You're listening to Women Infused Radio, where women in the marketplace connect with purpose and spirit, where the conversation covers all things women, business, and fascinating faith. And now, your host, Christy Lynn Olson. Hello, and welcome to Episode 22 of the Women Infused Radio Podcast Show. Today's show features an interview I did with Janelle Barksdale, the beautiful Janelle Barksdale, one of our co-authors of our Women Infused two-volume book series entitled, We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight, Women of Faith in the Marketplace, available now on Amazon.com.
Janelle Barksdale has been in the banking industry for 28 years and now serving in sales and leadership development for the 36 banking centers of the DFW region of Prosperity Bank. She is a mother of a daughter, which serves as the inspiration for her desire to model healthy female relationships. Janelle believes that with the negative influences in the world, it is so important that she not only speak into the life of her daughter, but that she live a life that she finds worth emulating. Janelle is also passionate about the organization that she recently founded, Roses and Thorns, and she works to execute its mission, which is intimate conversations that transform, liberate, and empower the lives of women.
They have a very effective and innovative model of a conversation tool that I found really interesting that you can use with young women to identify and express what is in their hearts and what their pain points might be. I have a website link in the show notes, also a link to her new book, Roses and Thorns. As I spoke with Janelle prior to our interview, I fell in love with her sense of humor, purpose, and passion for all that she does. Janelle is a leader and a servant.
She is also a self-admitted great cook, mediocre driver, behind the wheel and directionally, and an awful handyman. Now those are her words, but she's real, she's transparent, and she doesn't separate any part of herself to execute the purpose God has for her life. One thing Janelle said to me stood out most of all. She said, I bring all of who I am to every assignment given to me.
That statement right there just speaks to my heart cry as I endeavor to help women step into their assignments using all of their gifts. I want them to use their full voice, not just an echo of themselves. Let's listen in now to my interview with Janelle Barksdale. Today I want to welcome to the Women Abused Radio Show.
Janelle Barksdale. Janelle, I am so excited to interview you. Now you are one of the co-authors on the recent book series, We Walk by Faith and Not By Sight. And something about your intro struck me.
So before I get into that, I just want to say welcome, Janelle, and we're so glad that you're here. Chrissy, thank you so much. I'm so thrilled to be part of Women Abused and to talk about women of faith in the workplace. Well, it's definitely an area that I think a lot of men have been talking about faith in the workplace recently, but I don't know about you.
I have not noticed a whole lot of women have the conversation. So I'm hoping that we can kind of start a new conversation or complete the ones that have already been started. Have you seen a lot of women in the marketplace kind of ministry materials? I've not seen that happen.
I think there has been a real distinctive divide between making sure when we're present at work, that we're present at work and we are driven and that we're showing our equalness. And so I don't see a lot of infusion with talking about family and talking about faith and talking about ministry. It really is this focused concentration on competing. Oh, wow.
And that is a word. We are definitely going to talk about that because I've always believed we have to do this kind of completion versus competition. And so let me back up a little bit before we get into that. And in the bio, we talk a lot about what industry you're in and who you are professionally.
But I love that in the book you wrote, you were a great cook and a mediocre driver. And you and I talked briefly before we started the interview a little bit about that, but that tells me you're funny. You don't take yourself too seriously, but you definitely know what your limits are. So tell me a little bit about how have you kind of adapted?
It sounds like you're an introvert. You said standing in the shoes of an extrovert. There's a plus and minus to that. Has it helped you or limited you being an introvert in the marketplace?
Well, that's a really great question. And I will start by saying I'm a twin and my twin is a recognized introvert. I, however, have not been a recognized introvert because all of the roles that I've held all require me to be an extrovert. And that's why I phrased my introduction to say that I am an introvert standing in the shoes of an extrovert.
It has been a benefit to me because it does allow me to have a reflective approach to anything that I need to present or design. And I find that that has been very helpful because I act through the role of an extrovert. I can appeal to that audience, but because I am by nature an introvert and I get my resources and my strengths and my, I get re-built, if you will, through self-reflection and in some ways, a form of isolation so that I can rebuild and be prepared for the next experience. And so if I have an introvert as an audience, I can also appeal to them because I get how they approach information.
And so I found it to be a benefit and not necessarily have hindered me in any way. And that's, I'm glad you said that because I think sometimes the extroverts get all the glory and people tend to look on them, but I am an introvert as well and who has learned exactly like you, has learned how to function in the marketplace very effectively, yet how I recharge is the difference. And if I get too many one-on-one conversations, I need to pull back because now I'm on overload. So those are actually gifts, I think, because you said you can understand how other people process information or you know what that looks like, kind of that give and take.
And along with our gifts, we typically have strengths. Now, I know you've taken the Strength Finder 2.0 assessment and your strengths, your core five, were achiever, maximizer, arranger, responsibility, and learner. And I love those combinations. But of the five, do you think one or two have kind of jumped to the surface at certain times that have helped you the most as far as all the things you just said about being effective in the marketplace?
Yeah, I have noticed that. I think there are a couple that have actually hindered me, and there's a couple that really have been just that lead point in how I've been able to navigate effectively in my workplace. And so my Strength Finder characteristic of being a learner has really aided me in being able to capture concepts, always digging to find out more information, not being satisfied with the surface results that have led to being able to really dig a layer deeper and always finding that content that is necessary to execute in my job role. The other strength that has served me well has been that of a maximizer.
And with a maximizer ability or a skill set, I'm able to draw people in and get them connected and participate and help them to discover their strengths and discover the things that have been possibly hidden by things that can be celebrated in their accomplishments and draw them in to participate in a project or to, even if they're working independently, discover what those strengths or abilities are. And so that's also been an aim to me in my career. I love how you explained that about the maximizer, that it helped pull out the strengths in others. So it wasn't just a skill or a strength you had, but it helped someone else in the process.
Right. Now, so you also said some of them have hindered you. So that actually, I've never heard anyone say that. So give me an example of how a strength has hindered you.
Well, I consider my strength of being an achiever to have hindered me in the sense that I am highly driven. And so being as driven as I am, it doesn't allow me the spacing that I need to really even appreciate what project or what deliverable or anything that has accomplished. I'm moving right on to the next thing because I'm just driving forward. I'm checking things off my list.
So I find while that is an identifiable strength, it also does serve to not allow me those causes that as an introvert actually needs. The other one I think is that I would consider as a strength, also have some challenges to it, is my strength of being responsible, that responsibility strength, that I really have this nice set of rules that I need to follow. And some people would say that they would define that as control. And so if I see that there are a set of rules or that there are expectations to be met, I don't only apply them to myself.
I require them to be executed by those around me and we'll hold them accountable to what those set of rules or navigation prompts are. And so that responsibility, while it is good because it does create structure and it does create making sure that a project navigates and moves along the initiative well, but it can also create that need for control and really massage that in me. And so that can also be a challenge. Oh, I totally understand that.
And I love that you kind of explained that a little more. So what I'm thinking is there's for every strength, there's a shadow side to that. And so if we go too far on the other side, it could have consequences in our workplace, in our relationships, as you just described. So thank you for explaining a little more about that.
Now, we know you've been in the financial banking industry for almost 30 years, and you said in the book that it wasn't your first choice. So could you tell us a little more about how, in a moment that seemed totally random early on in your career, that God actually had a plan for you in this industry? It was such a Jeremiah 2911 experience for me because I always had the ability to talk. I think that's why people assume that I'm an extrovert because there are not typically a lot of gaps in my experience where there's silence.
And so I was in that position where I thought, I want to be a broadcast journalist. I was editor of my high school paper. I enjoyed writing. I liked to find out information, had this natural curiosity.
So I thought I was going to go into journalism. And then I turned on a TV, I was looking through stations, and saw Oprah Winfrey for the first time on TV. And I thought, well, she looks like me. And I can do that.
And so I found myself trying to change the cadence in which I spoke and really articulated. And I thought, this is where I'm going. So I actually enrolled in the University of Missouri-Columbia as a journalism student because that's where I thought I was going to land. However, prior to that, I was in a grocery store just checking out groceries.
And because my dad required that I get a job on my hand, we're often in most individuals in our family and thought that would be a good way for me to execute and let out release some of my energy as well as put a little something in my pocket. And so I really enjoyed the independence that a job gave me. And so it wasn't that I had fun at what I was doing. It was just that I was really engaged and really inspired by work itself.
And I happened to have repeat clients, and they would come through my lane, and we'd have great conversations. And so one of them would say, you know, you have way too much personality to be at the grocery store. They gave me a business card and wanted me to come in to interview for a teller position at the bank. And I'm still in high school.
And I thought, is this right? Is this being correct? I'd go home, and at dinner I'd share it with my parents, and they'd give me the permission to interview for this job. And I was hired on the spot.
And so it seemed as if it was this kind of path advanced, and it just happened. I know now that it was the hand of God leading and directing me into what, as you say, has become a 30-year passion for me. Wow. You know, and again, you're using the strengths.
And so what you were exhibiting when you were working at the grocery store, definitely people saw that. Someone could say, hey, she's relatable. She's personable. She's a maximizer.
You know, she is responsible. All of those strengths that we just talked about. Yet, fast forward, you know, you ended up having to have this job that has just blessed you beyond measure. And I definitely want to dig a little deeper in that.
But before I even do that, I want to ask you this question. So you kind of switched careers. It found you. You're in an industry that can be pretty straight-laced, a lot of rules, a lot of regulations.
And as a woman of faith, we're called to be salt and light in the world. And I guess my question is, how have you learned in hindsight? You have a great story about salt, and you may want to share that with our listeners. But how have you learned the value and the purpose of the salt as you are out and involved in the world?
Chrissy, that's such a wonderful question. And I think what I discovered over time is that the world and narrowing that go down to your workplace, they need you to be salt. They are looking for you to be salt. And that confidence to just be who God calls you to be is in demand.
And so when I was younger, I shared what you were reflecting to, I just love to see salt come out of a salt shaker. I don't know what the fascination of it was, but I certainly had one. And as soon as I found out in the kitchen by myself with a salt shaker, I would just let it shake, and I would have this mound that looked like this crystal mountain that I would really then take in and enjoy, until I had to figure out how do I get the salt back in the kitchen. Just really tighten that process through.
And so there's always little brainials left on my mother's otherwise perfect table cake. And so I was really drawn with what it looked like. And I think oftentimes there is this draw to what Christianity and what loving God looks like, and wanting to be attracted and find out what is that. And then later, I got older, and I spent time with my mother in the kitchen, and she's an amazing cook, and she was using salt in her cooking, and explained that the absence of salt will give your food blandness.
It will not, you will lose that flavor. And so over-salting it, giving it too much, that'd be outside of your purpose, it will then be inedible. And so, and then again, spiritually, it won't be received. But when you apply the appropriate amount of salt, you stay in the lane that God has assigned you, it really gives that flavor and that taste, and for those in your audience to enjoy.
And so now, I understand that salt has a purpose. So it's attractive, but it's also perfect. It's in the marketplace. There's a demand for it.
Definitely a demand, but you also, it sounds like you take responsibility for that. You know, you want to be responsible for influencing the environment. And, you know, truth is, the profound truth, I thought, just even in that story, was once the salt is out, it's out there for the world to see. So you were thinking, well, how do I get it back in?
But the reality is, once you step into that space, in your words and in your actions, that is who you are, but you're responsible for executing that purpose in the workplace. And that's what I hear you saying. Would you agree with that? Oh, absolutely, I agree with that.
And even in those little granules that I just kind of didn't capture, so I'm trying to clean up from my salt mound, you know, there was a residue that was left present. And so when I walk into a space, I'm not eating salt. There is a residue that I leave behind. And so in the conversation that I have with someone, the touch that I make, and it just may be a casual, you know, how are you doing?
I reach in and tap a shoulder. It's in being able to be that person that people can come to you and say, this is an experience I'm having within myself or my family or my friends. Can you pray for them? It is those experiences that there is a residue that's present.
And even a week later, there is when someone comes into a conference room behind me or that they are, it is somewhere I've been, that there is a presence that's still there, that they have the experience of. And so I really value that role of being a salt for the marketplace. where i've been assigned and that can really take a lot of time and so as you're busy serving you're being salt and light you're doing your job to the best of your ability because you are the responsible woman that you are so you're going to take on everything you can how do you kind of structure your time to reflect all those things that you need to do but not lose yourself in the process um you know i think that we become so busy and because of my strengths and as an achiever i'll be one of them i have to be very careful with uh having business in my life when someone tells me oh i need you to do this because you've done it you know well in the past that is like a boost of energy it is like plug me into the wall and let me go but that can also be dangerous if i am just inconsistent uh pursuit of accomplishment and so i've learned over time to really have i don't call it balance it's purpose it's being on purpose and so i used to use my cell phone as malar what would happen though once that device got in my hand here i am into my day and i am reading emails and responding and i'm automatically drawn in and my feet have not even touched the floor and so making sure that i carve out time and i intentionally start my day with prayer and focus meditation so that god starts my day if he plans what my day is going to be in this line on him and i don't use my cell phone in that way any longer so that i can really focus on being intentional about how my day begins and that's the start and then from there oh i'm just gonna say it's all about choices and that's what you're saying you're saying you know we have a choice we do have a choice and we can either allow our day to be directed by someone else through their ask and request and and yes i'm not saying to stray away from accomplishing your your job and satisfying why you were hired but there are even when i'm within my work day i have going to a rhythm where i don't re-email i think i mean i have that dedicated time that i will re-email and so i'm only touching it once and so as you spoke about it being a choice it really is making sure when my day starts with is that it's god-centered and that even throughout my day i'm not being drawn and dragged and pulled i am in control of what i allow my attention to be focused on and so at 10 a.m i will read email and i will respond to everything or i will assign it to someone so it's off my plate and it's not just hanging in my inbox where i opened it but then i recognize i don't have time to do that right now no this is my blocked time and so it's making those type of decisions and choices so that your day is under a level of control and you're not being dragged around hey it's christy again that was just the first half of my interview with janelle barksdale to hear the full interview where we talk more about how she dealt with her own version of mommy guilt plus her new venture called roses and thorns you will need to download the women infused app there you will find the full interviews from our we walk by faith book series and exclusive bonus materials to help you walk out your own journey of faith in the marketplace you can download the free women infused app at womeninfusedapp.com there's a link here in the show notes when you download the app on your mobile device register to log on and then go to the channel icon on the bottom of your screen there you will find the women infused podcast channel where you can find janelle's full interview episode 22 you can also get your free copy of the e-book love notes of encouragement for women of faith in the marketplace there is a link to the free e-book devotional when you click on the episode 22 podcast could you do me a favor tell all your friends to download the women infused app at women infused app.com our vision is to reach 1 million women for christ with faith teachings lifestyle information and practical business and leadership principles for women of faith and if you know anyone who you think would like to have their own broadcast channel on our network please have them contact me by email at christy at christine lindolson.com there's a link to my email in the show notes i'd love to chat with them about it so goodbye for now and remember alone you are significant but together we are amazing this has been women infused radio connecting women around the globe with purpose and spirit and we want to connect with you get your free gift unveiled voices six things you need to do to define your value voice and vision for more information on the free gift and links to join the conversation on social media visit us at christylinolson.com