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Good morning, Fearless readers:
Welcome to the last newsletter of 2024. Hoping you all have an exciting 2025 ahead!
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A story about Black Iowa News founder Dana James.
- A guest column about finding meaning in work from Amy Colbert, a University of Iowa distinguished chair and a professor in the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship in the Tippie College of Business.
- Three ideas from our 90 Ideas speakers Connie Boesen, Erlin Kakkanad and April Schmaltz.
- A break from the news: To vision board, or not?
- Lots more!
— Emily Barske Wood, Business Record special projects editor
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Black Iowa News founder Dana James connects Iowans
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Dana James. Photo by Duane Tinkey.
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Dana James was born and raised in Des Moines, and she’s made it her mission to tell stories that center Black Iowans’ lived experiences and amplify their voices. She founded Black Iowa News in 2020 and the Black Iowa Newspaper in 2023.
She writes the column New Black Iowa on Substack as a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative and is a member of the national Black News Link.
James earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Grand View University. She serves as secretary of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists.
The following story has been formatted to be entirely in her words, and has been edited and condensed for clarity.
I’m fearless in that I don’t care what other people think about me. I refuse to let other people’s opinions dictate what I think I can and can’t do. I compete with myself. I try to outdo myself. Also, when invariable doubts creep in, I collect more information and data and use that to overcome it.
I’m at peace when I create and make decisions because my self-worth is not the sum of my efforts. I’m worthy just because — so that frees me to aim high.
As a Black woman who worked in predominantly white spaces for many years, I’ve always had to clap for myself and celebrate my wins because my contributions weren’t always as valued as others. Part of my confidence comes from the fact that I don’t crave validation from other people. I just give my best efforts, and I’m confident it’s more than enough.
Founding Black Iowa News wasn’t scary at all — and I don’t know if that’s where some of my fearlessness comes in, because some other people would have probably been put off. All these papers were closing at the time across the country, and there still are lots of Iowa papers closing down.
I’d worked at the Des Moines Register for seven years as a print journalist, but that was really before Google, Facebook, social media. It was very old school as far as beats and sources and things like that. And so it was a change; it was a new world to me, starting out on Substack.
I started Black Iowa News during the pandemic, really as a reaction to it. I felt like I could do a good job at getting information out to people that was credible and I could help them stay safe. It was like, "I’m going to start this, and I’m going to try to help save people."
I was picking lots of people’s brains about how to go about this, and then I just got to that moment that I was like, "I’m going to start a newspaper." It just felt like a natural progression.
I was on a call with some other Iowa journalists, and Chuck Offenburger said I was either crazy or a visionary, and I said I would take either of those. I was OK with being either.
When you want to do something, you do it. And you can see obstacles, and you know they’re there, but I don’t perceive them as being something that I can’t get over. I think, well, OK, I’m still going to do it. So, yeah, of course it does take some fearlessness.
There was only one slight moment of hesitation, and that’s when I was on the road to deliver it. And I thought to myself, "Wait a minute, what if I get there and nobody wants this? Maybe I should have done more talking to people beforehand about what they wanted."
But I got there and within minutes, people were teared up because they were so thankful. So sometimes I think we do things that maybe other people think are fearless, but at the same time you’re just carrying out your mission. Working on Black Iowa News, doing a newspaper, I accepted that this is a mission.
Black Iowa News might be primarily written for Black people, but it’s news that everyone needs to know. I’ve had white people write me letters, saying it’s helped change their perspective, and how meaningful it is. Because always, always, always, I want Black Iowa News to be about solutions. What I’m doing is really just wanting to inspire people. It’s part of the mission, to give them a voice, have them be heard. At the end of the day, it’s a better conversation for all included in it.
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Guest commentary: Finding meaning in work
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Editor’s note: This guest piece originally published on the University of Iowa’s Well-Being website.
In my role as a professor in the Tippie College of Business, I study people who experience high levels of meaningfulness in their jobs. Their work is well aligned with their purpose in life and they cannot imagine doing anything else. Their descriptions of their work echo religious sentiments. They say they were "called" to their professions.
But is meaningful work reserved for only a few select professions? Or can we all find meaning in our work?
Recently, I had an experience of highly meaningful work. After being a professor for 13 years, I became the chair of my academic department, the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. Although I worked more hours than I had at any point in my career and parts of the role were frustrating, I found the position deeply meaningful. I mentored smart, dedicated junior faculty and removed obstacles to help them do their best work. I participated in strategic planning, thinking about ways to better serve our students. I was reminded every day of the good work that was happening in the department, the college and the university.
I describe leadership to my students as "the great multiplier." Through engaging others in a shared purpose and empowering them to act, effective leaders exponentially increase the impact of teams and organizations. Leaders often track the impact of their teams, telling stories of their accomplishments and further reminding themselves of their purpose. Leaders also face increased demands and stress, but for me, leading was meaningful work.
I started to think I might stay on the administrative track when, in my fourth year as department chair, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. My symptoms are still relatively mild, but the demands of leading exceeded my capabilities. I needed to step out of the role, but I didn’t want to lose the sense of meaning and purpose I felt as a leader.
I turned to research on finding meaning in work and found three strategies that can increase meaning and purpose, no matter what role you play.
Be clear on your values.
I reflected on how being department chair aligned with my personal values. The students in my leadership and personal development class do a values sorting exercise every semester. During the pandemic, I did it with them to remind myself what is important to me. My core values are curiosity, compassion and contribution. As department chair, one of my most meaningful activities was mentoring junior faculty. I tried to craft required performance reviews into two-way ongoing conversations about success and support in a way that combined my values of compassion and contribution. Performance reviews are no longer a part of my formal role, but I found several people open to informally continuing those developmental conversations. Being clear about what you value can help you find activities that align with those values.
Be intentional about how you show up at work.
I realized I could continue to live out my values not just through the tasks I performed, but by how I showed up at work. This was a lesson I learned from my mom, who worked as a local lumberyard bookkeeper. She was glad to have a steady job in our small town. It allowed her to contribute to our family income, but the tasks weren’t especially meaningful. Instead, she found meaning in the ways that she showed up at work. She genuinely cared for the people she worked with, and her work was meaningful because of the relationships she built. No matter what your formal role is, you can show up at work in a way that’s consistent with your values.
Celebrate how you make a difference.
Even when I am making a difference, I don’t always realize it. When people don’t feel like they are making progress at work, I advise them to keep a "done list," a list of things they accomplish every day. Alternatively, if you want to increase your sense of meaning and purpose, your "done list" might focus on how you helped others or how you lived out your values. In addition to tracking moments of meaningfulness, consider sharing them with others. Celebrating the ways you make a difference and helping others see the ways they make a difference is something you can do in any role.
Since stepping down as department chair, I’ve found that meaningful work is not reserved for only a few professions. We can choose to pursue meaningfulness every day. I hope these strategies help you find ways to live out your purpose at work.
If you are interested in learning more strategies, listen to the "Finding Meaning in Work" episode of the "Tippie Leads" podcast (and explore the other great Season 1 episodes on engaging employees). For more on maintaining meaning during life transitions, check out my Substack, "Who Am I Now?".
Amy Colbert is a University of Iowa distinguished chair and a professor in the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship in the Tippie College of Business. She is fascinated by questions about how people make meaning in their lives and in their work, how professional identities change over time and how relationships help people thrive. She teaches classes on leadership and is the faculty director for Tippie's Social Impact Community, a hub for faculty, students, staff and external partners who are passionate about how business can have a positive impact on society.
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From the Business Record’s 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes
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Here are three ideas from some of our female speakers at our 90 Ideas event in September.
Success is impossible when trying to please everyone
This one sort of goes hand in hand with learning the value of compromise. The quicksand you wade into when trying to please everyone often becomes apparent when we are in a leadership role for the first time, and usually after we tried naively and unsuccessfully to please everyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s a major city project, a new business initiative or a neighborhood block party — trying to please everyone will result in little success, but plenty of frustration.
– Connie Boesen, mayor, city of Des Moines
Hedonic and eudaimonic happiness
Hedonic happiness comes from the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, whereas eudaimonic happiness comes from the pursuit of authenticity, meaning virtue and growth. Money, power, pleasure and fame; these are things that keep us hungry. And so when we achieve them, we continue to desire for more. The marketing colossal tells us that if you get that car, or that promotion, it will lead to happiness. Satisfaction is the result of hard work and pain. Hedonic happiness is what we learn we should want, while to be happier, it requires eudaimonic happiness coming from virtuous things such as faith (something transcendent), family and friends (people we love) and work that serves others (our meaning and purpose).
– Erlin Kakkanad, director, operation excellence, Principal Financial Group
Look up, forward and out
Being outside and walking is a good stress reliever. Recently, I noticed that when I was outside walking, I focused on my feet. My intent was to avoid tripping. While preventing a trip was good, I learned by looking down, I was missing out. It’s easy to get caught up in the details or challenges right in front of us and forget to appreciate the broader perspective or beauty around us. Take that moment to look up, forward and out. Reconnect with your surroundings. Balance your focus between what’s immediately in front of you and what lies beyond, both in nature and in your daily tasks. I think you’ll find you will gain clarity and see the bigger picture.
– April Schmaltz, president and CEO, Delta Dental of Iowa
Read more of 90 Ideas and watch this year’s speakers.
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"FOR BEAUTIFUL EYES, LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN OTHERS; FOR BEAUTIFUL LIPS, SPEAK ONLY WORDS OF KINDNESS; AND FOR POISE, WALK WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE NEVER ALONE."
AUDREY HEPBURN
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Why are women CEOs still so underrepresented in music’s top roles? (Billboard). House passes bill backed by Paris Hilton to reform youth treatment facilities (AP). Iowa Restaurant Association announces its 40 Women to Watch for 2024 (WQAD). Misinformation about birth control is rampant on social media, alarming doctors (Iowa Starting Line). Texas attorney general sues New York doctor for mailing abortion pills (New York Times). Sexism is a risk factor for memory decline among women (Columbia University Irving Medical Center).
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I created my first ever vision board this year. (See above. I am far better with my words than with my visual art.)
I’d never made one before because I'd always seen a major drawback for myself: I’m a goal-oriented perfectionist. If I were to make it to the end of the year without achieving all the goals on my board, it would have felt like failure even if I had accomplished many things not on the board.
So when my friend asked me if I wanted to get together and create vision boards last December, I decided not to center my design around concrete goals. Instead I focused on themes that I could adapt to all areas of my life. Like mindfulness, celebration and joy – all things that can be easy to miss with an "achiever" personality. I had done this out of self-awareness of my own personality, but I recently read some science about goal-setting that supported uplifting everyday actions over achieved goals.
"Instead of visualizing yourself living your dream life, it’s more beneficial to picture yourself working towards it," according to a piece in Women’s Health. Psychotherapist Amy Morin said when you picture yourself achieving a goal, your brain reacts as if you have already accomplished it. As a form of celebration, your brain produces a relaxation response, decreasing your motivation and leaving you ill-prepared to face any challenges that may arise in achieving your goals, she added.
Some food for thought as you make (or choose not to make!) vision boards or New Year’s resolutions.
Read the full story from Women’s Health: How to make a vision board that will *actually* help you achieve your goals
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At its core, Fearless exists to help empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. We believe that everyone has a story to share and that we cannot progress as a society unless we know about one another. We share stories through featuring women in our reporting, featuring guest contributions and speakers at our events.
We are always looking for new stories to share and people to feature. Get in touch with us!
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