Welcome to another power-packed episode of Fearless Females! Today, we have the incredible Polly Letofsky joining us—an unstoppable force who walked around the world, spanning 22 countries and four continents over five years.
Polly shares the riveting story of her journey, the challenges of publishing her book, and the transformative lessons she’s learned about business and life. Get ready for insightful advice on mastering your goals, building a resilient support network, and the art of steady progress.
Whether you’re on the cusp of a breakthrough or navigating your professional path, Polly’s experiences and wisdom will ignite your passion to push boundaries. Tune in and be inspired to elevate your own journey!
Show Highlights:
- Discover the must-have book on how to duplicate yourself. [00:01:57]
- A global path paved in honesty to publishing success. [00:05:05]
- Learn incremental-creep awareness to guard your growth. [00:13:35]
- The crucial power of surrounding influences. [00:16:22]
- Why you need to prioritize good hiring in your business. [00:21:06]
- A powerful lesson in embracing and trusting the journey. [00:25:13]
- Explore the pros and cons of self-publishing. [00:32:55]
- Does being a woman traveler have its upsides? [00:37:23]
- Key advice to young women entering business. [00:44:26]
Visit Polly Letofsky’s website at https://www.pollyletofsky.com/.
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to Apple Podcasts and leave a review!
For more information about Lorie Jones, go to http://fearless-females.com/
00:01.97
Lorie Jones
Good morning. We're here today with Polly Bright. She is the Executive Vice President of the Mountain West. And I'm so excited that you were able to join us today, Polly. It's been a little bit scheduling this, so I'm so grateful for your time. Thank you so much.
00:19.20
Polly Breit
Laurie, thank you so much for having me. I'm thankful to Gail Potter, who potddle who put us in touch and introduced us. So I'm excited to be here today.
00:28.98
Lorie Jones
Yeah, and she had nothing but good things to say about you. So I'm excited too. We get to make new friends and learn new things.
00:35.83
Polly Breit
Tell her it is mutual.
00:39.18
Lorie Jones
So my first question is always, I'm a reader. I love reading. I've got a stack of books that keeps getting bigger because I always ask this question. What is your favorite book?
00:50.22
Polly Breit
Oh, this is a hard, starting off with the hard one. um It is so hard to choose just one. i feel like I have different seasons for different books. um But I just read the Women by Kristen Hanna. And I have to say, just this world we're in and where I am in my life, I need something that really captivates me and sort of takes me out of my own to-do lists and um what you know my next morning looks like. And I felt like this book, Kristen Hanna is just ah brilliant storyteller.
01:21.56
Polly Breit
And so I was, you know, couldn't wait for the next um opportunity.
01:22.13
Lorie Jones
Uh-huh.
01:25.87
Polly Breit
I could sit down for 45 minutes and really get into it. um And I think there were so many lessons that while, you know, and the storyline is so far from my day-to-day reality, there were so many lessons and pieces of inspiration that I felt like I could pull in to to my life. so That would be my most recent favorite book.
01:49.34
Polly Breit
um I just got off the waiting list um just on you know the Libby app through the library for Martha Beck's The Way of Integrity, which I'm really excited about.
01:49.42
Lorie Jones
huh
02:00.19
Polly Breit
and i Any podcast she's on or anything, I love listening and learning from her. So and I'll get back to you on that one. I have high expectations.
02:11.63
Lorie Jones
It may be your next to new favorite. So I've heard the women before. i think when ah I think someone else mentioned that. So what is what? Tell me the story. What is that?
02:22.03
Polly Breit
Yeah, so it follows um a woman, Frankie, who um is a nurse in Vietnam and tells sort of the experiences and the perspective of women in the Vietnam War. And then when she comes home and really being sort of unseen, and you know, that the both the climate that she came back to and the polarization and the sit So came back to a much different reality, I think, than she was expecting.
02:54.05
Polly Breit
And then you layer on just her gender and not being seen as a contributor.
02:58.24
Lorie Jones
Oh, yeah.
03:00.82
Polly Breit
Yeah.
03:01.53
Lorie Jones
Oh, yeah.
03:03.33
Polly Breit
yeah
03:03.58
Lorie Jones
So interesting. I'll have to I'll have to bump that one up on my list because it sounds fascinating.
03:10.23
Polly Breit
Put it high in the list, get a hard copy or buy it so you can read it twice.
03:10.33
Lorie Jones
sit
03:14.39
Polly Breit
There's a lot to digest. um
03:16.50
Lorie Jones
Well, and pass it down to my girls.
03:17.07
Polly Breit
But it was a really good opportunity. Yes, yes.
03:19.93
Lorie Jones
I've got, I've got like 20 year old and an 18 year old and, and they love reading or they won't tell me that they don't love reading because it's a requirement around this household. So I think they would really appreciate it too.
03:33.12
Polly Breit
Yeah, I really enjoyed it. You'll have to let me know.
03:38.02
Lorie Jones
So tell me a little bit about yourself, Polly. Tell me how you got started on your journey, like where you're at now, what you do. um Just tell me a little bit about you and how you how you came to be where you're at.
03:51.43
Polly Breit
Yeah. so um i live in Denver with, have two young girls, young daughters, and live with my spouse here in Denver. um After college, I was teaching.
04:02.95
Polly Breit
So I taught third grade in Los Angeles and um really enjoyed that third grade.
04:06.08
Lorie Jones
Oh, wow.
04:09.82
Polly Breit
Anyone who's had kids or worked with kids is just a really fun age where you know, they have their sarcasm and humor and independence, but they're still very connected to teachers and, you know, they they love being there. So was a really fun age to be with. I moved back to Colorado and look back on my career and this was sort of a turning point, and probably would still be in the classroom, but my credential did not transfer from California to Colorado. And so I took some time away from the classroom I was doing
04:42.60
Polly Breit
instructional coaching and working at a nonprofit in education. And the executive director said, and come help me with development, come help me with fundraising for this nonprofit, come work with the board with me.
04:54.95
Polly Breit
um i had very little appetite, especially in the for the fundraising piece of things. I think you know i I did not do Girl Scouts solely because I didn't want to sell Girl Scout cookies. And that was my very limited view of what fundraising was. um and I look back, this was 2008, and I look back, it was with Teach for America, um relatively new in the region. And i realized and they couldn't have hired anyone who could really spell fundraising because their plans were so ambitious. And anyone who had had good experience would know that these goals were lofty and probably needed a reevaluation in that climate and just um in that moment of time.
05:37.53
Polly Breit
Fast forward, so i ended up doing that work. And what I realized was the fundraising really wasn't about asking people for money, um but it was about telling stories and it was about connecting people and it was about um connecting people to what they were passionate about.
05:45.27
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
05:52.80
Polly Breit
um And so got into it and just loved the work. So i was at Teach for America leading their fundraising and realized I'd been with that same organization really since college.
06:04.75
Polly Breit
And that I was just ready, not that it wasn't challenging, but I was ready to, for my next set of challenges, if that makes sense. So, you know, looking back, we had an ambitious goal every year, but it was sort of the same, you know, you you look forward to the next school year and you say, how do we raise $7 million?
06:21.88
Polly Breit
dollars um And it was the same nut you were trying to crack in different ways.
06:23.14
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
06:26.39
Polly Breit
And so... I also just had met so many interesting people. You meet so many passionate, smart, generous people through that work.
06:37.11
Polly Breit
And, um, we're just curious what else was out there professionally. And so did a little bit of consulting on my own and happened to just go to an event.
06:48.90
Polly Breit
Um, they call it perspectives on philanthropy. And it was a panel event that the firm I work with now CCS puts on and, and I thought they they were telling the story of philanthropy in Colorado, but from different sectors, different. They had donors and had a school.
07:05.75
Polly Breit
and so And I just was really inspired by the conversation had um that they were having met with who's the person who's now the chair at CCS who is there.
07:17.79
Polly Breit
And 10 years later, here I am. um
07:21.05
Lorie Jones
ah hu
07:21.81
Polly Breit
So sort of didn't have, you know, I don't know a lot of people who say I want to be a professional fundraiser when I grew up. There's now programs.
07:27.75
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
07:29.00
Polly Breit
I didn't know of them at the time. um And now more and more, I'll have people say, would you talk to my niece who's really interested in doing nonprofit development? So I'm excited that it's getting some traction.
07:41.83
Lorie Jones
Oh, that's so interesting. So what did you go to college for?
07:48.04
Polly Breit
Spanish literature. ah So my major was in Spanish literature then did,
07:58.30
Polly Breit
had to do just some graduate work in education space as I went into teaching.
08:02.89
Lorie Jones
ah And CCS, what's that? but What's the company that now that you're working for?
08:10.94
Polly Breit
um Admittedly, I took a job with CCS without knowing what CCS stood for at the time.
08:17.86
Lorie Jones
Okay.
08:18.12
Polly Breit
um And it is on our website. It says CCS Fundraising. and It's a philanthropic solutions firm. so
08:24.65
Lorie Jones
Okay.
08:25.19
Polly Breit
We're a global firm. We have over 600 consultants. We work across sectors. So we're doing work in healthcare, care in education, health and human services, really across sectors.
08:40.00
Polly Breit
We work with a lot of nonprofits and as they're understanding their path forward. So what is the next step? they want to take in their mission and vision and how do they get there.
08:52.54
Polly Breit
And most often that requires a step change in terms of philanthropy.
08:52.89
Lorie Jones
ah hu
08:57.99
Polly Breit
um So we work with a lot of organizations on big capital endowment, comprehensive campaigns and to help them get from their current state to really achieving their next level for their strategic plan.
09:14.52
Polly Breit
Um, So in any given week, yeah, it's really fun work.
09:15.98
Lorie Jones
That's cool.
09:19.90
Polly Breit
In any given week, you know, well last week I was in Big Sky working with an arts council. um yeah This morning I was with a safety net hospital here in Colorado. And so you get just a really neat experience where you see people challenges and solutions in the community from so many different angles and you meet so many neat people who are really passionate about their sectors and organizations that have been supported by tremendous generosity.
09:53.31
Lorie Jones
And that's so nice too, to feel like you're able to give back Um, in all of these different ways, you must, you must see a lot of philanthropy, a lot of people that are really passionate about what they do and, and who they help.
10:07.53
Lorie Jones
And ah that, that would give me a sense of like, oh, I'm making a difference in this world. I'm really, I'm helping people who, who really are so sure, so confident, so passionate about what they're doing.
10:25.71
Polly Breit
Yeah. I love, you know, there's so many things I love about this work, but, um, even on the challenging days or in the challenging seasons, um, questioning sort of the purpose has never been a challenge I've had to face.
10:37.10
Lorie Jones
I'm
10:39.06
Polly Breit
And I think that can be a real challenge. So you, um, and some of the things I love, you know, in any given day you're working, and with data, it's a lot of strategy work. There's a lot of work with people and on training and implementation. And so um one, i will never get bored in this work. So I'm 10 years in, i look at my peers who, you know, are in their forties and have been with CCS for 20 years.
11:10.12
Polly Breit
um So people find this work and they stay in this work. And I think part of that is because
11:13.75
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
11:15.74
Polly Breit
There's that deep sense of purpose. There's a real sense of accomplishment you know when you help an organization who's raising $5 million dollars a year and and to really achieve their goals. in And they have $100 million dollars campaign and to be able to see them when they're a $5 million dollars organization all the way to what it means and the impact they can have at $100 million year.
11:40.72
Polly Breit
um is a huge sense of satisfaction and a lot of challenge along the way.
11:43.65
Lorie Jones
oh
11:45.19
Polly Breit
But I think um for anyone exploring their career paths, I think it scratches a lot of itches, right? From purpose to and challenge to people in any given day.
12:00.61
Lorie Jones
Yeah. I like that. You get to watch their dreams come true, right? You get to watch them and help them make their dreams come true.
12:10.86
Polly Breit
Yeah, I think that's one of my favorite parts about it is it's it's never about me. It's about how do you build capacity in teams so that they can really achieve their missions and visions and to sort of be shoulder to shoulder with them in those important moments is really impactful and I would say fulfilling.
12:32.81
Lorie Jones
Polly, that's so it's so interesting that you say that because that's like one of my favorite things about my job I get to help my clients watch that, you know, financially plan and watch their dreams come true. And I get to be with them when they have their kids, when they achieve their second homes, like stuff like that. I get this. This is so cool. It's so cool and that that you get to do that on a daily basis, like for your job.
12:56.10
Lorie Jones
That is the neatest thing.
12:57.01
Polly Breit
Yes. I think that a lot. I'm like, I'm getting paid to do this.
13:00.44
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
13:00.96
Polly Breit
ah You know, and we're we are not a for-profit.
13:00.91
Lorie Jones
yeah
13:04.18
Polly Breit
we're ah We are a for-profit. We're not a nonprofit, but we work with nonprofits. And so I feel like just um one of the things I know about myself is I'm a lifelong learner.
13:08.96
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
13:14.62
Polly Breit
And i feel like you then become really well-versed in nonprofit management, in nonprofit governance, and then also working for a for-profit global consulting firm, um you see how that business is run and how decisions are made. And so it sort of brings both of those sides together in a way that is really fulfilling.
13:38.69
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I like that. So tell me little bit about the best investment that you've ever made in yourself. As you look back over your journey, is there something you can go back and say, oh my gosh, I'm so glad I did that because if I didn't, I just wouldn't be where I'm at today.
13:58.54
Polly Breit
I love that question. um one i have a few examples, but the one that comes to mind first when you ask that question is years ago, this is when I just started in development and donor I was working with and in the education sector and was on the board of an organization called the Hoffman Institute.
14:20.59
Polly Breit
And I would always, you know, one of the things you do when you're working with donors is really get to know what they're passionate about and how they're spending their time. And and he was always excited sharing about what and why he was involved with the Hoffman Institute. and he came to me one day and said, you know, as part of, and as a board member, I like to um basically help others attend the Hoffman process, which is a week-long sort of growth journey is how I'll describe it.
14:49.16
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
14:50.15
Polly Breit
and he said, I would love to sponsor you if you'd be interested in going. And um I was probably in my late <unk> s at this point. And I'm reading ah little bit about it. It's hard to find the information on it. And thought this seems a little odd. I'm not sure if this is exactly where I am in my life or what I'm looking for. And I ended up just saying, yes, thank you so much. And I went and it was truly one of the most transformative things experiences I've had and the tools that I gained through that process are tools that I go back to um in my work, you know, years and years later.
15:27.18
Polly Breit
and And it really helps you focus on why you operate like you operate and understand that at a deeper level.
15:38.17
Polly Breit
um and how you relate to others um and just gives you the time and space. so I remember, Jackie, I went to one in California and you sort of arrive and the first thing you do is you turn off your cell phone, you um kind of put all external distractions away.
15:51.19
Lorie Jones
um my gosh.
15:54.31
Polly Breit
And I remember coming out at the end of this week, it's a really thoughtfully designed program. And I remember leaving and I came out and I'm like, The blue in the blue of the sky is so much more vibrant than I remember it being when I came on Monday morning.
16:09.78
Polly Breit
And um it just helped and give tools to have a level of awareness and self-understanding that I think without a dedicated week where you don't have all of the distractions,
16:16.49
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
16:25.09
Polly Breit
it's hard to get to that same, it would be hard for me to get to that same place um just doing a slow drip. So having like a really immersive experience. ah And I think about this donor, I don't stay in touch with him, but I think about him all the time of that simple gift. And I think he did this for five people every year and may still do that.
16:45.69
Polly Breit
um And I remember writing a thank you and saying, i don't even know how to put into words what I'm thanking you for, but that experience will stick with me for the rest of my life. um
16:55.27
Lorie Jones
That's so neat.
16:55.50
Polly Breit
So was very thankful that I, that one to him and two, that I said, yes.
17:01.16
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah. That's actually what I was taking away from that is like, say yes. Like you didn't, you weren't exactly sure what it was, but you're like, okay, I'll try.
17:13.58
Polly Breit
Yeah. And I wasn't looking for it. Right. So it wasn't, I think so many of us are so sort of plan oriented and and you know, are designing are calendars and things like that. And it's ah always a good reminder for me of keep the door open for things you haven't thought of that may just come.
17:35.41
Lorie Jones
I love that idea. um and And I've heard it a little bit before, too, is just the idea of staying open to new experiences, to new ideas, to saying yes, to to taking advantage. um You never know.
17:50.58
Lorie Jones
it's so interesting that that was such an impactful thing for you that even in your mid to late 20s, like it's stayed with you your entire career.
18:01.30
Polly Breit
Yeah. Yeah.
18:03.17
Lorie Jones
Polly, what is the worst advice someone gave you? And did you take it? Did you not take it? you learn from it?
18:12.14
Polly Breit
I love this question as well. um So this was a friend of a friend and i remember it was at a happy hour and ah he, he, i think still is in sort of finance and investment making um I was starting in this new role and I was working with boards and I thought, you know, I've been working with eight and nine-year-olds and like, that's my setting.
18:35.83
Lorie Jones
Yes.
18:36.02
Polly Breit
And there's a whole new level of preparation and my audience is very different. And um he was like, you've got this, just fake it till you make it.
18:47.05
Polly Breit
And i don't know at the time that I thought it was bad advice, but look back on it and it's not advice I would share with anyone else because I think what it does is plants a notion that who you are in this moment isn't enough or isn't right for that role.
19:06.67
Polly Breit
And so even though I was new at the role and I had a lot to learn and a lot to experience,
19:07.07
Lorie Jones
Uh-huh.
19:12.83
Polly Breit
um trying to be someone else was not the solution. And I think that was sort of the underlying message of pretend you are someone you are not at this moment in time.
19:25.85
Polly Breit
And I realized in my job now, You know, I don't, there's a lot of us nationally who are in this same role and we definitely have some commonalities, but there's a huge range of what success can look like and what characteristics different people have.
19:41.09
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
19:43.60
Polly Breit
And so I think this prescriptive notion of you have to be able to fit in a box or be this have these certain characteristics, I think can be and really limiting, right?
19:57.48
Polly Breit
And so I think if I flip that advice around is it would be much more strengths-based of like, what makes you in this moment uniquely positioned to be successful in this role, right?
20:08.77
Lorie Jones
yeah
20:11.86
Polly Breit
And I was, yeah, at the time, I think we had like a $35 million dollars goal. i was in my late twenty s I didn't have any development experience. So his vice advice was probably right, right?
20:22.03
Polly Breit
Like pretend you are x y and Z. But but um I look back on it and i was just out of the classroom.
20:25.64
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
20:29.63
Polly Breit
So I had a passion and an energy for it. i had and i hadn't failed before at it. So I took risks that I didn't even know I was taking that now I might be more cautious because I have more context. And so I would...
20:44.43
Polly Breit
If someone else in that same position asked me for advice, I might flip it and think of the things that really set you apart and the assets and characteristics that you have today um that are going to make you really successful in your own way in this role.
21:00.05
Lorie Jones
I like that. I was just thinking, I'm like, be authentic until you make it. Maybe that's a good way of putting it. Like be, be yourself, do it your way. Try, you know, try hard, be prepared.
21:11.45
Lorie Jones
um But, but lean into those strengths. I love that idea, Polly.
21:18.01
Polly Breit
Yes. And I love that word authenticity, right? Because it I think that's why don't like the advice is it essentially says, strip away your authenticity and be someone you think you should be in that role.
21:32.75
Lorie Jones
And, you know, I found too that like after years worth of being in the industries or or doing your job and stuff like that, you finally come back at At the ripe old age of me, and I'm not going to tell you how old that is, but you come back and you say, you know what, I could have been myself this entire time.
21:52.32
Lorie Jones
Like, and, and I may have done, if if I didn't do a better job, i may have been. happier along the road. if i If I just was who I was, I leaned into my strengths, I leaned into my authenticity.
22:07.28
Lorie Jones
um And it seems that most of us come to that conclusion as we get on this side of it. it It would be really interesting to have that advice at the beginning and and do your whole career that way.
22:22.90
Polly Breit
Yeah. And your, your energy is spent towards doing well in the job and not being someone you think you should be to be successful.
22:34.39
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I like that. um What about regrets? Is there anything that you kind of look back on? And I know i well, I would, I do the same thing exactly the same way if I didn't know any different. But if you could go back with what you knew now, is there a situation that you would just do differently?
22:57.00
Polly Breit
Today, in the last year, in the last, yes, I could, I have a number of examples. But the one I think about, i' have a younger sister who and has a one-year-old daughter and she's, my sister's a public defender, which, you know, just in the last week, looking at her preparing for trials and looking at her doing that beautifully while she's raising this awesome baby. And I think back to, i have a nine year old and a six year old.
23:30.68
Polly Breit
And, um, when I started at CCS 10 years ago, there weren't a lot of examples of we travel a lot and we'll travel to be onsite with our clients.
23:41.11
Polly Breit
So, you know, if you're working on a six month campaign and at the time it would require you to relocate for those six months so that you're really embedded with the client. Um, And I started that job when I was pregnant with my first daughter.
23:55.50
Polly Breit
Um, and I remember one of the things I'm glad I did is if I had thought too much about it, there was nothing practical about that decision to start a new career at the same time i was starting a family.
24:09.99
Polly Breit
Um, and I'd look back and I'm glad I didn't overthink that. Right. Cause if I did a pros cons list, I would not be here today. um
24:18.43
Lorie Jones
and
24:19.22
Polly Breit
at the same time. So had my daughter and my first project coming back was not in Denver. And so um I was commuting, you know, was back and forth. They were great, but it was, i was traveling a lot. I brought her for a couple of weeks and figured out the childcare and I look back and it took a huge toll, i think, on me and just my ability to enjoy that first sort of six months with her and settle into routines.
24:45.65
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
24:50.27
Polly Breit
And I look back and I really wanted to prove myself that um I could do this work. I could be a consultant. I could you know travel to clients. I didn't have limitations. And I look back and i think they probably would have said yes if I had said, you know, I'm going to take another three months off or I need to figure out and wait until a project in Denver comes up.
25:14.33
Polly Breit
But I was really, um, one of my characteristics, it's both the strength and a weakness is I was really determined to make it work.
25:22.46
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
25:23.50
Polly Breit
Um, and so I just, i look back on that time and thought, um, I wish I had shaped that differently. And the good news is I realized that pretty quickly and did things differently with my second daughter.
25:37.54
Polly Breit
um And now I look around our firm and so many of us have young kids now and um the world has changed and Zoom has changed our ability to work in different ways.
25:37.64
Lorie Jones
Uh-huh.
25:47.92
Polly Breit
And um so I'm so glad where we are, but that is something I would have done differently.
25:57.25
Lorie Jones
Yeah, that's that's interesting. and And you don't think, ah eat sometimes you're in the thick of it and quite frankly, sleep deprived if you've got a brand new daughter.
26:09.96
Lorie Jones
like
26:10.75
Polly Breit
Oh, my decisions were terrible.
26:13.69
Lorie Jones
The brain just doesn't work when you don't have sleep. So you, you maybe give yourself a little grace there, but, but yeah, I do understand like kind of kind of going back and saying that I, if I had thought outside of the box a little bit, or, or if I had been able to say, um, to, to put those boundaries or to say, Hey, you know, is there, is there a different way to do this so that I don't feel I can do everything?
26:41.82
Lorie Jones
And you did. But did you have to, right?
26:48.48
Polly Breit
And it's funny because I think about my, you know, that's almost in direct contrast to what I said of starting at CCS. and I'm really glad i didn't overthink it because I wouldn't have taken the job.
27:00.65
Polly Breit
But that next step, I wish I had thought about it differently or more strategically. And I think my strategy was just to power through. and to your point, I think there would have been much better solutions that would have worked for everyone.
27:07.40
Lorie Jones
Hmm.
27:13.67
Polly Breit
but i looking back, like i almost didn't want to admit I needed something different or um, I wanted to sort of prove to myself for otherwise that you could, you could do both things.
27:20.59
Lorie Jones
Mm.
27:28.73
Polly Breit
And I remember i had read that book, um, lean in not to around that time. And it sort of, the message I took away was just do it all.
27:40.93
Polly Breit
This is going to be a season of life that is hard. And, you know, there are different ways to, And I look back and i sort of wish I hadn't had'd read it with a different lens.
27:52.98
Polly Breit
I took it too literally.
27:52.91
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Like if I could just not read it. Yeah. Yeah.
27:55.73
Polly Breit
yeah
27:56.02
Lorie Jones
I, I, I, I understand like, I'm, I'm hearing what you're saying and I'm feeling it very deeply because I had five kids and I was trying to, i remember leaving them at the, at the library after hours and, um, you know, because I needed to, i couldn't take off two hours earlier to go pick them up. And,
28:17.45
Lorie Jones
and And I've had a great career and I really am pleased with the where I turned, you know, how I how i turned out. and But i I always regret not making a different, like figuring out a different way of doing things. So my kids didn't have to spend two and a half hours at the library after school every day, but that, you know, that sort of a thing. So i i I'm feeling it.
28:41.55
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
28:49.19
Lorie Jones
Oh, goodness.
29:15.57
Lorie Jones
Oh, okay, here we go. I'm really sorry about that. My internet kicked ah kicked me out for just a minute, so.
29:22.90
Polly Breit
No, don't apologize.
29:26.77
Lorie Jones
um Yeah, okay, we're good now. I'm sorry about that. My internet kicked me out for just a minute, and so I reconnected, so, but, okay.
29:33.38
Polly Breit
Don't apologize.
29:35.41
Lorie Jones
oh I'll let them know that that's the edit they have to make, right, about 29 minutes. So,
29:41.91
Lorie Jones
so
29:42.39
Polly Breit
string it together beautifully.
29:45.21
Lorie Jones
Pelley, if you could go back and talk to yourself at 20 years old, 21, 22, you pick the age, but somewhat younger in your journey, um what would you tell her specifically?
30:01.87
Polly Breit
I, a couple things come to mind and the first one which is something actually look back on and I'm quite proud of is that, um, I used my intuition and listen to yourself. And so, you know, there was ah time when I thought i would go to law school and, you know, my dad was a lawyer both my siblings are a lawyer and that was sort of what I knew to do. um,
30:31.82
Polly Breit
and I think this idea of balancing being really goal-oriented and listening to your purpose and how you want to spend your time and what gives you energy, what's energy giving to you.
30:46.39
Polly Breit
And um spending as much time sort of listening to that and talking to people as opposed to a very linear, you know, success looks like X, Y, and Z.
31:00.44
Polly Breit
um Because I think that's so different for everyone.
31:00.50
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
31:03.56
Polly Breit
And that's the balance I think a lot of us play is being very sort of goal oriented and while also so stepping back and just following your intuition and letting those opportunities, whether it's Hoffman, whether it's saying yes to CCS when I was newly pregnant, um letting some of those things happen, right? Yeah.
31:29.94
Polly Breit
that would be That would be one piece of it. The second piece is, like so many people, I spend so much time at work and I spend you know as much time with people i work with as I do with my family, definitely as I do with my friends.
31:48.63
Polly Breit
And so find something that brings you joy. Find something that and you love the work, you love the people that when it gets hard, it feels worth it.
32:00.11
Polly Breit
um that it's not transactional. um Find something that is more than a paycheck to you.
32:03.88
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
32:06.50
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
32:07.10
Polly Breit
um Those would probably be the two biggest pieces of advice I would give myself, um my past self.
32:15.34
Lorie Jones
yeah
32:18.02
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I always say life is just too short to hate what you do. And and people think I'm crazy because it's finance. I love finance. I love everything about it. It's so much fun. But not everyone feels that way. So if you don't love finance, don't go into finance. If you don't love, you know, if you don't love what you do, really do kind of. I love that, Polly. Kind of take a look.
32:39.41
Lorie Jones
And see if there's, what you know, where your strengths are. Maybe talk to a coach. Maybe look at some of those um tests you can take to to figure out maybe what would be a better fit for you. Because life is so short. And yeah, you don't want to waste it. You want to love it.
32:58.43
Polly Breit
Yeah. um I did something a couple years ago. um and did not come up with this, but it was part of a professional development where you do an energy audit and you go through and you sort of do an audit of your calendar. Like, how are you spending your time? And then you overlay with,
33:16.11
Polly Breit
what are the parts of your day, the part of your week that really bring you energy that you feel excited and energy energized by?
33:20.95
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
33:23.62
Polly Breit
And how do you, there are going to be things that none of us like to do in our jobs. That's just the reality of it. But are there ways to design the work that you're doing where you can do more of the things that sort of bring you that energy that you're really excited about that bring you joy and figure out with the other pieces,
33:45.84
Polly Breit
are there ways I can delegate this to people who that's what they're built for, right?
33:49.56
Lorie Jones
who that They love it. Yeah. Yeah.
33:52.13
Polly Breit
Yes. um Are there things that, how can you restructure the things that may feel draining um in a way so you're spending more time doing the things that have higher impact, higher value, and that you enjoy more and less time doing the things that sort of drain that energy?
34:09.90
Lorie Jones
Mm hmm. I love that. I do. I think that's a great way of doing things too. And, and doing that, like looking through your days and your schedules. And if you're finding yourself where you're like, not loving, i i interviewed somebody once and she said, by the time you're in like the last third of your career, kind of, um you really should have, you should be doing what you love doing more of the time than you're not.
34:39.25
Lorie Jones
And so but like if if that's where you're at, if you're in the last third of your career and you do this energy audit it and you're finding that you're doing things you hate more than things you love, then then that's a time to kind of look at where you're at and say, well, is there, ah you know, to your point, is there ways that I could adjust this?
34:39.81
Polly Breit
Thank you.
34:57.12
Lorie Jones
Is there something I could do differently or a different position that would fit me better? i think that's great advice, Polly.
35:11.87
Lorie Jones
I do not understand why this is doing this.
35:23.76
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I just, I really am sorry about this. I think luckily it's getting us to the end of each question before it stops that. So um it's apparently no outside.
35:35.55
Polly Breit
Don't, the this is not in your control. Don't worry.
35:39.54
Lorie Jones
So, um but at my outside, I think i a I've got a lot of clouds and stuff like that.
35:40.89
Polly Breit
What's that?
35:46.86
Lorie Jones
So my internet is just, I'm going to talk to Comcast.
35:50.18
Polly Breit
Are you in Denver?
35:51.79
Lorie Jones
No, I'm down in Roxborough.
35:53.32
Polly Breit
Yes.
35:53.75
Lorie Jones
So yeah. Yeah. So it's yuck.
35:56.39
Polly Breit
yeah Okay.
35:57.67
Lorie Jones
Um, what scared you the most when you started out on your career? Was there anything, was there anything, maybe there was nothing, maybe you were fearless, but did you learn how to deal with it? Does it still scare you?
36:14.72
Polly Breit
Um, you know, I'll, I'll talk about after teaching, going into fundraising and then consulting. And, um, one thing that, you know, sure it's been helpful to me in a lot of ways, but has also held me back is some sort of perfectionism tendencies, right? Where you want to get everything right every time.
36:41.02
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
36:41.24
Polly Breit
um, and the nature of fundraising is you get told no more than you get told yes. And so that dynamic wasn't going to work well in the long run. Like that was not going to give me energy if I couldn't let go of some of that, you know, it's fear of failure or fear of being told no, or, um and now I look at my role. So, you know, I lead sort of business development, client relationships, have big targets in your constantly sort of figuring that out and you still get told no, right?
37:16.28
Polly Breit
Like you're not the right fit at that time or any number of things.
37:16.88
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
37:20.17
Polly Breit
And, um, we actually, client who has been a dream client of mine, and I said we submitted our proposal about two weeks, two weeks ago, worked really hard it.
37:32.33
Polly Breit
And today found out we didn't get this project, which would have been sort of a career defining project. And, um, I know CEO quite well wrote, she couldn't have been more gracious.
37:46.55
Polly Breit
and m And wrote back and said, if there's anything you can share that we could have done differently. and And she gave that feedback, which was really, really helpful.
37:57.85
Polly Breit
But I've realized 10 years ago, that would have destroyed me.
37:57.72
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
38:02.49
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
38:02.94
Polly Breit
yeah And um now i was talking to my
38:03.07
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
38:08.13
Polly Breit
boss right afterward. And it made me just that much more determined to work with them in a different scope. And she said sort of when she let us know they were going with someone else, she said, this is a finite project. We want to find an opportunity. We're really excited about another time to work with you. And um I think just being able to get knocked down and get right back up um has been essential both in terms of enjoying the work as well as being good at the work because just the numbers show you that you're going to lose more than you win, right?
38:45.16
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah.
38:46.13
Polly Breit
um But that's a hard lesson if you come into it with, I have to get everything right every single time. um And there's so much out of your control, right?
38:52.44
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
38:55.41
Polly Breit
um So being okay with that, I think has been one of my biggest lessons that I continue to sort of understand and learn.
39:08.05
Lorie Jones
So how did you learn it? Like, i i'm I still have a little bit of perfectionist in me, and that's hard to learn that not everybody likes you. You're not going to win all the time. Like, how did you learn that?
39:23.33
Polly Breit
Yeah. I think honestly, it was helpful for me to think how I want my own daughters to relate to failure.
39:30.93
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
39:33.67
Polly Breit
and we do something,
39:33.59
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
39:35.45
Polly Breit
um some nights at dinner where i'm like, tell me about the messiest mistake you made. Tell me about the biggest mistake you made. And we sort of celebrate those, right?
39:44.37
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
39:44.58
Polly Breit
and Especially an older daughter has some very similar tendencies and to teach her at age nine that like you took a risk and it didn't work out.
39:55.12
Polly Breit
And that's awesome that you took the risk, right? And try it again tomorrow, whatever that thing is.
39:59.15
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
40:02.57
Polly Breit
um And so I think to have a philosophy on how I want to support my own daughters in it. And like going back to this earlier point we talked about in terms of integrity and authenticity, I'm like, I can't tell them that yet live my life in a very different way where I'm hard on myself or I'm not able to go through failure.
40:28.26
Polly Breit
Right.
40:28.66
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
40:29.17
Polly Breit
And I think even reframing it of not just I lost or I did that wrong or I failed at it of, but reframing it has been really helpful of like, I'm really glad I swung at that.
40:41.64
Polly Breit
Like a year ago, i wouldn't have swung at that project. Right. And kind of celebrating that progress along the way has been really helpful for me.
40:53.87
Polly Breit
Um,
40:54.04
Lorie Jones
I like that idea.
40:55.69
Polly Breit
But I think it's like good hygiene. Like you don't learn it once and then you just stop. Like you have to, at least for me, it's so deeply ingrained that I have to continue to remind myself and to continue to sort of build that muscle. um And I think you probably know this in your career, like the higher I've gotten, the more you disappoint people, right? Because your schedule is packed, you're traveling a lot, you're, there's so many different things and and you,
41:24.20
Polly Breit
I have only been able to do that with a level of acceptance for some of that. I'm not going to be able to say yes to everything. I'm not going to be able to look over every email three or four times, right?
41:30.96
Lorie Jones
yeah
41:36.39
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. I have to, I have to put up boundaries because I simply do not have enough hours in the day to do all the things that I want to do and do them at the level I want to do them at.
41:46.89
Lorie Jones
So that's ah that's a really valid point too, is like, like you have to learn those skills and you also, i i love that you talk about teaching somebody else.
41:51.64
Polly Breit
Yeah.
42:01.28
Lorie Jones
Um, I did a lot of, you know, training and mentoring, and And I don't want those that I'm mentoring to feel like they have failed or like they haven't succeeded. I want them to feel like they can try again.
42:16.00
Lorie Jones
And so teaching somebody else those skills sometimes helps you put a mirror up in front of your face and and learn them yourself, huh?
42:25.52
Polly Breit
Tell someone else to do this. I have to be able to do this. Yes.
42:28.26
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah.
42:29.28
Polly Breit
The other thing, I'll just add one other tip that I think has been helpful. And at some point, you know, I carry like a notebook everywhere. And at some point I remember I had so many different things in my head and I was just overwhelmed with how am I going to do all of this and how am I going to do it well?
42:45.82
Polly Breit
And I actually went through and made categories of like, what are the things that I actually have to get right? Like, what are those things that I have to be a perfectionist at? What are the things that I can get a B in?
42:57.91
Polly Breit
And take a deep breath, see it on paper.
43:00.82
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
43:01.12
Polly Breit
And they're there's something that can be kind of empowering about that. um And you're driving it then, right?
43:09.62
Lorie Jones
think
43:10.07
Polly Breit
You have ownership in how you design that. it That has been a practice that has been helpful. Just thinking through, is it okay if I get a B in this one?
43:22.52
Lorie Jones
Oh my gosh, you're giving me anxiety. I don't know if I can with a B in anything.
43:25.83
Polly Breit
Oh no, it was supposed to help.
43:29.99
Lorie Jones
No, i that's it's it's really, really good advice.
43:30.27
Polly Breit
It was supposed to help.
43:33.44
Lorie Jones
But that that tells you that like like I've got some work to do on those pieces because I do have to take a look at that and say, okay, these are pieces that I don't have to have at 100% because you don't have to have everything at 100%.
43:47.40
Polly Breit
Yeah, yeah.
43:47.51
Lorie Jones
So it's really smart. That's really smart. aunt But that is a challenge for me. So I'm definitely going to have to work at that one. What about, um did you run into any unique challenges because you were a woman during your um during your journey? i and I know you talked a little bit about when you had your first daughter. So, um but anything like that that you ran into?
44:13.09
Polly Breit
I was thinking a lot about this and absolutely there are things that I probably experienced differently or were more challenging because I'm a woman.
44:25.35
Polly Breit
um I have to say, so we work with a lot of healthcare care clients and recently have had the opportunity work with a couple of CEOs, female CEOs in the healthcare care space. And um the two I'm thinking about are in their sixties. And I think back to their journeys and of becoming a CEO of a billion dollar enterprise at that time and what you had to go through and fight your way to have a seat at the table.
44:55.57
Polly Breit
And there's been so many times where I'm watching them and i just take a minute and think about like, because of the work that they did, I oftentimes find I don't have to fight in the same way for a seat at the table or fight to share my perspective. And so Not that i have not faced challenges by any means, but I'm very aware that my experience looks very different than someone who's even 15 years older than I am, right?
45:21.67
Lorie Jones
yeah
45:22.20
Polly Breit
um Because of that work. And I do feel incredibly fortunate. You know, I think just traveling, I'm on the road every other week or every week. And um that is constantly challenge. I have not used the lean-in method, has not worked for me, but I do think about have a spouse who also works full time, but to really work together.
45:47.89
Polly Breit
And he and I sort of put our careers together and think of it as one big plan. And when I'm going full throttle, if the season for me is I'm traveling more and I'm going full throttle, he really steps up and carries, whether it's, you know, getting lunches packed, getting kids to school, signing permission slips, all of those things.
45:53.53
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
46:07.22
Polly Breit
And I think we've gotten really good just about talking about not just what's on my plate or just on his plate, but putting it together in terms of like, how do we, how do we coordinate this?
46:20.22
Polly Breit
um I heard this on another podcast and I thought it was so smart is they have a conversation and they'll say, you know, I'm at 20%. Like I'm tired. It's been a heck of a week, like things. And the other one's like, I've got it.
46:33.35
Polly Breit
Like I'll come in. I've got 80%, right? right Like you take a deep breath, take some space. I can step up right now. And I think just that
46:44.23
Polly Breit
Lens has been really helpful. um It's still challenging trying to do, juggle all of those balls.
46:48.68
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
46:51.83
Lorie Jones
yeah Yeah, but I like that, you know, i I watch my son and his spouse kind of, and they do a lot of that where they're working together and there's not, you know, there's not responsibilities that are just automatically his or automatically hers, but they kind of work in tandem to make that.
47:13.45
Lorie Jones
to make their lives work. I think that the challenge gets when you're both at like 20%, then you got to look outside and be like, okay, what can we take off our plates here?
47:22.54
Polly Breit
Yeah.
47:23.29
Lorie Jones
Or is there anyone we can hire to come in and rescue us?
47:24.05
Polly Breit
Yeah.
47:26.57
Lorie Jones
Because, you know, you can't, you can't get to that or you're both sucking air.
47:30.37
Polly Breit
Yeah.
47:31.55
Lorie Jones
That's a bad place.
47:33.26
Polly Breit
We were both at 20% earlier this year, probably in the first semester of school. My younger daughter had started kindergarten and she was doing some after school programming, but we were like just trying to make it work.
47:44.84
Polly Breit
And we realized around December that we both were at 20%. Like this is everyone's surviving, but I don't feel like I'm thriving. And so we hired someone to help us and is an afterschool babysitter and stays until 630.
48:00.17
Polly Breit
And just the sense of relief that if something goes over and I can't get there by 515 or that we have another set of hands for X, y and Z has been a huge relief.
48:02.57
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
48:12.42
Polly Breit
Um, And I remember saying to him, how did we not realize what a tough spot we were in? Like, why did we let this go on so long? um But you're just in it, right?
48:23.09
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. You just get, and, and sometimes you get really tunnel vision too. You're like, this is the only way to do it. This is, that I have to be there by this point. I can't be late or anything like that. And you don't realize that there's like, there's a whole community out there that's willing to help. If, if you, you know, if you sometimes family pitches in, sometimes you hire the help, but, but, but get out of the tunnel vision and start thinking a little bit more globally.
48:52.32
Lorie Jones
That's easier said than done though.
48:52.89
Polly Breit
Yes. I wish you had told me that advice a year ago.
48:57.23
Lorie Jones
I know. I know. Sometimes like I'm stuck in the tunnel vision too. And I'm like, there's no other way to do this. There's nothing else I can do. i have no idea.
49:05.12
Polly Breit
We just got to go through it.
49:05.69
Lorie Jones
Like, yeah, ah yeah, yeah.
49:06.38
Polly Breit
Yeah. We just got to get it done.
49:08.92
Lorie Jones
So what about Polly? What is the thing you are most proud of?
49:19.27
Polly Breit
I... I would say, and I know the lens is sort of professional, but I think it's actually personal, is one of my goals was to raise kids who are just confident, kind, good global citizens.
49:35.26
Polly Breit
And I'm like, even if things at work are challenging, even if this is not challenging, like that sort of is my North Star of –
49:44.48
Lorie Jones
Oh. Mm-hmm.
49:45.11
Polly Breit
um And i i mean, things change and you know my my kids are kindergarten and third grade, um but they you know one of them came home with like the kindness award at school and another one, the perseverance. And it's just those values that are really important to me of um absolutely go for the honor roll.
50:06.92
Polly Breit
But are you being kind to other people in this season? Are you, if you fall down or something is really hard, do you have the confidence to keep after it?
50:18.81
Polly Breit
um And so would say just recently seeing that coming together, you know, and when they're really little, you're like, I'm not sure. Like they just bit me. I don't know if I'm raising a kind kid.
50:28.03
Lorie Jones
Yeah. yeah
50:30.03
Polly Breit
And now they're at the age where you're like, okay, that that's resonating. Right.
50:35.18
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Isn't that neat too, when you finally, as they start growing up and it gets, it gets even better. Like I'll tell you, I'm on the, my youngest is 18 now and, i and, and they're up from there to like 26. And as I watch them do things that I taught them when they were little, despite having a full career and a busy job and, and things that you know, I needed to show up for outside of the house and have them come back and, and exhibit those values that I felt were important and, and watch them those on to the next generation and, you know, enrich the world around them with those, with those kinds of values that I think are important.
51:18.55
Lorie Jones
That's really powerful, isn't it? That's a really proud thing.
51:22.35
Polly Breit
yeah Yeah. And then, you know, the next night they're pulling each other's hair or something like that. And you're like, oh, we're back to, we're back to square one.
51:32.25
Lorie Jones
I know. I know. I'm like, I taught them nothing. I know. That's the hard part, I think, of being a mom.
51:37.10
Polly Breit
Yeah.
51:39.05
Lorie Jones
And I think, ah you know, a boss too. Like you you have people that you interact with every day and you're teaching those same values to them. there They're seeing that you treat the world with kindness. and and And I'm not sure that we realized the ripple effect that we have, you know, i you do, you're lucky enough that you do get to see your child bring home the kindness award. You may not see what your coworker, you know, does because you've exhibited that, you know, that value in your life. So i i think it goes further than you even think it does. So I really appreciate that thought.
52:17.35
Lorie Jones
If any advice, Polly, for a young lady who's just starting out on this journey that you're successful at, like, I guess um she now has the opportunity to go to college to be a fundraiser.
52:29.93
Lorie Jones
But what what would you tell the young woman starting out on this path?
52:38.52
Polly Breit
um
52:42.45
Polly Breit
I think I would, this is really simplistic, and but just get your foot in the door and just start, whether that's you're working, you know, doing as a development manager, doing processing or, but just
52:55.41
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
52:57.50
Polly Breit
Get in with an organization that you believe in the mission and values and that you respect and admire the leadership and the team and get your foot in and get the most exposure um that you can. And and I think as long as you're working for a an organization, a mission, and a vision that you believe deeply in,
53:21.29
Polly Breit
With a team that you admire and like working with, you're to have a really fulfilling career, even when things get hard, right?
53:32.38
Polly Breit
um Even when you have really big goals and it's hard to see how you're going accomplish those goals. If you're doing it for an organization and a cause that you care about with people that you love working with, um you're not going to go wrong.
53:44.41
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I like that. um and And if it's not feeling like it's fitting, then then take a good look at what your values are and whether this particular place and time is aligning with those and and see if you can change the environment or if you find a ah better environment for you. So because I think that it's easy to get stuck, don't you?
54:12.78
Polly Breit
Yeah. And there's so much, and you feel like that's all there is, is whatever you're stuck in.
54:16.33
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
54:17.97
Polly Breit
um So I love that advice. I admittedly, I've had, you know, I'm in my mid forties and I've worked for two places, which is a different experience than a lot of my peers have had. And i think there's huge benefits to it but there's also drawbacks to that, right? Like the world is a big place. And if you're not happy where you are,
54:37.31
Polly Breit
um there's there's so much out there to find that you're excited and passionate about. So I love that advice of don't get stuck.
54:46.87
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
54:47.16
Polly Breit
Just keep me moving forward.
54:47.03
Lorie Jones
Find that passion. Yeah. Yeah. Because I just, I really feel, i really feel it when you say you got to love what you do and you got to love who you do it with.
54:50.37
Polly Breit
Yeah.
54:56.74
Lorie Jones
And yeah, there are days you're not going to love everything there. In fact, there are days when I'm like, don't love anything.
55:01.52
Polly Breit
Right, right. And there's going to be seasons where you question it, right?
55:04.46
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
55:05.36
Polly Breit
And I think figuring out, is this just a season or is this time for me to look up and out?
55:05.97
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
55:12.40
Polly Breit
I think.
55:12.58
Lorie Jones
Yeah. I love that.
55:13.58
Polly Breit
Lori, I am really sorry. um i have to jump.
55:17.63
Lorie Jones
yeah
55:18.35
Polly Breit
I realized I was supposed to be on a three o'clock call.
55:18.48
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
55:20.59
Polly Breit
ah Edit, cut that piece out if we need to redo any of this.
55:21.82
Lorie Jones
goodness.
55:25.39
Lorie Jones
Okay. i'm