Rhonda Coleman Wandel Podcast
Rhonda Coleman Wandel Podcast
Amanda Turbeville: Breaking Barriers and Shaping Culture in HR and Beyond
Meet Amanda Turbeville, HR Leader at Blue River Pet Care. In this heartfelt conversation Turbeville shares her incredible journey—from being born to teenage parents and then adopted by her grandmother to becoming a leader in HR. She talks about growing up in Chicago, studying interior design, and how she unexpectedly found her way into human resources. Along the way, she’s faced challenges in male-dominated industries, helped guide companies through the pandemic, and made a difference in the disability community. Now in corporate HR, she reflects on her career, her dream of returning to interior design, and why mentorship and personal growth matter so much.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (00:00)
Hi Amanda, welcome to the podcast.
Amanda (00:03)
Hi Rhonda, I'm so happy to be here.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (00:05)
I am so excited to be talking to you. It is a Sunday morning and we have had several conversations before this one. So I feel like I've gotten to know you pretty well and I'm excited to share your journey with everyone who listens.
Amanda (00:26)
Great, great.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (00:28)
Okay, so you were born, we're gonna start off talking about how you grew up, because it was very unique. You were born to a teen mom, and and you were eventually adopted by your grandmother, so that's very interesting. We're gonna talk about that. We're gonna move through your...
Amanda (00:37)
Mm
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (00:48)
you picked the college that you chose, the major that you chose, you chose to major in interior design, you're gifted and talented in that space, but somehow you ended up in HR, in a leader in HR, no less. So we want to talk about those pivots that you've made. We'll focus on some of your transferable skill sets that moved you from one role to another, and then we'll wrap up.
So the beginning, tell me where you were born, how you were born, how that happened.
Amanda (01:20)
All right.
Sure, sure. So I'm born and raised in Chicago, so we'll start there. True Chicago native. I was born into, you know, teenage parents. My mom was 14. My dad was 16 when they had me. So babies raising babies or babies raising children. But, you know, my mom was
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (01:42)
in.
Amanda (01:46)
She was very smart at that age and I think she had no choice but to be and eventually my grandmother ended up adopting me. Overall just one, giving me a better life, two, for insurance purposes, know, just knowing that she's not able to take the responsibility on her own. So...
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (02:05)
Mm
Amanda (02:07)
the joke growing, or as we got older, right, my mom, jokingly we would bicker of, she would try to tell me what to do, and I'm like, you're my sister, you can't tell me what to do. Stop telling me what to do. I guess at some point you just can't help but laugh about it, right? So that, grew up when, after the adoption, I grew up in, you know,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (02:16)
You
Mm -hmm.
Amanda (02:33)
Chicago and it wasn't in the best neighborhood at the time it was Roscoe Village. Roscoe Village now is wonderful but when I was younger it was not. Yeah, yeah. So you know, I grew up rather poor. I had all the necessities that I needed to have. I always had a roof over my head. I always had food.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (02:41)
Yeah, it is. It's one of my favorite areas in the city, actually.
Amanda (03:00)
but I didn't have the luxuries of everyone else. However, when I was growing up, I never felt that I didn't, right? I remember great, know, great experiences at going to zoos, for example, or going to games, and they always tried to make sure that we felt we were doing something and that we were included, so they did try their best with that.
My sister and I, my sister and I are closest, well let me take a step back. I'm the oldest of eight siblings, so my sister and I are a year and a half apart, so her and I grew up really the closest in doing things when we were younger. So we did go to, yeah,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (03:45)
Well, me
pause for a minute. So you're the oldest of eight siblings. Are you counting siblings that you have through your grandmother plus your mom or like, how does that work?
Amanda (03:57)
No, I'm just, I'm just including my actual siblings that's non -adoptive. If you include the others, you're talking more 12. So, yeah, I'm the oldest of, you know, eight, they had me very young. So it was inevitable that there was going to be other children that came along. My mom.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (04:01)
Okay.
Okay.
Definitely.
Amanda (04:22)
You know, I did witness some things growing up, some traumatic things, whether mentally, physically, and or just witnessed them, right? Especially with my mom. She got married at 16, had my sister, and she has a crazy, she actually has a great backstory as well. Now she lives in Georgia, house built on a farm and works in the nursing industry. So, you know,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (04:28)
Thank
Mm
Amanda (04:52)
We experienced all of that growing up.
Okay.
So when I was in eighth grade, my mom decided that she wanted both my sister and I to go to a really great high school. She wanted us to have the same education. I applied to get into Lane Tech. I got into Lane Tech.
But my mom, having the 50 -50 chance that my sister would probably make it in or not make it in Ling Tech, she did not want to go through another transfer for myself and or for my sister. She didn't want us going to separate schools. So we ended up moving to the Berbs, specifically in the Roselle Medina area. I tell everybody, if you're not familiar where that is, it's by Schomburg.
And we ended up going to Lake Park High School, which are two campuses, one in Roselle and one in Medina, which is right across the street from Medina Country Club. Those of you who know Medina Country Club and me growing up in the city a little bit on the poor side, it was a culture shock for me. The nicest cars, the most expensive, just, I'm like,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (06:05)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm. And not just the
parents driving the nicest cars, the 16 -year -olds driving the nicest cars. Yes.
Amanda (06:20)
Correct, correct.
So it was definitely a culture shock for me. of course, Chicago, let's just be frank, going to Chicago and going to school in Chicago is very different than the suburbs. So I thought different, I talked different, people looked at me like, where are you from?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (06:38)
Yes.
Amanda (06:42)
I made it through high school like everyone else does, I made some great friends. Actually, my best friend that I've known, I still talk to to this day, we've been friends forever. She was Haitian and her and I connected and her and I have been best friends ever since. And I just remember it was her and I throughout high school and it just was, she made it a great experience for me eventually.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (06:48)
Mm -hmm.
Mm
Amanda (07:11)
Eventually
I made other friends and eventually I adapted, but immediately when I graduated I was out. I'm getting out of here. I need to go back to the city where I'm familiar with.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (07:26)
Yeah.
So I'm imagining, you know, young Amanda moving from a heterogeneous culture to a homogenous one in the burbs. But you were strong, like lots of the stuff that you experienced and saw as a kid growing up makes you strong and makes you mature and grown up. And you're like, OK, I'm
Amanda (07:36)
Mm -hmm.
Absolutely.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (07:54)
I can deal with whatever is thrown my way, right? Not afraid. And so you took that, plus you took love from your mother and grandmother into that situation. And you had some things that helped you and you're amazing. So you made friends.
Amanda (08:19)
Thank you. Make me blush. Thank you.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (08:23)
Yes, yes. Okay,
so high school and then you go to college and we want to know where you went and you picked interior design as a major. Why did you do that?
Amanda (08:29)
Mm
Yeah, so I went to Illinois Institute of Art.
And I picked interior design as a major and I will say that it was not my first choice. I was actually gonna go to the Air Force to be an airplane mechanic. I was set on that. And I don't know why, even if you ask me to this day, I don't know why. I know on the mechanic side is my dad, my brothers, they all were about cars, but I don't know why I was so gung -ho on
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (09:04)
Mm -hmm.
Amanda (09:07)
going to be airplane mechanic. And then last minute I switched. Last minute I'm like, nope, I like my creativity. I want to do interior design. For whatever reason, that spoke to me. I just loved.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (09:09)
Okay.
Okay.
Amanda (09:20)
I don't know if I love the idea of designing homes. I just love the idea of design and that was the first thing that came to mind for me. So out of the design realm, so I kind of was like, I want to do that. I think that is my calling and that's what I should do, right?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (09:28)
Okay.
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
You want to create things, make things, take pieces and put them together into something workable, new, different, which for me tracks with the mechanic desire. It's the same thing. It's tactical. You're using your hands to make something happen. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly.
Amanda (09:52)
Right.
Yes.
Different form of art, right? Different form of art.
So then I ended up, you know, going there, loved to design, you know, but I will, this is where also my HR journey begins at the same time while I'm going to school for design.
I'm actually working at the mall at the time, local place, and it's for Proactive Solution. At that time I started there. Everybody knew what Proactive Solution was. All the infomercials, whatever the case may be, but then they started expanding and opening. Yep. Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (10:24)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah. I tried it.
Amanda (10:44)
They, so I just took a job. I took a job, sales associate, I need money, broke college student, I need money and how am I gonna get it? So, started working there and I really quickly grew within the company. And then when I graduated college,
I was offered an opportunity to stay with them and be a national trainer. And so what that consisted of was me traveling across the country, going to their locations that they had, doing a secret shop with the team and identifying if the team stays, if the team goes, training opportunities, et cetera, et cetera. So I did that for about...
two years before I was like, I really, I don't want to travel as much as I am. At that time it was three weeks out of a month. It was very exhausting. And then also at that time my grandmother got
very ill, the grandmother, the one that adopted me, she got very ill. And at some point she ended up having a level 22 stroke in front of my aunt and myself. So she was rushed into the emergency room. And then she ended up surviving that, which is great. Unfortunately, they also found that she had lung cancer when they started doing body scans. So we lost her shortly after. So there was just a lot going on within that time.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (12:09)
No.
Mm
Amanda (12:24)
frame where I'm just like I made that decision and unfortunately that happened.
Moving on to my next opportunity is when I was growing up, one of the things that helped me, I guess, cope or my form of therapy was working out. So when I was younger, I did Olympic lifting. I did shows such as like Miss Hawaiian Tropic. So I met a lot of people within the industry and there was a friend that I knew and she's like, we need somebody like you to help within the box
kickboxing space and here's the opportunity. I just knew what it was in the background of what it was and it was within the fitness and that was something I was interested in so okay I'm gonna listen to this opportunity. So it just so happened it was UFC then they were looking for
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (13:09)
You're good.
Amanda (13:17)
You know, specifically I was interviewed because, and the owner was very frank with me that he wants to expand the women and then also have like children programs, specifically the women. He felt like it was a missed opportunity. He wanted to be more diverse within the gyms. And he's like, I think you would be that person. And I was like, well, I will surely try.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (13:35)
Mm -hmm.
Who was the owner? Do we know
who the owner was?
Amanda (13:46)
So at the time the owner was Omar Rudiani, who...
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (13:49)
Okay.
Amanda (13:52)
And I'm gonna back it up because everybody knows his owner is like Dana White or the founder of UFC But UFC actually bought LA boxing franchise. So at the time owner Rudiani was owner of some of the LA boxings before it was converted to UFC gyms or UFC and then they and then they Let those individual owners Keep their gyms under
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (13:56)
Right.
Amanda (14:21)
the UFC name. So it was overall the conversion of the franchise. I don't think they do that anymore. I'm not sure. I haven't been there for quite some time, but that's how it was at the time. So I joined. I was there for five years. definitely humbles you, for lack of a better word. There's nothing that shocks me anymore based on what I needed to experience with a bunch of
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (14:24)
Okay.
Okay.
Hmm?
Amanda (14:51)
individuals that were working out that have a lot of testosterone and a lot of energy and just the craziness.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:02)
-huh. So I'm hearing that you saw some of the worst behavior that needs to be addressed by an HR department. So it was a ripe learning ground for you. You got to see this is what not to do.
Amanda (15:07)
Mm -hmm.
Yes. Yeah.
That is the best way to put it.
Yeah, that's the best way to put it.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:28)
Yes.
Amanda (15:31)
What I did love about it, it's funny because as HR, I shouldn't love this about it, was if there was a problem, there wasn't, I'm gonna have beef with you and continue this journey. It was, I'm gonna put on some gloves and some pads and we're gonna get in the rain and we're gonna duke it out. And that's how everybody settled their problems. As an HR person, you're like, please don't do that, but.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:54)
You
Amanda (15:56)
You gotta adapt to the environment. I mean, as long as nobody seriously got hurt, you know, I'm like, if that's what we need to do, okay. So.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:58)
Okay.
Mm -hmm. That's interesting. So you said adapt to that environment. I'd like to know how the environments of your next roles were different and required something different from you as an HR exec. Yeah.
Amanda (16:28)
So another, I was thinking about this too, but another thing that I thought of, with the exception of proactive, I would say every other journey I had thereafter was primarily in male dominated industries. So I had to learn how to work with different styles of management that
I had to make sure that my voice was heard and not blurred when I was talking. So I had to make sure that I learned my audience, learned my managers, learned the owners, make sure I understood what they were going for in order to get my point across. So what I was able to do is really sit, watch and learn.
And then be able to use, I guess, my talking skills as a way to be influential in those spaces. Cause if I wasn't that way and if I didn't do that, I don't think I'll be sitting here in front of you as we speak. I don't think so. So for UFC, we know, male dominated at the time, more female in there. My next journey I'll get more into, which was not only male dominated industry itself, which is a transport industry, but
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (17:36)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Amanda (17:52)
But also I had to learn the Eastern European way. The owner was from Bulgaria. So it was a different type of mindset that I also needed to relearn as well and how to work with that type of, know, because the work life balance is completely different overseas than what it is here.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (18:11)
Yeah. Yeah.
Amanda (18:15)
So that was another learning curve. So that transition was Montoya auto transport. And I left UFC after five years. it was kind of, I was director of compliance there and it was the only way that I can move up was to either move to California or at the thing, at the time, I think they were opening up something in Vegas too. wasn't quite open yet, but, I didn't want to move. wasn't ready. So Montoya auto transport came.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (18:41)
Okay.
Amanda (18:45)
along and That company when I started was 50 people very startup very the toxic work now family oriented because it really was that and When I left there just to give you and I a better idea there was over 400 employees and they also got investors so it grew rather quickly But I started there
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (18:50)
Mm -hmm.
We're here.
Mm -hmm.
Amanda (19:13)
And I was in operations when I, my first position, I was there very short time within that position. I was operations executive there. And then I moved more into the traditional names of an HR manager. And then before I left there, I actually was the global head of HR when I left there.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (19:28)
Yes, please.
Okay.
Amanda (19:37)
As you see the progression of my positions all are progressing in some form of HR and I like to highlight that because I think That is also a skill set that I was able to transfer is every position was different I touch different aspects of HR before I got into like these higher level executive roles I made sure that there was another level so I understand what each role is doing so therefore I can take these skills
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (19:40)
That's good.
Mm -hmm.
Okay.
Amanda (20:07)
And I'm like, hey, I was in your role or a similar role at one point. Here's what I did to help you or maybe it can help you succeed in that role, right?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:11)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah. Right. Yeah. No,
that's great. So I'm not super familiar with an HR structure, you know, aside from me as an employee. If I have a complaint, then I reach out to HR or, know, whatever. However, I use HR as an employee. I don't know the departments of HR. Can you tell us just what that structure is like?
Amanda (20:43)
Sure, so depending on the size of the company, will depend on the structure. So I'll go over just a few positions, because again, it can be a little nuanced. But it's usually an HR assistant, HR coordinator when you're starting off. There's also a recruiting aspect. There's also the learning and development position, which again, it could be assistant coordinator. However,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:51)
Yeah.
Amanda (21:09)
Then there's the generalist, then there is the manager, then obviously the director, the VP, and then of course at some point if you become part of the C -suite.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (21:11)
Mm -hmm.
Mm
Amanda (21:22)
The little nuances in there is if you want to add a DEI into your mix, because that needs to be a separate position, an engagement person, because that needs to be a separate position depending on what you're doing within your company. So there's many different facets within the HR realm that
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (21:37)
Mm -hmm.
Amanda (21:46)
when you're in HR.
you need to figure out which way or which one talks to you most. I actually had an intern in she a couple months ago. She was dead set. She's like, I want to go and learning and development. And I said, I'm gonna have I'm like, I'm gonna ask you that same question when you leave here. And I want to know if you think the same. Once you go into learning and development, because I had her work on learning and development, because that's she
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (21:53)
Okay.
Mm -hmm.
Amanda (22:17)
she
was interested in a couple other projects. So I had her look up resources, build the system, build criteria, work with our...
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (22:19)
Mm -hmm.
Amanda (22:31)
learning and development specialist to create documents, right? Create things. Sure enough, at the end of it, I said, what part of it did you like the best? She's like, I thought I wanted learning and development. She's like, I don't want to do that. I said, okay, you know, so my point of that exercise is, is everyone is always dead set on what they want to be. And I'm just like, okay, you need to dip your hands in things before
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (22:37)
Mm
Thank
It's good.
Amanda (23:01)
you are certain that you want to do something and be something.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (23:03)
Look at this, Amanda the mentor. Amanda
the mentor. As you're talking, giving that example, you're highlighting your mentorship skills. Yes, you're a manager, but it's a difference between a manager role and a mentor role. And so I see you know how to do both, which is awesome. Yeah.
Amanda (23:12)
Yes.
Yes.
Yeah,
yeah. So yeah, the structure like the HR structure and and now they're making new
titles, which I'm not against the new titles, but it definitely skews duties and jobs and how to narrow that down a little bit. So it's definitely growing. I think the pandemic, everybody can agree. Nobody knew what HR's function or job was until the pandemic hit. And then everyone thought, we need HR. We need HR.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (23:40)
My head.
Okay.
Okay, that's an interesting thing to talk about. Put a pin in there because I want to know how HR, I don't know, changed or how its influence was super important during the pandemic. That's an interesting question. But I want to highlight you worked to build the women's part of UFC, like at the beginning.
Amanda (23:57)
Yeah.
Yeah.
yes, yes, yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (24:22)
And you were there five
years, so you were an integral part of that. And that's huge. I wanted to make sure to highlight that, put that out.
Amanda (24:26)
Thank you.
Yeah,
I mean, that's what I was hired to do. And sure enough, I love a challenge. I'm not going to turn down a challenge. Of course, as long as it's within reason, I'm not going to turn down a challenge.
I worked my tail off. I hired in one of my locations all females for the purpose of this, hey, if we want to get some diversity here, then we need to really start thinking diverse and hiring, you know, women, really just get women in here.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (25:03)
Right. Right.
Amanda (25:07)
So after all my little tweaks here and there and being there for five years, when I left, I had the top three locations in the nation.
being one of the only women ran locations in the nation. So it was really great when I accepted that award in Vegas that I stood on stage, you know, being a female and just holding it up for all the females there. It was for, they called it like the store of the year or location of the year. So it was for Wrigleyville, it was for
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (25:35)
Yay! Award! What award? Tell us what award.
Okay.
Amanda (25:49)
What was it? Orland Park. And I believe it was for, it was it for South Loop, maybe. So those three locations were the number one. So I was like, I did it. Told you all I'm gonna do it. I did it.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (26:03)
Awesome. Okay,
so back to the pen, taking the pen out now. So during the pandemic, what, how did the role of HR, why was it so important during that time?
Amanda (26:21)
Because the question was always, what I heard or people asked is, what does HR really do? to be honest, I can talk about what HR really does to I'm blue in the face. And anybody could talk about their role until they're blue in the face. But until you've experienced it or until you've your hands into it, you really don't know what that role is.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (26:44)
Okay.
Amanda (26:49)
So, know, HR, people think immediately that we're just responsible for firing people and turn, you know, like pips, you know, disciplinary, you name it, but the function is just so much more than that.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (26:54)
Thank you.
Amanda (27:03)
When the pandemic hit and leaders that weren't in HR or had no idea what HR was needed to start making decisions and needed to start dealing with employee issues. And they realized the depth of what they are. They had no idea how to handle it and what to do. And HR became known of exactly a part of HR that can be helpful during that time. So we had to have the tough conversations we had to make.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (27:21)
and
Amanda (27:33)
sure
that we were providing resources. We had to make sure really during the pandemic and I can't speak for everybody, I was on call 24 seven. I remember making having calling you know 911 making house calls for people that were you know saying alarming things or just saying things that I'm just like I I'm just not comfortable with this. That unless you are a trained individual to know how to do that and what to say and how to navigate that.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (27:41)
Mm -hmm.
Mm
Mm
Amanda (28:03)
I don't think they would have been successful.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (28:06)
Okay, can you give us an example of like some of the issues or alarming things that you were seeing? I know you can't give me, can't attach them to an actual person, but I'm just kind of curious what increased that business leadership didn't know how to manage that they needed to lean on HR for?
Amanda (28:21)
Yeah.
Yeah, really was the mental health side. I can't highlight that enough. Individuals that were very depressed that we would have suicidal tendencies and
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (28:34)
Okay.
Amanda (28:46)
They didn't know where to turn. Or for example, I'm not a therapist. I'm not a licensed doctor. So they would just say things to me because they were comfortable saying things to me. And I'm like, OK, this is where I need to give you the proper resources. And this is where I need to direct you here because I can't really give you advice here. I am not licensed to do that.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:10)
Good.
Amanda (29:12)
but there was a very dark side in the pandemic. was definitely very, very challenging within HR because again, I'll speak for HR individuals that I'm part of like groups. At HR was so focused on helping everyone else and making sure that they were okay, that nobody was checking in on HR and making sure that we were okay. You know,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:33)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Amanda (29:38)
So at some point it started taking a toll on us, but we can't really show it because we're so, we're looked at the people trying to help everybody. So it became a very challenging balance for a lot of people to manage this.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:47)
Mm
That's very interesting. You know, I admittedly did not realize at the time that the pandemic, happened, the impact that it would have on mental health of people or was having on the mental health of people. And probably because nobody in my immediate family got COVID and I was already working remotely.
Amanda (30:07)
Mm
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (30:21)
most of the time anyway, so I had kind of adapted or adjusted to that. many stories came out later and I didn't think of people who had addictions and needed to not be in their bubbles. I saw a special about a woman who had been clean for many years and then lapsed and died because she was depressed and needed the connections.
Amanda (30:47)
Mm -hmm. Yep.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (30:50)
I was a bit ashamed that I didn't understand the great impact that COVID had on mental health, you probably got it quickly, immediately as an HR leader.
Amanda (31:02)
yeah,
as a whole, right?
Humans are social beings, you know? So when you put people in lockdown and when you take that away, your mind takes you to places that you may not be prepared for. And I think that was, I actually am confident to say that was the last thing on people's minds when this all happened, right? I mean, what do you do when you're in a place and you're stuck in your own mind? You can't really leave it.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (31:11)
Good.
Love you.
Yeah.
Amanda (31:39)
You know, let's say that your social circle, sure you can have a lot of Zoom meetings and stuff, but it's just not the same as in -person interaction. And I was dealing with a lot of that and how to manage that.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (31:46)
Mm -hmm.
Wow, very interesting, very interesting. Okay, so you UFC for five years and then you move to, you said it.
Amanda (32:08)
Montuey Auto Transport. Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (32:09)
Yes, let me look at my notes here. Montwey Travel
Transport International. And then you left there in the summer of 2022, so recently, a couple of years ago. And where'd you go next? Where'd you go next? And how'd you land there?
Amanda (32:22)
Yes.
after that I worked for a company called SCP, which is an apparel company.
and merchandise company that specifically works with artists in the industry. So I believe some of them or I know that there were like, for example, Billie Eilish, Carly Rae Jepsen, some larger names within the industry that everybody is aware of. What we would do is we would print their items that they would like, and we would be responsible for setting up their tour spaces when they were on tour. So it was kind of a full stop shop for the artist.
we will, we can even create it if you didn't have a creator and make sure it's all ready to go and sent on the tour location. So a lot of fun, but that didn't get me there. Actually, Stevie Hopkins was somebody who I knew that I wanted to work with and specifically,
I met Stevie a couple years back before working with him directly. I actually interviewed for a role there. They ended up going to somebody else, which is totally fine. But Stevie then reached out again and said, hey, I need you here. Can you come here? And of course, I wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity, so I took it. Stevie actually is. Yeah, yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (33:48)
Okay, I want to hear this but pause and highlight something. You
interviewed once didn't get the role, but you did a great job. They remembered you, they called you back. So this is just a message to people when you interview at a place and maybe you were the number two, you didn't get it. It's okay, they will remember you and got money in the bank for later. So don't be disheartened. Okay.
Amanda (33:56)
Yeah. Mm hmm. Yes.
Yes.
Yeah, don't burn bridges. The key thing here is just don't burn bridges. You just never know.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:18)
Good one.
Yes. So when they did when they said no, thank you don't like hurl a load of curse words their way.
Amanda (34:30)
Yes, yeah,
yeah. So Stevie had a condition where he was in a wheelchair. And the only...
the only mobility that he had was the hand that he can use for his joystick and to get around within his wheelchair. He had 24 seven care. But I believed in his mission. And before he started working with artists before he started doing any of that, he created a brand called three love, which is specifically for disability and disability awareness. And that's really where
wanted to be. I wanted to actually be impactful in my role. I understand with HR, we are impactful. I like to think I am impactful, right? But I really wanted to be, if I could be a double dose of impactful, I wanna be there. I wanna make a difference.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (35:29)
Yep.
I agree with that. Is there a reason why you wanted to work with this organization specifically? Or is there something in your life, like you have disabled loved ones or no, this was just something that you were drawn to?
Amanda (35:51)
This is something that I was just drawn to. And also the overall, not only I was drawn to that, the organization, what they were doing, but also I just had a really great connection with Stevie.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (35:52)
Okay.
Amanda (36:06)
Like just during that time we actually developed a really great friendship Friendship. I was there for a year and half. Unfortunately Stevie passed away his diseased got the best of him. I believe was it December or January of last year this year It was really hard it really took a toll After that it was I took a break to figure out what my next role was going to be
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (36:33)
and
Amanda (36:34)
but that role I feel was the most impactful of it all. it was, it was being able to, you know, manage a team, but a fast growing company, but also just, made you more aware and more cognizant of what limitations are in the world for people with disabilities in general. I also love the fact that
he and I and everyone there went out of our way to hire individuals with disabilities, which was just wonderful. It all just spoke to me. It all just spoke to me. So that was really hard there, but during that time it was definitely whirlwind and it was a lot of fun.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (37:13)
Yes, yes, no, I love that. Yep.
Amanda (37:27)
And then I took some time off and I've landed now a position working with corporate HR specifically in for Blue River Pet Care. So they are in the veterinary space and they, what they do is they buy veterinary clinics and we just put them under our roof and we all work together.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (37:39)
Mm
Amanda (37:52)
to make the overall experience great, but also make sure that the veterinary clinic itself, technicians, doctor or DVMs, whatever the case may be, have the resources that they need for their spaces as well. The one thing that I never knew is that,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (38:09)
Mm
Amanda (38:19)
individuals within the veterinary space has a very high suicide rate based on I guess what they see.
So I thought that was just really interesting. And for me, again, really truly wanting to help people, regardless of the negative things going on in HR, where we're being bashed left and right on social media, there actually is some, some of us that want to genuinely help people. So I heard this and I felt that, you know, Hey, we can focus on this. I feel that we can come up with a great program and we can really be of a great resource for individuals like that. So there was just a lot of things that I didn't, I wasn't aware of in that industry.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (38:48)
Mm -hmm.
Amanda (38:56)
that I really enjoy working there. I've been there now for almost seven months, so it's really fresh. But they've been great. It's great being there. It's great team. There's roughly 3 ,500 people total that's there, so it's great.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (38:57)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Mm
Yeah, I'm learning
some things about the HR world that I didn't know. And it seems that you're allowed to be creative. The issues are different depending on the company that you're working for. Like this with the veterinary industry, higher suicidal rates, and so opportunity to put something in place to counter that. That's cool. That's interesting.
that the HR function kind of allows that type of work.
Amanda (39:45)
Mm
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (39:52)
Okay, yes, so very cool. And as I'm listening to you and each role that you've had has come with different challenges like the mon toya opportunity, you had to navigate.
Amanda (40:09)
Mm
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:10)
different cultural and social norms that impacted work -life balance. And that's super interesting. And at UFC, you had to deal with a hyped up, aggressive work culture environment with no rules and boundaries. Yes. And so you had to figure out how to do your job within that. And it was...
Amanda (40:14)
Yes. Yes.
Yeah? Yeah.
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:40)
It's not just like with HR, your job is to actually manage that culture in a way and take care of the workforce to make sure that they've got everything they need. it's different when you are just another member of the workforce who's kind of subjected to the culture versus when you're in HR and you have a lot of control over what that culture is. Yeah.
Amanda (40:46)
Mm -hmm.
Totally. And to touch base on culture. there's definitely a huge misconception where culture generally stands within the company, right? So if you ask anyone normally, be like, who's responsible for culture? They would say HR.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (41:09)
Very interesting.
Okay. Okay.
Amanda (41:28)
That's actually not true. It's
not true. So it's actually, everyone is responsible for building a culture and HR is responsible for maintaining a certain culture. So, so I always tell everyone, I was like, no, culture isn't everyone issue, just not an HR issue. HR kind of reels it in or helps guide it, but yeah, yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (41:36)
Mm -hmm.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Amanda (41:57)
One other thing in my, in, you know, my industry is let's say for lack of a better word or my career is I've worked in different industries every time I made a move. And that's intentional. That's intentional. I don't think in the beginning it was, I just think it was just, but now it's definitely intentional because I learned something new, not only industry wise.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:02)
Mm -hmm.
I'm good.
Amanda (42:25)
but within the HR space as well with each move that I make and having to develop a different skill set, whether it's hard skills or soft skills, it's always a skill set that you need to either work on develop or take it out. It's been sitting on the shelf and you gotta dust it off a little bit and you gotta bring it back. it's the industry is what makes things very interesting because HR is HR and.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:28)
That is...
Like, mm -hmm.
Amanda (42:54)
There's things that are standard that come to HR. having that, working with different industries, combining that all, you're always gonna continuously be challenged. It doesn't matter what you're doing.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:10)
Right, right. Awesome. So you're next, so you're creative. And you, you know, just left a couple of years ago, not by choice, but by unfortunate circumstances left a job that you loved.
Amanda (43:16)
Yes.
Mm
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:27)
Took a break to figure out what's next you are working in a new industry, but you're also working on Something else very cool
Amanda (43:36)
Yes, yes. So I'm looking to get back into interior design. Again, I'm gonna use my analogy I just used, I'm dusting off that skill, getting it in there. Although I do it on the side. I mean, I have been doing it, but not taking it on full time and like taking on that.
Hey, I'm gonna get this done. So I've been, opened my own company, you know, and I've been learning the new systems. I mean, of course there's CAD, but there's like SketchUp and there's all these other systems and tools that I'm reviewing to see which one works best for me and what my goals are.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:57)
Okay.
Amanda (44:16)
But I do know that I want to go into your design, but I also know that I love fashion and I love that. So at some point I probably want to touch that too. Not a fashion designer per se, but maybe a stylist. I'm not sure. But I'm definitely open up that door and taking up more of that creative space again.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (44:36)
Okay,
awesome. So if you want to find Amanda, we'll have her information on my website and the podcast post information. So she'll so you can know where to find her. Okey dokey. So we are at the end of this wonderful conversation that went a different way than I expected, but I love it. We got to learn a lot about HR, like the HR industry.
Amanda (44:49)
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (45:02)
which I think people who work in that space or are thinking about moving into that space are gonna get a lot out of our conversation. Why would you like to leave our listeners with today? We call them the pivot pearls of wisdom.
Amanda (45:11)
Great.
So I know this isn't going back on my grandmother because she was just huge, huge influence on my life. That woman not only adopted me, but also raised three additional girls on top of it. So was just a house of girls. And her patience and her wisdom was everything to me. But one of the things that she told me that stuck with me, and it's not.
It's not anything new, if there's a will, there's a way. And that small little statement has really pivoted all of these changes in my life. Yeah. Yeah. And she was very strong. I I know I didn't get to talk much about her, but she was one of the first women in the Chicago border trade and I had never knew that.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (45:53)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm. I love that. Ooh, I love that so much.
Amanda (46:15)
until later in life. she, again, being one of the first women, it seems like she experienced the same things that I have being in male dominated industries, but they didn't, she didn't have all the stuff that we have today, these platforms, being able to tell the stories and whatnot. So,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (46:26)
Mm
They're here.
Amanda (46:37)
She was also a very strong -minded strong -willed person. So But yeah, I would say if there's a will there's a way like if there if the answer is no Make sure it is. No like make like it made me know for now, but it could eventually be a yes So keep working keep working on that
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (46:52)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Ooh, I love that when guests give their pivot pearls of wisdom. It's like such a treat for me. I know it's supposed to be for everybody else, but that really resonated with me and sat with me I love it. Thank you. So thanks for being on today and we are going to talk again soon because I'm definitely interested in your interior design services and working with you in the future on some of my own.
Amanda (47:03)
You
Cool. Yeah, absolutely.
Thank you.
Great. Love it.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (47:33)
Bye bye.