It's one thing to strive and change to obtain a "dream job." It's quite another to have the clarity and courage to give up that dream job to pursue an atypical path, a stronger calling.
Jody Adams-Fesco did just that when she chose to leave an illustrator job at American Greetings in Cleveland, Ohio, and move into Cook Forest, Pennsylvania, to help her mom run a historic 30-room lodge and nearby rustic cabins. Would her artistic skills translate into this whole new world? Would her relationships with family and her then-fiance thrive? Or struggle? And how would such a seismic change in life circumstances change Jody?
Learn more in today's episode--"Leaving the Dream Job Behind."
You can also learn more about the lodge that Jody helps run with her mom. Just click here for info about Gateway Lodge and Black Bear cabins in beautiful Cook Forest:
https://gatewaylodge.com/
NOTE: This show transcript is still raw. Once final edits are made, it will be noted right here in the show notes.
This episode was recorded 9.25.18. All portions are copyright 2018 Luanne Bole-Becker.
It's one thing to strive and change to obtain a "dream job." It's quite another to have the clarity and courage to give up that dream job to pursue an atypical path, a stronger calling.
Jody Adams-Fesco did just that when she chose to leave an illustrator job at American Greetings in Cleveland, Ohio, and move into Cook Forest, Pennsylvania, to help her mom run a historic 30-room lodge and nearby rustic cabins. Would her artistic skills translate into this whole new world? Would her relationships with family and her then-fiance thrive? Or struggle? And how would such a seismic change in life circumstances change Jody?
Learn more in today's episode--"Leaving the Dream Job Behind."
You can also learn more about the lodge that Jody helps run with her mom. Just click here for info about Gateway Lodge and Black Bear cabins in beautiful Cook Forest:
https://gatewaylodge.com/
NOTE: This show transcript is still raw. Once final edits are made, it will be noted right here in the show notes.
This episode was recorded 9.25.18. All portions are copyright 2018 Luanne Bole-Becker.
This is passing through life. I show that explores how people navigate major life changes. Just how do we make it through what life throws at us. I'm your host Luanne pull back.
:Today's episode is entitled leaving the Dream Job Behind it's episode number nine and interview with Jody FESCO. She's the events and marketing director for Gateway Lodge, Pennsylvania's cook for us. She's also an accomplished visual artist, a really cool wife and mom and just an overall beautiful human being.
Speaker 2:So welcome Jodi. Thank you Lou. Thanks for driving here. You get the award so far for the longest distance driven to I cannot support this. Yeah. Cool. Um, I realized as I was prepping for our conversation that I do, I clearly surround myself with a lot of great artists and I'm blessed to count you among them, but we didn't meet because of the arts. Uh, we actually met through a fledgling church ministry and a Bible study and you were part of a great group of friends that wanted to have deep conversations about life and faith and that, that hit at a great time for me. So yes,
Speaker 3:timing wise, I think it just, um, I worked out very well for where I was at in my life and I was seeking community and to start with a church that was just getting on its feet and growing and to meet all the wonderful people that I did with a beautiful beginning in Cleveland. It really was,
Speaker 2:and we're in generation or so apart age wise, but we just clicked really well. Absolutely. And we've shared some increase, oh, incredible moments, including your wedding celebration, uh, but also the tragic death of a mutual friend. So life takes us in all sorts of twists and turns. And honestly, I think your story demonstrates that really well. So we're going to see if we can try and make sense of that a bit and share your story. Okay. As much as artists can. Ooh. Um, so let's start with art. Okay. Go with that. Because, um, I think, I think that's part of the beginning. Um, you went to Penn state, right? Okay. Tell me a little bit about that. So I mean it was a long time ago. Uh, sure.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I started at Penn State University and I started to pursue, um, arts foundation classes and, um, that led me into looking at their design program. And I started to begin, uh, the foundation courses to, uh, enter into their design program. And, uh, simply, um, came to the realization that their approach was not my approach, uh, to how I wanted to, I guess become a designer. Uh, it was very heavy handed and unfortunately I'm not a very nurturing environment. And so I decided to take on the pursuit of finding that school that would have a big kind of teaching that would feel embracing and would feel encouraging and would also bring out the parts of myself that I wanted to explore further as an artist.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I think when we talked before what I've written down, as you said, it was kind of insult driven. It was, yes. Unfortunately. And that, um, certainly, which is Mike
Speaker 3:experience the snapshot at that time and not an overall statement of the program
Speaker 2:Grandma's itself, right? Yeah. Okay. But you realize this, even though they might be teaching great art, right, the way they were going to do it was not going to work well.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It was, um, about casting judgment in front of others and, um, in a nonconstructive way and that really didn't jive with who I was being about. Okay. Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 2:So you go home, right? Ah, yeah. Tell me about that. And there's some, um, some health issues that show up to okay, but I want to talk. Okay. So how do you look for another school and then what else happens in your life?
Speaker 3:You got it. So I decided that I would take a break and that I would start to seek out other programs. And boy did I do my research. I looked at every art school across the country and visited some, including San Diego. I flew out there and, uh, interestingly enough as a god would have it, the timing worked out perfect for something I didn't realize I was dealing with physically. Um, I discovered on my first, uh, a gynecology visit, I needed, uh, emergency ovarian cyst, a surgery, but it was, um, a rather large cyst. So not, nothing's that you could do laparoscopically. So something that was going to be involved in one's going to be a little bit, uh, crippling for me.
Speaker 2:Great.
Speaker 3:Uh, interestingly enough, as, uh, as my family often does is, uh, we, we make something that is difficult. Um, we, we kind of infuse it with like a joyful moment, um, beforehand. And so in this situation, my family was planning on a trip to Italy right around the same time. And so instead of us cancelling plans, um, my mom had asked the doctor, well, is it okay if she goes to Italy?
Speaker 2:And he said, I don't, I don't see a reason why not. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Your mom. Uh, so we've ventured out, uh, as a family. And actually I visited a friend of mine who I went to school with at Penn State and, uh, visited with her family, but went to Florence and went to Rome and saw all of this beautiful art and it was so inspiring. But then came back and, um, had the surgery done and, uh, it was, uh, a phase of recovery. I was walking around like a nine year old woman there,
Speaker 4:like a
Speaker 3:for, um, about a month. Uh, I was working at strength then I would actually go out hiking. Um, as I started to feel better with a friend of mine as a way to, to recover. And that certainly helped. Uh, well then in that whole process I had a lot of sitting around time. I, uh, determined what school was going to be the next school for me. And that was Kent State.
Speaker 2:So where are you from? I mean, I know we had you at Penn state, but you went home.
Speaker 3:Yeah, home was at Mercer, Pennsylvania. So Kay, um, was raised in a small, a small town of Mercer. So just a couple stop lights and not much else.
Speaker 2:So when you think back, had you stayed? Hmm. All sorts of, well, what is, what is, don't always work, but just thinking about it, you know, the, the fact that you took a break then allows you to take another break for your health. And kind of come to what I think was a better situation then, right? For you as an artist and a person.
Speaker 3:Certainly. Yeah. Yeah. There was some healing that was needed. Um, timing wise, I learned again, uh, a lesson I decided to start Kent State, uh, rather soon after my recovery phase and I jumped into their summer program. And if anybody knows about Kent State's designed summer program, it's condensing a whole year of education, uh, in one summer
Speaker 4:[inaudible].
Speaker 3:So yes, I can be ambitious, but I decided to take it on and uh, that first run of it, which was the first couple of classes that I had to, to condense in a short amount of weeks, um, I pushed through but realize I had physical limitations. So, um, I didn't want to, uh, exasperate myself anything any further and decided, okay, I'm going to have to take a step back again before I can take a step forward. And, uh, I got a little gun shy, I guess over the whole thing and decided to wait through the summer and another semester, uh, before going back into the design program. But that works out. It worked out. Absolutely. Something else happens.
Speaker 2:Can stay right. You meet somebody important.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, um, the summer program had some significance in that. One of the first people I met was turned out to be my husband. And so I had met Ernest in the studio as we were working, uh, on those late nights, uh, on projects. And we became friends pretty instantly and then had maintained that friendship, uh, through throughout college and then eventually decided this might be worth exploring a little bit further
Speaker 2:and then just the friendship. Oh, very cool. So, um, so how long has the program, basically the art program. So how long were you at Kent State?
Speaker 3:The art program is a four year program, but most people take five or six years to complete. And depends on whether you know you're doing, I'm also master's education, which I did not do. But, um, I, it took me I think five and a half and then I had graduated and moved on to another chapter and a actually moved back home for a bit. Um, just to get my bearings and decide what that next step was going to be.
Speaker 2:Okay. What kind of artist are you? I didn't ask you that. Art Artists. Yeah, I mean that, that's a pretty broad question. I'm sorry. I meant in terms of genre. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, it's, it's funny that you ask because I was thinking about that. Um, interestingly enough on my way here, um, this morning when I was driving, uh, thinking who would I compare myself, uh, and two as, as, uh, other artists that I've admired and something that I've noticed about myself as I, as an artist enjoy the process more than the end result. And I also enjoy the fact of exploring, um, and learning something new through art. And so, uh, the Renaissance Man Da Vinci always inspired me,
Speaker 2:no, in Italy today hours,
Speaker 3:certainly an inspiration. And then, uh, early on in college I used to have a MC Escher poster right by my bedside, in fact. And I used to look up at his art and admire it, but his ability to, what kind of dreams did you help write? The ushers wild, but his, his ability to, to do illusions and his hyper realism. Right. That's, I would say something that has always driven me to art is the act of discovery. Um, almost like a science behind art. Uh, but as an artist I used to often get feedback from professors, will you just pick a style already? Because I was constantly exploring different mediums and different approaches and, uh, I was studying in a concentration of illustration and as an illustrator it's imperative eventually, uh, to come to terms with a style and to develop that style Putt. I, uh, saw myself often deviating from that style as and exploring something for a while, then venturing on into something else. Okay. Yeah. Do you still do that? Um, is that who you are? Yeah, so I am the artist with no identity
Speaker 4:with
Speaker 3:storytelling. I guess that would be a part of my, my art when I've done it and I love mixed media. And so that's something that I tend to gravitate towards because of finding things and, and reinventing them. Um, it's something that I like to do.
Speaker 4:Okay. Now, I don't know if I've skipped something cause you know, you finished, you went back home, but you land a pretty cool job. Um, so you want to tell me a little bit how that happens because you even told me about like, just bringing her sketchbook, you then what, what is this job?
Speaker 3:Okay. So previously I did internship at, uh, American greetings, uh, for a summer. And American greetings as a whole was a, um, a business that attracted me. And, uh, somewhere I knew I wanted to, uh, submit my resume and see if I could get in. And so I did and I waited for quite some time and I did get that call in, was pretty excited about the opportunity to go to their headquarters and to be interviewed. And the interviews that I had, uh, one was, uh, uh, for something that was maybe more of a management related position that I knew right away in the interview that I wasn't qualified for. So that was kind of hard. Um, but then the other one was, um, related to their, they're more decorative line. I actually don't remember the exact title that department, but it was something that I could see myself doing. Um, it was more about, um, stylistically creating cards, contemporary, um, kind of like the adult radio of greeting cards,
Speaker 4:smooth listening. That's what it was, that kind of thing, that kind of thing. It was just like a, okay, it's,
Speaker 3:it's just, it's, it's Luke warm and good in its own right. So anyways, I wasn't as maybe jazzed up about it, but I certainly saw it as an opportunity and so I thought the interview went fairly well. Um, but interestingly enough, the person who had, uh, was doing the job of recruiting, um, saw some of my work, uh, in the interview and told me to hang tight because he thought that there was another opportunity that would be even better fit for me. And I had someone then come in to interview me for the humorous department and I was pretty excited about that because a humor is definitely, I guess that would describe me as an artist too. Definitely something that was a part of my life and cartooning was something that I love to do. And so it's my sketch work had some of that. Um, so I interviewed for that and then asked to come back with my sketch book in Tow with more sketching. And uh, then upon that interview got hired in their humorous greeting card
Speaker 2:apartment
Speaker 3:citing, but definitely didn't go in for the job that I ended up landing.
Speaker 2:Is that your first arts job? Yes. Kills. It's like, yeah, go to school. Hey, I think I'll get a job at American greetings.
Speaker 3:Hi Matt. It's staff and unity. And do you like, did you like this job? Um, yes, yes I did. I loved the environment. American greetings has such a healthy, thriving arts community and the people that you meet there are so inspiring and I think have a major influence in Cleveland, uh, today, uh, just with the efforts that they do to bring arts and culture to the city. And so yes, it was definitely a job that I loved. And who doesn't love seeing like monkeys pass your office on aviation
Speaker 2:photos or
Speaker 3:pop up cards. And, uh, you know, doing, doing the cartoons that I started out doing when I was a kid and just seeing them develop into these breathable things. So yes, it was, it was an enjoyable job
Speaker 2:and that's, you know, I titled this one that that was kind of a dream job. I mean, to really end up in that, but other stuff is going on at the same time. So can you tell me a little bit about what's going on in terms of, you know, timing in the world, uh, as in a recession? Um, your mom, Ernie, can I call him Ernie? I know you said Ernest. Does he prefer Ernest?
Speaker 3:Well, I felt since we were on the podcast, Ernest was more appropriate vote no, we could call him Ernie or Nesto.
Speaker 2:Okay. Tell me a little bit. So what's going on? So you've, you've got, you're, you're, you're doing something artistic, you're in a great nurturing environment, but other things are going on in your life.
Speaker 3:Okay. So, yeah, so there, there was a couple layers to this, um, by pause before going back into the workforce is, uh, my parents recently, um, had gone through a divorce. And so unfortunately I was seeing the ripple effect of that, um, impact my family and impact me personally. And it was a difficult, a difficult place to be emotionally, uh, even though I was an adult and should be over it by now. Right. No, I think divorce impacts you at any age. And so at that time, my family was redefining itself. Uh, and so I had to, um, to sift through those waters. And so starting my career at that time, what's challenging, uh, but it was something that I, I certainly knew needed to happen. Um, another thing that was happening during that time was, uh, I was also getting more serious with my relationship with Ernest. Uh, and, uh, we were both living in Cleveland at that time and he had also recently started a job in a design firm. And that job was also having its demands as, um, as a new job would. And so we were learning how to, to walk through those waters. And he was also there with me through that transition to, um, with my family. And, uh, in the midst of all of that, uh, unfortunately I had my first flare up with all sort of colitis. And so that, uh, really knocked the wind out of me. Uh, fortunately I had an amazing boss who just happened to also tread through those waters. His wife had, um, issues with digestion and had actually had to have a part of her, her colon removed. And, uh, so he had this amazing compassion towards my situation. And so I was blessed in that way. So, uh, starting a job with a health condition, like all sort of colitis is not easy. And it was something that also was close to my world previously because my grandfather had all sort of colitis, which eventually progressed, uh, to the ending of his life. And that happened soon, uh, before I came to Cleveland. Sorry. So timing wise, it was like he had transferred it over somehow. So I'm seeing what he went through. I knew I didn't want to take the same approach. Um, so I decided to do my own research and dive into all the books I could find. And one book I found was, uh, Elaine Gottschall's, the breaking the vicious cycle and it was all about, uh, alternative therapies. And that started me on a completely different change as far as just the way they ate and lived. And so that was all going on as I was also starting my world as an artist and I'm American greetings. So how long do you stay at American greetings? So, um, I stayed about a year and a half at American greetings. So short lived to be on. Yeah, definitely thought it was going to a tube to be longer. Uh, so yes, that was just a year and a half at ag. And then you leave the big city. Cleveland. Okay. So you've built this slice shear and artistic life.
Speaker 2:Your future husband, cause you're not married at this time, is here in Cleveland too. Also, you're, you're doing the whole artist thing, and this again ought to be sort of either, if not the dream job, it's kind of, you know, it's heading in that direction and instead you move away into the woods in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. Right. It's, uh, I, I remember the faces at American greetings and I was telling people this and uh, many of them puzzled, but some encouraging too. Uh, so yes, I gave'em an ample notice to my boss. I remember telling him that I was going to be doing this and gave him a few months ahead of time to say, Hey, this is going to be my next step. And, uh, it was something I felt. I, um, I was convicted actually of doing, uh, for my family's sake and also felt that, uh, as a, as a believer in Christ that God was telling me this was where I was to be. And so I knew I needed to take that step. Um, and whatever may come may come. And so I, uh,
Speaker 2:so what's the underwoods cause I'm thinking every listen to it. It's like is she just, you know, living in a cave, never coming back. Yeah. Okay. Where are you heading?
Speaker 3:So where I'm heading, I'm, one of the changes that happened within my family structure and in my parents' separation is that, um, my mom soon after decided to take on a business opportunity, which was a lodge in cook forest and what a time to do it. Right. Um, but she has always been a very ambitious one. Um, someone, I think I get those traits after her and uh, I knew just from my recent visits with her that, um, she wasn't to do this alone.
Speaker 2:Is this is a historical lodge isn't it? Yeah, it was around.
Speaker 3:I've been around since the 30s, so yeah, it's uh, was constructed during the depression and uh, yes, it had some longevity in the community and had been passed down through different owners. And interestingly enough, has some history with my family. Uh, we used to
Speaker 2:station there and stay in the cabin knows and how close. Yeah.
Speaker 3:And so I have, um, memories of going up as a kid and my snow suit and trekking through the lodge. And going in there and having breakfast with my mom and my dad. And so, uh, in our family it had a special place in our hearts. That's really cool.
Speaker 2:So your mom actually, I mean she purchases this lodge, this, this is a major, apparently she didn't have enough life change if I recall is also running a store. Uh, you know, like I want to have the, the, the, the main roads, you know, in Pennsylvania. So she, she's doing it. Yeah. But you feel that you need to join her, correct? Yes. Okay. And how does that, do you think you're going to be an artist? Yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean, how does it fit or is it more, Gee, I have no idea.
Speaker 2:Yeah. But I need to be there. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Um, so I guess we can just talk about being an artist and what it means just for a moment. Right? Yeah. Um, so much of it is wrapped up into what we produce and how I translated this whole transition was that I was always going to carry my art with me. I was just going to redefine it. And so all of these skills and all of this knowledge that I've accumulated over the years is somehow going to translate into this new endeavor. Okay. Okay.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping that when people get from this is, I mean your mom has jumped into something pretty big. Um, and it, it's a cool thing. Yeah. But you're sensing that she needs help in doing it. Um, and I mean there, there's all sorts of stuff going on. I know. Um, so you just decide you're going to drop the life you have and move. How do you prepare for that?
Speaker 4:Excuse me. This is not your advice for anyone doing a transition. No, honestly I didn't have my, um, pros and cons lists with these spreadsheets. That's how I heard dead. There was no pros and cons in this
Speaker 3:conviction. A calling and this was a, okay, we're going to sort it out. And uh, no I didn't have much preparation beyond just giving me
Speaker 4:no, that is wow. Cause I mean I don't want people
Speaker 2:cause you, you, you made your choice in schools, you spend this.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Right. On time and doing that. This is totally against the grain of my normal habits. Okay.
Speaker 2:But it, it felt that that's what you had to do. It felt right. Okay. Cool. Um, you've already said what your friend said. Like what the heck are you doing?
Speaker 4:Okay. How does this
Speaker 2:go initially?
Speaker 3:How does it go? Oh goodness. Um, well I learned that it was a lot for one person to take on because it was a lot for two people.
Speaker 4:Okay. With
Speaker 3:something that I learned. Um, I also learned that there was a good deal of, um, I guess nurturing that needed to happen, not with the, just the business, but with my relationship with my mom. And so this was also an opportunity, I think for that to happen, um, to be an example of love or maybe was, I don't know, it didn't feel deserved. Mm hmm. Okay. And so, um, my mom and I lived in this apartment behind the lodge. And just to give you as the scale of the lodge too, that'll help understand, um, what we are taking on. Um, it's a almost 30 rooms. Um, and we have cabins as well in a restaurant. And a spa. So there's a lot of facets to this. But, um, I, uh, agreed to, to live on premises and to live with her so we could make it work. Um, and then financially things kind of changed a bit for me as well. But that was okay because it was about the effort at hand and what we were going to accomplish together. And, uh, I bought in, bought into the dream at different kind of dream. The business was bought in a state of despair. It was actually losing business and, um, it was, uh, hurting Bestus. And so I tend to be attracted to anything that I can offer restoration too, I think is what it is. And that may be the lines with artistry too, right? Because you're taking materials and you're making them into something beautiful. So here is this, um, this business that was hurting yet, I could see the beauty in it and, uh, we wanted to make others see that too. And
Speaker 2:we're not delving deeply into this, but it sounds like you also, you could, there were also elements in your relationship with your mom that also needed restoration. So it's fine with me. Yeah. Wow. Okay. And then what, what's happened for Ernesto is sitting on the side, so[inaudible] your job and you're going back and you're going in the woods and what the heck is he going to? Yeah, I didn't
Speaker 3:leave him by the waist side. Um, so yeah. So when I was in Cleveland, he was offered the opportunity to take a job in Pittsburgh and he wanted to make a change. And, uh, Pittsburgh looked like a very promising change. And so I remember packing up the moving truck, uh, with him before I actually made the move to Cleveland. And, uh, he started his new job in Pittsburgh and the game plan was to work at the lodge, uh, for about a year and then get married and move down to Pittsburgh to live with him.
Speaker 4:And what year did you move? I never did.
Speaker 3:Right. So at that time, um, it was around 2008, 2009. And, uh, the recession hit and the artists field as a whole was deeply impacted. So creatives, we're having a hard time maintaining their job and, and a lot of them were, um, a lot of those jobs were lost because they weren't necessary jobs. And American greetings at that time had actually laid off a good deal of my coworkers. And that happened just after I left. So it was really, um, an interesting time, uh, to be in the woods seeing all of this happening around me. And unfortunately, Ernie was victim to that recession and so he was laid off of his job.
Speaker 2:Okay. The one in Cleveland or the one in Pittsburgh. Okay. Wow.
Speaker 4:Which brings him up to the woods.
Speaker 2:You want to stop and comment on again, this idea of you, you've made a choice that in most cases would seem pretty weird.
Speaker 4:No, but I mean, it's not a typical choice. I appreciate your honesty, but what I love is,
Speaker 2:and then again, when you look at what's going on around you, how'd you stayed on the path? And we don't know what would've happened, but there's a good chance that what you thought that future was, wasn't going to happen. And I just bring that up because a, in my family, the exact same thing has happened. Um,
Speaker 3:that's, yeah, I had that thought. I thought after, um, I was seeing all of my coworkers, uh, lose their jobs. I thought, well, maybe one less because I left, you know, it could have easily been me.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Uh, so, um, tell me a bit what has evolved since then. I mean, you could talk a little bit about what did you actually do at the lodge then? So I mean, you're jumping into this thing that it's not like you really have hospitality training, right? You're going in because you need to be there and you want to be there. So what are you doing and how does that work out?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I'm part of taking a business that is failing and uh, turning it around often means changing many of the processes that were in place. And so, um, there was a lot of a conflict that you could imagine that resulted from that change, not only from the employee perspective but also from the customer service perspective because the way that things were normally done are no longer going to be done that way. So that coupled with, uh, you know, starting out, you know, you're trying to keep your budget tight and your expenses down and grow a business. And so our team was small. It was, uh, 10 people I believe. Uh, so there wasn't many of us and, uh, we were just getting our bearings on what it looked like to manage each and every department. So we're often filling in the needs of different departments. I laugh, I look back, um, being a single woman, what I did then, I certainly can't do now as a mother. Um, but what did you do? I ran into town almost on a daily basis there for a while to write out computer lab space to work on our website redesign. And I would work on building out our new website and then drive back with a case full of water, bottled water, housekeeping supplies, you name it. I would track it back into, into the woods. And it was a half an hour commute approximately to do that. And, uh, there was a lot of just hauling things back and forth that, um, we needed to, to do the job. And then, uh, I needed to think differently as a designer because the resources weren't available to us in the forests. We didn't have adequate Internet access. Um, things moved a lot slower. And so, uh, the things that I was spoiled with so to speak, we're not there anymore. So that was a lot of the earlier years of just being creative in how we could invent ourselves. And, uh, I remember my mom and I sitting in the office with a particle board floor and, uh, wires that we're not setting, set up electrically sound and, you know, just different construction. Fo pause that were leftover from the previous, um, previous ownership. Uh, you know, we were, they were all trying to work around some things that we would eventually get to and patch and repair and a, it was an old property. So anything that could fail mechanically did. And so it was, if not the sewage treatment plant one day it would be, um, the dryer or washer or something broke down furnace wise. And so there were all these costs to that seemed a bit overwhelming. Um, but I, uh, I got muscles, I think I got muscles through it all and, uh, because I felt the conviction to be there and that, uh, that God was blessing it. I think there was also some supernatural element into it that I wasn't being maybe as affected by these things is probably I should have a normal, yeah. So how did I mean shut? How does it change you? So how has it changed me a, well, let's say that American greetings in the art community as a whole are such sensitive, amazing people. Um, and going into hospitality, uh, you meet that diversity of people. And so dealing with customer conflict issues, I didn't have experience in that, but I sure got experience. And so as you're, you're building something that isn't quite smooth sailing, um, people pick up on that and either they extend grace or they offer harsh judgment. And so being able to navigate through those conversations with something that I adapted to and I cried less about I did, I did it more.
Speaker 2:How about relationships then? So how is your, did your relationship with your mom evolve and then[inaudible] so however you want to talk about that, how does this time and space, again, you're, you're kind of, it feels like you're isolated. Are you, I mean, you're sort of at least in this bubble where your folk and you're pulling together, hopefully. Um, so how does that affect your relationship?
Speaker 3:Sure. That's like, oh, that's a great question. And unfortunately I don't think I've allowed myself to, to ask that question and enough and to stand back and reflect upon it. How did it affect my relationships? Um, uh, I think, uh, with my mom personally, I started to see trust being built and, um, that was a, that was a positive thing. Um, it was also learning how to communicate in the dynamic dynamic of a workplace. And so there was that element and we evolved there. And then with, uh, my fiance, soon to be husband, um, I got to, I had the opportunity to see how he, um, he reacted to someone that wasn't the artist that wasn't in the studio. Um, I was one way initially when we first met and I was the illustrator, the, um, the person who had that strong identity in the arts and, uh, then just taking on this completely new endeavor. And he also saw the hardship of what my family was going through too. So not my brightest moments. Um, that coupled with, I should say at that time when I came to the lodge, I had, um, I was happy to, I'm happy to say that I was a recovered from my ulcerative colitis flare. So I was, I was on the up and up, which was great. Um, but I, I still wasn't out of the water and so he journeyed through that with me. And so I think our relationship deepened because I saw him as a man who was willing to go through those valleys with me and that hardship and suddenly that the relationship had more substance. Okay.
Speaker 2:When we talked prior to today, I mean, some of the, the things I had in my notes were that you talked about this healed wounds, you faced adversity and it built confidence and courage. So are all those things true?
Speaker 3:Yes, absolutely. Um, adversity is certainly something that I, I learned to, um, to handle better. And, uh, yes, I think if you are, um, seeking restoration, um, you can't help but find healing as a result. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Speaker 2:So let's talk about your faith a bit. You've mentioned again, you felt convicted and that God was leading you here. You know, I didn't go down the path that much of, you know, what that meant to you, but I'd like to a little bit, you know, how did faith factor into this decision and transition and how has it helped you?
Speaker 3:Um, great question. I had a, um, I guess a spiritual encounter, if you will, um, at church, uh, one morning and, uh, when the spirit moves he moves. And so that day I remember, um, just being shaken to my core and in some ways arguing, uh, with, with God because it just seems so, uh, not what I was supposed to do. And so I didn't embrace this fully. It wasn't like a, Oh yes, God, I'll go along with you. It was a take me down to my knees and okay, I, I'm going to trust that you're going to bless this. But I do feel my apprehension about it. So I think, um, faith, sometimes people equate to strength and faith is surrender to me. And so in that moment I, I surrendered. And uh, through that surrendering through feeling all the weakness of who you are, um, you learn to find strength in who he is. And for me that, um, has always been an important part of my Christian walk is learning how to be less of so he can be more in my world.
Speaker 2:I think we also talked, I think one of the phrases I really liked and wrote down was that you just prayed that God would expand your gifts, you know, so that you've got these gifts and so maybe you're not sure how they're going to work, but that that's you leave that
Speaker 3:you got it. You trust that. So, um, taking that statement earlier where I said that I was, I'm hoping that my, that I've learned along the way as an artist would train slate. That was also part of the tie in with praying that they were trans.
Speaker 4:I come in,
Speaker 3:I come into this new world with ignorance and so, um, to be a person that that learns and to grows, you have to face reality that you're going to be ignorant of, of the things that you're learning. And you have to be okay with that. And so, um, I did see ways, uh, fortunately that, um, started to add those pieces together for me and, uh, ways that I could be a positive impact in what I was doing and what I was learning. And, uh, I was using some of my direct skills and designed to be able to change the face of the business and the presentation of the business. So that was great. Uh, there's a lot to be said for a visual communication and making positive change and so I was able to do that. Um,
Speaker 2:yeah. So I, maybe you've just said it, but I want to give you a moment more the idea that because you were both trained as an artist and an artist and brought that sensibility, how do you think, what were you able to do that maybe somebody else couldn't have done? Ah Ha. How did being an artist serve you in this role?
Speaker 3:I think it's the ability to see how people, people interpret, um, the things that you do a in a visual way. And uh, yes, there are certain things that, um, were like interior design wise that we were building and reconstructing and making beautiful. But then there was also this communication that we needed to send out into the world and that's where graphic design came in and the ability to translate, um, what we were standing for. And what we wanted the experience to be about in a visual way that was captivating and drew people in. And so I'm changing the identity and changing some of the literature that went out and just upping the way that we communicated because, um, we, we so badly needed to make an update to our website. Um, when we made the update to our website, um, our phone bill increased exponentially. And, um, I remember my mom coming into the office and saying, what is going on? I need to call the phone company. And so she's on the phone complaining about how high our phone bill increased over the last month. And they're like, no, you're just getting more calls.
Speaker 4:Oh,[inaudible] just started laughing about it. We're like, it's working.
Speaker 2:Give you a chance. Okay, here's your advertising flood. But I mean, what I've seen, because I would get some of your, you know, emails or things on, I don't know if you did Facebook, but anyway, I would get, I think you're raised, you know, again, the identity of the lodge is kind of this luxury place. There's this whole isn't, didn't you help develop like a whole trail through or be part of collaborating with other vendors that this is a destination to come to cook for us? I mean, how cool is that? So I mean, tell me just a little bit. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So part of it too is getting not only, um, you know, it's that, that whole idea that we work better collectively then, um, just as the lone ship. So getting everybody in your community on board with the idea of who we're trying to become an s tourism destination was also part of the equation. So we did network a good deal. I'm sharing the excitement with what we were doing to other people. Um, often, uh, I would be going into town, dropping off flyers, um, talking to people, much of which my, um, my mom instilled in me because she was a direct salesperson. That was her. She was so, um, you know, walking on the sidewalk, uh, sharing with people directly, uh, what, what the services were, was what retail was all about and her past experience. And so, um, we translated that so she was able to translate some of what she knew in to hospitality. Um, so I was able to put the visuals together to make that happen. And then you create events. The events were a big part of it. Uh, so as part of the lodge is experiences, uh, such a, a big part of its success and you have to package these events, um, that people remember and, and coined them with certain names and add different elements to them that reflect the seasonality. And so that was a fun journey is getting together our first, first events calendar and branding ourselves as an events destination and, uh, seeing, uh, people's faces as we did our first tastings. And as we offered more entertainment and more experiential things in relation to the forest and what we were doing there, um,
Speaker 2:I know it again and thinking about what we would talk about there. There were, you really do have a lot of different elements cause it's like art is important, family's important. Faith also, your health really has factored into this. And you made a comment to me. Um, so I want to give you a chance if you'd like to bring that in. I'm talking about again, additional health challenges and how your body is art. You decided you needed to treat it well. You want to talk a little bit about that because I think people possibly dealing with health challenges might not quite come up with that.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I think that's a new thought that has entered into my mind. Um, now that our, um, our businesses is doing well and we've kind of climbed out of the hole
Speaker 4:[inaudible] dot com know that, uh,
Speaker 3:we, we've been, uh, we've been doing well and we've been a drawing in the customer base that we want to and things are, are, are looking positive. So of course it comes back to me asking questions about my artistry and, uh, what it would look like to, um, go back to the traditional sense of it and incorporate some of those things I love into my life. And so, um, that's been a question. And being a new mom, relatively new, I have a two year old and a four year old. Um, as new moms, we all know that time is limited. And so just understanding how to even just squeeze in those passion projects almost seems impossible. Um, but as of recently I went through a, another uh, flare with all sort of colitis when I finished nursing my second child. And I remember feeling so discouraged and feeling like, oh, this is something now I need to, to focus again on. And I thought I overcome it and to know that it wasn't something that I overcame and something I had to deal with. I knew it would be a time investment. And I remember thinking to myself, man, I would rather deal like I'd rather be doing art projects then being concerned with my digestion and uh, then then I remember having this revelation, well, okay, I'm going to think of my body as an art project that's going to make this whole thing easier. And, uh, there is an art to whatever you do and even in health and the, uh, ability to see that and to pursue, pursue, pursue vitality and again, pursue a restoration of yourself is a pursuit of, of an artist. And, uh, so I started to do research again and it's amazing after 10 years of having my light last flare up, how much more is out there. Um, so that, that was fantastic to see the resources increased, uh, for those with ulcerative colitis. And so I started to, to dive into the world of nutrition and started to work on other, um, alternative therapies that might be helpful. Um, but it did require me to go through a lot of detoxing, um, a lot of strict diet changes and, uh, it's an emotional experience as a whole just to do that. Uh, but there is, um, there is this reward than that you get when you start to see things working. And I have, I'm starting to see things working and I just got cleared. Um, actually last, uh, Thursday I had a follow up and I have no ulcerations, so pretty excited.
Speaker 4:So that was great news. But that in there to know that I went on my own own journey with
Speaker 3:that and I, I didn't, um, maybe follow just what the doctor pulled me, um, has been rewarding. And I, I, I'm not, I'm not dissing doctors, but they don't have your full interest in mine. They're only seeing a snapshot of you. And so they're doing the best with the knowledge that they have. You know, your lifestyle, you know, your habits and you know your stresses and you ultimately know what needs to change. And so listening to that intuition again, and I'm treating my body, um, as if it were an art piece is honoring yourself. And so I think there's this process, um, when you do art, you're being creative, you're honoring what you've been given. And so I've been given this body and I only got one. I wish I could trade it in sometimes, but it's the one I have. And so, uh, through pain and creativity results, artistry, results. And so health has been part of that journey for me and all sorts of clay. This has been part of that journey for me too.
Speaker 2:I love, I just want to emphasize the idea that just changing your perspective of what this problem was, that I'm always trying to figure out how does this relate to what I know of life? And again, dealing with this whole Alzheimer's journey of my husband. You know, you can either take that and let it just really depress you and maybe you have to let it do that first.
Speaker 4:Sometimes you doing it. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I think the way through it is again, facing it as opposed to walking away, which you may or may not be able to do anyway, and just changing your perspective of what just happened, what is going on here. And that in itself just changes your life.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Absolutely. We can choose all sorts of ways to respond to pain, but when we choose creativity, amazing things can happen. And I think that's all wired within us. And so when we choose to be hopeful and we choose to empower ourselves with the ability to create our own reality, not to deny our, our, our existing struggles. I mean we don't want to be in denial, so we want to accept what we've been given, but we want to be empowered to, um, to, to make something better. And I think we all have the ability to do that.
Speaker 2:Are you glad you, you've walked this path? So again, we kind of structured this, the big transition was again to give up, um, you know, in art job in the city, blah, blah, blah. Give that up and go into the forest and do something that you really trained for. Um, are you glad you did this?
Speaker 3:I am. I think I, uh, one thing that I remember struggling with as an artist and American greetings is that I had these skill sets, but I didn't have many stories to tell. And so I remember thinking, I want the stories. And so I think part of this, this journey for me has certainly created this stories and has certainly created a depth in my life that wasn't there before.
Speaker 2:Do you see yourself, I know you being an artist is infused in how you face life, but let's go back to the smaller definition of being a visual artist or an it makes me the artist. Um, are you feeling that this may lead to more of doing that as well?
Speaker 3:I do feel that I feel that it may loop back around, um, where I can get my hands in this or the studio again and, and start, um, doing some visual interpretations of all that I've journeyed through and, uh, I'm excited for that next phase. Um, it will happen. Okay.
Speaker 2:I want to see where it goes because it's not gonna be anywhere any of us expect. Right. Um, any other advice? I was going to say for someone facing a similar choice, I don't know if it's similar, but again, yeah. Unusual choices or, um, yeah. Uh, any thoughts on how to make the decision and get through it?
Speaker 3:I think one of the, one of the words of advice I can give is that it's okay to feel weak when you make a change. I think people want to wait until that time where they feel at their best, um, to pursue something big in their minds. And I've often seen myself, you use at the weakest I can before I, I, um, I undergo a pretty big change, although I will say too, um, what is vital is community. And you know, when you're going through those changes to embrace those people that can speak truth in your life, um, that can offer that, that love when you don't feel loved and, uh, when you feel that your lowest, everybody has those people. And so it's important to, to embrace the people that the bring out the good in you as, as cheesy as that sounds. But it's
Speaker 2:true. Anything else I should have asked you about that you thought I would ask you about?
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I, you covered the gamut. My goodness. There's so much. Uh, yeah, I hope people can take, uh, just the part of what we've discussed today, um, and a lot of different facets and translate it into their worlds and, uh, um, use it as a way to empower them to make that next move. Um, and realize that when you see people around you that are doing these incredible things that um, often they're not as equipped as you think they are.
Speaker 1:Yeah. We always think everybody else has it all together.
Speaker 3:No, no, no.
Speaker 1:Jodi, thank you for sharing. Thank you Liz. Journey with us. It's full of so many twists and turns and complications, but my gosh, that is life. Um, so that wraps up today's visit with Jody Fesco, who shows is how faith and family and arch can be these beacons that take us into a whole different type of life. Thank you. Thank you. You've been listening to passing through life. I show that explores how people get through major life changes. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave a wonderful review in apple podcasts that will help new listeners know more what to expect. And you can email me@passingthroughlifepodcastatgmail.com. Feel free to comment about this show or suggest people and topics for future episodes. I'm Leanne Bull Becker. Thanks again for joining us.