I’ve known Mary for a couple of years now. We first met in year one of the podcast through her association with Tate’s Army. Mary is a board member for the local nonprofit. We met at the golf fundraiser, and we immediately kicked it off.
I get suggestions for podcast episode guests from countless people. Typically, I respond the same way to this question, asking if they can facilitate a conversation or introduction. Surprisingly, a majority of the time individuals don’t have a personal connection to the requested guest. Although I’d love to explore recommendations, I don’t have the capacity to reach out to new people all the time.
The first conversations Mary and I had were about Tate’s Army and the Manahl family. Then, Mary offered a local Cedar Falls story for me to pursue. She got me in contact with the people closest to that story and assured them I had their best interests at heart. If you haven’t already made time to listen to #JaxonStrong, stop everything and listen. These young men, Jaxon Hansen and Caeden Janssen, will inspire you to face any obstacle you may encounter.
Why I did a podcast with Mary Janssen
After recording with Jaxon and Caeden, I once again ran into Mary in the community at another event to benefit others. See the recurring theme. We exchanged pleasantries and we spoke about her personal life. The passion exploded for her own work. We talked about childcare for a half an hour. I left the conversation enthralled and knew we could have a much needed conversation.
Childcare isn’t sexy. It’s not glamorous and as a stay-at-home dad I feel confident saying it’s a really hard gig. The reality of the matter is that most modern-day families rely on childcare and that makes it something that’s important to me.
We are extremely fortunate to have people in our community at the helm of childcare who care about the well-being of the children and what’s best for the family. Mary is the ultimate example of that selflessness, and I’m grateful to count her as a friend.
𝙀𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚!
