Rural Leader Magazine May 2023

MAY 2023

Cover Story How today’s beef farmers and ranchers care for the land and focus on sustainability, pg. 13 GetRuralLeaderMag.com |MAY 2023 1

Contents Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Kuanita E. Murphy, PhD

6 Expert shares how to create healthy habits, break unhealthy ones and create positive change

COVER STORY 13 How today’s beef farmers and ranchers care for the land and focus on sustainability

Rural Leader Magazine, LLC is a digital publication that highlights every day people doing extraordinary things nationally and abroad. www.RuralLeaderMag.com www.GetRuralLeaderMag.com

8 How Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists are working to improve maternal health

15Talk with kids about substance use; you can make a difference

About Us

10 How to solve the biggest challenges of a hybrid workforce

Launched in March 2014, Rural Leader Magazine, LLC is a digital publication with a mission to highlight every day people doing extraordinary things in business, education, music, community, art, sports, and leadership nationally and abroad.

Rural Leader Magazine honors exemplary individuals on a variety of levels, such as the 20 under 20 Honors, 40 under 40 Honors, Best Small Town Restaurant, Small Town America’s 100 Most Influential People, the Scholars of Collegiate Distinction, Fifty under Fifty, and the Eagle Elite Club.—

11 Four Top tips for upgrading your health and wellness routine

17 Breaking up with friends: How to know when it’s time to move on 20 Looking for a new career? This is why the skilled trades offer great opportunities

Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, in English, or other languages, is prohibited without written consent.

Send editorial ideas to Kuanita Murphy, PhD, Editor-in-Chief editor@ruralleadermag.com Contact Us info@ruralleadermag.com editor@ruralleadermag.com ruralleadermagazine@gmail.com

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Tell us what you think about our publications, if you have a great idea for a story, or to just share. We may print your comments in Rural Leader Magazine. By sending us your comments, you’re giving permission to call you for an interview. Please be sure to include your name, address, email address, and phone number so we can reach you. Write to us at info@RuralLeaderMag.com—

Editor’s Note Dear Readers, Inside this issue, there are a number of great articles about leadership best practices, building positive self-esteem and productivity! We hope you enjoy this issue.

As always, I hope you enjoy this issue and continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thanks again for your continual support!

Sincerely, Kuanita E. Murphy, PhD Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

What you do matters. @RuralLeaderMag

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Expert shares how to create healthy habits, break unhealthy ones and create positive change It’s an experience shared by many: You make an ambitious health goal and a few months - or weeks - later, you lose steam and throw in the towel. Break the cycle by focusing on simple, yet effective ways you can impact your wellness long term. The key?

Small daily habits.

Nicholas Frye, MS, LCPC, CHES, behavioral counseling manager at OPTAVIA and an expert on psychological factors that influence health, shares how you can create lasting healthy habits, break those unhealthy ones and create positive changes to your wellbeing: Forming new habits. Habits are a fundamental part of the health and wellbeing program, OPTAVIA. Its approach is built around four key components: a supportive community, an independent coach, a blueprint for learning and mastering healthy habits, and easy nutrition.

“Forming a new, healthy habit involves repeating a health-promoting behavior in response to some 6

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trigger that’s already a part of your day, such as a specific location like the kitchen, certain situation like making your morning coffee or particular person like your significant other, until there is a learned connection between trigger and behavior,” said Frye.

As an example, to develop a new, healthy walking habit, first select a specific health-promoting behavior such as “go for a 10-minute walk.” Then identify a stable cue which occurs daily in your life such as “after breakfast.” Then repeatedly perform the walking behavior in response to the after-breakfast cue which will, over time, result in an automatic habit.

It takes 66 days - on average - to develop a new habit, according to a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology. However, the exact timeframe is different for everyone. As the behavior is repeated in response to the cue, the association between them becomes stronger, more efficient and automatic until the cue alone is enough to trigger the associated behavior without conscious

thought.

Breaking old habits. Forming new, healthy habits through behavior and cue association is one part of a long-term approach to wellness, but how do you break an established, negative health habit?

“Breaking an old, unhealthy habit involves overwriting the old habit with a new, competing behavior,” Frye said. “Basically, you substitute the unhealthy habit with a healthy new one.”

For example, to break a habit of drinking sugary sodas while watching television, replace the soft drink with sparkling water every time you sit down to binge your favorite show. Eventually, you’ll associate watching TV with this new, healthier behavior.

Microhabits. Frye recommends instead of committing to a big, audacious goal, try incorporating small daily habits. This allows you one step closer to

optimal health and wellbeing every day. These small behaviors are called microhabits and they can compound to have big results.

Some microhabit examples are parking at the back of a parking lot to get your steps in or taking a sip of water as soon as you wake up rather than hitting the snooze button.

“By developing these habits, one small step at a time, we can overcome the intention-behavior gap - in other words, when what you do doesn’t live up to your previous intentions - and it is all the less daunting,” said Frye. “This sets one up for success as opposed to overly ambitious goals that don’t guide you from point A to point B.” Learn more at OPTAVIA.com.—

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How Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists are working to improve maternal health Did you know around 700 women die in the U.S. every year from pregnancy-related complications?

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported on the status of maternal health, finding many areas of the healthcare system needing improvement to help ensure healthier pregnancies, safer delivery and better postpartum care. Because it has been determined that over 8 in 10 (84%) pregnancy-related deaths are actually preventable, many healthcare organizations, hospitals and lawmakers are seeking ways to improve maternal care. Confronting this issue directly, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) has updated their practice guidelines for care before, during and after childbirth, using the most up-to-date science-based evidence to ensure that effective standardized protocols are in place nationwide.

The singular care provided by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are highly educated, trained and qualified anesthesia 8

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experts who provide 50 million anesthetics per year in the U.S., in every setting where anesthesia is delivered. They are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural settings, enabling facilities in medically underserved areas to offer obstetrical, surgical, pain management and trauma stabilization services. Using their unique ability to combine the scientific rigor of the field of anesthesiology with the compassionate care integral to nursing, CRNAs aim to provide the highest quality overall care, and these new guidelines will help ensure that even in stressful life-threatening emergencies, each patient receives a consistent level of care - whether in a big city hospital or a small rural community.

AANA’s updated guidelines cover topics including physiologic changes during pregnancy, pre-anesthesia assessment and evaluation, patient education, preparing a plan of care, pain management and anesthesia options during labor, delivery and postpartum care, as well as complications and emergency care. AANA’s recommendations highlight care for

high-risk patients, including those with hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia and obstetric complications, plus emergencies such as maternal hemorrhage and amniotic fluid embolism.

“AANA’s new guidelines offer obstetric anesthesia providers current practice recommendations to support delivery of high-quality maternal care, thereby improving patient safety and patient outcomes,” said Beth Ann Clayton, DNP, CRNA, FAANA, FAAN, professor of Clinical Nursing and the Nurse Anesthesia program director at the University of Cincinnati.

“In an emergency, if clinicians do not have a protocol available, they may miss a step. These guidelines are in place to facilitate effective care decisions and enhance coordination among the anesthesia, obstetric and pediatric professionals to create an optimal environment for safe maternal and neonatal care.”

Addressing racial disparities. When it comes to maternal care, recent research shows that women of color, especially Black patients and those in underserved communities, are at an even higher risk of maternal mortality. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Black women experience pregnancy-related mortality rates about three times higher than white women. That number increases with maternal age: Black women between ages 30-34 have a four times higher rate of maternal mortality than white women.

Some research shows that Black women have higher morbidity rates partially because they are

at significantly higher risk for serious pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia. However, other factors leading to these racial and ethnic disparities include barriers to care due to lack of health insurance as well as hospital and obstetric unit closings in rural and underserved communities, plus inadequate treatment due to racism - from poor communication to outright mistreatment - as evidenced in research such as the Kaiser Family Foundation report.

Acknowledging that maternal health disparities exist, CRNAs aim to reduce maternal deaths, using prevention strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related mortality. These inequities are some of the main hurdles to good maternal care that AANA has worked to address with their updated guidelines.

“These new guidelines and their protocols promote equity of care. For example, when a patient has preeclampsia, direct steps for hypertension management can be taken,” said Clayton. “The document also highlights how CRNAs help drive change to reduce maternal-related deaths, implementing prevention strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities.”

CRNAs provide equitable, compassionate, holistic, patient-centered anesthesia, pain management and related care encompassing each patient’s unique needs and preferences. Learn more about their efforts to improve care for every patient at AANA.com.—

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How to solve the biggest challenges of a hybrid workforce Since the onset of the global pandemic there has been a paradigm shift that work is what you do, not where you do it. As workers increasingly return to traditional offices, the need to transform the space into more dynamic and collaborative business centers grows.

According to Forrester, 70% of U.S. and European companies will pivot to a hybrid work model post-pandemic. What’s more, 75% of CEOs expect their office spaces to shrink, so the space that is retained must be intentionally created with hybrid in mind.

“The problem is that while many American employers have embraced this model for their employees, they have not fully implemented collaborative strategies and the necessary technologies that help workers remain productive, creative and inspired in and out of the office setting,” said Shannon MacKay, general manager of WW Smart Collaboration Business Group, Lenovo.

Adopting the right technologies so employees can seamlessly work in the office, at home or elsewhere is key to the success of hybrid work. When done correctly, it can set an organization up for success: 10

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According to a recent Lenovo study, a majority (77%) of employees and IT decision-makers believe that productivity and collaboration tools have made or will make their business more efficient in the long run.

When done poorly it can diminish productivity, culture and ultimately, the workforce: According to the Adobe State of Work Report, 32% of workers (nearly a third) have said goodbye to an employer whose tech was a barrier to their ability to do good work - up from 22% pre-COVID. Hybrid work will require new ways of collaborating to ensure an inclusive environment that attracts and retains top talent. This is particularly important considering in-person meetings will drop from 60% of total enterprise meetings to just 25% by 2024, according to Gartner’s 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey.

Unfortunately, the Lenovo study shows large enterprises report an average of three unified communication/collaboration applications in use at their companies. This makes collaboration complex and a daily pain point for workers. Not only does this restrict communication, so many of the important

interactions between people that build company culture and teams are lost.

“Hearing the live reactions, or impromptu exchanges going on at the end of the table is the difference between feeling like an equal citizen at a hybrid meeting and feeling like a second class one.

What about if those microphones can auto-adjust to the positioning of the participants in the room and upweight the sound of those on the right of the room in the right-hand speaker to make it as realistic as possible for those at home too?” said MacKay. Purpose-built technology like Lenovo’s new ThinkSmart One, the world’s first Windows-based completely integrated collaboration bar, anticipates the continued growth of hybrid meeting spaces as

businesses strive to find innovative ways to work together in a distributed workforce. Designed to easily equip small meeting rooms, the bar offers an exceptional audio-visual through eight microphone arrays with echo and noise cancellation, 15-Watt stereo speakers and an integrated high-resolution camera with wide field of view.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when adjusting to hybrid work. It is critical for IT leaders to reassess their technologies and best practices to ensure all participants have an equal opportunity to collaborate, share ideas and influence decisions. Companies focused on a successful ‘return to work’ plan must implement customizable technologies to make sure their office setup matches their employees’ needs.—

Four Top tips for upgrading your health and wellness routine

For many, the longer days, warmer temperatures, and blooming flowers of spring and summer bring a renewed sense of energy and motivation to paint the garage or freshen up the garden. However, it is also the perfect time of the year to devote your energy to personal health and wellness improvement projects.

To prepare for the warmer seasons ahead, Dr. Leah Joseph, a board-certified primary care physician at Teladoc Health, the world’s largest telehealth company, shares her top tips for upgrading health and wellness routines.

Tidy up your sleep schedule. People tend to appreciate the longer days of spring and summer. But

more early morning sunshine, along with life’s other distractions, can wreak havoc on sleep schedules.

Joseph recommends that people prioritize getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night and stresses that consistency is the key to reaping the rewards of a good night’s rest. “Establishing a sleep schedule that conditions your body to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day, including weekends, helps your body get into a natural rhythm,” she says. “To get into a routine, try setting a bedtime alert on your phone or placing a note next to your TV to remind you of your bedtime.” Continued on page 18 GetRuralLeaderMag.com |MAY 2023 11

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COVER STORY

How today’s beef farmers and ranchers care for the land and focus on sustainability

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For families raising cattle, their livelihood depends on the land, and protecting the natural resources they rely on is key to sustaining both the land and the way of life. While sustainability is top of mind every April as Earth Day approaches, beef farmers and ranchers across the country have been dedicated to sustainability for decades, which is why the U.S. produces the most sustainable beef in the world[i].

While a dedication to caring for the land is common among beef producers, the practices they employ are different, developed and adapted over time to match the environment and land they depend on.

In honor of Earth Day, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, highlights three recent winners of the Environmental Stewardship Award, working to raise beef and care for the land in very different parts of the country.

The foundation: Soil health. For five generations, the Jorgensen family in Ideal, South Dakota, has depended on soil to help provide nutrients to their grazing cattle. “Soil health is a principal part of everything we do in our operation,” said Brian Jorgensen, chief agronomy operations officer at Jorgensen Land and Cattle. “So we have to do everything we can to sustain and build the health of that soil.”

Toward that aim, they practice rotational grazing, aided by modern technology: “We’ve been supplementing rotational grazing with a GPS grazing collar,” explained Nick Jorgensen, CEO. “That way, we can graze cattle where you can’t put in a fence. We can also graze spots of land on our property that we may have never used before.”

This innovative use of technology ensures no land is overgrazed - and every area is grazed by cattle that help break up the soil crust, encouraging seed-to-soil contact, stimulating plant growth and successfully converting fibrous plants into energy and protein.

“Sustainability has been an important part of our operation for decades,” added Nick. “It’s going to be what powers us into the future.”

Water is life. One mile north of the Horicorn Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, owners of Huth Polled Hereford and S&H Livestock Enterprises in Oakfield, Wisconsin, understand the importance of water.

“The Horicon Marsh is one of the largest marsh systems in the U.S.,” explained Jerry Huth, co-owner.

“The challenge we face is containing the animals so their runoff doesn’t get into the streams that enter the marsh. We’re very sensitive about having grass buffer strips that absorb runoff from the fields or the cattle.”

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They focus on limiting erosion as a crucial conservation effort. “One way to prevent phosphates going into your water source is to increase the forage density and limit erosion,” said Joshua Scharf, co-owner.

“You’re also sequestering carbon while you’re doing that. Clean water benefits wildlife, cattle and humans.”

The company was one of the first to graze cattle on Wisconsin’s public lands, which helped manage vegetation. “When we first took cattle out there, it was woody vegetation over my head. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was burning and spraying chemicals to control it, and they’ve not done that since we’ve had cattle out there,” continued Scharf. “After the first year, you could start seeing grasses pop through. There was a lot of clover and a lot of legumes, that are desirable for cattle and also for wildlife.”

Their efforts offer a great example of people working together with state and federal agencies to create beneficial land for livestock and wildlife alike.

Restoring the ecosystem. Out west, invasive species like pinion and juniper can soak up large amounts of ground water, impeding its flow. The Fulstone family, founders of Fulstone Ranches in Smith Valley, Nevada, have learned these lessons since their family’s arrival in the 1850s.

“We’ve done a lot of work removing pinion and juniper trees, which has improved the grass and the environment for cattle and for sage grouse,” said rancher Annette Fulstone.

Their work includes habitat restoration where erosion caused previously wet meadows to dry out.

“The landscape came back from being a washed-out dry creek bed to this lush meadow,” added Emily Fulstone, Annette’s niece. “My dream for the future is to continue working on our regenerative practices to be more sustainable in every aspect.”

The Fulstone family aims to preserve the land for generations to come. “Our cattle are very beneficial to the land. We’re probably raising one of the best sources of protein you can in this environment,” said Steven Fulstone, Emily’s father and Annette’s brother.

“It’s a renewable resource, and probably the best use of the land.”

To learn more about these and the other 2022 award winners visit EnvironmentalStewardship.org, or visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com to learn more about how cattle are raised across the country.— [i] UN FAO. 2021. FAOSTAT Database - Food and agricultural data. Available at: https://www.fao.org/ faostat/en/#home

Talk with kids about substance use; you can make a difference Did you know that the younger someone is when they start drinking alcohol or using other drugs, the more likely they are to develop a substance use disorder as an adult? And with more than 140,000 people dying from excessive alcohol use in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s crucial for all the important people in young people’s lives - parents and caregivers, educators, and community members - to talk with them regularly about the harms of alcohol and other drug use and to look for signs that may signal they need additional support.

You can help kids understand the risks of substance use, provide them with a supportive and nur-

turing environment, and help prepare and empower them to make good choices - and it all starts with talking. In fact, the sooner you talk with kids about alcohol and other drugs, the greater chance you have of influencing their decisions about substance use.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) “Talk. They Hear You.”® campaign provides resources and tools that will help you get informed, be prepared and take action by starting meaningful conversations with kids at an early age and continuing to talk as they get older.

Get Informed. Before you start talking with youth about substance use, it’s important to get informed about the dangers of underage drinking and other GetRuralLeaderMag.com |MAY 2023 15

drug use. The adolescent brain is still developing, which is why drinking alcohol or using other drugs has especially negative consequences for young people. Consequences can include impaired judgment and increased risk for injuries, violence, behavioral and academic problems, and even death due to events such as motor vehicle crashes, accidents, suicide and homicide. In addition, the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that adolescent overdose deaths increased by 109% from 2019 to 2021, largely due to opioids (90%) and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, counterfeit pills, and stimulants.

You can learn more about the effects of underage drinking and other drug use by listening to the campaign’s “What Parents Are Saying - Prevention Wisdom, Authenticity, and Empowerment” podcast. It features parents, caregivers, and experts lending their knowledge, unique perspectives, and experiences to discussions about youth substance use and mental health. Additional “Talk. They Hear You.” materials, including videos, fact sheets, and brochures, provide information about the risks of drinking alcohol and using other drugs, as well as discussion starter ideas and suggestions on what to say and how to say it.

Be Prepared. To make sure you’re prepared for these important conversations, download the “Talk.

They Hear You.”® mobile app on the App Store, Google Play, and Microsoft Store. The app’s resources and tools will show you how to turn everyday situations into opportunities to talk with kids about underage drinking and other drug use - equipping you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to start and continue conversations on these difficult topics as they get older.

The app can also help communities promote and implement the “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign locally and assist student assistance professionals, school leaders, and families in working together to support the needs of students who may be struggling with substance use, mental health, or school-related issues.

Take Action. Having short, frequent conversations with youth can have a real impact on their decisions about substance use. And lots of little talks are more effective than one “big talk.” Sitting down for the “big

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talk” about alcohol and other drugs can be intimidating for everyone involved. Try using everyday opportunities to start and continue the conversation - in the car, on the bus or subway, during dinner or while watching TV or playing video games. Having many little talks takes the pressure off trying to get all the information out in one lengthy discussion, and kids will be less likely to tune you out. During these conversations, kids may ask you some tough questions - and “Talk. They Hear You.” has tips to help you be ready to answer them. The campaign’s fact sheets and discussion starter videos show you different ways to talk about substance use and have open, honest conversations.

If you’re an educator or part of a community organization, you can use the “Parents’ Night Out” materials and discussion starter video series to host interactive, facilitator-led educational sessions on substance use prevention. User-friendly toolkits are available for download and include all the materials needed for a single hour-long “Parents’ Night Out” session, or a series of three one-hour program sessions. These toolkits contain everything you’ll need to plan, prepare and host in-person and virtual “Parents’ Night Out” events in your community. Visit the “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign website to learn more.

What if a child needs more support? The campaign’s Screen4Success tool, available via the “Talk.

They Hear You.”® mobile app, can help parents and caregivers better understand the health, wellness and wellbeing of their children and find resources to address their needs. Screen4Success asks questions about substance use, mental and physical health, general wellbeing and family life. This provides an easy way to identify areas where children may benefit from additional support. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to fill out the screener with their kids, as it provides opportunities for discussion at the moment. If that’s not possible, they can send it to their kids to complete on their own.

This May, in observance of National Prevention Week, pledge to start - and keep - talking with kids about underage drinking and other drug use prevention: because when you talk, they hear you!—

Breaking up with friends: How to know when it’s time to move on

Friendships are an essential part of living a fulfilling life. However, just like any other relationship, some friends are only meant to be part of your life for a reason or a season, rather than a lifetime. The problem is, no one really talks about how to evaluate your friendships and let go of the ones that are no longer adding value to your life.

While an overwhelming majority (77%) of respondents in a recent Bumble For Friends survey* believe that friends are one of the main factors to a happy and healthy life, 42% have never intentionally evaluated the existing friendships in their lives, and 1 in 4 (25%) agree that they are stuck in outdated friendships that no longer serve them.

Danielle Bayard Jackson, Bumble For Friends’ friendship expert, shares her advice on how to intentionally assess your friendships so that you can find peace in letting go of the ones you’ve outgrown. She suggests starting by asking yourself these questions: Does the friendship feel like an obligation? Many people have circumstantial friendships, meaning relationships that are mostly based on convenience, such as taking the same classes or having the same hobbies. Bumble For Friends’ survey* found that 1 in 3 (35%) people have these kinds of friendships they’re common, and they add value to life by offering a certain kind of companionship. However, when these friendships become obligatory, meaning that

you maintain them out of a sense of duty, it’s time to reassess.

Why are you maintaining the friendship? One of the most common reasons why people hold on to friendships that no longer serve them is that they feel they owe it to history. They may also feel scared that if they let a friendship go, they’ll have a hard time finding new friendships. If the reasons you’ve elected to keep a friendship don’t include a value-add to your life, then it might be time to mend or end the relationship.

What is maintaining the friendship costing you?

Holding on to a friendship that you aren’t genuinely interested in maintaining can lead to resentment, as you’re investing time, energy and emotional bandwidth that you most likely can’t afford. It can also impact your other friendships, as you’re dedicating space that you could be using on friends that fill your cup. There are only so many hours in the day, so it’s important to focus on friendships that positively impact your life.

If you decide that it’s time to part ways with the friendship, Jackson recommends a three-step formula for approaching the conversation: * Show that you’re intentional about the decision.

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than “you are never there for me when I need you...,” try saying, “I need friendships in my life that can prioritize and support me in times of need.” * Tell them how much you appreciate them and what your intention is for moving forward. This could be, “I have appreciated our friendship so much, and you have been such an integral part of my life.

However, I won’t be able to show up in this friendship in the same way that I have before.”

“Sometimes letting go is the first step toward creating a stronger friendship circle,” says Jackson. “Ending a friendship that no longer fits doesn’t make you mean or disloyal. Instead, it creates space for the both of you to be better positioned to invite new connections into your lives.”

If things have changed in your life and you feel

like you’ve maybe outgrown a friendship, Jackson suggests intentionally doing things to form new friendships - whether that be joining group activities, asking friends of friends to tag along to their next event, or downloading Bumble For Friends, the friendship-finding mode on the Bumble app. By putting yourself out there, you’ll be on the right track to creating a stronger social circle around you.

For more expert advice on building (and maintaining) strong friendships, visit bumble.com/bff. *Research was commissioned by Bumble and carried out online by Censuswide in February 2023 amongst a sample of more than 1,000 US adults who have either attended college or are currently in college.—

4 Tips for Upgrading Your Health, Continued from page 11 And when interruptions and sleepless nights do happen, people shouldn’t dwell on it because the stress can make it even harder to get back into a sleep rhythm. Joseph recommends accepting the interruption as a temporary lapse and trying again for better sleep the next night.

Dig into your diet. More sun and rising temperatures make it easier to find fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables, staples of a healthy diet. Eating plenty of whole foods, including vegetables and fruits, can lower blood pressure, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, help with digestion problems and have a positive effect on blood sugar, which can help keep appetites under control.

“Focus on what you can control around healthy eating choices and learn to adapt to things outside of your power,” suggests Joseph. “Look for chances to add color to your plate with fruits and veggies and cook with fresh ingredients when you can.”

In addition to support from your primary care physician, registered nutritionists and dietitians can help design a healthy eating strategy with the right mix of whole foods. In many cases, meeting with dietary experts can be done easily and conveniently online.

Take it outside. Joseph says one of the most important things you can do for your overall health is to prioritize getting enough physical activity. Getting daily exercise doesn’t have to be intense or complicated. Taking a quick walk around the neighborhood or local park can have significant benefits for everyone, no matter an individual’s fitness level.

“If you can, find a partner to help keep you mo-

tivated to move,” recommends Joseph. “Ask friends and family to work out with you, and make it unique to you. They’ll help you stay on track, and you’ll have more fun doing it.”

She advises that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to exercise, and that people need to try different activities until they find at least one that they enjoy enough to engage in regularly.

Pick up with your primary care provider. It is always easier to stay on top of health goals and priorities with an expert by your side. Your primary care provider (PCP) can help navigate every aspect of health and wellness, from a new health goal to a new health diagnosis.

Scheduling an appointment with a PCP is the best way to stay on top of health needs. Regular check-ins are key to disease prevention, controlling common chronic diseases, mental wellness and coordinating testing and specialist care, when it’s needed.

“Too often, I see that people wait to see a doctor until there is an issue or an emergency,” commented Joseph. “With regular visits, I can establish relationships with my patients and help them identify any potential concerns early and often. It saves a lot of time and pain down the road.”

While it may seem time-consuming to schedule and attend regular appointments, new digital tools - like virtual care - are making it easier than ever to check in with a PCP, wherever and whenever is convenient for you. Plus, companies like Teladoc Health offer access to primary care, chronic care, dermatology, nutrition services and more, all from one place, to help you seamlessly keep up with every aspect of your health.—

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Looking for a new career?

This is why the skilled trades offer great opportunities For anyone seeking a career that’s in demand and offers a wide variety of positions, the skilled trades and construction should be at the top of your list.

Whether you’re interested in construction, architecture and design, technology, finance, business administration, sales or HR, the array of jobs available in the field may help you find your perfect fit.

Benefits of working in the skilled trades. Because the skilled trades are in such high demand and the construction field is so vast, the sheer variety of positions allows not only for many different entry points into the industry, but also plenty of opportunities for advancement. At companies like 84 Lumber, the largest privately held building materials supplier in the nation, opportunities are varied and financially rewarding for people with or without college degrees.

“The opportunities are endless. Team members have started in the warehouse/yard and are now leaders within 84 Lumber,” observed Joe Jena, director of talent acquisition. “Careers in the skilled trades are valued, as we would not be able to live our everyday lives without them.”

Another advantage is that once you’ve acquired ex20

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perience in one sector, you can go on to learn other aspects of the industry, then advance to a supervisory role or even work toward owning your own business.

“The skilled trades provide not only an excellent career path with job stability, but also supports a person with entrepreneurial aspirations,” said Ken Kucera, vice president of installed sales and manufacturing, 84 Lumber.

Possibly the biggest benefit rests in how vital these roles are in society. “The genuine lack of skilled tradespeople is creating a dearth of labor, and a huge opportunity for those willing to learn new skills.

There simply aren’t enough skilled workers to keep the economy running if we don’t fill those roles,” said Matt Pabis, general manager of the truss plant in Coal Center, Pennsylvania, for 84 Lumber. “The possibilities and opportunities for success in the future are very great, either as a tradesperson or business owner in the skilled trades.”

Great jobs are available - with or without a fouryear degree While some positions in the field may benefit from the education a four-year degree provides, most jobs

are attainable with an associate’s degree, technical school certification or even just via on-the-job training.

“My college education was beneficial for the current role I hold. Having studied logistics, supply chain management, operations, inventory, etc. definitely gave me the foundation to build on in taking this role,” added Pabis. “But on-the-job training was integral in my advancement as a truss designer.”

If you’re on the fence about what kind of education you’ll need to succeed in a career, it’s worth weighing the cost and the time commitment of a four-year degree, along with the potential return on that investment.

“While a majority of recent graduates decide to pursue an education at a four-year school, skilled trades development is a lot quicker and, in most cases, provides the same type of return and faster opportunity to start advancing in a career,” explained Mauricio Bleichner, recruiting lead-components for 84 Lumber. “We encourage individuals to develop their skills with comprehensive training in carpentry, machine maintenance and architectural drafting.

These advanced programs offer recent graduates the opportunity to start a profitable career without incurring the cost of a four-year school.”

On-the-job training opportunities. These types of

positions are in such high demand that many employers will provide or support ongoing education to ensure that every employee can succeed, even if they begin with little to no experience or education under their belt.

“When I started, I had little construction experience, and no formal training,” recalled Casey Lemoi, install manager. “One thing 84 Lumber does is create a culture of learning. We have a whole department full of awesome people who are constantly developing new training and programs to help us further our careers within the company and construction trades.”

Wherever you are in your career path, it’s worthwhile to pursue a job in a field that will always be needed. “Skilled trades are in demand and will always be essential to society,” added Lemoi. “Skilled tradespeople are shaping the future of our world, one project at a time.”

National Skilled Trades Day is May 3, 2023.

Whether you want to be a chef or a plumber, a medical coder or a roofer, a construction worker or a vet tech, there are many options available.

Learn more about career possibilities at Careers.84Lumber.com.—

GetRuralLeaderMag.com |MAY 2023 21

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RuralLeaderMag.com | MAY 2023