In the season 3 finale of I So Appreciate You!, Melanie and Nadege reflect on how this season was all about badass women. Each guest was, to quote Nadege, a rockstar. To come full circle, we celebrate another badass woman: our very own Nadege Souvenir, who in this episode shares the news of her departure from the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation as she prepares to take on her new role as CEO of the San Antonio Area Foundation.

A bittersweet episode, Melanie and Nadege talk not only about the guests they welcomed in this season but also Nadege’s time as a co-host. Join us in celebrating Nadege and wishing her the very best of luck with her new adventure in San Antonio, Texas! And be sure to stay tuned for I So Appreciate You! updates.

Sheletta Brundidge has done it all - she’s a mom, an autism advocate, a community activist, an award-winning broadcaster, a best-selling author and a business owner. She’s always wanted to be someone who shifts atmospheres, and when she walks into a room, it’s clear that is exactly what’s about to happen. Sheletta lives authentically and unapologetically, but has she always been this way? And how does she do it?

Co-hosts Melanie and Nadege dig into how Sheletta taught herself to be confident and what advice she has for others who are trying to live authentically (spoiler: stop caring!). Sheletta shares her story of working in radio and being pressured to present herself differently. When she decided to stop pretending and start showing up as her full self, opportunities and success followed her. Sheletta calls herself a missionary, determined to help others find and share their true selves – but she also knows that in the process of showing up authentically, she is constantly evolving.

Sheletta’s confidence and commitment to showing up authentically came from a place of exhaustion. After working in radio and being told by several consultants how to talk, act, and look, Sheletta decided that enough was enough – she was going to start showing up as her whole, authentic self and that people could take it or leave it. This message is what she shares with the world, whether it’s in a university class she’s teaching or with the many people she helps in what she calls her mission work.

“I like to say I’m a missionary. Everything I do is mission work, whether it’s the autism children’s books, or the podcasts, or the activism, or the speaking, or the radio. Whatever it is, it’s all mission work, I’m on assignment: to help people.”

Sheletta can share these important life lessons because she’s done and seen it all. In addition to being a renaissance woman, Sheletta is a mother of four children, three of whom have autism spectrum disorder. After finding success in treatment for her children, Sheletta set out to do what she does best - share her knowledge, experiences and wisdom with other parents going through the same thing. In her process of documenting and sharing her life with her family, Sheletta has helped countless people who are going through the often isolating, confusing and overwhelming experience of raising children with autism.

Despite the confidence and vivacity she exudes, Sheletta knows she doesn’t have all the answers and feels she has yet to arrive. But it’s that exact authenticity that has gotten her so far and is what she wants to drive home with people. When asked what advice she’d give to others struggling to show up as their whole selves, Sheletta simply says “just do it.”

“Stop overthinking it, just be real! People are coming for your story – the more people that know about your story, the better. We always wait for someone to tell our story or celebrate us – why are you waiting for someone else to tell your story?”

Links:

Sheletta and her son Andrew, promoting his book on Morning in America

Sheletta’s website

Follow Sheletta:

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In Season 3 Episode 7 of I So Appreciate You!, co-hosts Nadege Souvenir and Melanie Hoffert discuss with Bethany Lacktorin, executive and artistic director of Little Theatre Auditorium, the opportunities and challenges of running an arts organization in rural Minnesota. Bethany Lacktorin grew up in New London, MN, and her first experience with theater was at the Little Theatre Auditorium. Her career took her in many directions; professional audio engineer, sound designer, performance artist, media producer, musician, and community organizer. She returned to New London, after living in Minneapolis for a decade, when her mother became sick with cancer. After both her parents passed, Bethany questioned why she continued to stay in New London. In the end, it was her connection to the land and to her adopted mother’s family history in New London that solidified her reasons to stay. And unlike in the saturated markets of bigger cities, Bethany found that she could carve out her own space and bolster the art scene in rural Minnesota. She had so much she wanted to express, with years of experience and skills she wanted to use; when the theater opportunity opened to her, it became obvious that she was in the right place at the right time.

But not everyone in New London has felt the same sense of kismet as Bethany. Over the last few years, Bethany has been very intentional in shifting the narrative, opening the space to people of all ethnicities, backgrounds, and the LGBTQ+ community, and adapting the programming to create opportunities for these communities. Little Theatre Auditorium serves as a place where one can get on stage and represent their whole true self without fear of ridicule, harm, or ostracization. And this shift in ethos has empowered some people to show up as their true selves…and some to voice their discomfort.

“Progress can’t be made without discomfort.”

Bethany shares with Melanie and Nadege the experiences – positive and negative - she’s had as a result of some of the programming she’s put on. But Bethany isn’t deterred. She’s interested in the bigger picture, and offering opportunities, activities, and experiences that allow people to learn something new and a chance to connect with their neighbors in a way they haven’t before. To Bethany, isolation is a mind killer and is all too common in rural settings – that’s why she views the theater and the programming they put on as an act of community building and why she’s focusing her efforts on bolstering the arts community in her beloved hometown.

Links:

Little Theatre Auditorium Website

Star Tribune article: 'The Pride of Minnesota: Communities that beat the bigots'