A long, long time ago, on a wing and a prayer I started a news network. It wasn’t designed to be a news network, it was a job for a person without a job, in a small town in Montana.

After a year, I was anchoring 40 newscasts per day, so I had to hire someone, because I’m also a mom. In 19 years, it may feel to an outsider, as if we’ve hired one new person each year, but actually there have been too many to count (at least 200 anchors have come through since the beginning). And it feels like 10,000. Sometimes they last a month, sometimes a year, five or ten, and the rare 19 years with me. And sometimes they last one day.

I hired someone about ten years ago, and when I asked for their news so I could listen back, it felt like they were reading the newspaper, so I transcribed the recording into Google as they spoke, and sure enough it was… verbatim. So, they were gone, toot sweet.

I’ve worked hard to get the group I have now. I’ve had to tone myself down, take deep breaths, and pause. This has not come easily. Sometimes I’ve felt as though I was rolling my eyes all the way back into the back of my head with some of the excuses I’ve heard. I’ve had to fire people; I’ve had people fire me, and I’ve had to realize people are human and living their own experience which has exactly nothing to do with me. I’ve been awakened by master control in the middle of the night and have had to jump out of bed and anchor while half asleep. I’ve had to anchor late at night, then again, the next morning. And I’ve laid on the ground with horrific migraines because I was working too hard and quietly called co-workers to help while sitting in a closet so I wouldn’t wake my kids. I have spent years not sleeping. But hey, I’m living a dream that not many enjoy.

I had an awakening when one of my hardest workers didn’t show up one morning. I was immediately pissed off, because of my past management experience. But I didn’t sit with it long enough, and there was no time. But I remembered, this person is gold. And when the client is concerned, and I want the client to be very happy, it can get chaotic. So, what could have happened to cause this I wondered. Their spouse had a heart attack. So, then I felt like a piece of poop. 💩

You can imagine how many times I have felt raw human emotion in 19 years. It has brought me to my knees. Now when people come aboard and stick with me, and understand my humanity, these are my people. I am concerned when they are concerned. My people call each other family and jump to help each other and me. I never anticipated this would happen or they would feel that way. We’ve been through it! Cancer, strokes, heart attacks, un-named illnesses and family tragedies. We have cried together, we have laughed together. We are living this human experience… together.

So, imagine my horror when a newbie comes along without any knowledge or background into my story and tells me they feel that I am exploiting these family members. Words matter, and I was horrified. They were up late, they were emailing me repeatedly, without the knowing. They quit, and while I was initially upset, I shook it off because my story doesn’t go like that. (*Also emailing a new manager repeatedly in the middle of the night is not a good look.)

People may think I cut people off, out of my life or my company too quick, or that I’m abrupt or too forward. Honestly, I don’t have time for them, I just want the gold, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask for. ⭐️