16 minute read
KAREN GROSZ: Leaning into change in 2022
Change LEANING INTO in2022
WAY BACK WHEN, before I was the spiked hot chocolate version of me that I am now, I had the opportunity to work as a car salesperson. Now, there are a lot of things I could tell you about the car business, like the old “take their keys and keep them in the office waiting for the managers offer all day” trick. It was really painful but immensely effective.
I also learned that if you give a customer a lollipop, they’ll buy the car without too much banter. The lollipop lulls them into sweet gooey kids who always wanted a new car. What I didn’t know, when I signed onto the role, was that I’d not only learn just about everything I needed to know about humans, I’d learn a lot of things about me, as well.
Like, I don’t always pay attention to the details. Take for instance the time that I took the would-be customers on a test drive only to discover they were dropping off a bag of drugs and running from the police. Yes, I was still sitting in the backseat talking about the car, when the police lights flashed, and the doors flew open.
I also — and this was an insight I didn’t really expect — don’t like change. OK, OK, I really do like change, but only, and this is very important, if I initiate it. If you and I are going to dinner, I may change the location six times even when we are on the way because inspiration, or a commercial, gave me a better idea. If, however, I am on the way with the target loaded into Google Maps, and you change the location, or heavens forbid, the time, well, I turn into madam cranky pants. A lollipop won’t solve it.
I discovered this while going through a corporate training. When we came to the question about who on the team was the most vibrant, the entire team pointed to me, and I, as if to prove the point, glowed and took a bow. When the trainer asked who was the least likely to accept a policy change everyone again pointed at me. I was flabbergasted.
I loved change. I argued just a bit, but they were heartless and unrelenting, accusing me of being scary when it came to telling me about any changes that had been made while I was out of the building. Are you kidding?! Me? The vibrant one? I had a new haircut, we’d recently moved to a house I liked, we ate at the latest and greatest restaurants that I diligently discovered … oh, yeah … I liked change … that I initiated. Ouch.
I paid attention to that lesson, and have tried to be more open-minded about changes, but really, if I have decided how things are going to go, where we are going to sit, and whether or not we are staying to the end, isn’t it just easier to go along with my plans? Kidding aside, it is by leaning into change — both those that are my idea and those that aren’t — that has provided me with the most growth, the biggest opportunities, and the chance to live a life of wonder and grace. Adapting to change gives me, and the people I coach, strength.
So, here we are, day 9,287 of a pandemic, a pandemic that has rocked my world, and I would assume yours, with changes to just about every facet of our lives. Businesses have closed, events have morphed into new, changed-up versions of what they once were, and casual family dinners often contain the need to change the subject of conversation because no one agrees on what is right and what is wrong in a Covid world.
But in this, especially as we tumble and bumble to 2022, is the opportunity to change.
We can change where we work, how we work, where we go and don’t go, who we listen to, and who we spend our
Let’s lean into things that make us feel safe, things that make us laugh, and things that make us better humans for Beauty & the Beastthose around us.
Billings Studio Theatre presents “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Junior,” January 10th-13th. Brainy and beautiful Belle yearns to escape her narrow and restricted life including her brute of a suitor, Gaston.
Belle gets adventurous and as a result becomes a captive in the Beast’s enchanted castle! Dancing flatware, menacing wolves and singing furniture fill the stage with thrills during this beloved fairy tale about very different people finding strength in one another as they learn how to love.billingsstudiotheatre.com precious time with, because, in a Covid world, we are given, under everything else, the chance to stop, for a moment or a 10-day quarantine, and think about who we are, really, and who we want FRinge Festivato be, really, going forward. L This gift of change at times has felt forced upon us and, as I used to do, we’ve fought it so very hard, with temper tantrums and silent treatments. As a result, we’ve spun into miserly, miserable versions of ourselves. In other moments — the moments I hope you will have more of in 2022 — it has been the true gift of change, made with contemplation, insights and joyous discovery of new things that we truly enjoy. I often ask groups that I am coaching to come up with one true thing we can all agree on, and recently more than one group has said that 2022 won’t be like 2021, nor 2019 for that matter, and I have to agree. It will be a different, because time marches on as does science, and our need as humans to enjoy our world. We can choose, as I used to, to fight the changes 2022 brings, or we can fire up our pivot points, of which our bodies have many, and pivot with them. We can change into who we want to be, how we want to show up for those around us, and where, as I often do, we want to go to dinner. We are living in a time without rules. OK, there are lots of rules, but as far as who we can and can’t be, well, welcome the opportunity to change! Everything is up for renegotiation right now. It’s a Covid world and, it’s time to stop being stuck.
— Karen Grosz In 2022, let’s change into new improved versions of ourselves. Let’s lean into things that make us feel safe, things that make us laugh, and things that make us better humans for those around us. Let’s mourn our losses, walk away from our dramas, and live our lives as if they are the only lives we have to live, because, and I’m pretty sure you understand this about now, they are the only lives we have to live, and we can, no matter what, enjoy them. In 2022, our vacations might be staycations, our dinners out might be on our patio, in the snow, with candles to warm our fingers and a nip of gin to make us grin, but, and this is what I want you to hear, 2022 can be our year, no matter what changes we didn’t want to have thrown at us, because we are the women who read YVW, and we know a thing or two about changing the world. We are strong. We can pivot. And we can, by damn, be whomever we want to be. ✻
Venture Theatre presents its Fringe Festival, January 18th-19th and 25th-26th.The festival features four nights of shows featuring local and regional performing artists of all types including dance, standup comedy, theater improv, one act plays, musicals, performance art, spoken word/poetry, and puppetry.venturetheatre.org souL stReet danCe This high energy show comes to the Alberta Bair Theater on January 19th and presents a new era in dance, while pushing the artistic boundaries of street dance. Soul Street concerts consist of a mix of movement that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The music is combined with an electric mix ranging from hip-hop to classical. It’s a show that will make you laugh and keep audiences of all ages entertained. a ConCeRt FoR the whoLe FamiLy Billings Symphony presents its Family Concert on January 26th at the Alberta Bair Theater. Four time Grammy nominees, “Trout Fishing in America,” will perform along with the Billings Symphony. Trout Fishing in America is a musical duo which performs folk rock and children’s music. billingssymphony.com
KAREN GROSZ, writer
Growing up in the shadow of Mt. Rushmore gave
Karen an appreciation of high ideals. Living in
Alaska for 25 years gave her a frontier spirit. Life in Montana finds her building community. A selfdescribed "multipotentialite," she loves coaching others with her business, Canvas Creek Team Building.
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL?
Karen Grosz and YVW have joined forces to EMPOWER YOU to take
that step with an online class that takes you through the process of WRITING A BOOK. YELLOWSTONEVALLEYWOMAN.COM/WRITERS-CLUB Book Writer’ s Club
STANDING MAJESTICALLY next to the gray-tinted cliffs near Big Timber sits a gristmill rich with historic charm. The renewed 1874 mill sits inside a 262-year-old Dutch timber-frame barn that made its way cross country from the hills of South Carolina.
Today, the Greycliff Mill is home to the handiwork of Avery Brandstad and Rachel Lindsay. The two are now using the space to honor the craft of handmade foods and wares.
Matt Brandstadt came to Montana to live near his father, who relocated to the Big Timber area in 2017. Matt, who was born in Montrose, Colorado, grew up in New Mexico, finally settling in Texas near Waco. Right after high school, he went to work for Heritage Restorations, of which he is now a co-owner, establishing a presence in Montana.
Over the 20 years he’s worked for the company, he’s helped install timber-frame projects in China, Australia and New Zealand. His most memorable experience was “raising a frame in downtown Yokohama Japan,” one of Japan’s most populous cities.
Spending five summers on his father’s ranch with his family sparked the dream of living under the Big Sky. and his son spent eight months building their house, and in May, the rest of the family moved here, planting themselves in the new home built on 200 acres.
As the oldest child in a family of five boys and four girls growing up outside of Dallas, Avery says, “I was the second mom.” The responsibilities she undertook as a girl carry over to her life now. Matt and Avery married in 2005 and now have four children ranging in age from 4 to 15.
In cooking for her family, she says, “I cook whatever we have to cook.” The rhythm of her speech picks up as she continues: “I cook Greek. Then American, beef tenderloin or filet mignon.” Then she jumps to using garlic butter for grilling the meats and then talks of, “homemade sourdough crackers. We will get those on the shelves to sell.”
Along with homeschooling her children she is making jams, preserves and pie filling to sell along with soaps.
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© 2021 RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. All rights reserved. 21-BL-02592 (10/21) “My mother used to make soap,” she says. From the milk of a Jersey cow named Piper, she’s also producing mozzarella, yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese curds. A new cheese cave is also in the works.
“We are building a 32-by-72-foot greenhouse with a six-foot drop,” Matt says. Geothermal features will help pump warm water through pipes into the growing area. A tunnel is planned between the greenhouse to a cheese-aging cave.
“It is a full life,” Avery says. “It is a busy life. But we’re surrounded by a great support group,” including Elisha Sherman, manager of Greycliff Mill. Bimonthly farm-to-table dinners are offered, and quickly sell out because of their popularity. Once again, she talks excitedly of the opportunity for them to share nourishment with guests. Each dinner carries a theme.
“We have served food from India – Indian buttered chicken and masala. Mexican – wheat tortillas and beef fajitas.” For the holidays, the Thanksgiving-themed dinner brought farm-raised turkey to the table, and prime rib with sweet potato rolls for Christmas.
“We look at what we have in raw ingredients,” Elisha says. His talents were honed while working for a catering company in Texas, along with a stint cooking for President George W. Bush, eventually relocating from Texas to manage the Big Timber Bakery in 2016.
“We are looking for high-quality ingredients. We don’t want something that is mass produced,” Matt says. “We do not want feedlot-raised cows. We want grass fed, 100 percent of their lives.”
Elisha grinds the wheat used in Rachel Lindsay’s bagels. The 14-foot-diameter iron water wheel is propelled by spring water coming from three ponds on property. The water is held in a cistern for better regulation of water pressure used to rotate the grinding wheel. Finding the perfect grind is “by trial and error.” While processing upwards of 30 pounds of flour a day from hard winter red wheat, the speed of the grinder is fine-tuned to changes in humidity and temperature.
“The fresh ground flour is fluffier,” baker Rachel Lindsay says. “When flour sits longer, it doesn’t have much life to it.”
As a native of New Jersey, Rachel was familiar with New York bagels. “I found a few recipes and tweaked them,” she says. “I absolutely love baking. Baking is an art.” When it comes to bagels, she adds, “it is
best to know and feel.” She kneads and then boils her bagels in water before baking. She concentrates on producing bagels and has trained Anna Diaz to bake other items such as coffee cakes and cinnamon rolls.
“My dad loved desserts. My mother brought me cookbooks when I was a young teenager,” Rachel says. “I learned to bake lemon meringue pies, apple turnovers and made puff pastry. Mom enrolled me in a class in Austin, Texas, where I learned to decorate wedding cakes.”
If you go to the mill and sense a kind of family, you’re perceptive. “We’re an agricultural-based community,” Rachel says. “We feel strong ties to the land.” Priding themselves in being able to lend a hand to fellow neighbors, the spirit of hospitality continues at Greycliff Mill for all who visit. “I mostly love meeting new people,” Rachel says, “talking with locals and people coming from far off.”
To visit the Greycliff Mill, take the Bridger Creek Road exit coming from the east on I-90, and exit at Greycliff while traveling from the west. Grab an espresso and a pastry at a seat by the highceiling windows on glass-topped wine barrels under wagonwheel chandeliers. Your spirit, just like this old structure, will be forever restored. ✻
TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE at one of Greycliff Mill’s upcoming farm-to-table dinners or make reservations to stay on site at their 1870 restored cabin, visit greycliffmill.com.
“No one wants to end up with avocado hands,” Marguerite says. “This slices, de-pits and creates perfectly even slices to put on your favorite slice of toast.” Oftentimes, trying to remove the seed with a chef knife can be dangerous. The blades in this pitter makes for safe removal of the seed. Use this tool to help make Super Bowl guacamole.
Right Tools Right Tools THE FOR THE JOB
WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK UP NEW FLAVORS IN THE NEW YEAR
written by STELLA FONG photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN
AFTER HOLIDAY FEASTING and indulging, our bodies welcome foods that renew and refresh.
We turn to vegetables, fruits and legumes, embracing more simplicity. Preparing raw ingredients requires more care. There’s slicing, chopping and, at times, more cooking time compared to processed or pre-prepared foods.
Marguerite Jodry, owner of Zest, the kitchen and cookware store located downtown, suggests five tools that will help with healthier eating and easier preparation of those deliciously fresh home-cooked meals. ✻
LÉUKÉ SILICON MUFFIN CUPS and OXO GOOD GRIPS PRECISION BATTER DISPENSER
The silicon cups make for easier release of eggs, cake and other baked goods while the dispenser allows more precise division of the eggs in this recipe. It’s also perfect for pancake or cake batter.
“This is perfect for a grab and go breakfast,” Marguerite says. “Egg cups have been all the rage. People always want to know how to make the eggs found at the chain coffee shop.”
For a batch, Jodry recommends beating up one dozen eggs in the dispenser and seasoning with salt and fresh ground pepper. Line the cups with thinly sliced prosciutto and sprinkle in some crumbled feta cheese. Dispense eggs into cups and bake in oven preheated to 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Marguerite recommends removing the cooled eggs from the cups and wrapping them in plastic wrap to keep in the freezer for up to a month or in the refrigerator for one week. To reheat, cook frozen eggs in the microwave for 50 to 60 seconds and refrigerate eggs for about 15 seconds.
NUTRIBULLET
“This is perfect for making morning smoothies,” Marguerite says. The compact mini blender also makes smoothies, soups, dips and sauces. “If you are on the healthy band wagon, this is for you. Make dressings, small batches of hummus, pureed soups and pesto.”
MASONTOPS COMPLETE STARTER KIT
This kit comes with two sprouting lids and two sprouting seed packages – Crunch Bean Mix and Sandwich Booster Mix. Mason jars, with their clear walls, let light pass through for optimal growth, and can be sterilized in the dishwasher between sprouting batches.
NORDICWARE EXTRA LARGE OVEN CRISPING BAKING TRAY
“I love this, especially for big families,” Marguerite says. “The tray fits into a standard size oven. This is perfect for a busy family who wants to cook once to feed for several days.” For the aluminum tray with a carbon steel rack, Marguerite shared this one pan salmon, green bean and new potato dinner.
Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Toss ½ pound halved new potatoes with olive oil, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Spread potatoes onto the rack and bake for 25 minutes or until brown. Push potatoes onto one side. Toss green beans with olive oil, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add to rack along with four one-third-pound salmon filets brushed with olive and seasoned with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
