance I get!”<br />
– D.J.<br />
“On the day we entered the courtroom, I truly believe we<br />
had the best attorney we could ever have asked for.“<br />
– M.<br />
“A complete sense of relief when this firm took on<br />
my situation(s) from the very start and all the way<br />
to the finish. Very reasonable cost at an important<br />
time of legal need, client-attorney transparency<br />
with a client portal that gives you insight on filings,<br />
updates, billing. I strongly recommend this firm!”<br />
– J.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Grow / 41<br />
Downtown is Growing. And Fast.<br />
By Ragen Cote<br />
When was the last time you went to Downtown<br />
Sioux City? And I don’t mean cutting through to<br />
avoid construction. I mean when did you last truly<br />
experience Downtown Sioux City? If this idea makes<br />
you chuckle, it’s understandable. Every downtown will<br />
usually experience a ‘downturn’ at some point or another.<br />
But Downtown Sioux City has a unique resilience through<br />
the ups and downs.<br />
Over the past few years, Downtown Sioux City has grown<br />
rapidly with a resurgence of nightlife, upscale downtown<br />
living opportunities, and major building renovations<br />
and updates. So if it’s been a while since you last spent<br />
time downtown, now’s the time to go! Just take a look<br />
for yourself at some of the incredible growth going on in<br />
Downtown Sioux City!<br />
Lamb Theatre Project<br />
Back in its prime, many well-known stars took the stage at<br />
the 1909 Sioux City auditorium.<br />
And now there are plans in place to bring it back. It’ll be<br />
called the Lamb Arts Regional Theatre and will be fully<br />
restored to its former glory with an exterior resembling<br />
the original 1909 look and an interior featuring three<br />
separate theaters!<br />
Updates to the Convention Center<br />
The Sioux City Convention Center currently hosts<br />
over 200 events each year and has been appreciated<br />
by many. But it’s about to get a facelift. These new<br />
Convention Center updates will include the construction<br />
of a new, nearly 73,000 square foot addition to the center<br />
with the current convention space being converted into<br />
a glamorous ballroom! Plus, the adjoining Courtyard by<br />
Marriott will bring more visitors to the heart of downtown!<br />
Warrior Hotel/Davidson Building Project<br />
The old Warrior and Davidson buildings were once<br />
icons in Downtown Sioux City. And now they’re making a<br />
comeback! The plan includes a 146-room Autograph by<br />
Marriott hotel, luxury apartments, bars, restaurants and<br />
other retail outlets!<br />
Marto Brewing<br />
The 7,300-square-foot space adjacent to the Promenade<br />
Cinema 14 is home to Marto Brewing Company with a<br />
10-barrel brewhouse! The brewery has segregated spaces<br />
for its sour and non-sour barrel programs, a taproom and a<br />
100-seat restaurant!<br />
Explore Downtown<br />
With over 120 events happening each and every month,<br />
a 90% increase in living units downtown since 2015, and<br />
many more upcoming projects planned for the future,<br />
Downtown is teeming with life and growing incredibly fast!<br />
So if you haven’t checked out downtown Sioux City in a<br />
while, go explore a little. You might be surprised at what<br />
you find.<br />
Ragen Cote is the Downtown Partners Director.<br />
Photo credit Jason Babor.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Grow / 42<br />
34 th Annual Meeting<br />
Tuesday, September 17, 2019<br />
The Orpheum Theatre<br />
528 Pierce Street ~ Sioux City, Iowa<br />
RUDY GIULIANI<br />
107 th Mayor of New York City<br />
Level 1 - Sponsorships are available for premium seating on a rst come, rst served basis.<br />
If you are interested in sponsoring please call the Chamber office at 712.255.7903.<br />
Level 2 - $55/ticket Level 3 - $45/ticket Level 4 - $25/ticket<br />
This year’s event is a ticketed event. Tickets for Levels 2, 3 & 4 can be purchased online<br />
at www.orpheumlive.com or at the Primebank Box Office at the Tyson Events Center.<br />
9/11 Remembered<br />
By Nick DeRoos<br />
Mayor Giuliani is most remembered for his<br />
leadership role after the 9/11 attacks. Many of<br />
us still vividly recall that tragic day. In the hours, days<br />
and months that followed, Giuliani provided a sense of<br />
hope and resilience, not just for the people of New York<br />
City, but for the Nation.<br />
The <strong>Siouxland</strong> Chamber of Commerce will host its 34th<br />
Annual Meeting at the Orpheum Theatre on Tuesday,<br />
September 17, 2019, keynoted by Mayor Rudy Giuliani.<br />
Long recognized as “America’s Mayor,” Rudy Giuliani<br />
led New York City through the aftermath of the most<br />
devastating international terrorist attack in American<br />
history.<br />
As mayor, Giuliani instituted policies that helped clean<br />
up New York City for residents and tourists alike, while<br />
bringing in an era of fiscal responsibility and broadbased<br />
economic growth. Earlier in his career, Giuliani<br />
was a prosecutor who focused on white-collar crime.<br />
With the Sioux City Convention Center under<br />
renovation, the Orpheum Theatre was the logical choice<br />
of venue for such a high-caliber speaker. As you may<br />
recall, the Orpheum Theatre was publicly reopened on<br />
September 15, 2001, just four days after the terrorist<br />
attacks on New York City.<br />
While there will not be a “dinner” this year, sponsors will<br />
be invited to a VIP reception with Mayor Giuliani prior to<br />
the event. Doors open at 6 pm to the general public for<br />
social time and the program begins at 6:45 pm. All are<br />
encouraged to patronize our local Chamber member<br />
restaurants for dinner before or dessert after the event.<br />
Mayor Giuliani’s message about Principled Leadership<br />
in the Face of Change and Crisis will resonate with all<br />
ages – from high school and beyond. Chamber members<br />
and nonmembers are welcome. Take advantage of this<br />
opportunity to hear a world-class speaker in a world-class<br />
venue.<br />
The Orpheum Theatre allows for a larger audience to be<br />
able to hear the message and with ticket prices starting<br />
at $25, we are hoping to have a broader audience. As<br />
everyone knows, there is not a bad seat in the house.<br />
Please join us in welcoming Mayor Rudy Giuliani to<br />
the beautiful, historic Orpheum Theatre on Tuesday,<br />
September 17, 2019 for an unforgettable evening.<br />
Nick DeRoos is the present Chair for the <strong>Siouxland</strong> Chamber<br />
of Commerce Board of Directors.
Diversity in Leadership<br />
By Sonia Wilson<br />
“I firmly believe I was in<br />
the right place, at the right<br />
time and was given the<br />
opportunity to succeed<br />
and lead.”<br />
Mary Anderson is the Senior<br />
Vice President, Treasurer, and<br />
Chief Accounting Officer, at<br />
Great West Casualty Company.<br />
She began her career as a<br />
Mary Anderson<br />
public accountant until an<br />
internal auditor position opened up at Great West<br />
Casualty Company. Mary began her journey at Great<br />
West and six months later, in 1989, she was offered the<br />
Treasurer position. At this time, she was the first of two<br />
women to ever be promoted into a senior management<br />
role at Great West. Mary has learned many life and<br />
leadership lessons that have attributed to her success.<br />
Sonia: What does leadership mean to you?<br />
Mary: Setting the example and providing guidance to<br />
help others succeed.<br />
Sonia: What do you attribute to your success?<br />
Mary: Education is the beginning. Education, knowledge,<br />
and hard work are all important however I firmly believe<br />
I was in the right place, at the right time and was given<br />
the opportunity to succeed and lead. When I was<br />
promoted to Treasurer, I was one of two women to ever<br />
be promoted to senior management. The CEO at that<br />
time was a visionary leader and had made it a conscious<br />
goal to have more women in leadership roles at Great<br />
West. Partnered with my education, drive, timing, and<br />
support of the leaders in the organization, I was tasked<br />
with that amazing opportunity which has been followed<br />
by others. It wasn’t just the timing, without the hard work<br />
and dedication to my internal audit role, I would not have<br />
seen the leadership opportunities I did. I had to qualify<br />
myself and show the company my value and what I could<br />
do to continue to add value to the organization.<br />
Sonia: What challenges have you faced in your<br />
leadership roles?<br />
Mary: When I was advancing in my career, I found<br />
networking and socializing in a work setting challenging.<br />
The insurance and trucking industry is a male dominated<br />
industry and it was difficult to network with men. They<br />
didn’t want to speak to me. I remember that it wasn’t<br />
until I had proven myself, it was difficult to have a simple<br />
conversation. I had to work harder than the men and<br />
prove myself and my value even more. Today networking<br />
and socializing among men and women are more<br />
common however, the barriers are still there.<br />
Sonia: What is your best advice for young<br />
professionals?<br />
Mary: First, build strong relationships. Relationships are<br />
the foundation to you being successful in your career.<br />
Second, pay attention to what people are doing not what<br />
they are saying. Follow up on verbal promises, are they<br />
doing and giving you the opportunity, they promised?<br />
If not, make a pivot and make your own path. Lastly, it is<br />
important to not just do the job you were hired for but to<br />
bring value to management and you will move up in the<br />
organization.<br />
Sonia: What advice would you give to women<br />
who want to pursue leadership positions?<br />
Mary: You have to be willing to work hard and go the<br />
extra mile to prove yourself, be assertive, and find a way<br />
to bring value. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or have a<br />
fear of being too pushy. It is ok to challenge a stance as<br />
long as you have the data and knowledge to back it up.<br />
If you have already qualified yourself, be assertive and<br />
pushy when needed. Once respect is built, your push<br />
back will be better received. I caution people to be too<br />
assertive without first qualifying and proving themselves.<br />
Especially with women, it can be taken the wrong way<br />
and you may think that makes people take you seriously,<br />
but it actually can do the opposite.<br />
Sonia Wilson is the Marketing Communications Specialist<br />
with Great West Casualty Company.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Grow / 43
alance<br />
Inside and out.<br />
Mt. Evans Wilderness in Colorado.<br />
Digital Well-Being<br />
By Jianna Hoss<br />
I grew up playing kickball in my backyard,<br />
running around barefoot, and watching the<br />
weather roll by. We spent winters sledding and having<br />
snowball fights. We had dial up internet, although we<br />
mostly used the computer to play pinball.<br />
Our world moves fast, and we let it.<br />
Surrounded by constant buzzing, pinging, vibrating, and<br />
ringing, it’s no wonder we feel a little stressed out. We<br />
live in a world that pulls our attention to a dozen places<br />
at once and we have immediate access to information,<br />
businesses, and people.<br />
On average, Americans spend 24 hours a week on their<br />
phones. That works out to nearly 3.5 hours per day. The<br />
number only gets higher with younger generations who<br />
spend upwards of 35 hours a week on their devices.<br />
Our time is spent looking down to screens<br />
instead of eye-to-eye with other humans.<br />
Sure, we’re connected through the digital<br />
realm, but are we connected when we sit<br />
across from one another?<br />
Technology isn’t the enemy. It has revolutionized the way<br />
that we live, and allowed us to connect across the globe.<br />
It does, however, need to be balanced out. We can do<br />
that by making small but monumental changes in our<br />
day-to-day lives, and returning to hobbies we left behind<br />
in the name of technology.<br />
Let’s seek out simple, again. Let’s turn our phones off<br />
while we have coffee dates and family dinners. Let’s opt to<br />
spend time outside when the sun shines. Let’s put down<br />
the phone, and look up.<br />
Change doesn’t have to be a huge thing, all at once.<br />
Implementing small changes over a period of time can<br />
help you be successful at creating a new normal.<br />
Jianna Hoss is a local yoga teacher and movement practitioner.<br />
In her free time, she loves to climb, slackline, and be outside<br />
regardless of the season. You can practice movement and<br />
yoga with her at {be} Studio downtown or learn more about<br />
her at jiannahoss.com.<br />
Photo courtesy of Jianna Hoss
eathe<br />
clarity<br />
nutrition<br />
flexibility<br />
strength<br />
Here’s a few ways to simply change your outlook<br />
on your usage of technology, and scale back<br />
on the time spent looking down, rather than<br />
looking up.<br />
1. Track your consumption. Some phones are<br />
built with features that track your usage. Find one that<br />
alerts you when your time is up for the day and sends<br />
diagnostics to you once a week.<br />
2. Be person first. The next time you’re out to<br />
lunch, sitting across the dinner table with loved ones,<br />
notice if you’re phone-first or person-first. It seems<br />
like a small thing to say, “I just have to answer this text<br />
quick.” However, it’s a bigger act to not respond to the<br />
message, and remain present with the person in front<br />
of you. You help create a new normal.<br />
3. Unplug for 24 hours, sundown to sundown.<br />
Notice what happens. What do you fill your time with?<br />
Are you able to connect more deeply, enjoy your meals,<br />
and even find time for rest? Find a day that works, and be<br />
disciplined in it.<br />
4. Create better habits. Have cut-off points. Instead<br />
of remaining on your phone until you go to sleep, try<br />
turning your phone off an hour (or more) ahead of sleep.<br />
Try to not scroll on it first thing in the morning.<br />
5. Return to simpler times. Get outside. Have a grill<br />
out. Play kickball or cards or a board game. See how<br />
great you are at hopscotch, all these years later. Have<br />
fun, without the screen.<br />
Sources:<br />
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/01/decade-smartphones-now-spend-entire-day-every-week-online/<br />
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/deloitte-launches-2018-global-mobile-consumer-survey.html<br />
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<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | balance / 46<br />
Amber’s Top 5 Healing JUICES<br />
By Amber Sherman<br />
How many times have you heard the phrase, “eat<br />
more fruits and vegetables for better health”?<br />
Probably many times. The American Heart Association<br />
recommends a minimum of 4 servings of fruit and 5<br />
servings of vegetables per day to maintain a healthy<br />
diet. Even though we have heard this over and over,<br />
how many of us out there are actually consuming this<br />
amount? It is estimated by the Center for Disease Control<br />
(CDC) that only 1 in 9 adults actually eats the proper<br />
servings of fruits and vegetables daily. That means<br />
for every 100,000 people, 88,889 are not consuming<br />
an adequate amount of nutritious foods for optimal<br />
health. This trend is alarming to me, and just based on<br />
my observations of society today, many people seem to<br />
be sick, tired and carrying excess weight. I suspect that<br />
lack of fruits and vegetables may be a big part of the<br />
problem…. But, let’s face it, eating the proper servings<br />
of these nutritious foods can be especially difficult if you<br />
are someone that doesn’t enjoy salads and often eats<br />
on the go.<br />
So, what can we do? I’m here to tell you, the answer is<br />
actually quite simple. There is a way to get all of your fruit<br />
and vegetable servings quickly and easily. The answer<br />
is JUICING! All you need is a juicer, a few extra minutes<br />
of time, and VIOLA! You have a delicious drink that is<br />
chock full of nutrition, vitality, and life force energy! The<br />
juice of fresh fruits and vegetables is the richest available<br />
food source of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Juice<br />
enables your body to easily assimilate the many valuable<br />
nutrients found in food, and it allows you to get the<br />
benefits of eating loads of fruits and vegetables, without<br />
turning into a rabbit. I like to call fresh pressed juices<br />
‘Vitamin and Mineral Cocktails’. Please note that I am not<br />
referring to juices that you purchase pre-packaged in a<br />
store, those juices are ok, but they do not hold the same<br />
health benefits as a freshly made juice, that has not been<br />
pasteurized.<br />
I experiment with a variety of juices, but, today I would<br />
like to share with you my TOP 5 favorites!<br />
1) Celery Juice – Celery juice tops the list again. You<br />
would be hard pressed to find a juice that has more<br />
nutrition and healing properties than celery. This amazing<br />
herb helps to strengthen HCL production in the gut and<br />
increases the production of bile in the liver. Personally,<br />
celery juice has helped to heal my digestive system issues,<br />
my skin problems, and it gives me tremendous amounts
of energy! I drink this stuff Every. Single. Day. If you are<br />
coming down with a cold, reach for celery juice, as celery<br />
contains special mineral salts that help break down viral<br />
loads in the body and alkalize the bloodstream. In my<br />
opinion, it provides healing powers to just about any<br />
condition you may have. Celery Juice = Pure Magic.<br />
2) Cucumber Juice – Cucumber juice is my 2nd<br />
favorite juice. It is a highly alkalinizing and hydrating<br />
drink that is rich in nutrients such as vitamins A, C, K,<br />
magnesium, silica, and potassium. It has the ability to<br />
cleanse and detox the entire body as well as help to<br />
alleviate digestive problems such as gastritis, acidity,<br />
heartburn, indigestion, and ulcers. It is also an ideal way<br />
to properly hydrate the body since it is contains beneficial<br />
electrolytes that have the ability to bring nutrients and<br />
hydration deep into the cells and tissues making it far<br />
more effective than water alone. Finally, if you have a<br />
fever, cucumber juice is an excellent remedy for helping<br />
to cool down body temperature. So, that saying, ‘cool as<br />
a cucumber’ is pretty much spot on!<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | balance / 47<br />
3) Carrot & Ginger Juice – It doesn’t get much<br />
more delicious than carrot ginger juice! Carrots are<br />
a great fuel source for the liver and they inhibit the<br />
growth of unfriendly microorganisms. Ginger improves<br />
bile production and increases HCL production in the<br />
stomach. The combination of these foods delivers a<br />
one-two punch in helping the digestive system function<br />
optimally.<br />
4) Watermelon Juice – Watermelon is my all-time<br />
favorite Summer fruit. In my opinion, there is not a<br />
drink more refreshing and hydrating than watermelon<br />
juice. Melons are predigested, which means they are<br />
so assimilable that our digestive systems barely need<br />
to process them when they enter the body. Drinking<br />
melon juice is like getting intravenous nutrient therapy.<br />
Watermelon specifically is known to significantly reduce<br />
inflammation, help flush out edema, clean the liver, aid<br />
in weight loss and alleviate depression. Watermelon<br />
can also boost the immune system as well as strengthen<br />
vision. So, drink up and enjoy!<br />
5) Grape Juice – There is more to grape juice than<br />
its rich, tempting color. It is a delicious sweet drink that<br />
promotes heart, brain, and skin health. Grapes are<br />
literally packed with antioxidants. Phytochemicals like<br />
resveratrol and quercetin, procyanidins, tannins, and<br />
saponins are a few antioxidants known to protect your<br />
heart health. Fresh, organic grape juice has antioxidant<br />
and anti-inflammatory properties, and it can help to slow<br />
down the aging process. So, move over green juice,<br />
grape juice is moving in as the next new-age detox drink.<br />
Amber Sherman is a raw food enthusiast. Level I ISOD<br />
(International School of Detoxification)<br />
Photo credit (left page) Becca Feauto.<br />
Photo credit (right page) Amber Sherman.<br />
CELERY JUICE<br />
Ingredients:<br />
2-3 Bundles of Celery Stalks<br />
Directions:<br />
Place celery stalks in juicer.<br />
Drink up and enjoy!<br />
Please note:<br />
The best way to take your celery juice is to<br />
drink a minimum of 16 oz. of straight celery<br />
juice every morning on an empty stomach,<br />
then waiting 15-30 minutes before eating<br />
breakfast. Work this into your schedule and<br />
see for yourself how it works its magic!<br />
Resources:<br />
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/<br />
add-color/fruits-and-vegetables-serving-sizes<br />
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/whatshould-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/<br />
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p1116-fruitvegetable-consumption.html<br />
William, Anthony. Life Changing Foods. Hay House<br />
Publishers. 2016.<br />
William, Anthony. Liver Rescue. Hay House Publishers. 2018.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | balance / 48<br />
The Window of Tolerance<br />
By Nesrin Abu Ata<br />
People generally experience ebbs and flows<br />
in life with a range of emotions and body<br />
sensations. This concept is known as the “window<br />
of tolerance”, coined by Dan Siegel. The range of the<br />
window of tolerance is different for each individual, and<br />
can be affected by the amount of sleep, exercise, dietary<br />
habits, trauma history and physical health among other<br />
things. Each person also has an ability to selfregulate<br />
to stay within this window of tolerance.<br />
A healthy window of tolerance is wide,<br />
flexible, and a person is able to use<br />
self-regulation skills to remain within<br />
the window of tolerance.<br />
We start to build self- regulation and the range of<br />
our window of tolerance as infants, with the help of<br />
our caregivers. For example, an infant feels hungry,<br />
which may raise fear or panic, and when the caregiver<br />
provides food, the infant feels full, has her needs met<br />
and returns to feeling content and calm. This is known<br />
as co-regulation; creating regulation with the help of<br />
someone else. Another example is when a toddler is<br />
fussy, scared or upset, the caregiver provides comfort and<br />
a sense of safety; the toddler is able to return to feeling<br />
safe and content.<br />
The autonomic nervous system, specifically through a<br />
nerve known as the vagus nerve, drives self-regulation and<br />
is able to keep a person within the window of tolerance.<br />
The vagus nerve is a big nerve, think of it as a highway<br />
that connects between the brain, heart, lungs and the<br />
gut-brain and is in constant cross talk communication<br />
between all of them. When someone’s heart is racing, or<br />
they have chest tightness, the vagus nerve carries these<br />
signals to the brain, specifically the brain stem. This is<br />
known as our reptile brain, or survival brain, where we<br />
react freeze, fight or flight in order to survive. If the signals<br />
are not too overwhelming, and we are able to use selfregulation<br />
skills that come from the cortical brain, then<br />
we are able to notice what we feel in our body, identify<br />
it, name it and instead of immediately react to it, be able<br />
to stay with the feeling of heart racing, learn from it and<br />
bring down the racing heart.<br />
When the signals from our body are too strong, such<br />
as fear or anger, this overwhelms the nervous system.<br />
Instead of the signals traveling from the vagus nerve, to<br />
the brain stem and then to the cortical brain where we
can self regulate, get stuck in the brain stem. The<br />
brain stem only knows to do three things to survive -<br />
fight, flight or freeze. As a result, the body goes into<br />
“hyperarousal” mode, also known as fight or flight,<br />
where the heart races, we experience shortness<br />
of breath, have a heightened sense of awareness,<br />
become hypervigilant, and thoughts become chaotic<br />
or rigid. The body may also go into “hypoarousal<br />
Learning to notice when we are in<br />
hyperarousal or hypoarousal states and<br />
then take steps to help us feel calm and<br />
safe is the practice of returning to our<br />
window of tolerance.<br />
state”, also known as “freeze”, where a person may<br />
feel like they freeze, become numb or depressed,<br />
withdraw and feel that they can’t think. Quite often,<br />
when the window of tolerance is overwhelmed, the<br />
person may alternate between hypoarounsal and<br />
hyperarousal states.<br />
Once we are back in the window of tolerance again,<br />
we feel safe and content and are able to handle<br />
different emotions, events and feelings.<br />
The building blocks to return to the window<br />
of tolerance are: feeling safe in our body,<br />
feeling safe in our emotions/thoughts<br />
and feeling safe in our environment and<br />
relationships.<br />
There are different skills that help with restoring<br />
a sense of safety, including mindfulness. Others<br />
include being in the here and now with grounding<br />
exercises and walking and practicing different types<br />
of breathing techniques to slow down the autonomic<br />
nervous system.<br />
As you go through the day today, ask yourself, where<br />
you are in relationship to your window of tolerance?<br />
Are you within your window of tolerance? Are you<br />
above or below your window of tolerance? Can<br />
you practice mindfulness, or go for a walk, or take a<br />
deep breath for a few minutes to bring yourself back<br />
into your window of tolerance?<br />
Nesrin Abu Ata is a psychiatrist and a family physician<br />
who trained at the University of Iowa Hospitals and<br />
Clinics. I have an interest in integrative psychiatry.<br />
Photo credit Becca Feauto.<br />
At Le Mars Beauty College, we are committed<br />
to inspiring our students and teaching them<br />
the skills they need to be successful in any<br />
area of our ever expanding beauty industry.<br />
• 100% Passing Rate on State Board.<br />
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712.546.4195 | info@LBC4U.com<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | balance/ 49<br />
Resource: The Body Keeps The Score<br />
Author Bessel Van Der Kolk.
Stop suffering<br />
with chronicpain<br />
Enhance Your Body’s Natural Ability to Heal<br />
Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy<br />
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addressing the source of your pain more obtainable than ever.<br />
Arthritis<br />
The Power of<br />
Regenerative Medicine<br />
can effectively treat:<br />
Ilene D.<br />
Knees & Ankle<br />
“In 2016, I was in an accident that<br />
destroyed the tibia plateau of my knee,<br />
which is what holds your knee, and it<br />
also severely strained my ankle in that<br />
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When the procedure was over, they<br />
did a little bit of treatment and then<br />
we walked right out of here. I am just<br />
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we know that they are concerned for<br />
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Bursitis<br />
Tendonitis<br />
Muscle Problems<br />
Cartilage Problems<br />
Joint Problems<br />
Plantar Fasciitis<br />
Tennis/Golfers Elbow<br />
Sports Injuries<br />
(712) 276-4325<br />
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don’t know if that’s a good idea, but<br />
that’s what I do. I didn’t realize it would<br />
change like it has. Life’s great! I look<br />
forward to doing things every day now.<br />
I would recommend it to anybody, and I<br />
have. I don’t know why you wouldn’t.”<br />
Stem cell therapy is still considered<br />
experimental by the FDA.
Who Is A Candidate &<br />
Why Multicare Is The Best Choice<br />
For Your Regenerative Medicine Care<br />
Regenerative Medicine is rapidly becoming the most promising advancement in modern<br />
medicine with its ability to repair injured and damaged tissue in the body. Simply put,<br />
regeneration by definition means to bring into existence again, so it’s basically returning<br />
your body to its healthy state.<br />
This is exciting news for those suffering with chronic pain. With regenerative medicine procedures you<br />
would not only eliminate your pain, but Repair and Rebuild any injured area of your body. It is addressing<br />
the source of pain by trying to fix the actual problem.<br />
By harnessing the power of biology, healing can happen naturally and effectively. This is a next generation<br />
non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment that uses the human body’s own ability to heal, and has been<br />
shown to be extremely effective in helping people with knee pain, shoulder pain, back pain, neck pain,<br />
joint pain from arthritis to other types of pain from chronic disease.<br />
Attending one of the free educational seminars will not only provide more information, but also allows for<br />
attendees to receive a complimentary consultation. The consultation gives you the opportunity to ask the<br />
doctor questions and for the doctor to determine if you may be a candidate. Multicare is purpose driven, to<br />
help as many people as possible live long, healthy, pain-free lives. Time and attention is given to patients<br />
to determine the best course of action.<br />
Certainly the fact that Multicare has been a part of <strong>Siouxland</strong> for nearly twenty years, with over 100<br />
years of combined medical experience, and has a reputation for exceptional care makes a strong case for<br />
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• Multidisciplinary Clinic (Medical, Chiropractic & Physical Therapy)<br />
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• Follow strict International Review Board Protocols<br />
• Use the Highest Quality Products and Use Image Guidance for Better Results<br />
• FREE No Obligation Consultation<br />
• Complimentary monthly follow-ups for six months after the injection<br />
Next issue:<br />
Effectiveness of Stem Cells<br />
and the Cost<br />
To Get the Date and Time of Our Next Seminar:<br />
Attendees<br />
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Can’t wait to learn more…<br />
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explore<br />
Get dirty.<br />
A Resilient Approach to Stormwater Management<br />
By Carrie Raloff<br />
Stormwater is often viewed as a nuisance;<br />
something that must be directed to the<br />
nearest storm drain as quickly as possible. Most<br />
communities depend on storm intakes and a system<br />
of pipes to carry stormwater away to prevent flooding.<br />
Not much thought is given to how stormwater runoff<br />
interacts with the surrounding landscape and how our<br />
actions can affect the quality of the water that ultimately<br />
enters the Missouri River.<br />
Today’s Landscape<br />
Take a look around your community; how much<br />
“green” vs. “gray” do you see? For decades we’ve<br />
seen increasingly more “gray” in the form of streets,<br />
highways, parking lots, sidewalks, and buildings. These<br />
are impervious surfaces, areas that don’t allow rain or<br />
snow melt to soak into the ground, creating what is<br />
called stormwater runoff. “Green” areas, such as parks,<br />
landscaping, open areas, and drainage ditches are<br />
referred to as pervious surfaces and are able to soak up<br />
more stormwater, reducing runoff.<br />
Connection to the Missouri River<br />
Impervious areas paired with an efficient storm system<br />
convey water quickly to the nearest stream, often at very<br />
high rates that damage vegetation and lead to erosion and<br />
steep banks in stream channels. Runoff from these areas<br />
often carries pollutants such as gasoline and oil residue,<br />
de-icing chemicals, sediment, heavy metals, and bacteria.<br />
And while lawns are not considered to be impervious and<br />
do allow some precipitation to soak into the ground, heavy<br />
rains carry lawn chemicals, animal waste, and other debris<br />
such as grass clippings and leaves to storm drains. In<br />
Sioux City, stormwater, along with these pollutants, flows<br />
to Perry Creek, the Floyd River, Bacon Creek, or the Big<br />
Sioux, before ultimately emptying into the Missouri River,<br />
which provides drinking water, recreational uses such as<br />
boating and fishing, and habitat for several species.
fresh air<br />
get outside<br />
protect<br />
active<br />
play<br />
Changing Attitudes Towards Stormwater<br />
Fortunately attention at the national level regarding<br />
stormwater impacts to water quality have led to better<br />
laws and policies. Along with water quality, flooding and<br />
infrastructure maintenance are also concerns. A community’s<br />
growth and continued development increase the strain on<br />
our stormwater infrastructure. Preserving natural spaces and<br />
implementing green infrastructure can reduce impacts to<br />
water quality, act as buffers during flood events, and reduce<br />
stress on our City’s stormwater system, all of which support<br />
sustainable growth and a more resilient community.<br />
Reducing the Impact<br />
Communities and property owners are increasingly<br />
implementing green infrastructure, such as rain barrels,<br />
rain gardens, swales, bioretention basins or “biocells”,<br />
and permeable pavement. Rain gardens, biocells, and<br />
permeable pavement systems are designed to capture and<br />
infiltrate the first 1.25 inches of rain, often referred to as<br />
the “first flush”, and which carries the majority of pollutants.<br />
Incorporating green infrastructure improves water quality,<br />
slows and reduces stormwater runoff, and can provide<br />
habitat to support our pollinators.<br />
Local Projects<br />
Two Urban Water Quality Initiative Projects funded by the<br />
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship were<br />
completed in 2017: the Promenade Improvement Project and<br />
Riverside Soccer Complex Biocell Project. Two large biocells<br />
at Southern Hills Mall were completed in late 2018. And<br />
this year, biocells will be constructed at the <strong>Siouxland</strong> Expo<br />
Center and Lewis and Clark Park. Though they may appear<br />
to be simple landscaping, biocells are designed to capture<br />
and infiltrate runoff from precipitation events that are less<br />
than 1.25 inches, which historically account for 90% of<br />
rain events in Iowa. The root systems of the native plants<br />
in these biocells are better able to reduce the amount of<br />
water leaving the site, while capturing and breaking down<br />
pollutants, all while providing habitat for pollinators.<br />
Biocells are designed to capture and infiltrate<br />
runoff from precipitation events that are less<br />
than 1.25 inches, which historically account<br />
for 90% of rain events in Iowa.<br />
The City received a grant from the Iowa Department of<br />
Agriculture and Land Stewardship through the Urban Water<br />
Quality Initiative Program to assist with the <strong>Siouxland</strong> Expo<br />
Center bioretention basin project. The <strong>Siouxland</strong> Expo<br />
Center will connect by trail to Chris Larsen Park, which will<br />
also include several biocells with native plants and a “green<br />
roof” shelter, another green infrastructure practice that uses<br />
soil and native plants to reduce runoff.<br />
Carrie Radloff chairs the Northwest Iowa Group of Sierra Club<br />
and serves on the Sioux City Environmental Advisory Board.<br />
Photo credit Carrie Radloff.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | explore / 54<br />
Building Resilience through the Outdoors.<br />
By Olivia Parks<br />
Every living thing is influenced by stress.<br />
The stressors that come to mind as adults include work,<br />
family, and money. Similar to their parents, children are<br />
also influenced by daily hardships but unlike adults,<br />
they do not have the knowledge of how to cope with<br />
this feeling. There are also many environmental factors<br />
that we encounter on an annual basis. Some factors<br />
that <strong>Siouxland</strong> experiences are floods, extreme heat,<br />
drought, and extreme cold. These environmental factors<br />
are influenced by our climate which native plants have<br />
grown to be resilient against. One of the most resilient<br />
environments in our region is prairie. Children benefit<br />
from observing these conditions in prairies and being<br />
out in these environments to learn how to be resilient<br />
against the harsh conditions in their own life.<br />
Though there are only less than 0.1% remaining of<br />
the original prairies, they are one of the most robust<br />
ecosystems that exist. Prairies consist of mostly native<br />
grasses, flowers, or forbs and when those native plants<br />
are grown together in a community they become strong<br />
against environmental hazards. In floods, these plants<br />
will retain rainwater and also help stabilize the landscape<br />
by preventing erosion because of their root system.<br />
During droughts, plants will go dormant without water<br />
until they are rehydrated then they will perk right back<br />
up and not die. Many of the prairie plants are also heat<br />
resistant and can handle the extreme heat, and in the<br />
winter, their roots are so deep and dense underground,<br />
averaging two-thirds of the plant being underground,<br />
that they are able to survive in the freezing temperatures.<br />
Finally, prairies are a low maintenance ecosystem and do<br />
not require fertilization or pesticides. Prairies attract native<br />
wildlife and pollinators that provide protection from<br />
harmful invaders.<br />
Being in nature benefits child development<br />
too. Having children outside allows them to<br />
burn off energy, improve their mood, and<br />
helps improve focus which helps in school.<br />
Schools use recess as a time for students to get outdoors<br />
and try to gain the benefits from it, but recess is not nearly<br />
enough time to fully gain the experience of being in<br />
nature. One of the best ways to observe children gaining<br />
tractability is by taking a long hike on a rough trail. In<br />
this type of condition, children will experience some<br />
discomfort that they would not normally get exposed to.<br />
They would be asked to push their limits, either by waiting<br />
until they reached the end of a stretch of trail to catch their<br />
breath or waiting longer times between breaks for a snack<br />
or water.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | explore / 55<br />
Useful Websites:<br />
https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/DNR-News-Releases/<br />
ArticleID/201/Great-Escapes-7-of-Iowa%E2%80%99s-Best-Hikes<br />
https://americanhiking.org/resources/hiking-with-kids/<br />
https://lnt.org/<br />
Parents can help build their children’s spirit by pushing<br />
those limits, but also by encouraging them to find a<br />
walking stick or to lean on each other to assist in<br />
easing the pain. They can also help build emotional<br />
strength by hiking to earn a reward at the end of<br />
the trail, whether the peak of a mountain or a secret<br />
waterfall or lake. To increase entertainment on a hike,<br />
include games or even an outdoor scavenger hunt to<br />
help with longer hikes. By hiking trails frequently you<br />
will also build the child’s emotional power by showing<br />
them that not all things are permanent. One time you<br />
hike a trail you may see hundreds of flowers growing<br />
in the prairie, the next time it is brown and dormant or<br />
even burned up. If you return to that place again later<br />
next year, you might be able to see the return of those<br />
once beautiful flowers.<br />
Over time, like the prairie, the children you hike with will<br />
gather the resilience to continue fighting against those<br />
stressors. They will go on that hike and understand<br />
that the discomfort is only temporary. They will gain<br />
the knowledge that with a little help they can tackle the<br />
challenge presented to them and take that into their<br />
everyday life.<br />
Olivia Parks, AmeriCorps 4-H Environmental Education<br />
Naturalist, Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center<br />
Photos courtesy of Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Explore / 56<br />
Resilience in the Garden and on the Farm<br />
By Mark Raymond and Jenny Jorgensen<br />
As gardeners we can plan months ahead of time,<br />
have all our seeds ordered, all our materials<br />
ready, everything laid out perfectly, but we also<br />
know that things do go wrong.<br />
A few weeks ago in one of our last sessions of School<br />
Garden 101 at Woodbury County Extension, we<br />
discussed some of the benefits of gardening in a school<br />
setting. As we talked to one of the primary benefits<br />
defined was teaching youth it’s okay to make mistakes.<br />
If you do make mistakes, you need to take the time to<br />
look at what happened and figure out if it can be fixed<br />
now or what to do differently next time! Resiliency! Turn<br />
the mistake into a learning opportunity! In today’s world<br />
many students through the full age gamut have not<br />
developed the use of this skill. Too many often feel that<br />
mistakes are failures when they are really opportunities<br />
for learning!<br />
Many of us start our gardens with our own seeds in<br />
order to save money and be able to share seedlings with<br />
others. But most years, we know there is a possibility we<br />
will have some problems along the way.<br />
Some of those problems may the following:<br />
• Older seeds that don’t germinate<br />
• Low germination rates<br />
• Too much water/not enough water<br />
• Height of lights above the seeds affecting<br />
stem development<br />
• Temperature<br />
After “hardening off” by moving our seedlings to<br />
protected areas from sun and wind for a few days after<br />
the last frost, we eventually plant into the garden, raised<br />
beds, grow bags and anything that works as a planter. We<br />
still can have problems. Even if we are consistent with our<br />
watering and fertilizing it is easy to still lose some plants<br />
due to high winds or hail or too much rain as well as pests.<br />
And what about resilience in regards to pests? (No, we’re<br />
not referring to your big-hearted neighbor who thinks<br />
you need another bushel basket of zucchini). Pests for the<br />
gardener can include not only a wide variety of insects but<br />
also a number of walking, crawling, flying or burrowing<br />
creatures whose survival is made easier by stopping<br />
by your garden for a meal...and their determination<br />
in gaining access to your bounty is a testimony to their<br />
resilience in adapting to any and all methods employed<br />
to limit their indulgence.<br />
However, if you’ve gardened for any length of time, you<br />
know that you will not eliminate all of the invaders, nor<br />
should that even be your goal. Resilience in the garden<br />
also means sharing what you’ve grown with the unwanted,<br />
but not unexpected, drop-in diners. As a gardener, you are<br />
always striving to balance your flexibility with that of the<br />
lasting ability of ubiquitous garden pests. Understanding<br />
these pests you will inevitably confront in your garden and<br />
appreciating their resilience will help you to respect these<br />
worthy opponents and become more resilient yourself.<br />
It’s a bug-eat-vegetable world out there and we’re just<br />
living in it.
A huge thanks goes to those who “garden on a much higher<br />
level”, our farmers, who are so much more greatly affected<br />
by pests and Mother Nature. Farmers plan for next year’s<br />
crop a minimum of six months ahead of time. Most times<br />
their cash outlay for the next Spring’s planting is paid six<br />
or more months out. Some applications of nutrients or<br />
pest controls are applied in the fall. Last year’s fall was not<br />
conducive to this application in some areas. So the farmer<br />
looks at Plan B. This spring threw more curve balls to<br />
farmers than anyone needs to confront. Because it was too<br />
wet, a different chemical combination of nutrients had to<br />
be used. Physically (since most farmers hire the application<br />
of nutrients done), there is simply not enough equipment<br />
to get it done when a farmer might really want it done.<br />
The farmer just “keeps working the plan” with the special<br />
resilience they have to believe in the future.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Explore / 57<br />
Planting may need to be postponed until all the parts fall<br />
into place on a different schedule than planned. This year<br />
with the major flooding, seeds that had been bought last<br />
fall needed to be changed out for many farmers. A different<br />
seed with a shorter growing season and other attributes<br />
fitting the individual farmers goals had to be bought.<br />
Just when things appear to be moving forward Mother<br />
Nature continued to make her presence known. Late<br />
planted crops became stripped by hail or laid flat by<br />
excessively high winds just in recent days. Only time will tell<br />
if those crops are a total loss or will regain for some harvest<br />
potential. Resilience and learning what we can do to work<br />
the problem are how we keep our focus and continue to<br />
move forward.<br />
Food (and the food to feed the cattle, hogs, chickens, and<br />
more animal food sources for us) comes from farmers and<br />
ranchers in their gardens or vegetable farms, fields, and<br />
pastures.<br />
Someone somewhere has to grow it or raise it (meat<br />
products) before it can be sold at the grocery store. In<br />
today’s society, it seems many people have forgotten this or<br />
never understood it.<br />
It is through the resilience, the “let’s-try-this-again” and the<br />
“we-will-get-through-this” attitudes of farmers, ranchers,<br />
and gardeners that we all continue to have food available to<br />
purchase at stores and seasonally at our wonderful Farmers<br />
Market.<br />
Jenny is a Master Gardener and joined Up From the Earth<br />
after retiring as a SC kindergarten teacher. She consistently<br />
works to connect extra produce from home gardeners to the<br />
community affected by food insecurity.<br />
We need to help educate people to<br />
understand where food truly comes from<br />
and the wonderful resilience our growers<br />
and farmers have to overcome and move<br />
ahead keeping all of us fed.<br />
4625 Singing Hills Blvd<br />
Sioux City, IA<br />
(712) 274-6622<br />
Mark Raymond (aka the Zucchini Guy) joined Up From<br />
The Earth after retiring from Mercy Medical Center’s<br />
Neurophysiology/Sleep Lab. He is a Master Gardener and<br />
likes to try at least three unique veggies each year.<br />
Photos courtesy of Up From The Earth.<br />
www.VernEideHondaSiouxCity.com
enjoy<br />
You only live once.<br />
Sfumato Pizzeria: Offering a Refined Experience<br />
By Kolby DeWitt<br />
Major highway and road expansions are often<br />
a bane and hindrance to many of Iowa’s (and<br />
the nation’s) best, small town eateries, cutting<br />
off or steering away a steady supply of hungry<br />
passersby.<br />
In the case of Sfumato Pizzeria and the Highway 60<br />
bypass completed in the late 2000’s, the busy four-lane<br />
highway leads you right to the delicious rural Carnes, IA<br />
restaurant.<br />
Located at the intersection of K64 and Highway 60 in a<br />
former service station, Sfumato Pizzeria’s Shannon and<br />
Matt Slemp are masters of their domain, preparing pizza<br />
pies with precision. “We just aim to get extremely good at<br />
one thing, and excel at it,” says Shannon. The admirably<br />
simply menu leaves the decisions to a minimum, but no<br />
set of pizza-lover lacking. Matt’s father, Mark, is also a<br />
principal of the thriving business.<br />
“Everything is made entirely in house,” prides the<br />
confident Shannon. “Our mozzarella cheese is made<br />
fresh daily, as is our dough. The tomatoes are crushed<br />
Marzano, imported often from Italy.” The creamy dressing<br />
is of Vidalia onions and jalapeno jam. The chocolate<br />
cake and even the art that hangs in the bistro is by their<br />
waitress, Anne Plageman. The compound itself is largely<br />
the handiwork of Mark and Matt, whose day jobs have<br />
them creating custom constructions across the country.<br />
The northern addition, which is timber framing, is built in a<br />
jigsaw manner from the ground up.<br />
Although the menu is concise, the variety is wide, with<br />
eight prefabbed Neapolitan Pizza options (and endless<br />
variances for those who want to personalize). “We start<br />
the dough each morning, and it proofs in the afternoon,”<br />
Shannon describes. “We then we add the sauce, then<br />
toppings, and place it in our 900 degree, wood-fired brick<br />
oven, custom ordered from Naples, Italy.” The cooking<br />
process is a mere 90 seconds, and that’s all it takes to<br />
slightly blacken the crust which gives it unrivaled flavor.<br />
While dining with <strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> owners Becca and<br />
Stacie, we dined like Italian nobility! We first sampled<br />
the Fig and Caper. Topped with prosciutto ham, it was<br />
complemented by (you guessed it) figs and capers. This<br />
pizza also had mushrooms and arugula.
have fun<br />
entertainment<br />
culture<br />
gather<br />
relax<br />
We next tasted the Barbeque Pizza, ours topped with Italian<br />
sausage. Barbeque sauce served as the base, and cilantro<br />
added a fresh finish. As a pizza purist, I was originally alarmed by<br />
the pineapple addition, but it did accompany the ingredients<br />
quite well, and it is an item I look forward to ordering again.<br />
Lastly for pizzas, we partook in a good ol’ fashioned Pepperoni<br />
Pizza. With this, Sfumato Pizzeria’s fresh made cheese and<br />
Marzano tomato sauce really stood out. The tomatoes boasted<br />
a sweet and wholesome flavor. I had the honor of eating this<br />
one steaming hot, seconds from being removed from the oven.<br />
All of this knowledge of the science behind Neapolitan pizza<br />
comes from a course Matt took with Verace Pizza Napoletana<br />
(VPN), an international regulatory body of this particular pizza<br />
variety.<br />
In addition to the Neapolitan pizzas, Sfumato Pizzeria has a<br />
delicious dessert menu and diverse drink selection. The star<br />
of the dessert menu is the gelato. “You’re eating the Rote<br />
Grütze,” says Shannon, “which has strawberries, blackberries,<br />
and raspberries. This is also made in-house.” She also pointed<br />
out how well the gelato espouses the deep, rich flavor of the<br />
berries. I didn’t think that the small cup it came in would be<br />
enough, but somehow it was the perfect amount. There is also<br />
a Chocolate Cake (you guessed it, also made in-house) which<br />
has an airy bread, and is topped with a creamy dark chocolate<br />
frosting.<br />
The vast drink assortment is unrivaled for miles. “These are<br />
all hand-selected wines. Tough gig, right?” says Shannon.<br />
Although she jests, it is clear she isn’t kidding, everything<br />
about Sfumato Pizzeria is intentional and chosen with purpose.<br />
While we were photographing and interviewing for the story,<br />
Shawn, a regular from Sioux Center approached me. “This is the<br />
best kept secret around. I bring friends and family here all the<br />
time,” he says, satisfied after another filling evening. The front<br />
door was practically rotating while we were there on a typical<br />
Thursday night. As Becca, Stacie, and I were recovering from<br />
our smorgasbord that would make E. B. White’s Templeton<br />
character proud, we all had the same revelation: Of the several<br />
dozen customers we observed at Sfumato Pizzeria, none<br />
of the tables had their phones out (even the Millennials and<br />
Generation Zers). People definitely come for the experience,<br />
and Sfumato Pizzeria does not disappoint.<br />
For the next time you’re traveling north out of Le Mars on<br />
Highway 60, Sfumato Pizzeria is open from 5pm-9pm, Thursday<br />
through Sunday.<br />
Kolby Dewitt has enjoyed writing (primarily about food) for<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> since 2010.<br />
Photo credit Becca Feauto.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Enjoy / 60<br />
Back-to-School<br />
Isn’t All About the Kids!<br />
Stop in and treat yourself<br />
to a little something special.<br />
You’ve earned it momma!<br />
We’ve got dresses, accessories,<br />
bags and more!<br />
Located on 4th & Court Street<br />
on the 2nd floor inside<br />
Belle Salon & Spa.<br />
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Social Media. Website Design. Photography.<br />
Copywriting. Graphic Design. Video.<br />
Pulse<br />
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712.898.9727<br />
pulse co.com
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Enjoy / 61<br />
Enjoy this homemade cheesecake at Sfumato Pizzeria.<br />
Filled With Love: Cheesecake<br />
By Jada Tirre<br />
I learned to make the cheesecake from Nathan<br />
‘Nate’ Howe who had worked at Sfumato’s and<br />
had passed down the recipe to me. I met Nate at<br />
the Le Mars Farmers Market in the summer of 2018, when<br />
I started my business, Filled with Love.<br />
I brought an assortment of baked goods (Chocolate<br />
covered bacon, artisan bread, empanada, bagels, Aztec<br />
brownies, cake pops, etc.) and would always share with<br />
Nate. He had become my unofficial mentor as he would<br />
offer feedback.<br />
In the Fall of 2018, Nate had an opportunity in front of him<br />
that would take him to California. He had recommended<br />
to Shannon Slemp at Sfumato’s that I continue providing<br />
the cheesecake.<br />
The truth is, the cheesecake is really one of the cleanest<br />
label recipes I have. Meaning that it has very minimal<br />
ingredients. I have done only small tweaks with the recipe<br />
and ran this by a few taste testers for approval.<br />
Any individual can find a ton of great cheesecake recipes,<br />
but I believe that process is really what makes the food<br />
come to life. It’s a form of tradition, although we are all<br />
not family by blood, we can all connect through food.<br />
And of course, my cheesecake is always Filled with Love.<br />
I would encourage teenagers to align with their parents<br />
and even themselves early on about what they want to<br />
accomplish. I often ask myself, what is the goal? My mom<br />
and dad have been amazing. I have taken over a good<br />
portion of the kitchen and have my own baking area, not<br />
including the time that I occupy the kitchen!<br />
Jada Tirre, student at Le Mars Community<br />
High School.<br />
I would also recommend finding mentors that are going<br />
to show you something beyond an internet video. Yes, you<br />
can learn just about anything online today, but that does<br />
not replace a face-to-face conversation and hands-on<br />
learning.<br />
Photo credit (left) Becca Feauto and (right) Chelsi Hector with<br />
C-Starr Photography.<br />
Giving Back<br />
This morning something surreal happened at the Le Mars<br />
Farmers Market. There were about 10 vendors set up for<br />
sale at the market. The market had already opened up<br />
and we were about 10 or 15 minutes past 9.<br />
The storms were supposed to go around us and head<br />
north but all of the sudden you could see the clouds<br />
rolling in, fast. The winds ended up lifting and ruining<br />
about 5 or 6 tents. A ton of vendors products were<br />
destroyed or unsalvageable after being thrown on the<br />
ground.<br />
Everyone was holding onto the tents and helping<br />
each other out. There was at least one vendor that was<br />
considering opting out of the remainder of the season<br />
because of the damage done.<br />
I am thinking about how to replace the tents for the<br />
vendors that lost their tents and goods. This also has me<br />
thinking quite a bit about how Filled with Love can not<br />
only benefit myself, but others around me.
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Enjoy / 62<br />
FIFI – The B29 Superfortress will fly into <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
By Jacques Robitaille and Pamela Mickelson<br />
Get ready to rumble in <strong>Siouxland</strong>! The rumble of<br />
engines from one of the rarest World War II bombers,<br />
the B-29 Superfortress FIFI will be heard over the skies of<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> in August when she visits Sioux Gateway Airport<br />
as part of the AirPower History Tour of the Commemorative<br />
Air Force. The event is being held in partnership with the<br />
Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation.<br />
The bomber is to be accompanied by a T-6 Texan and a PT-<br />
13 Stearman.<br />
The Boeing B-29 was the most advanced four-engine<br />
bomber of WWII and featured many innovations such as<br />
a pressurized cockpit, remote-control computerized firecontrol<br />
system that operated four machine gun turrets,<br />
and onboard radar. It was the most expensive weapons<br />
project undertaken by the United States during the war,<br />
costing more than $3 billion, which exceeded the cost of<br />
the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb.<br />
The bomber could fly higher, 31,850 feet, than any other<br />
bomber of the period and had a top speed of 350 miles<br />
per hour.<br />
Superfortresses were used in the China-Burma-India Theater<br />
and in the Pacific Theater of Operations where their range<br />
could take the air war to Japan. Hundreds of B-29s at a time<br />
would make the 3,000-mile round-trip from the islands of<br />
Guam, Saipan, and Tinian on missions lasting anywhere<br />
from 12 to 18 hours.<br />
On August 6, 1945, the B-29 Enola Gay dropped an atomic<br />
bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the B-29 Bockscar,<br />
dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Those two<br />
missions led to the end of the war and the surrender ceremony<br />
on the deck of the USS Missouri on September 2 with 525<br />
B-29s flying overhead in a show of force.<br />
FIFI is one of only two flying B-29s in the world. She was<br />
acquired by the CAF in 1971 from the U.S. Navy Proving<br />
Grounds in China Lake, California. After a three-year restoration<br />
she began touring in 1974 and has been entertaining air show<br />
audiences across the country ever since.<br />
Known as the “Pilotmaker,” the T-6 Texan was an advanced<br />
flight trainer manufactured by North American Aviation, the<br />
same company that built the P-51 Mustang fighter. First flown<br />
in 1935, the T-6 introduced new pilots to a complex aircraft<br />
with more speed, 200-plus miles per hour, to prepare them<br />
for the warbirds they would fly in combat in WWII. The T-6<br />
was designed for an instructor and student, and had a closed<br />
cockpit. Airshow fans may notice the T-6 serving the CAF as<br />
an impersonator---several of the airplanes have been slightly<br />
modified and painted as Japanese torpedo bombers and<br />
fighters for the Tora, Tora, Tora re-enactment of the attack on<br />
Pearl Harbor.<br />
The Boeing PT-13 was the primary flight trainer for all<br />
branches of the military during World War II. Officially named<br />
the Boeing Model 75, this plane is almost universally known
as the “Stearman”. If an aspiring aviator wanted to earn his<br />
wings, he started in the iconic bi-plane, which was sturdily built<br />
to withstand the abuse of flight students. The open cockpit<br />
airplane had a maximum speed of 135 miles per hour. A ride<br />
in the fully aerobatic Stearman brings back the wind-in-your<br />
hair feeling of the early days of flying.<br />
The aircraft will be located at the Sioux Gateway<br />
Airport. Parking and entrance gates are located<br />
at the south end of the field at 6121 Pershing<br />
St., Sioux City. The Mid America Museum of<br />
Aviation and Transportation is located just off<br />
Harbor Drive on the northeast corner of the field<br />
at 2600 Expedition Ct., Sioux City, IA 51111.<br />
Plenty of parking is available at both sites.<br />
A big band dance will feature the Mearl Lake Orchestra and<br />
VIP access to The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) crew on<br />
Saturday August 10 at the air museum. To purchase tickets go<br />
to www.midamericaairmuseum.org. To book a ride on any of<br />
the CAF aircraft, go to www.airpowertour.org.<br />
Collecting aircraft for nearly a half a century, the CAF now ranks<br />
as one of the largest air forces in the world. Today the CAF has<br />
approximately 13,000 members and a fleet of more than 175<br />
aircraft representing more than 60 different types, including<br />
planes from several foreign countries and other military<br />
conflicts since World War II. The CAF was founded to acquire,<br />
restore and preserve in flying condition a complete collection<br />
of combat aircraft which were flown by all military services of<br />
the United States, and selected aircraft of other nations, for the<br />
education and enjoyment of present and future generations of<br />
Americans.<br />
The airshow will be open to the public from 9<br />
a.m. until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday,<br />
August 7-11. Access to the ramp where the<br />
warbirds are parked is $15 for adults, $9 for<br />
children ages 10-17 and free for children nine<br />
and under. Supporting aircraft will be offering<br />
rides all five days. The B-29 flies on Saturday<br />
and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Cockpit<br />
tours of the B-29 will be available beginning at<br />
9 a.m., except on Saturday and Sunday when<br />
they will begin at noon.<br />
The ramp fee includes free admission to<br />
the Mid America Museum of Aviation and<br />
transportation, located at the airport at 2600<br />
Expedition Ct., Sioux City IA 51111. Additional<br />
information about the museum can be found at<br />
MidAmericaAirMuseum.org.<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> |<br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> Enjoy | Design / 63 <strong>Issue</strong> / 21<br />
The Headquarters of the CAF is located in Dallas, TX. CAF<br />
members live in every state and 28 foreign countries. In 26<br />
states and four foreign countries, members have joined<br />
together and formed units to foster camaraderie and, in many<br />
cases, actively support one or more of the classic military<br />
aircraft operated by the CAF.<br />
More than just a collection of airworthy warplanes from the<br />
past, the CAF’s fleet of historic aircraft, known as the CAF Ghost<br />
Squadron, recreate, remind and reinforce the lessons learned<br />
from the defining moments in American military aviation<br />
history in a living tribute to the men and women who built,<br />
maintained and flew them.<br />
Jacques Robitaille is the Public Information Officer with the<br />
CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron.<br />
Pam Mickelson serves as president of the board of directors<br />
for the air museum. She retired as professor and chair of<br />
business at Morningside College.<br />
Photo Credit: CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Enjoy / 64<br />
Food Truck Fridays<br />
The region’s most popular food truck gathering<br />
620 Pearl Street<br />
(712) 266-6452<br />
Battery Park Concerts<br />
Outdoor concert venue<br />
113 3rd Street<br />
(712) 224-7659<br />
hardrockcasinosiouxcity.com/nightlife/battery-park<br />
Farmers Market<br />
Locally grown/produced market<br />
100 Pearl Street<br />
(712) 251-2616<br />
farmersmarketsiouxcity.com<br />
Sioux City Public Museum<br />
Discover Sioux City’s history and culture<br />
607 4th Street<br />
(712) 279-6174<br />
siouxcitymuseum.org<br />
Art Center<br />
An exhibitions from the best regional artists<br />
225 Nebraska Street<br />
(712) 279-6272<br />
siouxcityartcenter.org<br />
Vangarde Arts<br />
Live convert venue<br />
416 Pierce Street<br />
(712) 251-6432<br />
vangardearts.com<br />
Tyson Events Center<br />
Multi-purpose arena<br />
401 Gordon Drive<br />
(855) 333-8771<br />
tysoncenter.com<br />
Orpheum Theatre<br />
Performing arts venue<br />
528 Pierce Street<br />
(712) 258-9164<br />
orpheumlive.com<br />
Launchpad Children’s Museum<br />
Indoor educational center<br />
623 Pearl Street<br />
(712) 224-2542<br />
launchpadmuseum.com<br />
Promenade Cinema 14<br />
Digital projection movie theater<br />
924 4th Street<br />
(712) 277-8300<br />
mainstreettheatres.com<br />
Convention Center<br />
Event center hosting over 200 events each year<br />
801 4th Street<br />
(712) 279-4800<br />
siouxcityconventioncenter.com<br />
You don’t always need a plan.<br />
Sometimes you just need to breathe,<br />
trust, let go and see what happens.<br />
– Mandy Hale
5678! Dance Studio<br />
Adams Homestead & Nature Preserve<br />
Art by Nature<br />
Bike Trails<br />
Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor & Museum<br />
Cone Park<br />
Contemporary Dance Studio<br />
Dakota Dunes Country Club<br />
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center<br />
Downtown Partners<br />
Drop Zone Family Fun Center<br />
Farmer’s Market<br />
Gallery 103<br />
Green Valley Golf Course<br />
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City<br />
LaunchPAD Children’s Museum<br />
Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center/Betty Strong Encounter Center<br />
MakerSpace<br />
MidAmerica Museum of Aviation and Transportation<br />
Norm Waitt Sr YMCA<br />
Orpheum Theatre<br />
Park Jefferson Speedway<br />
Poppin’ Bottles n’ Brushes<br />
Prairie Rose Equestrian Center<br />
Promenade Cinema 14<br />
Rush Werks<br />
Sioux City Art Center<br />
Sioux City Bandits<br />
Sioux City Community Theater<br />
Sioux City Country Club<br />
Sioux City Explorer’s<br />
Sioux City Musketeers<br />
Sioux City Public Library<br />
Sioux City Public Museum<br />
Sioux City Railroad Museum<br />
Sioux City Symphony Orchestra<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Gymnastics<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Youth Hockey<br />
The Nature Conservancy<br />
Total Baseball Development<br />
Tucker Hill Vineyards<br />
Two Rivers Golf Course<br />
Tyson Events Center<br />
V.I.P Gymnastics Ninja & Cheer<br />
WinnaVegas Casino Resort<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Enjoy / 65<br />
Alzheimer’s Association<br />
American Heart Association<br />
American Red Cross – <strong>Siouxland</strong> Area<br />
Big Brothers Big Sisters of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
Boys & Girls Club of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
Boys & Girls Home & Family Services Inc.<br />
Boys Town<br />
Camp High Hopes<br />
Center for <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
CIRAS (Center for Industrial Research<br />
and Services)<br />
Community Action Agency of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
CSADV (Council on Sexual Assault &<br />
Domestic Violence)<br />
Connections Area Agency on Aging<br />
Crittenton Center<br />
Crossroads of Western Iowa<br />
Dismas Charities Sioux City<br />
Gigi’s Playhouse – Sioux City<br />
Girls Incorporated of Sioux City<br />
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa<br />
Goodwill of the Great Plains<br />
Growing Community Connections<br />
Heartland Counseling<br />
Her Health Women’s Center<br />
Historic Preservation Committee<br />
Hospice of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
Jackson Recovery Centers<br />
Junior League of Sioux City<br />
KWIT/KOJI Radio<br />
Leadership <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
Mary J Tregalia Community House<br />
Mid-Amercia Council Boy Scouts of America<br />
Mid-Step Services<br />
Miracle League of Sioux City<br />
Mission of the Messiah Thrift Store &<br />
Outreach Center<br />
New Perspectives Inc<br />
One <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
Opportunities Unlimited<br />
Pier Center for Autism<br />
Plains Area Mental Health Center<br />
Projects for Patriots<br />
Ronald McDonald House Charities<br />
of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
Sanford Community Center<br />
Seasons Center for Behavioral Health<br />
SHIP (<strong>Siouxland</strong> Human Investment<br />
Partnership)<br />
Simple Life Inc<br />
Sioux City Gospel Mission<br />
Sioux City Growth Organization<br />
Sioux City Public Schools Foundation<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> CARES about Substance<br />
Abuse<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Center for Active Generations<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Civic Dance Association<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Coalition Against Human<br />
Trafficking<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Estate Planning Council<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Freedom Park<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Habitat for Humanity<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Optimist Club<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Toastmasters<br />
<strong>Siouxland</strong> Youth for Christ<br />
South Sioux City Schools Foundation<br />
S.T.A.R.S (Special Troopers Adaptive<br />
Riding School)<br />
STEMM<br />
Support <strong>Siouxland</strong> Soldiers<br />
The First Tee of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
The Food Bank of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
The Pride Group<br />
United Way of <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
Volunteer <strong>Siouxland</strong><br />
We Got Next Foundation<br />
Women Lead Change
<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Enjoy / 66<br />
Come Feel What You’ve Been Missing!<br />
siouxcitysymphony.org | 712.277.2111