Tree Care and Sustainability with Kathy Glass of Inspire Green Inc
Episode Overview
Episode Topic
In this episode of Timber Talks, we get into the world of forestry with a special focus on sustainable practices with Kathy Glassey, a senior consultant at Inspire Green Inc. She discusses the role of female forestry professionals in the industry and brings her wealth of knowledge in sustainable forestry management and innovative environmental consulting practices. Kathy shares her journey as a female professional in a traditionally male-dominated field, offering insights into the unique challenges and opportunities she has encountered. We discuss the importance of proper tree care, soil health, and the impact of sustainable practices on the forestry industry.
Lessons You’ll Learn
Listeners will gain valuable insights into sustainable forestry practices and the critical role of tree health management. Kathy emphasizes the importance of proper mulching, pruning, and soil composition for maintaining healthy trees. She also discusses the significance of educating homeowners and professionals about sustainable practices. Additionally, Kathy sheds light on the evolving role of technology in forestry, addressing both its potential benefits and limitations. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in sustainable forestry, environmental consulting, or the experiences of female forestry professionals in the industry.
About Our Guest
Kathy Glassey is a senior consultant at Inspire Green Inc., specializing in sustainable forestry management and environmental consulting. With over 35 years of experience, Kathy has dedicated her career to promoting proper tree care and sustainable practices. Her background in soils and urban forestry provides a unique perspective on the challenges facing the industry today. Kathy’s passion for her work is evident in her commitment to educating others and her efforts to build a more sustainable future. As a prominent female forestry professional in the industry, Kathy serves as an inspiration to many, breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations.
Topics Covered
This episode covers a range of topics related to forestry and sustainability. Key areas of discussion include proper tree care techniques, such as pruning and mulching, and the importance of soil health. Kathy shares her insights on the role of female forestry professionals in the industry, highlighting both the challenges and successes she has experienced. We also explore the impact of urban development on trees, the need for collaboration among forestry professionals, and the potential of technology to enhance sustainable practices. Additionally, Kathy provides practical advice for homeowners and professionals looking to implement sustainable practices in their daily work.
Our Guest: Kathy Glassey – Leading the Way to Innovating Sustainability
Kathy Glassey is a highly respected senior consultant at Inspire Green Inc., bringing over 35 years of experience in the green industry. As an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist and certified soil microscopy technician, Kathy specializes in sustainable forestry management and innovative environmental consulting. Her extensive background includes working with various landscaping companies, such as Monster Tree Service, where she honed her skills in plant care and soil health. Kathy’s expertise and passion for sustainability have made her a prominent figure in promoting proper tree care practices and advocating for the use of natural mulch to maintain soil quality and tree health.
Throughout her career, Kathy has been dedicated to educating both professionals and homeowners about sustainable environmental practices. She has contributed to numerous publications, including Family Handyman, where she shares her insights on plant care and the importance of understanding local climate conditions for optimal plant health. Kathy’s work emphasizes the critical role of proper pruning, mulching, and soil composition in maintaining healthy urban forests. Her commitment to spreading knowledge and fostering collaboration among industry professionals has been instrumental in advancing sustainable practices in forestry and landscaping.
As a trailblazer for female forestry professionals in the industry, Kathy has faced and overcome numerous challenges in a traditionally male-dominated field. Her journey serves as an inspiration to many aspiring women in forestry and environmental consulting. Kathy’s efforts to break barriers and support other women in the industry have paved the way for greater gender diversity and inclusion in the green industry. Through her work at Inspire Green Inc. and her various collaborations, Kathy continues to champion the cause of sustainability, demonstrating that effective environmental management is essential for the health of our planet and future generations
Episode Transcript
Episode Transcript
Introduction: Welcome to Timber Talks, the podcast where we interview experts in the forestry industry sharing trends, insights and best practices in the field. Be sure to subscribe to the show and leave us a review.
Mindy: I am in Indiana.
Kathy Glassey: Oh, okay.
Mindy: There’s a massive storm and it knocked out our power. Oh, dang it. There we are It knocked out our power. So been. So you know about me, I always like to give an introduction about myself. I have a degree in Ag from Purdue, and I always say that little university Purdue, and a master’s I still get the look when people ask me what my degree is in. Anyway, just a female Aggie.
Kathy Glassey: There’s nothing wrong with us, female Aggie.
Mindy: Well, I was on a Boy Scout trip and I was at the pool and I saw this man had an FFA shirt on, and I walked up and I said, oh, are you involved in FFA? And he said, my son is. He said, are your children in FFA? I went, no, no, my children. He said, well, how do you know about FFA? Because I’m an Ag teacher.
Kathy Glassey: Right.
Mindy: He just looked at me like, a female Aggie teacher? I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Kathy Glassey: Right.
Mindy: Anyway, just crazy I can vow, that’s a shocker. So been an interesting journey.
Kathy Glassey: Yes.
Mindy: Sorry, I was a little late. The computer issue. So do you have any questions for me, do you have any questions for me?
Kathy Glassey: No, I’m good.
Mindy: No? Okay, I’m the interviewer I don’t own the company I don’t have any control over when going to be edited or posted or any of that. So I’m just a cog in the wheel of this project. So I had another client ask me that, and I was like, no. you can see my fake apothecary back here. So to deal with some of my other projects I have going on. So anyway, if you’re ready, we’ll get started.
Kathy Glassey: Sure. But I will tell you, I can’t hear you. Maybe because of storm. Oh, sorry.
Mindy: Okay. All right, go ahead, go ahead.
Kathy Glassey: Mindy, are you there? Because you froze. So I wasn’t sure if I was hearing you.
Mindy: I’m here. You froze too.
Kathy Glassey: Oh, no. Okay.
Mindy: So the gremlins, I guess I don’t know. So I’ll just start over if you’re ready to go.
Kathy Glassey: Sure.
Mindy: Are you ready?
Kathy Glassey: Yes, ma’am.
Mindy: Okay. All Welcome to Timber Talks. Well, welcome to Timber talks, expert forestry insights I’m Mindy, your source for cutting-edge trends and insights in the forestry industry. Today we’re joined by Kathy Glass, senior consultant at Inspire Green Inc. Kathy brings her wealth of expertise in sustainable forestry management and innovative environmental consulting practices to share her insights on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. So could you give me a little background on Inspire Green and the core services that this company provides?
Kathy Glassey: I can. So Inspire Green began because I saw a niche in our industry that we could do a lot better. A lot of us are small business owners, and we want to build our businesses with the trees in mind. but a lot of us try to build that business by doing everything ourselves. What I’ve learned after 35 years in this industry, a completely different business model. There’s a need for more customer experience, people. So a family business that was started with my son and my husband. My son has learned everything Instead of playing with regular trucks, we were building chip boxes on trucks. So he’s learned a lot over the years. He’s worked with me over the years. we found that we can bring that level of customer service to the homeowner. That would elevate a business.
Mindy: Okay. What are some of the sustainable environmental practices in forestry that you practice in your business?
Kathy Glassey: But it is very important to us that a homeowner or the consumer is aware of proper tree care. When I say proper tree care, proper pruning, that we don’t top trees, that we need to care for our trees, Sometimes we don’t need to remove the tree. More often than not, we don’t need to remove the tree. We need to address soil composition and quality, proper planting, and proper mulching Important to us to get that education out to the consumer so that they can make better decisions with the three companies that they work with.
Mindy: Okay, discuss specific ways in which you and your team at Inspire Green have implemented innovative solutions for sustainable forest management.
Kathy Glassey: What we’ve I think the biggest sustainable practice we’ve implemented is to teach people that it isn’t, again, about topping your tree It isn’t about just cutting a branch off your tree that your tree needs to remain healthy. There are practices that we can implement and train other tree companies so that they can learn the appropriate ways to manage tree care. again, that comes down to maybe plant health care training. Maybe just about soil health. Maybe they’re not ready for that, but they want to start building their business for the future. now we can implement different techniques that help them understand that you don’t need to just be a tree-cutting service.
Mindy: Okay. Do you provide classes like I do a bunch of different types of classes….. One particular class I have taught in the past has been for DIY. well, for homeowners to do their own landscape design and, and, proper planting of the material. Do you because I foresee when I go down the road and I see a landscaping business there, which does not necessarily mean they’re trained where they’re not planting the trees away from the house properly. So do you provide classes where a homeowner could take that knowledge, and do their own proper planning of their landscape design, as an example?
Kathy Glassey: We don’t offer that to the general public. however, I do submit a lot of materials to people such as Family Handyman HGTV, and I’ve done lots of articles to provide some of that DIY information. What we do, though, is we provide training to the company and the company’s employees, whether a landscaping company, a tree company, maybe even a lawn care company. but we do offer a lot of training and consulting to the, a B2B level so that they understand better proper practices and proper approaches, whether honestly turfgrass tree care or plants in general.
Mindy: Okay. All What are some innovative uses of wood and sustainable practices in construction? And how do they impact the forestry industry? So do you see any changes in, from how homes were built and the use of wood five years ago to now, do you see that sustainability is kind of more across the board versus certain pockets of industry that are being supportive of sustainable growth and construction and stuff like that?
Kathy Glassey: Mindy, that is a great question. you’ve stumped me. You’ve completely stumped me because. My world is so busy with just trying to keep trees healthy or to take care of them properly that I haven’t paid much attention to the construction portion. So I can’t honestly answer that for you.
Mindy: Okay. All Well,. Okay I was just curious about, in the past, been like, Sustainability’s been over here, but been countered by other types of behavior I was just wondering if you saw kind of a meshing of the mind, so to speak, people coming together for, doing sustainable practices across the board versus certain pockets of industry. What challenges in forestry do you see and how does Inspire Green tackle those problems? You’ve talked about how you touch problems through consulting and educating Is there any other things that you do to kind of counter challenges that are enforced or industry?
Kathy Glassey: So inadvertently, I feel that I’m helping develop sustainable forestry practices, but my background is with soils I think important that we understand a lot of our erosion and our flooding is because of our increased development, which is removing trees. You know. Yes, important that we all live in a home, but I think we need to take into consideration more the amount of trees we’re removing to build those homes and what all of those consequences are. So while I don’t focus directly. with the forestry side, I focus more on the urban side, but I think they all need to come together and we all need to talk about them a lot more.
Mindy: Okay. All So in your education of the consumers for your business, do you talk to them about you talked about how to maintain trees? You don’t. our first move is not to top a tree. to properly prune the tree. Do you also encourage the use of most for the homeowners to help conserve soil moisture and reduce soil erosion?
Kathy Glassey: Absolutely. But become more and more apparent that we need to focus on proper mulching, not just mulching. There’s a lot of improper mulching and poor practices that are discouraging optimal health, and I focus a lot on that I do a lot of that with our local master Gardeners or different groups, cities, and parks about how we should be properly mulching.
Mindy: So when you are discussing that, do you encourage the traditional wood mulch, which is, utilizing tree material, or are you going more encourage people to explore more of the synthetic type of mulch material?
Kathy Glassey: No, I always encourage nature. Always In fact, even from now on I’m sorry there is a lag there I even focus now on, there is natural wood mulch, but you need to be very careful about the quality because it could just be pallets that have been ground up and turned into mulch and called natural I. So I’m all about the natural mulch I kind of stay away from the dyes, the colors, the synthetics. one, because I don’t believe that. There’s a lot of knowledge out again to all of us to give us all the different mulch qualities and the pros and cons of each, but also because natural mulch is the best way to help feed the microbiome in the soil.
Mindy: Well, I didn’t know if you were swaying toward the more synthetic because of of the. Okay, I’m with you on that one I like the natural, so. But I do know some people for. Convenience time will go into or select most that don’t biodegrade. but that’s their choice, you know.
Kathy Glassey: Yes, I do not have enough information about those alternative mulches to convince me to use them. So what future technology advancements do you see coming that can enhance sustainability and forestry? An example would be remote sensing or precision forestry. Do you see that technology kind of moving into what you do in, let’s say, in the next five years, do you see people using that technology more or less or have never used it?
Kathy Glassey: Yeah. Another great question. Technology seems to be changing at such a rapid pace I hate to say it, but I’m old school that way I’d rather read the papers and figure, and talk to the resources, because sometimes. People have great intentions with technology, but they don’t necessarily have all the experience to put all of the proper information in place. So I do see technology playing a role in what we do, but I am not that person to jump into something just because new and fancy., I want to see that going to work for us and be sustainable. So I do see a place for them I just don’t know if there quite yet.
Mindy: Okay, so you don’t see I see a lot of apps, plant identification apps or I am going crazy. So you don’t see, in the next five years, homeowners using AI to, answer plant questions or, or that type of thing. Do you see them talking to a person or reading a document versus AI.
Kathy Glassey: You know, I think well, yes, I do see a lot of people I hear a lot of people talking and using AI in the apps I am very much the person to say, you can I don’t want to say any brand names, but you can search anything on the internet, anything. You’re going to find the right answer. You’re going to find the wrong answer. What I find with AI more often than not is they’re giving maybe what could be considered to a homeowner as an organic answer, which isn’t necessarily the best approach, in my opinion, because there’s a lot that goes into what we do. not just take a picture, and this is what the problem is. We need to go through and identify what is that species prone to Is the site, conducive to health? all of that plays into everything that follows I don’t see AI keeping up with that I’m quite honestly, I’m a little concerned. There are a couple of apps now where if you take a picture, it says spray vinegar or use dish soap. and again, important that we know you know we’re I’m a commercial applicator I need to read and understand pesticide labels. The first thing we learn is if not on the label an illegal application. So it concerns me when I hear use vinegar, use dish soap because there’s nothing on a label to indicate safe for a plant. So there’s a little bit of concern there, which makes me feel even more important to get the education out a lot more. we need a lot more people talking about the right way.
Mindy: Right. Well, I mean, we’ve in the past we’ve had, some tragic stories where people have used an app to identify edible mushrooms as an example, and the app tells them edible and they pick it and they eat it, eat it raw in the field or take it home or whatever I mean, I get sort of aggravated over the plant identification. Apps because plant identification was part of my curriculum And just because it says, does not mean that’s what it is type of thing. So I was just curious because I see, I going into some areas that I’m very surprised it is, it is branching in there. But, it has to do with speed. you can get your answer in like that. No problem. Now, whether right or wrong, is kind of a moot point, I guess. But, you know. well, what kind of people?
Kathy Glassey: It’s kind of like us going to the doctor, We don’t want to go to the doctor with a problem and have him pull up an app and say, this is what it is, you know? And we would never pay a doctor for that kind of service I think we need to realize that we’re living. We’re working with living material and we need to take that same approach. So it isn’t going to be the solution or the best solution right now.
Mindy: Right? I mean, just quicker I’ve played around with I because I’ve, I’ve had some individuals that wanted me to, to go that direction and it is quicker, but like anything else you pull up on the computer, you have to, do your research and make sure it is correct information, or talk to an expert and make sure that the information is correct. versus, everything on the computer is Ruth’s type of approach. So how does your work in sustainable management and consulting? How do you view that influencing global forestry practices?
Kathy Glassey: Yes.
Mindy: So do you see a trend of maybe that personal touch of more and more businesses going into that versus just, someone hiring someone, to solve all their problems, take the trees down that are diseased, or whatever the case may be? Do you see a movement of more of that personal service that may not just be an isolated state situation, but maybe a North American type of? Business practice. Now that more on one educating to build a better future type of thing.
Kathy Glassey: I couldn’t agree more I do see that trend. Every business that we work with and we’re growing quickly, which I love, that we’re growing quickly because that’s telling me that more and more people care to do the right thing. So I do see that trend growing Important to me to do that because great that we’re planting all these new trees, but very important that remember that just because you have a mature tree that’s 20ft away from your home doesn’t mean it needs to be removed. just because the winds came through or, maintaining tree health helps our environment a lot more than planting one young tree that without proper care, may not make it anyway. So to me, very important that we right now continue to focus on mature trees, proper trees, and native trees I do see that growth pattern moving forward.
Mindy: Have you ever been involved in the Tree City program? The Urban Tree City program?
Kathy Glassey: I’ve never been directly involved, no.
Mindy: So. All I was just curious I want I live across the river from Louisville, Kentucky, and they have tried to be a Tree City, but every time they go in, they plant in the tree line and they try to train people how to take care of the trees It just doesn’t work. especially in areas where there’s not a lot of green space. So they just destroy the trees, which Louisville is, is a major heat island., they’ve given classes, they’ve done shows, they’ve done trying to explain why important to have trees in the city, especially when you have very hot, Island. because there’s no tree cover in Louisville. So I was just curious if you had ever been involved in a program like that.
Kathy Glassey: No, I do local ones.
Mindy: Okay.
Kathy Glassey: What did you recommend? Okay. All What are your recommendations for forestry professionals on implementing sustainable practices in their daily work?
Kathy Glassey: for professionals, I think important. and not just about forestry in my mind, because we work with businesses, very important to help businesses create efficiencies that also help our environment. So while not directly related to a tree, I think people need to realize that the more we drive around, the more emissions affect our trees. The more we build, the more we affect our trees and create more heat sinks, as you just mentioned. So a lot of what I do is to help businesses identify areas in their business that they could manage better. Then also on the other end, because of all green industry businesses, how can you implement better business practices with planning for tree care, planning for lawn care, and planning for plant health? So not just about the trees and the plants. To me about identifying, do you have crews going an hour this way and an hour that way? And, well, not only can we reduce that efficiency and create more profitability, but we’re doing better for our environment and ourselves.
Mindy: And what would be some recommendations you would have for sustainable practices for homeowners? some simple things that. Homeowners that may be eg or horticulture or botany or, just not in their wheelhouse. What would be some easy, sustainable practices a homeowner could do?
Kathy Glassey: You know, the number one, piece of advice I recommend to homeowners is just be observant, enjoy your natural environment in your yard, and when you see something that looks off, call us. That’s what we’re here for. The sooner we can identify an issue, the better of a chance we have of fixing that problem as well. So I always tell people, go outside, enjoy your yard, and if you want to do a little bit more, prune that dead branch from your tree. You know whether you don’t need to know what it is, but we need to get it out. here’s the proper way to do that,
Mindy: Okay. What are some advice you would give environmental consultants on how they can better navigate the challenges of implementing sustainable practices?
Kathy Glassey: Oh, I would love to have a huge panel discussion with so many different experts in our industry when it comes to environmental consultants I really think important that they not only acknowledge that what they’re suggesting may be better for the environment, but sometimes the unintended consequences of some great ideas hurt us in the long run I feel that even more important as we continue to see environmental conditions change, that we all drop our egos a little bit and start working together a lot more to say, okay, this is a great idea, but let’s discuss what this looks like in two years. What happens in five years? What happens, before we start just inadvertently implementing anything?
Mindy: So you’re suggesting like in big cities, they typically have a year urban plan, a five-year, a 10-year, 15-year, 25-year where they would like to be. So you’re sort of suggesting something along those lines to have a projected understanding of the possible consequences if you do this versus going ahead and doing that and then trying to fix the problem you created, possibly.
Kathy Glassey: Exactly I’m a firm believer, Mindy, that I’m not an expert at everything I’m a darned good concierge at bringing the right people together. So whether the plant pathologist, the entomologist, the agronomist, or whatever that person is, we all need to work together because we’re not experts in every area of what we do or not what we do of our environment.
Mindy: Right. So are you seeing more problems in the urban landscape due to global warming? Are you seeing compared to what you say you saw five years ago? Let’s say, are you seeing some issues that you might think is due to how our climate is changing, or is it just pretty flat-lined across the board?
Kathy Glassey: You know, that’s a that’s a tough question I can tell you in 35 years, I have kept growing degree days every day since I started in this industry. So some years are fairly what we would expect. Some years are off I think a lot has to do with technology improvements. So when I say that, the the meteorologists are doing a better job, their technology has improved a lot, and they can track these better. You know. But if I look back, really in the past 30 to 50 years, we started tracking weather patterns. So I think hard to say 50 years is not a long period of time when it comes to nature. but I think hard to say that I’m not saying I don’t believe in global warming I do see some things. What I see more is we have more I call them roller coaster weather patterns. we don’t have set spring, summer, fall, or winter anymore. We get summer, spring, summer, spring I don’t think our environment likes that. So that I can say I see is changing. But the reasons? I could speculate all day, but I just think there are a lot of reasons why we need to focus on identifying better.
Mindy: Okay. All So, collaboration, across the board, in any business, in any career, collaboration is extremely important. So what is the importance of collaboration between forestry professionals, professionals, and consultants to achieve shared goals of environmental protection and sustainability?
Kathy Glassey: That’s a great question I think. Whether someone reach out to a forestry professional or someone like myself? I think there’s a lot of collaboration that can be had I don’t know everything about trees I’m good at what I do. but I will never say I know everything about everything because it changes constantly. even I say every day that. Every year I see something new that wasn’t supposed to be on that tree, or it wasn’t supposed to be a problem before, but it is now. So I think it important that forestry professionals and consultants like myself stay connected, whether through conferences or podcasts like Timber Talk, so that we can continue to work together and, stay on the top end of that knowledge so that we keep passing everything down the way we should.
Mindy: All Do you have any kind of unusual collaborations that the listeners and viewers may not see the connection? like I’m just going to use this as an example. Who would have thought that Dolly Parton would have had a collaboration with Duncan Hines? So that so do you have any some kind of really unusual collaborations in your field that people may be surprised about?
Kathy Glassey: Who?, I’m working on a few Mondays, so I. Because I do believe we all need to work better together, so I can’t say anything yet, but I will tell you, I am working on trying to to build some unusual collaborations that might be like, oh, I didn’t know that. Nothing yet. Stay tuned.
Mindy: I was just curious I was just curious because it just sometimes the businesses working together, or two individuals working together, people just don’t see the connection. a real surprise. But just keep us up to date on that unique collaboration. You got it. So do you have anything else you would like to share?
Kathy Glassey: No I thank you very much for inviting me on and for the conversation, and I look forward to collaborating more with anyone in our industry to improve what we do and how we do it.
Mindy: Okay. So Kathy has shared so much information with us about her inspired Green Ink company I encourage everyone who’s listening to check her out follow Kathy’s work and keep up to date on her secret collaboration that she’s got going there. Thank you, Kathy, for your valuable insights and listeners, don’t forget to subscribe and tune in to the next episode of Timber Talks Expert Forestry Insights. So do you have? We’re done, Kathy. Do you have any questions or anything for me?
Kathy Glassey: Not right now, Mindy. Thank you so much I look forward to collaborating with you, too.
Mindy: Oh, Two women in male-dominated fields.
Kathy Glassey: You gotta love it,
I was interested. No, no, no. Your journey was considerably different than mine, so I wouldn’t change it I wouldn’t change it I’m very happy with what I do, I’m glad I was able to break that glass ceiling for the future female Aggies out there, but, but, a a rare breed to have females in this field, whether forestry or Ag turf management or type of things. but but. So how long did you work for the PGA?
Kathy Glassey: Actually, I’m just curious I worked at the golf course where we had the senior PGA tour. That was my first job in the green industry and then I It was funny because the PGA guys would come in and, they’re marking everything they want changed and you have to change it within the first two weeks before the tour. a lot of people found that annoying. But I found it intriguing., it was just I’ll tell you, talk about keeping growing degree days every day, watching the weather every day. Everything I do is because of that very first experience that I’m so grateful I was allowed to have I was the only female there, so it was great.
Mindy: Yes I mean I think about, I, I was going to be a vet, went through Pre-vet didn’t get into vet school, and they had Ag at my high school, and I. Had never been told I couldn’t take something because of my sex. So I went to my counselor and said, I want to take a. She said, no, Mindy. Girls take home EC and boys take egg I couldn’t wrap my mind around that, I just I was like, why? just the way it is, Mindy. The next year, the same thing. So my senior year I went to my counselor, and before I could say anything, she said, yes, Mindy, you can be an egg. Somebody. Somebody It wasn’t my parents. Somebody’s parents sued, and it was found constitutional to keep girls out of eggs in the state of Indiana. So I was the first egg female in the egg department at my high school, and I still couldn’t figure out why I didn’t, I chopped wood, I did, couldn’t figure out why. So went to college.
Mindy: You know, I have never had that discrimination situation I had a prof who told me he didn’t like females in his class because he knew why we were there, why we were getting an Ag degree or in Ag classes to marry a rich farmer I still couldn’t figure out for the life of me what you know. So I was very naive in how the world was, as far as being a female aggie I kind of have to laugh now I see lots of LinkedIn articles, whether an article for college seniors or whatever about mentors. Get it, find a mentor I think about all the breaking of the glass ceiling and all that I didn’t have a mentor. There weren’t any female Aggies I could, so I can understand, it was it was a blessing and a curse, being the only female there at the golf course, I’m sure. But I think it makes us better, better professionals and stronger people when we’re. Oh, it does intuition like that.
Kathy Glassey: My superintendent was amazing I applied for a turfgrass management course in two places and was turned down. When I finally got accepted, I got the same comment that you got. You’re only in this for one reason and I was so frustrated I thought, fine, I’ll do it with or without you, I don’t care. So my education is in psychology. My parents made me go to school for something that I couldn’t get into for what I wanted to do, but I am so glad that I’ve done everything I have. now you know many I don’t know about you, but I’m so happy watching all these women do what we do now I think amazing.
Mindy: Yes. There are times I wish it had been easy for me It wasn’t I’m only five one and a half, you know. So, I would get these interviews I mean, I did my student teaching at a real school and my supervisor from Purdue, compared me to the female, the other female Aggie who wore makeup. She curled her hair. She was a girly girl. So he was coming to evaluate me I had forgotten that we had a Christmas tree farm on the school property I had forgotten that day we were going to need Christmas trees. So I put my suit on, I curled my hair, I played the game and I got to school and then I got this suit on It wasn’t a pantsuit It was a skirt and a jacket and heels and rain I’m out there in pantyhose, heels, a suit, trying to neat in Christmas trees. So at school, my supervising professor said it was modest. The skirt was modestly in length It was slightly below my knees It wasn’t a mini skirt or anything. So he chastised me because I had to bend over to need Christmas trees with my students.
Mindy: Because I had a skirt on and I was like, after that, I was like, forget it, I’m not even you can come, you can compare me all you want I don’t care I’m not going to even attempt to play that game because I can’t win I dressed professional and my the teacher I taught with, he was a jeans and flannel shirt guy I’m just like, why do I have to wear a suit to do, you know. So I’m. Very happy to see the opportunities that are available to females now. We still have a lot to go. Oh we do., but my egg background has, has, created many opportunities that I’ve had to educate people. not necessarily about AG, but just, you don’t ever want to anger Ag because we have all sorts of ways we can torture you. but, I won’t go into that, but I think you can imagine. Oh, I think so I worked at the research farms at Purdue, and we did lots of castration. So.
Kathy Glassey: Andy, we’re being recorded. We need to have this conversation elsewhere.
Mindy: They’ll delete this. But anyway, I’ve just been been an interesting been an interesting journey for me. been sometimes frustrating I’m sure been frustrating for you, but but I always am so supportive when I see a female block, knocking that glass ceiling down, going, watch me. That’s the right type of thing.
Kathy Glassey: Support one another.
Mindy: So yes, we saw I do know that when I graduated there was only one other female, and now there are more females than males in my discipline at the college level at least. So I think that’s kind of kind of interesting in itself. but we need to support each other, and do some more breaking of the glass ceiling because still to this day, I still get the look or, type of thing I tell people I can do anything a male can do It may take me a little bit longer, but I can do it. So just the type of thing. So but I, I, I so remember that how I had a job when I was right out of high school, and they had I was a lifeguard and they. Had a water slide It had water slide I’m going to say that again It was a water slide, and one of the guys had to quit prematurely, in the season. So I knew there was this opening. So I was like, I’m an overachiever. So I was like, I can lifeguard and get out of the chair and go and work the water slide I wasn’t going to get paid any more money, but it was just like, I can do that I can pick up that slack. So I went to the manager and applied for the job, and she looked at me and said, Mindy, we’ve never had a female do that. a water slide I mean, what what part of that could a female not do? I mean, I was just like, everywhere. But I mean, I was really hit with the reality of the situation because I wasn’t raised that way I was raised, you can do anything. Then you get out in the world and you find out, the one thing I refuse to change keeps me from doing what I want to do. So you know.
Kathy Glassey: I get it.
Mindy: But I mean, I mean, we can sit back, and laugh about it now, but when we were in the midst of it, it, wasn’t that funny. But at least it wasn’t that funny for me, because I was I don’t understand, and I have a background in science, so I’m like, you show me scientifically why this isn’t why I can’t do this If not, let me do my thing and and we’ll go on. So,. But I don’t teach anymore I’m a freelancer I’ve been doing that for 18 years, so. Oh, wonderful I still, like I said, I still get the I have a job, doing, I do videos, using a chainsaw. So, that was kind of, this guy, he sent me the chainsaw, and he contacted me today. How’s it going, Mindy? Oh, fine. How’s the job going? I haven’t started it because you haven’t hired me yet. Oh, I forgot to do that. Okay. All So but been an interesting journey. So I hope to continue down that crazy I have a granddaughter that’s. She’s going to own her. She’s she’ll be four in August I’m telling you she’s going to own her own construction company. Good. Mark my words. her middle name is Rosie I think of Rosie the Riveter, you know? Yes. She loves construction sites. We were I had written the construction curriculum for Ohio State. So we were watching this construction site talking about the boom and the concrete and and the electrical. She was just, she kept saying Gmail the boom goes round and round I was I was looking for a female construction worker because I wanted her to see that females, you know.
Kathy Glassey: Yes.
Mindy: And I found one but she was not what I was looking for. But, anyway, she’s going to be a, she’s gonna own her own construction company because she just left and she’s got the determination and you tell me. No, just watch my attitude and that’s what you need sometimes. So she’ll probably have a construction company build a building on Mars or something like that I mean, just something, crazy. So if I hear the name. Nice talking to you, Kathy.
Kathy Glassey: You too. Mindy.
Mindy: Yes, you too.Kathy Glassey: Bye bye.