Millcreek Journal | August 2023

DR. ANGELA DUNN STILL SERVES THE PUBLIC, JUST NOT SO PUBLICALLY

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com

Her job is still to protect the public, but her role these days is a little more Clark Kent than Superman, and that’s just how she likes it.

She’s Dr. Angela Dunn, former Utah State Epidemiologist, and the face many still associate with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Even now when I meet new people they’ll say something like, ‘I feel like I should get your autograph,’ and that’s always a little unsettling to me,” Dunn says, indicating that public servants don’t serve for celebrity status, either positive or negative. “Heck, I dyed my hair blonde so I wouldn’t be as recognizable, but the hair thing is too much work, so I’m going back to brunette.”

Still, she feels a little bad about being associated with a public health crisis, with the years that were quite possibly some of the hardest ever encountered by our country, our state and the community-at-large.

The role of State Epidemiologist is, by nature, an outwardly focused one. Dunn’s duty was to share directly with the public emerging and science-based suggestions for containing any public health crisis. She just happened to get a global pandemic. She, and other health officials

countrywide, worked against a political movement that belittled scientific expertise. This drew controversy from local detractors who circulated her address on social media and gathered in front of her home to protest.

“It was scary and wrong that someone would feel comfortable sharing my personal information,” Dunn told the Salt Lake Tribune in late 2020. “That people would think it is OK to harass civil servants.”

About that time she realized the controversy had diminished her ability to be perceived as a neutral figure, so in 2021 when the county’s executive health director, Gary Edwards, announced his retirement, and Dunn had the opportunity to move into a less visible role, she took off the cape, so to speak.

Still a superhero

She’s now two years into her position as the Executive and Medical Director of the Salt

Continued page 4

Dr. Angela Dunn and her son represent the Salt Lake County Health Department at Pride. (Photo Angela Dunn)

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Lake County Health Department, one of the largest local health departments in the nation, serving nearly 1.3 million residents. This new role is significantly different in that she is more behind- the-scenes, ensuring that the “best 500 public health practitioners,” those involved on the frontlines, have the resources to protect and improve the well-being of all county residents. She problem-solves in a team environment, doing big picture planning for the future of public health.

Services provided under the umbrella of the County Health Department are vast and seemingly jack-of-all-trades, ranging from expected things like screenings and immunizations, to more obscure services like: noise pollution, noxious weed control, tobacco prevention, bee inspection and water quality.

Or according to the department website, “Every day we immunize children, inspect restaurants, keep tobacco out of the hands of minors, encourage physical activity, teach proper nutrition, protect our water and air, and provide culturally appropriate services to a multitude of disparate populations.”

Dunn believes that, “these different divisions fit well together because, when combined, they touch the health, lives and livelihoods of every single person.”

Casting a community-focused web

Dunn’s first year in her new role was focused on adjusting to the aftermath of the pandemic, on helping staff to process the complex emotions after the adrenaline rush and heartbreak.

She now hopes to apply the lessons learned from those tumultuous years. She is working toward a change in perspective. Rather than applying top-down health objectives to all communities, health workers are now being strategically placed to reflect the unique communities they serve. They will be in a position to communicate with local trusted leaders, with the intent of proceeding from people toward policy (rather than the other way around). The goal is to ask about specific community-fo-

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cused priorities and needs, then address those needs, then focus on health literacy so the information and services provided will be easily understood and used.

The hope is to build back trust lost during the pandemic, to be engaged with communities over the long term, to be in a positon to let people know why and how recommendations come about and may change, and to innovate and move faster when confronted with another health crisis.

Hero’s journey

Dunn was born in Texas. Her father was in the oil business and his job moved the family from state to state, so by the time she was 7, Dunn had lived in nine different houses. She learned to adapt to change, a trait she still uses in her profession.

Dunn received her medical degree from the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, and completed her residency training in general preventive medicine and public health at the University of California San Diego. She also holds a Master of Public Health from San Diego State University and a B.A. in international relations from Brown University.

After her education she served as an epidemic intelligence service officer for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she responded to the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. In 2014, she accepted an epidemiologist assignment with the Utah Department of Health and she became the state epidemiologist just four years later.

Along with her executive director position at the county, she’s currently the president of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, or CSTE, which held their annual conference in SLC in June.

Unmasking the superhero

Dunn’s perfect day would start with an unhurried, unstructured morning of breakfast, reading and cuddling with her sons, ages 11 and 6. She loves trail running, so she might get a little exercise someplace like City Creek, on a trial with a bit of elevation and a perfect combination of shade, sun and views. She loves that

she can access mountain trails from her back door, something she realizes is not found in many cities.

If she had a bit of extra free time during the day, she might listen to an audio book to allow for multitasking. Her favorites are not medical thrillers (because she sometimes feels like she’s lived it) but spy or crime novels. Or she wouldn’t mind watching a show. Dunn’s Covid-19 binge series was “Homeland,” which she enjoyed because the main character’s job woes felt even more daunting than her own.

For dinner she’d go to HSL, where she loves the food and the décor. She’d choose

one of the groovy high-backed booths for an easy, private conversation with friends and/or family.

These days Dunn no longer wears a mask at the farmer’s market, on a plane, or while attending the theater. She’s a hugger and is happy to get back to that norm. What she loves is that at this stage we have a better understanding of Covid-19 and tools to fight it. Individuals, knowing their prior conditions, risk factors and vaccination status, can take the proper precautions. We can mask or unmask, and she says, “Isn’t it refreshing that masks can now occupy a more politically neutral space?” l

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Granite Technical Institute’s student wins national pitch competition; new CEO program ‘lifechanging’

Skyline High student Harleen Saini already knew she wanted a career in business when she applied for the inaugural year of the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities, or CEO, program at Granite Technical Institute.

“In a lot of the business classes I’ve taken and the Academy of Finance I’ve been a part of, I learned foundational information; the CEO program really brought that all together,” she said.

It also taught Saini the practical applications to become an entrepreneur, starting with her business pitch.

The Taylorsville senior is the national champion in the pitch contest of the CEO program, which has provided more than 4,700 high school graduates nationwide with opportunities to become entrepreneurs through partnerships with businesses and mentors.

This is GTI’s first year of participating; it is one of 70 programs nationwide.

At 6:30 a.m. shortly before the end of the school year, GTI hosted a CEO pitch watch party, where the 17-member class also had a national third-place finish with Nadia Ferguson, a Skyline High classmate of Saini’s with Nadia’s Necessities’ body-wrap towel, and honorable mention with Austin Beverley, a Cottonwood High senior who pitched BlackTine taxidermy cleaning services.

“It was a video submission from all these students across the nation. There were 398 competitors, including me,” said Saini, who also is a Skyline High service scholar. “I was so surprised because I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was just super thankful to my CEO class, my mentor and my teacher, Ms. (Erin) Paulsen,

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

because they believed in me.”

Before the pitch competition, students watched a video from the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship, who created the CEO program, instructing them how to structure their business pitches.

“They reminded us to state the problem, that our solution needed a hook and other tips,” she said. “We were given free rein of how we wanted to present our products what we wanted in the video. It just had to be under 30 seconds in one take and there could be no edits.

Saini was able to share her business, STEM for Seedlings, a kit that combines garden seeds with STEM experiments for children, with the kick line, “Stop worrying about your child’s screen time and watch them get hooked on green time,” in 29 seconds.

“One of the main reasons I’ve wanted to make my product a business is so I can give back to the community that has supported me and donate a bunch of kids in Title I schools. Volunteering has taught me so much and I’ve learned the importance of doing that,” she said.

The submitted videos were reviewed by three business owners from across the country.

“Through my leadership experiences throughout high school and the competitions I’ve done, I learned how to speak publicly so I don’t have that fear anymore,” she said, referring to her positions she has held with DECA and FBLA business chapters at her school.

“From the pitch competition, I received $1,000 for winning that I can put toward my business, which was amazing. All three of us also were given options to take leadership workshops. I’m planning to take mine in August.”

Saini, who plans to continue her business while studying finance at the University of Utah, said that during the CEO program, she and her classmates met weekly with business owners and representatives, toured local companies, and were paired with business leaders as mentors to learn entrepreneurial skills.

“Andrew Thomas, who was my mentor, works as a chief risk officer for Foursight Capital. He was super helpful helping me start my company and gave me a bunch of financial advice on what I should be doing,” she said. “Having all these opportunities by networking with so many business leaders, I was blown away. I gained much more than I was ever expecting.”

By the end of the program, six students had registered their businesses and all students participated in GTI’s first trade show, where they got to showcase their businesses and sell items to the public, said Paulsen, GTI’s CEO program facilitator.

“The students took what they learned from professionals to elevate their business concepts and turn them into realities,” she said. “It was cool to see them navigate the process. At first, many of them were scared and nervous. They’re engaged and got involved in their own learning. Through this, they learned how to fail and how to turn it around and succeed.”

Senior Austin Beverley created his business to fill a need in the industry.

“As time goes by, people’s taxidermy collects dust, oil and even bugs that potentially destroy their mounts, so there’s a need for a professional cleaning service,” he said. “I made a business plan, a marketing plan and figured out what my profit margins would be when I set up the business.”

Already, Beverley has been offered a partnership with an existing company, which he turned down, so he could continue to run his business while attending Utah State University where he will major in outdoor product and design.

“I’d love to expand the service from not just serving Utah, but also southern Idaho and into Wyoming,” he said, adding that he’d like to have a booth at an upcoming hunting expo.

Beverley said he took about one month to prepare his pitch, which included one of his family member’s trophy — a mounted deer — on the wall, for the national competition.

“I included the problem, the solution, and what I had to offer them,” he said about his services that also include bear and cougar rug cleaning. “I was shocked to see all three of us be recognized nationally.”

Beverley applied to be in the program at the urging of a friend.

“Once I got in, I was all in,” he said, adding that he gave up golfing on the school team to devote more time to the program. “I used to

be such an introvert, but through talking to my classmates and needing to talk to my mentor (Downeast CEO Rich Israelsen) and business leaders, I’m anything but that now. My mentor is someone I trust, and he believes in what I’ m doing. Whenever I need assistance, he’s there 24-7 and said he would continue to be so when I’m in college.”

Beverley also credits the support of his classmates in the program and Paulsen, who allowed us “to see what we can do on our own in the real world.”

“The CEO program has made the biggest impact on my life; it has changed my perspective on business as well. I learned every business leader has a story and there is meaning to it. It inspires people like us to start our businesses and excel. This program has been the biggest lifechanging course I’ve ever taken. I’m so engaged in it, and in my business. Before I didn’t have the knowledge, the mindset nor the discipline I do today. I don’t know what I’d be doing if it wasn’t for the CEO program,” he said.

Paulsen, who introduced the program to the school district, also is grateful to the community’s businesses to be part of the partnership between businesses and education.

“It’s been awesome to work together. The business leaders are so willing to support the kids and give them feedback,” she said. “It’s been a benefit to see these kids apply what they learn in the real world. They have enthusiasm for what they’re doing. It’s been lifechanging for them.” l

Granite Technical Institute and Skyline High senior Harleen Saini won the national CEO pitch contest. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Granite Technical Institute and Cottonwood High senior Austin Beverley received honorable mention in the national CEO pitch contest. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

100 Companies Championing Women recognizes equitable policies and practices

In April, the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity announced it had reached its goal of designating 100 Companies Championing Women, recognizing businesses in Utah with women-specific policies and practices that allow women to advance as leaders in their fields.

“These individuals and businesses represent the very best Utah has to offer,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, in a media release announcing the 100 companies. “They work tirelessly and continually step up to meet new challenges, and the results make our state a thriving place for women to do business.”

Whether it’s providing flexible schedules, part-time benefits, pay equity, leadership programs, child care support or family leave, these companies have forged a new direction in how women are hired, trained and supported in the workplace.

Salsa Queen in West Valley City (2550 Decker Lake Blvd.) was one business selected in the 100 Companies Championing Women. Maharba Zapata, who has legally changed her name to SalsaQueen, was a single mother, a talented chef and the mother of

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

seven children when she decided to turn her hobby into a career.

Her boyfriend, and now husband, Jim Birch, encouraged her to sell her delicious salsa as a way to bring in some extra income. It turned into a career Zapata never expected and her salsa can be found in grocery stores across the country. Now, she’s made it her mission to help women step into their roles as leaders.

“In our company, we want to promote the same way that Jim did for me. He believed in me, he gave me some wings to fly,” Zapata said. “Unfortunately, we don’t all have the same opportunity to have somebody that believes in us and because somebody believed in me, I want to give back to everybody else. They have that power within themselves, they just don’t know.”

Salsa Queen’s female employees are encouraged to take leadership positions, even when it’s uncomfortable. Zapata hopes to change the mindset that women are less important or less valuable than men in the workplace, and she has that discussion with the women themselves.

“I don’t know what it has to do with

being a woman but it’s almost in our genes to be doubtful and self conscious and put ourselves down and think we’re not good enough,” Zapata said. “I didn’t have a career, I didn’t have job experience, I didn’t even finish high school and I was able to become successful. I want to empower a woman to feel that same way and to be able to shine.”

Clearfield City was one of only two municipalities listed in the 100 Companies Championing Women. Along with St. George City, Clearfield was recognized for its flexible leave benefits, family-friendly schedules and women’s pay equality.

More than 170 women are employed at the city with two dozen in supervisory or management positions. Several women in the city have been invited by their supervisors to attend Clearfield’s leadership academy and tuition reimbursement is available to help women cover education costs.

After the city conducted a compensation study to ensure equitable pay based on position, not gender, city leaders implemented policies that were more family-friendly and flexible.

“We wanted to make sure women in the

workplace were taken care of and earning what they should,” said Clearfield Mayor Mark Shepherd. “Our council’s goal is to have a highly trained and motivated workforce, and that means all of them. It means doing what we can do to ensure that happens.”

Other businesses recognized as one of the 100 Companies Championing Women include Instructure (Cottonwood Heights), Booksmarts (Kaysville), CHG Healthcare (Midvale) and AVIVA (Millcreek).

With on-site child care, female representation in leadership positions, flexible schedules and generous family leave, the 100 Companies Championing Women set the stage for growth and equity. For a complete list of businesses, visit inutah.org/100-companies.

“Times are changing where women are becoming more powerful and more independent,” Zapata said. “For me, it’s about giving women a voice to create their own happiness, their own ending story, their own success.”l

The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity recognized 100 Utah businesses that provide flexible schedules, pay equity and leadership opportunities to help advance women. A list of the 100 Companies Championing Women can be found at inutah.org/100-companies. (Stock photo)

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Known Medicine www.knownmed.com

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USANA /www.usana.com/ux/dotcom/enu-US/home

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Zions Bank www.zionsbank.com

Mind the Gap Festival celebrates women’s voices

What better way to celebrate the power of women’s voices than a music festival featuring female musicians? Salt Lake’s inaugural Mind the Gap Fest will be held at The Gateway (18 Rio Grande St.) on Saturday, Aug. 26, with gates open at 11 a.m.

Presented by Salt Lake Community College, Women’s Leadership Institute, Utah Women & Leadership Project, Girls on the Run and more, the festival celebrates women who are pursuing careers in music and entertainment.

The festival features headliners like Beach Bunny, Yaeji, Sales, Orion Sun, Destroy Boys and Jadu Heart in a celebration of Women’s Equality Day. Mind the Gap will help attendees understand gender gaps in equality including income, executive positions, education and political representation.

“We have a really educated workforce of women [in Utah] but they choose to stay home. They get their degree and then don’t do anything with it,” said WLI Director of Communication and Community Patti Cook. “They don't have the opportunity to have remote work. In Utah, 95% of the CEOs in Utah companies are male and so there’s a lot of bias around women and where their place is.”

However, once women step outside the traditional corporate structure, they demonstrate robust entrepreneurial success. With the corporate structure built to support male leadership, women find running their own companies gives them the freedom, opportunity and flexibility to grow as a leader and business owner.

Although this is the first time Mind the Gap has been

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

held in Utah, it’s a national franchise that’s been proven successful for many years. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit a scholarship fund for individuals interested in pursuing a degree in an entertainment related industry.

Tickets can be purchased at MindTheGapFest.com. Use the code WOMENLEAD20 for 20% off.

In conjunction with Mind the Gap Fest, WLI will host an event Wednesday, Aug. 23 from 4-6 p.m. at Kiln (26 S. Rio Grande St. #2072). The event will be an open discussion, moderated by WLI CEO Pat Jones, to identify cultural norms and how they impact women in Utah.

“When we talk to women, they think that they’re the only one having this problem and we want them to know that they’re seen and heard,” Cook said. “It’s not them who needs to be fixed. They’re in spaces that could be more friendly.”

Cook said enhancing women’s voices and giving them a place at the table lifts all aspects of society. Having a diverse selection of voices on boards, commissions, corporate and political leadership and education leads to more inclusive social and economic outcomes.

“We have to prepare women to be able to stand up and negotiate that salary that is on par with their male counterparts, and to not be afraid to do that, and to have the confidence to speak up in meetings,” Cook said. “Confidence is huge. Because so many women have worked in toxic environments, they think if they put their head down and work hard enough, they’ll be promoted, but that is not statistically true.” l

Female musicians headline Salt Lake’s inaugural Mind the Gap fest on Saturday, Aug. 26, a music festival that addresses gender gaps in equality. (Image courtesy of the Women’s Leadership Institute)

SLCC exercise science student Erin Jackson aiming to repeat speedskating gold medal at 2026 Olympics

Erin Jackson is the first Black American woman to win a winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport. She claimed the 500-meter speed skating gold at Beijing in 2022.

“It was a lot of shock, disbelief,” she remembered one year later. “It was surreal. I felt a lot of pride; I saw my dad’s face, then my coach, my teammates, those who supported me along the way. This was a group win, for sure.”

Jackson hopes to add another medal at the 2026 Olympics in Italy. Recently, she took one month off to recover from surgery.

“I get that itch to get out and do something. I’m being active by going for long walks and spending time on the bike. I’m taking it step by step,” she said. “I always tell people to take that first step right because if you think about your goals as these big long-term things like wanting to go to the Olympics that seems like an insurmountable goal. But when you just take that first step to what you’re trying to accomplish, then the next step comes a little easier. Then the next thing you’re snowballing into your goals.”

Jackson is an exercise science student at Salt Lake Community College.

At 30, she already has graduated with honors from the University of Florida’s materials science and engineering program and earned an associate degree from SLCC in computer science.

“I’m a naturally very lazy person. If I don’t have enough things to fill my day, I’ll just sit down and watch TV. I feel like keeping a few things on my plate helps me with time management,” she said. “My career goal is biomechanics; I want to work with prosthetics. I know a lot of Paralympians and I’m always asking questions, trying to figure out the ins and outs of their prosthetics and devices.”

Jackson, who was named United States Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Year for Roller Sports in 2012 and 2013, followed a lot of skaters who transition to ice to pursue the Olympics. However, she needed some persuasion.

“I didn’t see that in my future. I always thought I’m happy on my skates, my inlines. I hate being cold. Why would I switch over to the ice? I was focused on getting my degree,” she said, remembering she shifted to ice when she was convinced she “could possibly go to the Olympics.”

With four months of speedskating experience on ice, Jackson qualified for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang. In 2021, she became the first Black American woman to win the World Cup in the 500 meters. Her Olympic speed skating gold medal is

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

the first since Chris Witty in 1000 meters in 2002 and the first American woman to win the women’s 500 meters since Bonnie Blair in 1994.

The student-athlete was part of a keynote panel for the post-COVID-19 return of SLCC’s exercise science conference, sharing her insights with fitness instructors, personal trainers, students and other exercise enthusiasts.

“I don’t really like to eat my vegetables, but if I do, I just douse them in ranch,” Jackson told them. “Dr. Jen told me it doesn’t hurt to do that, just because you’re dousing them doesn’t negate the fact that you’re still getting your nutrients.”

Her diet and exercise are monitored by the U.S. speedskating team. Two members SLCC Assistant Professor “Dr. Jen” Day, a certified specialist in sports dietetics, and SLCC Associate Professor Carrie Needham, a doctorate who has worked in exercise science for more than 25 years — joined Jackson, describing how they support Olympic excellence.

Day traveled with the speedskating team and watched Jackson win her gold medal.

“It was a really cool moment,” she said. “I was crying and screaming. It felt Erin just brought the whole world together, and everyone celebrated with her. I’m very grateful to be a part of it. It’s probably one of the top 10 experiences of my whole life.”

Day said her role is to pair sports nutrition with the science of exercise physi-

ology and science of nutrition for the 20to 30-member speed skating team, ages 15 to 36, who not only practice on the ice, but often cross train, biking up Big Cottonwood Canyon in the summer.

“It’s a big difference in fueling needs if they’re out on the bike on a hot day in July compared to doing intervals in a cold, dry environment on ice. There’s a lot of education that goes into teaching them depending on their environment, what kind of training they’re doing, what phase of training there and what their nutrition needs are going to be,” she said.

Day provides healthy diet counseling individually as well as team talks.

“I’m teaching these athletes how to eat a baseline healthy diet,” she said, adding that the team also undergoes regular body composition testing, including girth measurements.

Jackson supports a healthy diet and proper training.

“I wasn’t the best athlete before I joined the skating team,” she said. “I relied mostly on talent so when I came out to Salt Lake City, the coach had all these different ideas about training such as warming up and cooling down. I said that I never warmed up and cooled down. My thoughts around exercise and training changed completely. Now, I’m one of those athletes who always asks a lot of questions. I learn why we’re doing certain things. That’s also why I’m pursuing this degree in exercise science; I feel as a top-level athlete,

it’s important to know the science behind what I’m doing every day. I’ve learned fueling can be one thing that people kind of overlook. When it comes to training and being a top-level athlete, people think that you win in the gym, but refueling is one of the most important things. Your muscles are still working and breaking down after training until you refuel them to repair the muscle fibers.”

Day shops and packs food for the athletes and monitors their supplements.

“It is important for them to have access to food that’s going to support their training and I don’t just willy-nilly get everyone on supplements. We supplement based on need,” she said. “I focus on food first. I’d rather them get their vitamin C from a whole orange because it contains carbohydrates, healthy fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants, right? All of these are perfectly packaged in a little health snack. Where if they take a vitamin C supplement, they’re only getting vitamin C. So, I have a food first approach always.”

By monitoring athletes, she has a better understanding of what is needed.

During the Olympic year, Day noticed Jackson was “getting tired all the time. She needed multiple naps a day. We did some blood work, and it wasn’t surprising to see that her iron levels had tanked.”

With a change of diet and supplements, she was able to increase her level and along with it, Jackson had improved energy.

Salt Lake Community College student and 2022 Olympic 500-meter speed skating gold medalist Erin Jackson shared her story with attendees at the school’s annual exercise science program conference. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Salt Lake Community College student Erin Jackson earned her Olympic gold medal following the nutrition and care of the school’s exercise science program. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“We have comprehensive labs so we can see all angles of what’s going on and we have a doctor that provides guidance for us,” Day said. “We work a lot with the physiology of exercise, so we understand what the body is going through when it’s stressed with exercise.”

Needham said that exercise science can support Olympians as well as any population since the concepts are the same.

“I look at how can we take that research and apply it in a real-world setting,” she said, saying it is the same whether it’s for somebody who has a chronic disease and needs to improve their lifestyle through an exercise program or if it’s “training for athletes so that they can improve their time by 1% to make it onto the podium. The job of the exercise or sports scientist is to answer questions from the coach or from the athlete. We can look at research and find answers. We can do testing and find those answers. But when we can answer the questions for the coach and the athletes, then we are giving them valuable information that they can use in their performance.”

Her programs are individualized, matching the physiological profile to the athlete.

“We have to know what that physiological profile looks like and the type of athlete they are. Do they have more fast twitch muscle fiber or slow twitch muscle

fiber? What are the demands of the sport? Is it more of an aerobic sport and they need to be able to do that for long periods of time? Or is it a more explosive sport and they need to have that quick, powerful movement,” she said, adding they run tests, including oxidavitve systems, lactate threshold and aerobic capacity. “That’s valuable information for coaches, for athletes, for a personal trainer, for an exercise therapist, to know what we’re doing is making a difference in that training.”

Jackson said she gives “a solid effort” when it comes to testing.

“Testing is really important because our sports scientists, they use this data to help me achieve my goals,” she said, adding that she also makes sure she gets plenty of rest, stretches and massages her muscles for the next training session. “I used to sleep five to six hours a night because of being a student and staying up late doing homework. I had to work on getting eight hours of sleep a night.”

As Jackson looks ahead to her skating career and the possibility of the Olympics returning to Utah, she’s pumped.

“I’m currently 30 years old and I want to skate forever, but that’s not feasible. I would love to have the Salt Lake Olympics in 2030 and be able to compete on home ice,” she said. “If it’s 2034, I’ll likely be on the sidelines, but I’ll be supporting Salt Lake’s Olympics 100%.” l

Do You Have a Chronic Wound?

If you have a wound that has been open for more than 4 weeks, then something in your body is not allowing that wound to heal properly. Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that fail to proceed through the normal phases of wound healing in an orderly and timely manner. Often, chronic wounds stall in the inflammatory phase of healing.

How do you heal a wound that will not heal?

Debridement (removal of dead tissue) is the most common treatment for stubborn wounds, and involves the removal of unhealthy tissue within a chronic wound to promote the growth of healthy tissue, reduce complications of infection, and speed up the healing process.

Your care team may also suggest the following treatments:

• Antibiotics

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• Scans to ensure proper blood flow is getting to the wound to promote healing

Visit Innovation Medical Group today to get a wound care specialist to help guide your care plan and to get your life back without a chronic wound present. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 801-758-2091. We are located at 4624 Holladay Blvd on the second floor in Suite 201 right above Olympus Family Medicine. We accept all major insurances and look forward to being able to enhance your quality of life.

Utah’s first, only boxing woman referee ‘knows the ropes’

She’s Utah’s first and only woman boxing referee — and she’s about to step out of the ring.

Becky Suazo jumped into the ring 29 years ago, joining her brother, Pete, to officiate. She has officiated more than 4,000 bouts of amateur boxing ages 8 and older, locally to nationally. She served as a judge and timekeeper for the Olympic trials as well.

Suazo has refereed some of the big names of boxers in the state, watching them grow up in the ring. She also has refereed stars in the boxing world, such as Belinda Montoya, Darlene Chavez, Whitney Gomez and Ernie Flores, and judged two-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion Claressa Shields and world champion Andre Ward.

Her love of boxing began early.

As two of the oldest children in a family of eight kids, her eldest brother — the former state senator — and she would watch boxing bouts locally and on television. Her brother also boxed as did other relatives.

“My dad only lost one bout,” Suazo remembered her father telling her. “He only was in one, too. He was much more into watching boxing than being in the ring.”

While Suazo never took to the ring, she, too, was a fighter — leaving an abusive first husband and fighting to gain custody of her six children and supporting them — in a time where it was uncommon to speak of domestic abuse.

“My dad and Pete were there to support me when I was ready. I was scared because when I tried leaving before, my ex-husband would find me, drag me back and then he would just beat the hell out of me. It was frightening, but when I did it, I didn’t look back,” she said. “I picked up my life and moved on. It made me a strong woman.”

That included returning to school to get her high school diploma — “when I turned 30, I cried and cried because I hadn’t accomplished anything.” She continued to earn her associate degree in minority human services from Salt Lake Community College and her bachelor’s in sociology with a minor in women’s studies from the University of Utah.

Through every step, her brother was there to support her and her kids.

“He was a father figure to my kids, my nieces and nephews, all the kids. He would take them trick-or-treating, camping, be at their games,” she said. “He helped me find jobs and cheered me on in school.”

As a working professional, she started a preventative intervention for Hispanic youth and their families, advocated for mental health with minorities, coordinated volunteers at a family support center, and has managed a multicultural center.

She also has volunteered for the Utah AIDS Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Centro de la Familia, a peer court adviser, and has been a speaker for a rape crisis center and

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

against domestic abuse.

“I’ve tried to be involved in the community as much as I can,” said the recipient of the 2009 Midvale Exchange Club’s Appreciation Award of Service to the Community. “Everything I did was for a reason, but I never knew why. I used to go into the welfare office when my kids were little to see what resources there were. Then, when I worked in the field, I could tell the parents to utilize the resources that I knew about firsthand.”

When her kids got older, she added boxing official to her volunteer list. Volunteering was a lesson she shared with her kids.

“I had them volunteer. I wanted them to give back, to be involved in the community,” she said. “I also passed along something my parents taught me — voting. I told them, ‘You don’t vote, you don’t have a say.’ I didn’t tell them how to vote, just to take the opportunity to vote.”

In fact, the first thing she did when she returned to the community after leaving her husband was to go to an event for Democratic leader Scott Matheson with her brother.

“Pete got me back involved,” she said, adding that when they were growing up, her parents had pictures of the Kennedys hung in their home. “I loved going to the election party headquarters and being there after the election, waiting for results.”

The two both registered voters and attended events; she has twice attended the National Democratic Convention. He entered the state legislature; she became a poll worker.

Pete Suazo served in that position, and as state chief of officials in boxing, until he died about 20 years ago when his ATV flipped.

“He was my mentor my whole life. I al-

ways looked up to him. He went to state wrestling (for West High School), and he was a jockey, racing horses. But our family always would go to boxing matches at the coliseum at the fairgrounds, so he got into it. (Longtime boxing trainer and coach) Tony Montoya got him into officiating in 1989,” she said. “When Pete died, he had just become an international official representing the United States.”

After his death, his sister, who had been officiating for about a decade, took over as chief of officials for the next six months.

“Pete got me into officiating, and I did it because it was fun, but I didn’t like being the chief,” she said. “I officiated the pros for about a year; It was a different atmosphere, and I didn’t feel the connection with the boxers like I did with the kids growing up.”

Suazo started as an official for two years before she entered the ring. She would check the boxers’ gloves, be a timekeeper or a judge, or she would score the bout — at first, scoring was done on her fingers, then with a clicker before it became computerized.

“I had to learn it all when I started. Before that, I could pick the winner, just from watching it all the years with my family and listening to it on the radio with my dad and grandfather, but I didn’t know all the rules. It was just a sport I loved,” she said.

In the gyms, she would watch referees in the rings and learn from them.

“I wanted to start referring, but I was nervous. When Ray Silva, who then was the chief of officials for the country, came to do a clinic, Pete introduced me to him and told me, ‘This is your time,’” she said.

She got into the ring and the approval from Silva.

“He taught me to stand on my toes so it’s easier and faster to turn,” she said.

Her brother’s friends — Silva with USA Boxing and the National Olympic Committee, Angel Villarreal with USA Boxing, and professional referees Russell Mora and Mike Rosario — became her friends too.

“We’re a boxing family and it truly is a family. The women I’ve met in boxing are amazing; we’re so close,” she said, adding that many of them not only supported her through the funeral of her brother and her daughter — even though she wasn’t a fan of the sport. “We officiate for the kids. You see them win and you see him lose and you see that they don’t give up. When they win, they have that glow. I want to see that excitement. When they’re older, many of them stay in the sport to coach or officiate.”

Her first bout she refereed was a local “smoker” in 1993.

“When I first started — for years and years and years — they always gave me the little kids, because ‘this is a man’s sport.’ I was OK with it because I loved the kids. I

As the only female and Latina boxing referee, Becky Suazo, who has served as a role model for others, indicates the winner of the bout. (Photo courtesy of Becky Suazo)

Becky Suazo has been an official in more than 4,000 bouts from local “smokers” to national championships and Olympic trials. (Photo courtesy of Becky Suazo)

loved doing refereeing from the first time I ever stepped in the ring,” she said.

She also learned a lesson from her brother that first bout.

“I had their hands ready to announce the winner when I looked over at the other one who got hurt pretty bad and I said, ‘Are you OK, mi hijo (my son)?’ When I got out of the ring, Pete said ‘Don’t you ever call him that. He’s not your son. He’s a boxer,’” she said.

Suazo has seen officiating as well as the sport itself grow. Currently in the state, there are about 733 boxers and 26 officials in USA Boxing.

“When I started nationally, there were three other women referring. Now, there are hundreds nationwide,” she said.

Women’s boxing also began to grow while she’s been officiating. Her first national tournament refereeing was the first women’s tournament in Atlanta in 1997.

“Two women from Utah became champions there,” she said. “I like refereeing women. They’re more disciplined, easier to read. You don’t have to stop them to pull them apart. They’re good boxers.”

Through the years of being in the ring — and only being grazed once by a fist — there has only been one call that had seemed controversial.

“I had a boxer who was a Florida state champion and he kept picking up the boxer and wrestling with him,” she said. “I kept giving him caution after caution. I told him,

‘You’re holding him; that’s why you’re getting the call.’ He didn’t stop. I gave him warning after warning and you can only give three warnings for disqualification. I disqualified him; he didn’t give me a choice. The coach jumped upon the ring and called me all kinds of names. I received an escort out of the ring and venue. When I checked out of my hotel and the person behind the desk said, ‘Oh, you’re the one who disqualified the boxer.’ There was even a news article about it because it was a qualifier and since he was disqualified, he couldn’t go to the Olympic trials. My supervisor said that I did the right call and that I had a ringside seat, the best seat in the house to see those boxers. I learned you just have to use your best judgment.”

Officiating didn’t come with compensation.

“I spent thousands. We pay our own way to officiate or judge. If you are amongst the best and were asked to officiate, you’d get some compensation — either travel or room and board. People give up their vacation to do this. That’s how committed people are to the sport,” she said. “My dad loved to travel with me. The last time he went to the U.S. championships with me, we gave an award in Pete’s name. I’ve done it every year since he died,” she said, adding that now there is a boxing gym, the state boxing commission, a business center, a U of U social work scholarship and street (a section of Redwood Road from North Temple to 2400 South) named after her

brother.

Suazo, who is a master national official and once designed the USA boxing patch worn on the officials’ white uniform, now teaches state clinics on how to officiate. She referees about five tournaments per year. After that, she will continue to officiate.

“I love timekeeping. I get to see the whole bout instead of just seeing the punches as a referee. Refereeing is my favorite job, but that’s just seeing not watching,” she said.

Before she steps out of the ring, she plans to work the National Junior & Youth Golden Gloves in August in Florida and the USA Boxing National Championships in December in Louisana.

“I’m the only woman referee in Utah, period. I’m the first. I’m the first Latina. When I leave there, we don’t have a woman who will step in and that’s the saddest part. There’s no one to pass the baton to, but I don’t want somebody just say what the hell is that old lady doing in there? I don’t want to be the one to get knocked down and have somebody give me an eight count,” she said. “When I think about it, I’ve held on to this longer than I have any other job and never got paid a dime. There’s something to be said about that. You do this because you love it.” l

COREY J. MILLER, MD

For Dr. Miller, joining Mountain States Eye Center is highly personal. Serving the patients that his father, Dr. Corey A. Miller has cared for and and treated is as an honor and privilege. Dr. Corey J. Miller brings his own set of exceptional skills, experience, and dedication to continuing the legacy of outstanding medical care.

Dr. Miller specializes in cornea, cataract, refractive, and external disease. He is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

UTWNG is about building relationships and collaboration

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Karin Palle can name each of the 10 women who got together in 2011 for their first networking meeting. Most of the women worked from home and were starting businesses in fields like real estate, consulting and photography. Their goal was to encourage each other and provide insight into building a successful company.

Now, the Utah Women’s Networking Group, founded by Donna Rudzik, has more than 750 members across the state. It has grown to become one of the most successful networking groups for entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals in Utah. With a focus on collaboration instead of competition, group members are mentors, cheerleaders, counselors and friends to help build women in business.

Palle took over UTWNG after Rudzik stepped away from the group. The mission of building relationships has stayed the top priority over the last 12 years.

“We want to connect people to build valuable relationships that will last beyond business,” she said. “We’ve helped people through deaths, we’ve helped people through births, we've helped people through businesses falling apart or starting businesses. A lot of these women have fought depression and anxiety and all types of mental health issues because they needed to belong somewhere. They know they belong with us.”

The organization’s Facebook page is run by UTWNG ambassadors who engage members on a daily basis, encouraging them to share lessons learned, best practices, hard-won advice and their sense of humor. That daily connection is valuable, especially for women (and men) who run small businesses out of their home.

Facebook page administrators are quick to enforce the no bullying, no politics, no selling and no religion rules to keep the social media platform a safe place for everyone.

“You can go on other groups and everybody's selling, selling, selling and trying to be better,” Palle said. “I don't see our people like that. They’re not trying to be better than someone else, they're just trying to be the best they can be. And there's a huge difference in that.”

Besides building relationships, UTWNG’s second goal is to educate. Whether it’s online training seminars or the annual women’s conference where the organization has awarded more than $125,000 in grant money to female entrepre-

neurs, members can be involved at any level.

UTWNG members can learn business skills like creating a resume, marketing or understanding best hiring practices. By partnering with other groups like the Women’s Business Center of Utah, the Utah Microloan Fund and local chambers, there is access to a wealth of knowledge.

The popular Coffee Connections that went away during COVID is getting restarted. People gather at a local coffee shop to have a relaxed conversation in an informal setting. It’s a chance for people to connect and share their wisdom.

Angie Gallegos is a UTWNG member and ambassador. She and her husband, Pete, own Utah Scale Center, an independent dealer of industrial weighing equipment. Gallegos joined the group five years ago as a way to create friendships.

“I think at my age, and just kind of being isolated at this small business, my world has gotten small, as far as friendships go,” Gallegos said. “So really, for me, the biggest benefit has been meeting other women that I’ve been able to connect with, on a personal level.”

Although many members are entrepreneurs and owners of cottage industries, there are also members who are part of larger companies looking for support and networking opportunities. And while it’s called a women’s networking group, membership is open to any gender.

For more information, visit utwng.com.

“[UTWNG] brings a level of support and camaraderie,” Gallegos said. “We gain things from one another like our ability to succeed, especially if it’s in a male-dominated field or company. That is a real benefit to networking with other women.” l

“Megan is a world class acupuncturist who has helped me with pain from a spinal injury and chronic nerve pain… gratefully, Megan and her team helped me to recover holistically. I recommend her to my friends and family all the time.” – Sean

The Utah Women’s Networking Group provides opportunities for women in business to support each other, learn about entrepreneurship and create long-lasting relationships. (Photo courtesy of Rick Hepner)

Serving Local Families Since 1885

COMPASSIONATE FUNERAL PLANNERS

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One smart cookie—founder of RubySnap Cookies, Tami Steggell, is committed to her customers and to her community

She may cook sweet, but the gal’s got grit. Tami Steggell is the founder of RubySnap Bakery where daily she bakes and serves up cookies. It is her dream job and may sound like the sweetest gig in the world, but Steggell worked hard, and continues to work hard, to make it so.

Necessary ingredients

Steggell’s father was a Marine, and as such, she grew up all over the world. She calculated that she’d moved 21 times by the time she was 18 years old. At about age 15, her family was living in Saudi Arabia, and she decided to move back to the States for educational opportunities.

She finished high school and went on to get her degree in Architectural Design from BYU. After that, she spent 15 years in the industry. At that time she was an avid cyclist, training all week, and on her one day off she wanted nothing more than something wonderful to eat. She’d think about it all week, because “every edible moment meant something to me,” but invariably the sweets she found would taste like nothing but sugar.

That’s when she started baking for herself, experimenting with seasonal ingredients like beets, rhubarb, cherries, mint and vanilla beans sourced directly from Bali. Her own cookies were “worth her time and calories,” sweettalking her architectural clients with a batch of fresh-baked was a success, and she thought maybe she had created something special.

In 2008, she quit her job, cashed out her IRA and opened the flagship store at 770 S. 300 West, in an area that is becoming the redeveloped and cool Granary District, but back then it was surrounded by industry and empty store fronts. Still, she liked the vibe of the place and it was rent she could afford. With sweat equity, she gutted the building and opened the doors. And the customers came.

Thankfully, the cookie didn’t crumble

That’s not where the story ends, and things haven’t always been sweet.

At conception, the company was named Dough Girl, a name Steggell had copyrighted, but Pillsbury sued anyway, as the name was a little too close to Dough Boy for their liking. Steggell decided she could be stuck in the courtroom proving she was right, or she could continue her dream journey, baking great cookies. She opted out of a lengthy legal battle and it took her $50,000 to rebrand to RubySnap, but her customers and the community responded and rallied behind her.

By 2018, RubySnap had expanded to five stores, a couple out of state, but Steggell realized with all the expansion, she and her crew had been working harder, not smarter. Her life was unbalanced. It was a hard decision, but RubySnap closed all but their flagship store and pulled out of 165 retail outlets, getting back to their core priorities.

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com

And now we have the Salt Lake “Cookie Wars.” There is fresh cookie competition and it’s getting heated, as Crumbl, Dirty Dough and Crave battle it out in the bakery and in court. RubySnap is out of the legal fray, but when asked about the pop-up cookie shop competition on the South Valley Chamber Podcast, Steggell wasn’t worried, “Competition forces ingenuity, an evaluation of your product and priorities, and the people who win are the consumers.”

Change and innovation keep it fresh for this smart cookie

Steggell has a passion for fresh produce in season. She builds the flavor of her cookies through real ingredients and no preservatives: strawberries in the spring, peaches during harvest, citrus in the winter. She is always experimenting with new flavor palates and wants the seasonal options to taste “pulled from the garden.”

Each day visitors to the store are able to choose from 22 different types of cookie, and the choice isn’t easy. Eighteen are menu/customer staples, two are seasonal specialties, and two are show-off cookies, made with a variety of unusual ingredient combinations. Each cookie is named after one of the “We Can Do It” women of World War II, who Steggell so admires and who are a part of the RubySnap brand.

There’s the Ellie, a gluten-free (you’d never know it) topped with seasonal peaches, created in honor of a former employee with significant dietary restrictions. There’s the Sophia made with passion fruit and hibiscus, the Margo with chocolate cinnamon dough and a

milk chocolate mint center, and the Trudy, an old-fashioned chocolate chip girl. All in all, Steggell says they have developed and baked over 90 different recipes.

For those who don’t live close to the flagship store, frozen dough can be found at Harmons, Lee’s Marketplace and Whole Foods across the state. And for this next holiday season, RubySnap is creating a dry cookie mix for baking and gifting with flavors like eggnog and chocolate peppermint.

Something else to chew on

Steggell is the mom of seven and a new empty-nester. This left her with a tiny crumb of extra time, and because one cannot live on cookies alone, Steggell started Bite Me Industries @bitemeindustries, an Instagram account where she creates one-minute tutorials of what she is cooking in her own kitchen. She films an actual dinner-in-the-making, edits the footage to a bite-sized portion and posts the segment with an ingredient list and instructions.

Her goal is to demystify a meal. Recipes include favorite salad dressings, mains, greens and grains salads, desserts (of course), and other recipes using all things seasonal.

Bite Me Industries started as a hobby and morphed quickly into a monthly cooking segment on KSL Studio 5, and a teaching gig at Orson Gygi.

A cookie to share with the community

Since RubySnap cookies are made fresh with no preservatives, at the end of each day unpurchased product is boxed and frozen for donation. Anyone can request cookies, but the company rule is that a donation must go toward a good cause. Recipients are places like the Ronald McDonald House, Primary Children’s

Hospital, unhoused family shelters, nonprofit preschools and various adult rehab sites. Steggell was told that attendance at several of the rehab sites is higher on the days they deliver, as the cookies provide a sweet reason to show up.

And new this year at Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, kids can try their hand at working at a pretend RubySnap Bakery in a play kitchen complete with ovens, cookie sheets, and plastic cookies and frosting. RubySnap provided ideas and branding for the kitchen, and dollars toward the project. Annually, Steggell and RubySnap donate more than $165,000 to the community, a big bite for a small company. l

All sorts of deliciousness in one box. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)

Tami Steggell founder of RubySnap Cookies stands in front of the flagship location in the Granary District on Third West. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)

The flagship RubySnap location in the historic Granary District on Third West. (Ella Joy Olsen/ City Journals)

Did you get your property tax statement and feel overwhelmed trying to understand it? Every year we get calls from residents who need help making sense of their tax statement, so here is some info that might be useful.

The county treasurer is responsible for collecting taxes for over 70 different entities, not just Salt Lake County. That means that your city/township, school district, water districts, and other entities show up on your property tax statement. Once we get the money, we distribute it to the different taxing entities.

One great thing about our state is that Truth-in-Taxation is required. That means you will be notified if a government entity is trying to raise your taxes. This concept is all about transparency and making sure the government is open and honest about how your tax dollars are being used. Taxation is necessary for funding various public services, such as schools, parks, roads and public safety. But as taxpayers, it’s crucial for you to know where your hard-earned money is going.

Just because a tax rate stays the same, doesn’t mean your taxes won’t increase. After your property is assessed, the county adds in additional growth and then divides all the property values by the proposed budget amount. That is how we get the tax rate. Government cannot collect more than what they

Understanding your property tax statement

Aimee Winder Newton Salt Lake County Councilwoman| District 3

did the previous year without a Truth-in-Taxation hearing.

If property values and growth are going up, your tax rate would go down if there was no additional tax increase. When taxing entities tell you the rate hasn’t changed, that still could mean a tax increase from that entity. Don’t worry, though… it should be crystal clear on your property tax statement if it’s an increase. If there is a public meeting, that entity is raising your taxes this year.

As part of this process, governmental agencies are required to hold public hearings to discuss tax-related matters. These hearings are an excellent opportunity for you to voice your opinions and concerns regarding how tax dollars should be allocated. But how do you find out when these hearings are taking place? That’s where your notice of valuation comes in.

Notice of valuation is a document sent to

homeowners that provides information about the assessed value of their property. It’s an important notice because it includes details about upcoming hearings related to property taxes. These hearings give you the chance to speak up and let your elected officials know what you think about the tax rates and how they affect you.

So, why is it important for you to notice when public hearings are available and take the opportunity to comment? Well, simply put, it’s your chance to be heard. By attend-

ing these hearings or submitting comments, you can influence the decisions that impact your community and your wallet. Your voice matters, and by actively participating, you can help shape the future of taxation in Salt Lake County.

Remember, your voice matters, and by participating in the process, you can help shape a fair and transparent system that benefits everyone in Salt Lake County. Together, we can create positive change and ensure our tax dollars are used wisely.

Women who work outside the home are supernatural shapeshifters. One minute they’re closing the deal on a $5-million property and the next minute they’re on the phone with their 5-year-old daughter who’s upset because the parakeet won’t talk to her.

I think we can agree women are in the workplace. I think we can agree most households need two incomes to afford the basics like food, shelter and Netflix. I think we can also agree that mothers take on the biggest load when it comes to child care. Well, our country’s child care system is failing women in a spectacular SpaceX explosion kind of way.

This disparity was highlighted during COVID, an infuriating pandemic where millions of women lost their jobs. As child care centers closed, women were usually the ones to step away from their careers to become full-time school teachers, nurses, referees, short-order cooks, video game experts and day drinkers.

Single mothers always draw the short straw when it comes to child care choices. If you’ve never been a single mom who has to decide between using a vacation day or leaving her sick 11 year old at home alone, consider yourself lucky.

Care.com reported on child care costs in the U.S., showing the average family

It Takes a Village

Peri Kinder

Life and Laughter

spends 27% of their income on child care with the majority spending around $18,000 each year. Utah’s costs are a bit lower than the national average but we make up for that by having one bajillion children.

There are always people who say, “Women should be home raising their children. Problem solved.” Guess what? Problem not solved because most families need two incomes to get by, even adding in the cost of child care. When women choose to stay home, it takes a big bite out of the household income.

To combat this, parents work multiple jobs, alternate work schedules with a spouse or partner, rely on family members to babysit and hope their toddler becomes a child star to cover living expenses.

Employers, do you know how often moms worry about asking for time off to take kids to dentist appointments, doctor visits, parent-teacher conferences, lobot-

omies, etc.? It’s constant. There’ve been times when I was shamed by my boss because I needed to deal with a situation at home. That should never happen.

Women and families need child care support and it’s about damn time to get creative.

Let’s start with free (or low-cost) onsite child care. Let’s throw in flexible and remote schedules that allow parents to be home after school. Let’s address the stupid 40-hour work week that’s not only a waste of time, but a drain on families.

Kim Kardashian pays each of her nannies (she has at least four on call 24/7) nearly $100,000 per year. She got it right. That’s what women should be paid for watching children because it’s mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. But the average family can’t afford ONE nanny for even half that price.

And, yes, sometimes it’s the father who stays home with the kids (and they struggle, too) but the majority of child care responsibility is placed on mothers.

Mothers are expected to work competently at a full-time job and turn into Mary Poppins/Mrs. Doubtfire/Amelia Bedelia the minute they get home. We’re tired of shapeshifting. It’s making us cranky.

If employers want to hire shapeshifters, they’d better be prepared to offer flexibility, creativity and full value for that skill or we’ll take our talents and go home. And then nobody wins.

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