How would you describe yourself?
I'm known for being down to earth, practical, energetic, creative and fun and for helping you to see opportunity in the midst of problems. I tell people who hire me that if you prefer a stuffy lecturer with lots of Power Point and tons of charts and graphs, I'm not your gal, but I can certainly make a recommendation or two. (Just teasing...). Professionally I would say that I’m an author, a speaker, a trainer, and a business philosopher. Personally I’m a wife, a friend and a person committed to personal growth and building rewarding relationships.
What is your expertise?
I am a relationship development expert with a Communications degree from Drury University and a master’s degree in Human Resources Development from Webster University. However I think more importantly is my experience before getting the degrees. For over twenty years I worked at Kraft Foods in the factory, therefore I understand the reinvention process one goes through when making a significant life or business change.
In additon I have business and marketing expertise due to my Internet work developing and delivering teleseminars, hosting a web based radio show and authoring a book. I have coached and mentored many business owners and professionals to develop products as well as speaking content.
How did you go from factory worker to professional speaker?
I was approaching mid-life and was feeling unfulfilled. I call it the three life tragedies. The first tragedy is when you know you want something more but don’t know what it is. Because I had worked in the factory since the age of 18 and didn’t have a college degree, I didn’t know what opportunities existed in the world and it was terrifying to think that one day a big retirement cake would be coming my way and I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
The second life tragedy is when you know what it is you want but you don’t believe it is possible. This is the time in life when you start seeking and searching. I invested in a personal development workshop and learned about taking personal responsibility and the three positions on the “drama triangle” and this was the catalyst that started to change my life. (I tell this story in more depth in my keynote speaking because it was such a dramatic event.) From that workshop I was able to claim my destiny. The workshop leader asked me a huge question: “If there were no limits, what would you do?”That question gave me a lot to think about and was my first insight into understanding how we human beings make lots of excuses for our levels of productivity regarding our work on this planet.
It is important to mention again that people say they want things all the time but they are not doing anything to move toward what they say they want not because of any character flaws or because of lazy habits. The reasons are lack of belief, lack of role models, not knowing "how" and many other reasons. Clarity is key. When you are clear, the "how" will show up."
At the second tragedy you have to keep taking baby steps to move forward until you start to believe in yourself. So I continued to move forward, and I joined Toastmasters so I could start working on my speaking. People said “you could be professional” and the dream seemed more real.
The third tragedy is when you know what you want and you believe it’s possible and now it is up to you to make the choice. I knew that eventually I would quit the factory and start a career as a speaker and trainer, and that was in 1998 when I quit. What I’ve learned about change is the most difficult time is the transition right before making the big change, which I call the transitional tragedy…that “fence straddlin’ position” where you want to make the leap but you are terrified.
How did you make the transition to re-invent your life?
It dawned on me that I should be a speaker who talks about two things: How to take full responsibility to reinvent your life, and how to build better relationships at home and at work. When I look back on it, I had still not reinvented my life and my work relationships were full of drama. There was a huge gap in the life I envisioned and the life I had.
It’s funny, when you make a commitment the universe supplies you with the right teachers no matter where you are. It was my boss on the factory lines who actually became my teacher. Here I was, a factory worker wanting to become a professional speaker and trainer on how to be a better communicator and I couldn’t even get along with my boss. He was very intimidating to me. He constantly raised his voice and he had three answers for almost every problem: That’s just the way it is; there’s nothing I can do; and, if you don’t like it, find another place to work. I just couldn’t wait to leave that factory and tell bosses how to treat their employees better; however I had no idea about the role I played in the dynamics.
The first stage of development was to say “I’ll be good at communication once I leave the factory, after all, you can’t reason with a rock.” But something internally told me that if I couldn’t start where I was, from the factory floor…if I couldn’t figure out a way to better our relationship and if I didn’t take full responsibility for my life and my relationship with him I would never be able to teach these concepts in the real world of business. I knew that this was my training ground from a level of no power to build a good relationship with my boss.
The fairy tale ending to this story is that my “boss situation” became the foundation for all of my training topics in the “Stop Your Drama” category and is the catalyst for a book I’m authoring entitled “The Other Side of the Story,” and another book entitled “Stop Your Drama.”Eventually I was able to build a good rapport with my boss and eliminate the boss-employee baggage, and it wasn’t long after that I was able to quit and pursue a career in speaking and training, which has evolved into working with bosses and employees to help them solve problems and build strong teams so they can increase their productivity.
Who are your clients exactly?
I have threekinds of clients. I work with private practice administrators who manage medical practices. My work here is to help them "Stop Office Drama" and build productive teams. I speak at their associaitons and provide training and development through teleseinars and consulting.
My second type of client is the small business owner, or entrepreneur who is already successful and wants to reinvent or break through to new levels of success. All of my clients are comfortable with technology, are purpose driven, and love the blend of my pracitcal and spiritual approach to problem solving.
My third type of client is the association market. I have been a breakout or keynote speaker for many types of associations.
What associations you have worked with?
Some of the associations I have worked with include Association for Women in communications, International Association of Administrative Professionals, Association for Women in Construction, Business and Professional Women’s Association; Federally Employed Women, Plastic Surgery Administrators Association; and Missouri Electrical Cooperative Association, Insurance Women’s Association of Seattle, and Missouri Court Reporters Association. This type of exposure led to opportunities with businesses. Associations look for breakout sessions with high content with practical application. My netowrking programs and presentation breakouts work well for these professional associaitons. Other times associations may want a three hour mini-workshop on how to "Stop the Drama" at work, and this is a great platform for a shorter program. In addition, because I have several universal keynote presentations, I'm often a great fit if the association wants a breakout and a keynote. To see a video of one of my engagements and to see a list of topics click here.
What should clients know about hiring a speaker or trainer?
Know your budget, your expectations and the outcomes you desire.
It is important to state your expectations and to understand whether you want training or a breakout session.A breakout session is like a bath. It’s refreshing and you feel lots better but it only lasts for so long. Training is like daily maintenance; it is ongoing and keeps everything in working order.
What is your booking process?
We'll set up a “get acquainted call” to make sure what I offer is a great fit for your needs and I will send a questionnaire to find out as much as possible. Once we both determine it’s a good fit, I send an agreement with the details and we proceed from there. Otherwise, I can be reached by e-mail (marlenechism@mchsi.com) or toll free at 1. 888.434.9085
An Interview
with Marlene
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