The Safety Link Podcast by Kenyon Manley
Welcome to " The Safety Link Podcast", this podcast is dedicated to keeping you the blue-collar safety professional, informed in all aspects of life that I consider a part of Safety. Dive into the world of safety with us as we explore topics crucial to your everyday life. From personal safety to workplace safety, we cover it all. Get ready for valuable tips, practical advice, and intriguing discussions designed to empower you in navigating life's hazards. Whether you're a blue-collar worker, a safety professional, or simply safety-conscious, this podcast is tailored for you.
Each episode, we will attempt provide valuable tips, strategies, and practical advice to empower YOU with the knowledge necessary to navigate through potential risks and hazards of everyday LIFE. Whether you're a safety manager, project manager, husband or wife, CEO, foreman, superintendent, craft employee, first responder, nurse, or simply an individual who wants to prioritize safety, this podcast is for you.
Join us as we interview safety professionals, renowned speakers, and other professional experts to discuss case studies, personal experiences or share real-life stories that attempt to shed light on the importance of being vigilant and proactive about the different aspects of safety.
As the creator and host of "The Safety Link Podcast", I firmly believe that awareness is the key to understanding and prevention. By staying informed and implementing the suggested best practices and measures, you'll be better equipped to safeguard yourself, your loved ones, as well as the people YOU serve on a daily basis in any given circumstance.
Tune in to "The Safety Link Podcast" and embark on a journey towards a secure and more confident LIFE. Your safety and well-being are my priority!
The Safety Link Podcast by Kenyon Manley
Navigating the Balancing Act: Vanessa Colette on Mastering Work-Life Harmony in the Construction Industry
Balancing a bustling household and a career in safety, Vanessa Colette takes us behind the scenes as a mother that is expecting and a safety coordinator at Long Building Technologies, where her dedication to structure and consistency is as essential as a hard hat on a construction site. As a mother and a safety coordinator navigating the trials of the pandemic and a demanding profession, Vanessa candidly reveals the routines and leadership strategies that keep her life in equilibrium. Her story isn't just about overcoming hurdles; it's a masterclass in harnessing personal strengths to thrive in the midst of chaos, both on the job and at the family dinner table.
The tightrope walk of work-life balance is a familiar act to many but add the pressures of a male-dominated field like construction, and it's a whole new performance. In our discussion, Vanessa sheds light on the transformative journey of the industry, from the evolution of parental leave to the increasing recognition of women's invaluable contributions. Her insights are not just thought-provoking; they are a call to action for more inclusive and mentally aware professional environments, celebrating the progress while acknowledging the miles we've yet to travel.
Ending on a note of profound gratitude, our conversation with Vanessa Colette transcends the personal narrative and taps into the collective wisdom of our communities. Her experiences are a mosaic of the resilience, growth, and support that shape our lives. As she anticipates the arrival of a new family member, Vanessa's story is a beacon of hope for anyone juggling the demands of work with the richness of family life, reminding us that we're all part of a larger village, each contributing to the tapestry of shared knowledge and experience.
Thanks for joining us at The Safety Link Podcast. Please follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, Apple, Facebook, and YouTube. Don't forget to LIKE, SHARE and SUBSCRIBE!!! Again, Thank You.
I got miss Vanessa's Colette. She is a safety coordinator. She has some things going on in her life that I really would like to hear her talk about as we talk about this podcast. This podcast is about us safety professionals, whether it be mother, father, law enforcement, anybody who's a servant leader. How is it that we are serving people at the highest level but still got life going on around us? And today miss Vanessa is going to tell us a little bit about herself. Miss Vanessa, I'd appreciate if you tell us what you do and you know what's going on in your life that maybe somebody out there would like to hear.
Speaker 2:Yeah, kenyon, so I am a safety coordinator for long building technologies. I've been there for about four years. What was your next question?
Speaker 1:The next question is basically what is it that you do? What's your day? What's your day look?
Speaker 2:like, oh yeah, really, I feel like in this job my day can be anything. It could be anything. Some things you don't even know are your job Basically. Are we having any incidents, environmental property damage, fleet site visits? It could be something different every day. Fire testing of alarms. I feel like my day is kind of led by what's going on on job sites. I'm kind of always chasing right, right, but that's mostly a day Safety orientations, new hires, a lot of trading, lots of trading. That's usually what my day consists of Go ahead.
Speaker 1:What got you into safety?
Speaker 2:Well, that's interesting. I feel like I kind of got led here. So during COVID I had a four year old and I was on maternity leave and then COVID hit and I got laid off for my job of seven years. I had a co-worker who works for long as a recruiter and they were looking for somebody in safety. He came to me and said hey, the only person I know who can regulate stuff, and people seem to still like you. So that's kind of how I got recruited.
Speaker 2:I don't know if that was a compliment or what that was, but it worked and I did it and I really liked it. So I was very new to it. So I had to go through all the trainings, work on my ASP. I'm working towards my CSP, but I really enjoyed it. It's definitely a difficult and stressful job but there's a lot of rewarding things too. I just enjoyed it. I think I like order and regulation and I think I'm just good at it. I kind of find consistency. I kind of find joy and consistency. Whereas many people like day to day. I mean my day to day is different, but I also like consistency and let's follow this plan to get to a goal. I kind of find the joy in that, and I know some people just don't, so it kind of worked out. That's kind of how I got here, though, can you?
Speaker 1:Wow, that's awesome and you know, to me that shows safety doesn't have a certain look, it doesn't take a certain person. I mean safety is just, it molds right and you saying you came from somewhere else and what you took was. It sounds like you took some of your gifts and you using it to promote, regulate, enhance, safety Does that sound about right.
Speaker 2:I think you yes, I think you hit the no on the head. I think I'm very organized, structured, consistent, and it works really well for this job, and so that's why I do well at this job. I think you're 100% right there.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, that's great. Well, it's really nice to hear how somebody saw that in you. But it's even more funny to say hey man, I know how you regulate things, but you do it in a way where they still like you in this position that we have sometimes is very unlikeable and you sort of have to have a little bit of a okay, well, we're still going to do the right thing, you know, but but at the same time doing what is right, even when this spotlight is not on you, and you have to hold that integrity so close to yourself as a as a safety professional. So I appreciate that, that you took the challenge and it sounds like you're flourishing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're 100% right. You always have to be a leader. You don't always have to like it, you don't always have to agree with everything, but it has to be consistent. You are so right Always do what's right.
Speaker 1:Right. So I heard that you said you have a four year old. So tell us a little about outside of work family life, if you don't mind. Just a little, just a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah for sure. So I'm married. We actually have three and one on the way, so we're on our fourth. I actually have an interesting spread. I have teenagers, two teenagers four year old and then a soon to be newborn. So it's kind of like life's pretty hectic hectic at work, hectic at home, that's. That's pretty much what we're pretty busy.
Speaker 1:Hectic somebody right now, who who may you know, be listening to this is really their hectic isn't normal. Tell us how, with the dynamic that you have in your family, how are you handling because it sounds like hectic to you? It's, it's hectic, but you're handling somebody out there. It's hectic and it's a little bit too much with. Can you maybe speak to that? Maybe and it doesn't have to be particularly to that but maybe how you and your family handle the hectic world, because I think this is what keeps us off of our. It keeps us off of our platform when we come to work at being the best we can be if we don't have hectic in control.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's, I think, routine. You have to have routine, you just have to. I think this job burnout can be very high. You know, I have to say things 26 times before I start actually screen my work right, and it's the same at home. Okay, we went through it 26 times and now I'm yelling. It has to be just continuously messaging at home and work and you cannot let things bother you because the burnout is so high. It's just about day by day and just enjoying the small things. I don't know. I don't even know what else to say, can you?
Speaker 1:and it's what I think you do what can we enjoy today? You hit it. I think you hit it on the head. Yeah, that's the small things like it's the small things because sometimes I think we think it's this grandiose things sometimes that we have to maintenance our health and well being and it's not. It's like sometimes sitting back and taking five minutes to yourself, like literally breathe in and breathe out, like get reconnected, you know um yeah, I read a book recently was called Burnout, and it says wellness isn't doing.
Speaker 2:So I really try during those burnout moments to remember to do, whether that's go for a walk, do something around the house, do something with the kids. Wellness isn't doing and I just really loved that. It's movement, it's activity and it's really. You're right, it's the small things, those small things, it's your life. It adds up to big things and I don't want to miss it, right.
Speaker 1:Right Now I hear you totally because I'm I'm still thinking about. When you say hectic, I'm thinking about what hectic means and I'm just thinking about hectic. In a sense it sounds like you're going to school, you're working, you're a mother, you're a wife, you're a safety coordinator. Are you a sister? You're obviously a daughter. I mean, there's a lot of roles we play and I think people don't connect with those roles In a in a in a sense where when I'm a mother, I'm just going to be a mother. When I'm a sister, I'm going to be just a sister.
Speaker 1:We try to juggle a whole bunch in in these moments and we actually miss out on the very moment with our child we met up, miss out on the moment with our sisters and mothers because of the hectic and not knowing how to set that aside for a little bit every once in a while to enjoy life. Because to enjoy life, like you said, we have to be able to enjoy those little things, those little moments. That gives us that extra energy to be able to enjoy life. We have that extra energy to move past the ups and downs and the tough places that we have. We just need they're like little peels, I see, and it's just nice knowing to see a smile on your face when you talk about this, that you are actually enjoying what I call is everyday life for every ordinary blue collar person, like, I don't care how much money you got, I'm just dealing with something, and it's nice to see the smile on your face in this hectic world, because that means that you're grasping it and and, and I see that there's a possibility, a great possibility, that the people that you're serving they're, they're definitely getting the most out of you, and what we have to be ready for is to be on our post and ready for what we do, because we're like the 9-1-1 in our construction business, and that's why I try to relate this safety professional.
Speaker 1:We say it as being you know me and you, but it's the, it's the police officers, the nurse, it's the doctor, it's the mother, like you said, like you come home and you actually do the same thing that you just did at work Keeping your kids in compliance, keeping their health and welfare safe. That's what a police officer does. But we have these moments where we have to be on point. We can't make emotional decisions. We can't make emotional choices. We have to be precise in what we're doing. So it's nice to hear that. Is there anything else that that you would say is a best practice, that you do that? You know maybe some somebody else doesn't.
Speaker 2:In my home life.
Speaker 1:Well, just in your home lives, for how you separate home and work, working home, you know, maybe those things that that help you keep you know, rooted in your moments, yeah, I think probably pretty much pretty general.
Speaker 2:What a lot of people do Meditation, breathing Again, I do think I am a big believer in wellness is doing so I try to stay active, very active I wouldn't say it different than any other normal person, can you? I can't say I do anything amazing. You just have to be present, you just you're going to miss your life. That's all I can say. It's not easy, it's not easy.
Speaker 1:I hear you. So how has your experience been working as a safety coordinator in this industry, particularly during pregnancy and and I'm a hold that question there. The other question is how is it different from when you had your teenager To some of the things that have come through the industry To right now? Because I think there's some differences of you know, maybe leave and and things that companies are extending to to families that are there having birthing kids and stuff. So how, how, how is that? And then what does that look like compared to your first child?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so just in the industry is being pregnant? Is that the first question?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:I think really that's not such a big deal as being a woman in the industry would probably be more the question to ask. You definitely get a lot of pushback there. You know, I think it's intimidating for guys to know that you know a lot about construction. So I would say that is more of an issue I face than the pregnancy. As far as the difference between the teenager, I would say there's even a difference now between the four year olds in the industry and just having this one. Yeah, just the way you go to the doctor and the practices are different in four years. The technology is different, the baby stuff's different.
Speaker 2:But leave as far as leave, like well, colorado recently passed Colorado family leave. So now when you do leave it's not just short term disability but Colorado supports you, the state of Colorado on leave, and your partner as well. So dads have paternity leave as well. So that's fairly new. So that's kind of nice. And then you do see a lot of companies doing parental leave as well. You definitely see it trending that way, but totally different even from the four year olds. Kenyon, everything yeah.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got a 14 year old and I was that guy that you know. I went back to work as soon as you know. My wife had the first child, now the second one, like you said, it was as much different. I took some time off, my wife was bedridden and stuff like that. I'm in the hospital but, um, but there was, I could tell you, with that company, I felt no pressure, vanessa, and that's a lot, and it's a lot being, like you said, being a man, like it's a lot.
Speaker 1:It was a lot for me to to say, okay, I'm not letting those guys down out there, they're giving me permission to handle what's most important, even though I may not think at that point in time that that's not important, because you're right, I can't even imagine how hard it is for you, the ladies in this business, and that's that's why I thought it was really important to bring you on here, cause, again, it was last week and then I don't want to give you a week, I want the month to be women in construction. You guys deserve it. You guys have a place here and, um, I love the I got. I live with all women here at my house. You know, I got my two girls, my wife I used to have my mom, my mom dog just passed away, but all women here and I need that because of how I'm wired and and and so it's.
Speaker 1:It's nice to hear you guys when you guys come in, because the detail that you guys have at your work and in a whole bunch of other gifts, but there there's a, there's a need for you guys in this business and, um, I'm just glad that the, the, the headway that I see that is being made from companies like seeing that value, um, it's really nice to see and I honestly had an opportunity to see it, uh, this past Monday at the um AGC, um women in construction conference, when those ladies were up there talking. It was just so, so powerful to hear One what they're going through but how they're continually walking in that hot mess and I see you walking in this mess. That that, uh, we have created um with a false sense of what a man is, shall I say so.
Speaker 1:so thank you for that. Um, the next question I have can you share any unique challenges that that maybe you faced, as that you're facing, you know, while you're working um in this field?
Speaker 2:Cool, oh, unique challenge. I don't think mine would be any different than any safety professional. I think the biggest challenge is taking something from an idea to building a program, to saying, hey, this is a goal, to implementing it to across the company. How do we do that? That is probably the biggest, the biggest challenge.
Speaker 1:Wow yeah, really getting something to stick where people like it and want to do it and continue it on, huh, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, if, like Kenyan, you and I, talking one on one, things make perfect sense, you bring it to 500, some people, nothing makes sense. So, yeah, how do we do this and how do we do it? So we have the same end goal but we still respect our own culture or regions, beliefs and still gets that goal.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's, you know, there's a there's a lot of safety people.
Speaker 1:Right, you're right, that's a. That's a big challenge I've found over the years. You have to have every level involved as much as possible, because then there's it's not just your idea, then it becomes, you know, a magnitude of people. And once you get that buy in, now you got to send it out to the masses, maybe critique once or twice, because at the end of the day, I noticed that my first couple of years as a safety manager I was implementing things that I thought was correct but didn't realize that what I was doing, it was correct but nobody wanted to buy into it.
Speaker 1:Because I use this a lot, but it's true, nobody is truth is is honestly worried about what you have to say until they know how much you care. And so when you show that you care, that their input is in with this, now you create ownership from somebody else out in the field. Now, now there can't be hey, I'm not doing this because I don't like it. Well, you were involved with the, the, the planning of this. So where did we miss? What did we miss here? So you're right, that is. I think a lot of safety people go through the struggle of that piece and it's it's really just trying to find the right people to help you build that and implement that, because you know we don't like change.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 2:That's it. Yeah, it's kind of very beautiful the way you said that. I think that probably took years to come up with that. It's that experience where you can have that great answer. Kenyon, yeah, you said it much nicer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, you're right, it's right. It is that experience and and and I guess, in saying that it's it's, we just got to continue encouraging, encouraging, you know, people to continue walking in this, this tough space. It's not easy what we do, because they're, they're, they're, like you said, man, there's, there's so many hats that we play just in a safety role. It's unimaginable, and I don't. I think people think we just walk around and look for hazards but they don't know that we deal with insurance companies on the back end, we deal with different attitudes and colors and creeds and cultures and we have to be adaptable to those things, and adaptable to those things without any biases. When we're doing that, because everybody deserves their moment of whatever it is fixing the problem, reconciliation, or moving on from because you know you don't care for people, you know, but something, at that point in time I think, like you said, through that journey we we begin to realize what is what's right. Okay, moving on, moving on. Thank you, ms Vanessa, I'm loving it. I'm loving it.
Speaker 1:You talked about something you know it's, it's, it's tough, it is. I can, I've seen it. I'm going to be truly authentic here and honest with you Every once in a while. Sometimes, as a man, my ego pops out, and it's it's not on purpose, it's it's, I think it's how, as as young men, we were ingrained in certain things. Some people, you know, change and some people don't. But I could tell you we're going to this. This, this next future is going to push a lot of those, those mentalities. They're going to be far and far in between and they're going to be recognizable and they're not going to be working for for certain companies, when all this is put out in more of the open and it's grasped more by different companies. But how, what keeps you going when you do hear, feel or see anything that you would think would be able, because they're treating you in a certain way as a woman? What, how, how do you get through those things? What? Do you have somebody to talk to you? Do you have a mentor? What's pushing you through?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I kind of like it. I know that's a weird thing to say, but tell me I can't do stuff and I'm going to do it better For me. That's kind of you know where it's at. But of course I have mentors, and they're not just women. I have many women. So yeah, but I think you know, if you're going to challenge me, that's the best challenge. Tell me I can't do something, I'll do it and I'm going to do it better. So, even though it can be a challenge to be a woman in this industry, I can't say that I'm going to go home and you know ball about it. I'm just going to do better, kenyon, yeah that sounds.
Speaker 1:You know I don't want to put myself in just because I don't know what it is to be a young lady, but I know, as an African American male, I know I got my challenges. But I'm just like you, I'm home, I don't whimper about it. I don't really talk about it. I just know that I got to be up earlier than the men in front of me, I know that I got to be in position before they get in position and I know that I have to continue keeping my knowledge and my wherewithal together because, at the end of the day, I know for myself, just like you know for yourself, that there's an area for possible disadvantage but, like you said, I use that to my advantage to wheel me through.
Speaker 1:I like talking about this because there's some people that, like you said, either are in a place where they're burnt out or they don't know how to wheel themselves through because they don't have some of the qualities that maybe me and you have. And it's nice to hear again when it's like I'm starting to learn, that some things it's really just one plus one equals two. We always want to do one plus two, one plus three and make it more complex, but it's really one plus one, and that one plus one is one foot in front of the other, you know, because a lot of these things will never fully be like it's not happening no more. So it's like okay, now I need to figure out from Miss Vanessa how I can be a better man to women, because I need to listen to what it is you guys are saying. You know we're doing or how it's approached, because I never want to fit in that mold anymore. I want to be able to partner, I want to be able to communicate without some of my old brokenness, shall I say I think I can call it brokenness.
Speaker 1:It truly wasn't upstanding, because when you really find out what it takes to work together, what it takes for a lady to be a lady and a man to be a man, there has to be room for an open-minded understanding and with empathy, sympathy, as well as encouragement and empowerment. And you know how does Kenyon do that better? I'm working on that, and one of them is supporting you guys in this time, in this moment, but not just this moment, but as I move on on a daily basis. So thank you for continuing to make that move, because a young lady out there needs you. A young lady needs to understand what makes you go, miss Vanessa, and just continue sharing that with us, and I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2:Thanks, Kenyon.
Speaker 1:Ah, let's see too. I'm going to ask you another question, you know, I guess. What advice would you give to a young lady coming into construction?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's going to be hard. You buckle in. It's going to be a ride. There's never a dull moment. It doesn't have. You know, like we talked about it, it's traditionally men dominated, but it doesn't mean you don't have the ability to learn it and be just as good at it, but just keep going. You have to keep going. You're right, you're not all knowing. Maybe you could possibly, unless you're in this position, know the span of what we see and do. It's not just hey, your safety glasses aren't on, we're going to go create a problem, and I think that's what people think. You know the police. You're creating a problem. So just you got to keep going. You're never going to be all knowing.
Speaker 1:Never.
Speaker 2:You're never, never. You're going to think something's going to turn up state and you don't even know it was your job.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:And it's beautiful to have growth in it and to have and to be and to be uncomfortable. There's so much growth and being uncomfortable, so find comfort and being uncomfortable, boom. That doesn't go to girls, that goes to guys, that goes to anybody Kenyan. That's anybody right, that's the best spot to be is uncomfortable, so find comforts Wow.
Speaker 1:I'm finding this out myself. You know it's like you're right, you have to be able to embrace these tough times because it's it's. It's what's in, it's what's in the valley, it's what's in that, that moment that gives you growth, that gives you that becoming. You know, I was watching the other day this snake was shedding its skin and the movements, the, the contortions and everything that that snake was going through to get that skin off, I was like man, that snake is going through it, I mean flipping out. But it showed me that that, like change is a thing that as humans we do not like it, and but it's actually a gift. It's a gift that when you shed new skin, you become a new person, you become a new, and so just being able to, like you said, accept change and take that on, you're actually becoming a person that you've never probably even imagined, and so that's you know, that's what I continually hear when you talk and exude from our conversation.
Speaker 1:My last question well, not my last question, I got one more. The second to last question is, as you look a little bit ahead, what changes in, I guess improvements would you like to see in terms of for the workplace, for women, any policies, maybe attitudes, you know, what change do you think you would like to see?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I would like it to be organic. You know I'm not gonna say, hey, you gotta treat me this way because I'm a woman. I don't know if I can really answer that Kenyan. I would just like organic growth and I do think it's happening slowly over time, just organically. I don't know that I can give you 100% answer on that so that you're looking for?
Speaker 1:No, it's really fine, just a question.
Speaker 2:I just would like it to happen organic. I don't want you to just hand me something because I'm a woman. Yeah, and I think it's slowly happening. Over time, we're more open to women and these new construction trades. I see it, it's just like you said the Women in Construction Week and the AGC having it, and I think it's really beautiful that they're starting to put a spotlight on that same with, like, mental health. So I think it's organically happening, which would be the best way for me personally, right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, the last question I have for you is is there anything that I didn't ask you that maybe you wanted to talk about?
Speaker 2:Not necessarily. I think you asked a lot of great questions, probably more about me than safety, which is kind of nice. No, I think you asked some great questions, Kenyan, thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, that's good, and I did ask you more about you because I wanted to raise Ms Vanessa up. That's what my platform is for, and I like raising folks up in their sense because people have to know that, regardless, if I'm doing well, you're doing well or whatever it may be, we all have something and I believe that making you, like you said, organic, you're real. Young ladies, ladies, your peers, they can look at you and say, man, I'm not the only person going through this. We normalize life. Sometimes we think we're the only one going through what we're going through, but you're not. It's just. The greatest thing is is that everybody ain't going through the same thing at the same time. Could you imagine that If all of us had the same problem at the same time, we couldn't help each other. But when we gain a community now I know, ms Vanessa, you have added I believe you've added to my village of knowledge.
Speaker 1:Every time you gain a relationship, you gain another level or capacity of knowledge from that person, but you only do that by communicating, relating, talking, loving, doing all the extra things that takes to make a relationship work.
Speaker 1:And so I leave it at this, ms Vanessa, I thank you for what you're doing, how you're doing it, and I think about where you're going. Please continue to look for people that may be needing your help, needing your pull and sometimes needing your push, because you are of value, no matter what anybody says, and I just I'm so thankful because you got a child, that this last one is not this last one. It might not be your last one, but this child that's coming is going to get even that much more of Ms Vanessa than the other two got. You know, and those are the things that I love. Moving forward is the newness, the brightness and the better person we can become when we deal with all of these things that we deal with. So, again, thank you for your time, thank you for your knowledge, and I wish you all the best, ms Vanessa.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Kenyan.
Speaker 1:And you have a blessed day and I'll talk to you later.
Speaker 2:You too.
Speaker 1:Ms Vanessa, don't hang up or stop. It'll tell you to it's recording you, and so it'll wait till when I, as soon as I hit record, it'll start downloading your stuff. Once that's done, then you can get off. Okay okay, thank you.