The Red Plate goes to Julie Washington
Welcome to the first edition of The Red Plate! Recently, I had the great good fortune to attend a workshop at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Laguna Niguel, California that included Julie Washington as one of the panelists. Choosing to attend that workshop is where luck meets opportunity (or maybe it was just plain ol’ fate), because with so many workshop choices available, I could have easily missed this one and never heard Julie speak! Julie, the Chief Brand Officer of Jamba Juice, is an impressive speaker who embodies the quintessential powerful corporate executive with grace and charm. She shared this little tidbit of a story, The Red Plate, and I loved it so much I decided it needed its own space to share and resonate with all of us.
Her pastor has 7 kids. Yep, 7. Needless to say, it’s a challenge to spend any focused, quality time with 7 children. So, her pastor has a red plate. This plate is moved around the table and whoever has the red plate that moment is the focus of attention by all. Julie has taken this story and tweaked it for her only family’s use. She places the red plate on the table to recognize one of her children for a job well done – as a reward for that child’s achievement, whatever it is.
I think we all need to have red plates in our lives – ways that we reward and recognize each other. At Toot Sweet 4 Two, we have a category called “Your Story Matters.” We set up this category to share inspirational stories of real people doing remarkable things or having remarkable experiences that have transformed their lives or the lives of others. Right now, we have three in that category:
- Bloggy Boot Camp Revealed – the story of an amazing young woman in Australia who has Long QT Syndrome but doesn’t let that stop her!
- Perspective: December 8, 1941 – the story of my father’s (and his family) imprisonment at Los Banos concentration camp in the Philippines for 3 1/2 years (from the age of 12 until his rescue at 16). The “perspective” comes from the fact that if he’d not been rescued by our military in 1945, none of his descendants (including me, Tiffany and the Princesses P) would be here.
- Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars from Pinch of Yum – a delicious recipe created by Lindsay from Pinch of Yum, but the “back story” is that she is a teacher at an orphanage in the Philippines. She and her husband, Bjork, have left family, friends and jobs behind to serve at this orphanage for a year. How inspiring!
But, “Your Story Matters” is meant to be big picture stuff – transcending and transforming stories that get all of us thinking about the past, the present and the future.
How about a category, The Red Plate, just to spotlight and recognize someone for something special, tangible or intangible without “rules”? A “thank you” for motivating others, inspiring others or just doing something special that deserves a “thank you”?
So, I dedicate this first entry in our new The Red Plate category to Julie Washington for being an inspiration to women everywhere – she’s one smart, articulate women sharing her knowledge without reservation and empowering women everywhere. Thanks, Julie!
Julie Washington, Chief Brand Officer, Jamba Juice
Do you know someone that should have The Red Plate? Please share in the comments section.
Tootles,
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