Leading with an Abundance Mindset

Alana Muller
Welcome to Enterprise.ing, a podcast from Enterprise Bank & Trust that's empowering business leaders one conversation at a time. Each week we'll hear from top business professionals about lessons on leadership and entrepreneurship that they've learned along the way. I'm your host, Alana Muller, an entrepreneurial executive leader whose primary focus is to connect, inspire, and empower community. We at Enterprise Bank & Trust thank you for tuning into another episode.

Hello, listeners. Welcome back to Enterprise.ing Podcast. Today, help me welcome Torrie Taj to the studio. Torrie is the CEO of Child Crisis Arizona, where she provides support and leadership to her team to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect, creating safe kids and strong families. Torrie Taj, welcome to Enterprise.ing Podcast.

Torrie Taj
Thank you for having me today.

Alana Muller
I'm delighted to have you here. So if you would, tell us how you got started with Child Crisis Arizona. I would love to know what drew you to the organization and how the agency supports children and their families.

Torrie Taj
So I was drawn to Child Crisis Arizona…it was a merger of two similar organizations. And I had 24 years of my career at another organization and really oversaw the mergers, the acquisitions, and the growth of that organization. And when I heard that Child Crisis Arizona and Crisis Nursery were merging, I got really excited. And so [I] had somebody tap me on the shoulder and ask me if I'd be willing to talk to them about a potential opportunity. One thing led to another, and nine years later, I'm here today and I'm really happy about that.

Alana Muller
That's so great. That's so great. How does the merged organization operate in the community to really address the needs of children?

Torrie Taj
We have a holistic approach to wellness and education within our prevention and intervention programming. Our name is Child Crisis Arizona and “crisis” is our middle name, so we will always be responding to that intervention piece to children and youth in crisis. But the new entity really focuses on this holistic approach and how we can't just be that intervention piece. We really need to prevent child abuse and neglect and help families along the way.

Alana Muller
Yeah…are you finding that that is…has the approach changed over time? Are there new methodologies or new interventions that you're able to advocate for earlier on so that you really can engage in that prevention piece?

Torrie Taj
Absolutely. Our prevention piece, and we're very intentional about that, is early education. And catching children upstream before it's too late, helping new parents learn what it is to be a new parent, and those opportunities to take parenting classes, and through every stage of a child's development, be there and walking hand in hand with new parents and families to help them with their children evolving over time. And so, we have really loved that early education component for families and for young children to be with us all day long.

Alana Muller
That's really amazing and I think, special. It strikes me that relationships are truly at the heart of this. That being able to engage with the families, engage with the children, engage with the parents directly, and probably I'm guessing, other advocates and allies around them. Let's talk a little bit more about that. I'd love to know how you are able to cultivate authentic relationships with the community in general, with your donors, with your own team. What does that look like for you on a daily basis?

Torrie Taj
I love to build relationships. And good fundraisers or good leaders of their organization, they know the value of relationships. And so this job is about building relationships. And I am not working in the business, but I'm working on the business. And so number one with the team, so, people first, building relationships with my core team, the other officers, the leaders here at the organization…

We take time once a week at the beginning of every meeting, how are you, a personal check-in and how was your weekend? Of course, people can pass, but that's just something that it's really always worked for me and I feel seen and heard and valued. And so we continue with that ritual for people. And then for building teams and networking, it's with donors as well and supporters.

It's going to those coffees, it's inviting them in to the pancake breakfast that we're having for the children and their families. It's letting them get a glimpse behind the scenes to see the work that's happening. And so those relationships, it's very important. It's key.

Alana Muller
Yeah, I love that, and couldn't agree with you more. I think really in any industry, any business, anything that people find themselves engaged with. And as you're addressing the needs of children to make stronger communities, I think that obviously that is central to the story. One of the values that I admire about you specifically is your approach to the way you live life.

You live life with abundance. And I think that that is a cool expression. It's not just an expression for you, but it's something that you embody. What does that mean to you and how does that manifest itself, this notion of a life of abundance? How does it manifest itself in your work and with your family?

Torrie Taj
Great question. Abundance with my family…so first of all, everything that I have been given as a daughter, as a granddaughter, as a person, I truly feel it's my responsibility to pay that forward to my kids. And so that is a way that I parent. I want to love unconditionally, and I want to help my kids get through college because that was a gift that my parents and grandparents helped me with.

And so I live with that idea of abundance. Now, hard work is no stranger in my family and my children and I. My grandparents were farmers. And so it's that every single day you have things to do. But, I love that living by abundance. And so, it's enjoying colors and having colors on the wall. It's enjoying art. It's going to the “Mamma Mia!” musical at our local theater here.

It's bringing home fresh flowers from Costco once a month when you do your Costco run. And so, it's taking time out to appreciate the full moon. That's how I do it with my family. And this summer I got to go on an amazing trip. And towards the end of my trip, two out of my three kids could come and join me. And so it was great to be able to invite them to share in that special opportunity. So that's a little bit about my [inaudible].

Alana Muller
Yeah. Do you see that at work? What does that look like for you at work?

Torrie Taj
Well, at work it's interesting because it's the same. And when I started at Child Crisis Arizona nine years ago, I said, if my children wouldn't go to preschool here, if I wouldn't feel comfortable sending my children to preschool here, then I don't want other children coming to preschool here. And so that's the bar we have, folks. And if I wouldn't want my kids to come and stay in this shelter, should I be having a mental health issue or I couldn't care for my children, this is the safety net we have here.

And so I would want a shelter environment where it's very home-like with loving staff and just an environment that feels warm and friendly and open with lots of bright light and nice smells and sounds and a great temperature. And so I think the abundance really can affect your personal abundance mentality, can truly affect the children and the families that you're serving in your work life or we are serving here at Child Crisis, and then with employees, too.

One of the things that the board, when they recruited me, they wanted to pay at least median salaries, but better than and up to 75%, and I really loved that and embraced that. And so I'm able to pay that forward for the individuals on my team and aspire to make sure that there is enough so that people have a livable wage and that we have the benefits that we all need for healthcare and those sorts of things.

Alana Muller
Fabulous. I mean, it sounds like you really take almost a sensory approach to this, that you're appreciating every sense, every sense, and that addressing people's needs, but then also these other things that just enhance life and enhance the world around us. And I think that's a really nice way to behave and a wonderful way to lead and to operate. So bravo to you. With that in mind, what's something that you're working on now that you're especially excited about?

Torrie Taj
Well, as we speak today, I am standing in a brand new building. And this building that I am in, and we are slowly moving in…we have grown, we've more than doubled, tripled our services at Child Crisis Arizona. And so by headcount of employees, by numbers of individuals we're serving, we ran out of space, like literally ran out of space. So, the board had a strategic initiative to grow, and this abundance theory really helped us to create this new Center for Child and Family Wellness. It's a building built through philanthropic support and something called the New Markets Tax Credits.

Alana Muller
Oh yes, I know all about this. Talk about that. Talk about New Markets Tax Credit. This is, I think, a really neat opportunity for not-for-profits who can plan in advance. Talk about that.

Torrie Taj
It's an incredible program to help you leverage the dollars coming in the door and the building you're going to build. If a nonprofit is located in a specific zip code, in a specific census tract serving a specific category of individuals who are 100 to 200% below the average income, you are in a great position to look into this New Markets Tax Credit.

Really it helped us with our bridge financing. It helped us do all the amazing things that we're doing here today and this unbelievable building where we're going to serve more children and families. And our employees have bright light and trees and flowers and great materials.

Alana Muller
Phenomenal. Congratulations on that. I know that it's certainly a process to get that. I know you and I both serve in our own respective cities on the Enterprise Bank Advisory Boards, and that's something that our advisory board in Kansas City talks a lot about are the New Markets Tax Credits and the advanced planning and the effort that goes into it. When it works, it's really a remarkable, beautiful thing. So I'm so happy for you and for Child Crisis in Arizona.

Torrie Taj
Thank you. Yeah, we are looking forward to doing more in the future because it was a win-win for everybody. And for the banks, for the investors, for our community as a whole, we're able to have this beautiful building because of those New Markets Tax Credit.

Alana Muller
Phenomenal. Phenomenal. On the flip side of that, everybody who's in business, as you know, faces some kind of obstacle or challenge. Is there a specific obstacle or challenge that you were able to overcome and emerge stronger as a leader? And do you have advice for other leaders who might be facing similar challenges?

Torrie Taj
Yeah, you bet. So a couple come to mind. One specific to our business is that individuals say, "Oh, what you do is really sad." And it's just like, "How can you ever change or move the needle in the foster care system?" And so people feel like it's a failure in all the states, and we haven't figured this thing out yet. However, I think of the starfish parable, if you've heard of that, about the little boy.

Alana Muller
Yes, I have.

Torrie Taj
And there's thousands and hundreds of thousands of starfish, and he's throwing them back in the water one by one. And the older gentleman comes up to this young boy and says, "Well, you can't possibly think this is going to make a difference." And he just continued to throw the starfish back into the ocean saying, "It did to that one. It did to that one." And so that is what it's like for us. It is not a perfect system.

There is never enough government funds to fund the kind of work that we do. So that's why the partnerships and the networking with the community is key critical. And so having those deep relationships and making sure you know who your audience is who would like to support the work that you're doing. So, it's not a failure and we are moving the needle.

And I feel like we are moving the needle on that by educating young children and their families so that they can live a healthy life with the tools that they need in order to parent. Because most children in the foster care system, it's a generational cycle of poverty, abuse, neglect, you continue with that word. It's generational and it continues. So once we can stop it and prevent it from happening, it's that next generation where we're really going to see it. So, that's one long answer to turning failure into fuel, if you will.

Alana Muller
Love it. Yeah, absolutely. Well, and I think to your point, you're not just saving one life, you're saving a generation. You're saving all the other people in that individual's life. You're making a difference that... don't know, I would say that it's almost immeasurable how much of an impact you're having. So I love that you're using the starfish parable as the example. I think that makes perfect sense.

Torrie Taj
And I think the other thing is nine years ago, really the organizations we're talking about, they kind of were known for certain things. And when you get a new set of eyes and a new board of directors coming in, and you disrupt it a little bit, by design. And so we not only serve just the little kids anymore in congregate care or shelter. We said, if we're going to do this right and really truly help children and youth and families, we can't stop at age 10. So today, we serve as soon…

So we even went a step before they come to shelter or end up in foster care system. We now provide every single newborn baby, the parents, a parent kit in Arizona. Every single baby in every hospital and birthing center get a resource kit. And we might have some diapers in there or some toothpaste in there or some other household things, but it's a list with resources and our online training links to learn about giving your a newborn a bath and potty training basics or anything.

So we do that and we now serve children past the age of 10. We serve all teenagers and youth who are actually aging out of the foster care system at 18. They're not ready. And our homelessness issue here in Phoenix, and in other places, a lot of it is because we haven't caught these children and youth all the way. They're not ready at 18. We need to continue to tether ourselves to them, to be able to support, coach, and guide them into young adulthood.

So we now do zero up to age 24. And that was something that was hard for a lot of individuals to understand. Like, we need to do the whole thing in order to be that seamless continuous care. And then one more item to that area is any child or youth. Another area that we've gone outside of our box is, any child or youth in Arizona will receive our care. It doesn't matter if they're born here, it doesn't matter if they're a refugee, it's children and youth.

And so we've really had to dive deep into that area of our mission and vision and look at it like abundance again. It's really like, if we don't do this, who's going to do it?

Alana Muller
Love that. Love that. Well, I'll never forget, when I had my son, I remember saying to my husband, "He didn't come with an instruction manual." So you're literally creating the instruction manual. Thank you. I think that's great. Because to your point, every parent needs that irrespective of their station, where they come from, their experience set, and you're giving people a chance that they might not otherwise have. So, I think that's brilliant. Bravo. Bravo.

You talked a little bit about disruption and thinking a little bit differently about the way that you operate. It's my understanding that you have a personal mantra, and that is to mentor, motivate, and inspire incredible people who collectively work together to make the community a better place for everyone. Talk about that. I know that's your why, your purpose, your mission, your personal mission. What does that mean to you and how does that show up for you?

Torrie Taj
So at Child Crisis Arizona, it shows up in me wanting to work with the federal government, the local government, the cities, the corporate groups here in town, and others. It's not one person's job to take care of the kids and the youth. And so for me, it's truly working together as a team and modeling that. I've been doing this work a long time, and there are lots of younger folks at Child Crisis Arizona in the beginning of their careers.

And by them seeing that this isn't about competition, this is more about partnership, because the end goal is making sure that children and families and communities are healthy. And we can't do it by ourselves, and we don't have to be the best at ABCDEFG all the way through the alphabet. It's about partnering with those other organizations that may exist or governments or corporate, the three different sectors coming together.

So in this new building we talked about, it's a wellness center. We have 12 other nonprofits that will be working with us in our building and being able to provide their services here, because it's the best thing for the community so that children and families and others don't need to go to 10 different places to get their needs met.

Alana Muller
Right. I mean, it's truly that wraparound approach where people go to one place for all the resources that they need or for at least a good portion of the resources that they need. I think that is so smart. And what a benefit for your community so that people don't have to navigate in a way that is confusing and time-consuming and expensive and frustrating, but you're immediately alleviating that anxiety.

Torrie Taj
Yeah, and just as a mom, being a coach, being a guide, being a mentor, it's so important. And for my three children, it's important for me to continue to do that even though they're all adults. I want to be that curious guide, not the parent of when they're living at home. And I think for the younger generation of individuals who work, I think it's been amazing for me to be able to be adjunct faculty and help teach nonprofit management, and then see students come into the workforce.

And actually they're interns at Child Crisis Arizona or other places, and they're working in the industry. And they take away that global “we can do this together” attitude versus this competitive, cutthroat business. And so I really love teaching that and helping others see that we're better off if we help others and work with others. Alana Muller: Wonderful. I think that's so great. Well, so Torrie, how about for you? Do you have a mentor or somebody who's made a meaningful impact in your life, whether it's your career or your personal journey? And if so, is there one bit of advice that you've received that has turned the tide for you or made a significant difference?

Torrie Taj
Yes. I have been fortunate to have many mentors serving on other boards with them, consultants, coaches, executive coaching. They have all made a true difference in my career. Although, my grandmother who passed away this last summer, she was 99, lived an incredible life. And I go back to my grandmother teaching me the importance of watering flowers and gardening at a very young age, and hard work.

And so I think that just looking back to my roots in South Dakota, family and hard work, and the mentors I had, my parents, everyone around me, that Midwestern work ethic that made me who I am today. And so in working in the third sector, the community benefit organizations, I think we all really have big, big hearts. But, I think of all my mentors, the ones that have made the biggest difference, have always shared with me, “do what you love.”

And it's clear you love what you do, so keep doing that and don't stop. And so that would be my advice to everybody else. It's like you find something you really love and something you know that you're making a difference at, and you should continue to do that forever because yeah, there's hard days and it's work, but it's so satisfying.

Alana Muller
That's just beautiful. I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like though that your grandmother had such an amazing impact on you, and you'll have that forever.

Torrie Taj
I will.

Alana Muller
How great.

Torrie Taj
She absolutely did. And my love for plants and gardening and this entire building that I'm in, it's going to be a green living building. And so, there's green all around me. So she's definitely left her mark.

Alana Muller
She's with you. That's so great. That's so great. Well, as we start to close our conversation, there's a question that I ask of every guest, and I'd love to ask it of you as well. And that is, if you could sit down for coffee with one person, it could be anybody living, not living, fictional, non-fictional, who would it be and why? So maybe your grandmother's there too, but is there somebody else that you'd love to have a cup of coffee with?

Torrie Taj
Ooh, such a great question. I know it would need to be a powerful woman, an independent woman. There are so many. I cannot come up with one at this very minute. I mean, I heard one speak last night, Michelle Obama.

Alana Muller
I did too.

Torrie Taj
There are so many incredible women who have had to lead through hard times, and they do it with grace. They do it with authenticity. And I think those are the women that I'm really drawn to, the ones who lead authentically, where you don't have to ever guess where you stand with them because it's written on their face and they do not have a poker face.

And they will tell you point-blank, "I like this. I don't like this. This is how I feel." And so I think I'm drawn to those type of women, and I'd love to have coffee with and learn and be mentored by so many others. And so not a definite answer, but I did give you one name there.

Alana Muller
Well, yeah, the Michelle Obama example is such a good one. All politics aside, whatever anybody thinks of politics, one of the things that just strikes me about her that I find so moving and engaging is when she speaks, I feel like she's talking to me. She just has this way of reaching through the television or through the book or the podcast, whatever it is, where she's speaking.

And I love how you characterize that strong women who set the example, who have a direction, who really provide guidance, that's so meaningful. So I think that's actually a great example. I'll join you for coffee if you let me.

Torrie Taj
Okay. You're invited.

Alana Muller
If you get that arranged, you let me know where to be and when.

Torrie Taj
I know. I will. For sure.

Alana Muller
Well, Torrie Taj, I have loved having you on the show. Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and about Child Crisis Arizona?

Torrie Taj
They could go to our website, childcrisisaz.org. We're on Instagram. We're on Facebook, LinkedIn, all of those places. So, we would love others to learn more about what we do. And I invite any of the listeners and you to join us in our mission of serving children and youth and families in our community. There's so much you can do.

Alana Muller
Really beautiful. Torrie Taj, thank you so much for being on Enterprise.ing Podcast.

Torrie Taj
Thank you.

Alana Muller
Thanks for joining us this week on Enterprise.ing. Be sure to visit our website, enterprisebank.com/podcast to subscribe so you'll never miss an episode. If you found value in today's program, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or telling a friend about us. Enterprise.ing, powering business leaders one conversation at a time.

The views expressed by Enterprise.ing presenters or guests are those of the presenter or guest, and not necessarily of Enterprise Bank & Trust or its affiliates. All content of this podcast and any related materials are for informational purposes only.

Enterprise Bank & Trust does not make any warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and specifically disclaims any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. Enterprise Bank & Trust is not under any obligation to update or correct any information provided in this podcast. All statements and opinions are subject to change without notice.