From Grizzlies to Galas

I met some REALLY interesting people while providing hospitality and other support at this three day event and feel so fortunate for the opportunity!  After chatting with Christian Wallowing Bull , an indigenous singer-songwriter from Wyoming, several times over the weekend, I was able to hear him perform during an early morning pasture walk on the Mannix Ranch. On each occasion that we spoke he expressed his gratitude for being there. I am very confident that gratitude was a common emotion among Old Salt Festival attendees, certainly by me. Christian Wallowing Bull Although not a headliner, my favorite performer of the weekend was Zia Blue , a former American Idol contestant who wowed me not only with her talent, but with her youthful spunk, sparkling smile and her vulnerable sharing about how hard it is to make it in the music industry.  Her style is pop country and she performed both well-known covers and songs that she wrote herself. Zia was accompanied on keyboard by her brother a

My role as an outsourced assistant presents varied, interesting and new experiences.        The Old Salt Festival certainly fell into the interesting and new categories,                          as well as being a lot of fun! I assume I am not alone in my failure to take the time to make really good meals. However, this past week I have given more thought to the art of a good nutritious meal.  I enjoyed some fantastic and varied charcuterie treats from The Union butcher department that were created at The Old Salt Festival.  The liver pate was excellent and even the strawberries were better than any grocery store-bought berry I have every eaten. The sight of a big cow tongue was a little unsettling, but I got past it! Eduardo Garcia of Bozeman, MT, known as the "bionic chef" due to his prosthetic left arm, created a sumptuous pairing of savory and sweet for the attendees to enjoy. He wears his "celebrity chef" hat well as he was very generous with his time and energ

Photo credit Matthew Paulsen My Montana trip has been peppered with opportunities to support the Old Salt Co-Op , primarily for the Festival, but also with other facets of the organization. I have spent a few dinner hours getting to know not only the Old Salt team, but also their customers as I circulated among them to promote the Festival. It's funny how opportunities pop up. Last Saturday I met Matt Paulsen , a local marketing entrepreneur and photographer,  to have some professional photos taken for my marketing purposes and he invited me to the Helena Young Professionals (HYP) networking social that followed our session. On my way to the social I popped into The Union, grabbed a stack of Old Salt Festival postcards and arrived at the HYP social ready to share the event details. The Festival was a great talking point as most of the attendees had some knowledge of the event, or at least the two sister restaurants in town, and welcomed learning more. The New York Times featured an

One of my much anticipated to-do's this trip was to spend some time both supporting and learning at Camp Mak-A-Dream (CMD) in Goldcreek, MT. CMD provides a medically-supervised Montana experience to individuals and families affected by cancer. Last January, I had the opportunity to spend time with George Laufenberg , CMD Executive Director,  and Jennifer Benton , CMD Director, when they traveled to Philadelphia to network. The goals were to grow CMD awareness, and with it referrals to the camp, and also to recruit medical volunteers who are essential to the camp operation. We attended the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation   Lemon Ball in suburban Philadelpha together to give them exposure to a larger scale non-profit fundraiser as they expand their own development function and also plan for CMD 30th anniversary celebrations in 2025. I was able to support their efforts through strategic introductions and by providing hospitality as George and Jennifer "friendraised." N

Photo credit Matthew Paulsen Thanks to the warm hospitality by the Helena, MT airport staff-member whom I encountered in the elevator, I was able to secure a Sunshine Taxi operator who safely and efficiently took me to where I am staying and will take me back to the airport at the end of my stay. With a population of 35,000+, Helena isn't large enough to support a robust Uber/Lyft network that I have come to take for granted back home. I feel a little lucky to be alive. A couple of days into my trip, I was driving down the street near where I am staying and there was neither a stop light, nor a stop sign so I proceeded. As I entered the intersection, I observed that the cross street did not have stop signs either. What?? I made an inquiry of a local resident who informed me that they are called uncontrolled intersections . Maybe this is what people mean by the wild wild West! I have had two terrific meals since my arrival. My first dinner out was at The Union in downtown Helen

I have to admit that I am a little nervous. I am going to Montana!  I am not new to traveling and it won’t be my first time in Montana, but for some reason this trip has me feeling a little bit out of my comfort zone. Well, maybe, more than a little bit. But I am up for the challenge! To provide context, I grew up outside of Washington, DC in Bethesda, MD and have lived for many years in Main Line Philadelphia, named for the railroad line that connects the towns running west from Center City Philadelphia (what we call "downtown" here). As some of you know, I provide outsourced lifestyle management services, meaning executive assistance, personal assistance and estate management services to clients who typically have busy complicated lives. I take things off their plate to quiet the chaos and preserve their time. This trip to Montana is a work trip with several objectives. I will make and build relationships with people with whom my clients do business that will enable me to b