Surprise, everybody, did you miss us, Well, here we are. We're back. We decided we were going to try something new and different. We invite so many fascinating people into our studio or we go into their kitchens, as was the case with Eina Garten, we thought we'd give you a little podcast extra if you will, yes, a little something extra, as they say in New Orleans said apparently some one of your favorite words exactly. But last week you might have heard our conversation with former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman. And because she's so successful in such a high achieving woman, we decided we would talk to her a little bit about her life professionally and personally and what she's learned. This is something we're going to try to do with many of our fascinating guests. So, dear listeners, here's the first edition of what I've learned. What was your first job? First job was, as all you want, paid job or volunteer job. The first job that I went to on a regular basis was a candy striper at the local hospital. And what was your first page job? First page job was working for Nelson Rockefeller for President. We know how that ended. Yeah, I know, So as a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A surgeon? I love cutting up worms? Seriously, Yeah, oh yeah, I thought I thought that'd be really neat. And again, you're helping people, but I was fascinated by I was very good at dissecting frogs and fetle pigs and things. I liked cutting up yellow jackets and pinning them to cardboard and saying like this is the thorax. Anyway, Okay, what role or job has brought you the most joy? Governor? Without question? Because you had New Jersey has the most powerful governor of the fifty states, which means that you have an enormous ability to do things because the entire cabinet is yours. You've appointed them, you point all the judges, all the prosecutors, but you really have the ability to focus on issues you want to deal with and it's everybody's on your team. They're not trying to undermine you because they want to run against you in the next cycle. And little known fact, maybe you have a fantastic governor's mansion called Drumthwackett. Drumthwackett. Yes, what was your big break being born into my family probably. I mean I had enormously supportive parents, and because of my age difference with my siblings, I was able to experience I traveled around with them a lot. They couldn't get rid of me. I think it was a real pain, and they couldn't get babysitters who would take me for long. Um, so I've got to experience a lot of things that I wouldn't have otherwise. You were born to a very prominent Republican family, and if you wanted to learn more about that, you can listen to the whole interview with Governor Whitman. But what did your parents teach you? Dad was very firm and Mom was to always leave a place better than the way you found it, and anything. You can achieve anything you want, but you gotta work for it and be willing to work. And that also of anything worth doing is worth doing well. Believe me, once you start a job, you better be doing it right and you better finish it. Um. That was very inculcated in me early on, and it's probably helped you a lot in your political career. What do you think was the most important lesson you learned professionally throughout your career, no matter what job you held at the time. Trust my instincts, trust my gut. The biggest mistakes that I made were ones where I didn't trust my instincts of telling me to don't do it this way or do it that way, and I listened to other council and maybe didn't And that was but they were they were not huge ones. They were more campaign type of issues. Uh. The other is to understand you don't have to know everything, and you never are going to know everything. It's fine. Respect the people who do know, be willing to listen and know what you don't know, and know what you don't know. And what do you think was your greatest mistake and what what did you learn from it? Well, probably the biggest mistake um taking E p A. No, that's not true, although it was in a way. I mean, it was just such a big bureaucracy and it was a regulatory agency without the kind of freedom. You were so constrained by the enabling legislation that created the agency that you really couldn't be terribly creative and solving problems. And that was that was a big frustration. What do you still want to learn? What do you still want to do in your career. Oh gosh, I want to learn everything. I don't know. I'd love to spend more time with international issues. Actually, what I want to do more spend more time with my grandsons and granddaughter. You know, it's nice to find that balance. And I'm pretty good place right now. You had a happy forty one year marriage to your husband John. I asked you what was the most important thing you learned professionally but personally, what do you think has been the most important life lesson? Treasure of the moment. I mean, you just never know what's going to happen in life, and you need to be aware of that. I like most people who are in full time kind of jobs, Um, there is no perfect balance, and but you have to find what works for you. And there'll be days when you at least there were nights when I was up all night saying, oh my gosh, I've I've short changed the kids, I'm a horrible mother, and others where I said, I'm not focusing on my job enough. I should have gone to you know, done something else. And it takes a while to find that balance that works for you, but you can, you know, you may be able to have it all, but maybe not all at once, all at the same time. So it's a It's life is a challenge, but it is for everybody. And piggyback nown what Katie said, what do you think you learned about how to have a successful marriage, since here seems to have been a very happy one. I think the most important thing was we always when I came home or when he came home, you're home and you try to put the office aside, and if you have to do something later on, great, But when you have kids, you got to be with the kids. And every year we would take a week where he and I and the kids would go somewhere we'd never been before, taking the kids with running a van and driving around national parks and learning how to whitewater kayak or to mountain bike. We had some really wild mountain biking trips and kayaking trips, but doing something so that we weren't distracted with our friends, and the kids weren't off doing things with their friends. We were experiencing something new and different together just for a week. But it made a difference, which is increasingly difficult to do given what I'm holding in my hand. My irophone. This little thing really gets in the way it does. I'm fascinated when I go into restaurants and I see couple sitting at the table and they're not neither wanted talking to the other, They're just looking at Really, I just I don't know. I don't get it. John and I used to love to have conversations, arguments or conversations how wherever you want to call them. And finally, if you had a twenty two year old young man or woman who came to you and said, I need some advice. Um, it can either be about life or I want to get into politics. Um, what would you tell them? I generally tell people find your passion. What is it you really care about? I mean, is it education? Is that the arts? Is that the environment? Find out what it is? And to the extent if you can make a career out of that, God bless you. If you can't, then find something that will allow you the time to pursue that as well. But try to find that passion, what really turns you on, what makes you excited to get up in the morning or to go out when you have the free time to do what you really just want to do? And it is. Aren't we lucky that your passion with public policy? Well, I'm not sure everybody would say that, but I'm lucky. I've enjoyed it. I've been very lucky, had a very good career. So that's it for our little experiment, the first edition of What I've Learned? What did you think? Please? Um tell us your thoughts at nine to two four four, six three seven, or as always, email us at comments at current podcast dot com. We'd love to know whether you liked it, and we'll talk to you soon. Hi,

Surprise, everybody, did you miss us, Well, here we are. We're back. We decided we were going to try something new and different. We invite so many fascinating people into our studio or we go into their kitchens, as was the case with Eina Garten, we thought we'd give you a little podcast extra if you will, yes, a little something extra, as they say in New Orleans said apparently some one of your favorite words exactly. But last week you might have heard our conversation with former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman. And because she's so successful in such a high achieving woman, we decided we would talk to her a little bit about her life professionally and personally and what she's learned. This is something we're going to try to do with many of our fascinating guests. So, dear listeners, here's the first edition of what I've learned. What was your first job? First job was, as all you want, paid job or volunteer job. The first job that I went to on a regular basis was a candy striper at the local hospital. And what was your first page job? First page job was working for Nelson Rockefeller for President. We know how that ended. Yeah, I know, So as a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A surgeon? I love cutting up worms? Seriously, Yeah, oh yeah, I thought I thought that'd be really neat. And again, you're helping people, but I was fascinated by I was very good at dissecting frogs and fetle pigs and things. I liked cutting up yellow jackets and pinning them to cardboard and saying like this is the thorax. Anyway, Okay, what role or job has brought you the most joy? Governor? Without question? Because you had New Jersey has the most powerful governor of the fifty states, which means that you have an enormous ability to do things because the entire cabinet is yours. You've appointed them, you point all the judges, all the prosecutors, but you really have the ability to focus on issues you want to deal with and it's everybody's on your team. They're not trying to undermine you because they want to run against you in the next cycle. And little known fact, maybe you have a fantastic governor's mansion called Drumthwackett. Drumthwackett. Yes, what was your big break being born into my family probably. I mean I had enormously supportive parents, and because of my age difference with my siblings, I was able to experience I traveled around with them a lot. They couldn't get rid of me. I think it was a real pain, and they couldn't get babysitters who would take me for long. Um, so I've got to experience a lot of things that I wouldn't have otherwise. You were born to a very prominent Republican family, and if you wanted to learn more about that, you can listen to the whole interview with Governor Whitman. But what did your parents teach you? Dad was very firm and Mom was to always leave a place better than the way you found it, and anything. You can achieve anything you want, but you gotta work for it and be willing to work. And that also of anything worth doing is worth doing well. Believe me, once you start a job, you better be doing it right and you better finish it. Um. That was very inculcated in me early on, and it's probably helped you a lot in your political career. What do you think was the most important lesson you learned professionally throughout your career, no matter what job you held at the time. Trust my instincts, trust my gut. The biggest mistakes that I made were ones where I didn't trust my instincts of telling me to don't do it this way or do it that way, and I listened to other council and maybe didn't And that was but they were they were not huge ones. They were more campaign type of issues. Uh. The other is to understand you don't have to know everything, and you never are going to know everything. It's fine. Respect the people who do know, be willing to listen and know what you don't know, and know what you don't know. And what do you think was your greatest mistake and what what did you learn from it? Well, probably the biggest mistake um taking E p A. No, that's not true, although it was in a way. I mean, it was just such a big bureaucracy and it was a regulatory agency without the kind of freedom. You were so constrained by the enabling legislation that created the agency that you really couldn't be terribly creative and solving problems. And that was that was a big frustration. What do you still want to learn? What do you still want to do in your career. Oh gosh, I want to learn everything. I don't know. I'd love to spend more time with international issues. Actually, what I want to do more spend more time with my grandsons and granddaughter. You know, it's nice to find that balance. And I'm pretty good place right now. You had a happy forty one year marriage to your husband John. I asked you what was the most important thing you learned professionally but personally, what do you think has been the most important life lesson? Treasure of the moment. I mean, you just never know what's going to happen in life, and you need to be aware of that. I like most people who are in full time kind of jobs, Um, there is no perfect balance, and but you have to find what works for you. And there'll be days when you at least there were nights when I was up all night saying, oh my gosh, I've I've short changed the kids, I'm a horrible mother, and others where I said, I'm not focusing on my job enough. I should have gone to you know, done something else. And it takes a while to find that balance that works for you, but you can, you know, you may be able to have it all, but maybe not all at once, all at the same time. So it's a It's life is a challenge, but it is for everybody. And piggyback nown what Katie said, what do you think you learned about how to have a successful marriage, since here seems to have been a very happy one. I think the most important thing was we always when I came home or when he came home, you're home and you try to put the office aside, and if you have to do something later on, great, But when you have kids, you got to be with the kids. And every year we would take a week where he and I and the kids would go somewhere we'd never been before, taking the kids with running a van and driving around national parks and learning how to whitewater kayak or to mountain bike. We had some really wild mountain biking trips and kayaking trips, but doing something so that we weren't distracted with our friends, and the kids weren't off doing things with their friends. We were experiencing something new and different together just for a week. But it made a difference, which is increasingly difficult to do given what I'm holding in my hand. My irophone. This little thing really gets in the way it does. I'm fascinated when I go into restaurants and I see couple sitting at the table and they're not neither wanted talking to the other, They're just looking at Really, I just I don't know. I don't get it. John and I used to love to have conversations, arguments or conversations how wherever you want to call them. And finally, if you had a twenty two year old young man or woman who came to you and said, I need some advice. Um, it can either be about life or I want to get into politics. Um, what would you tell them? I generally tell people find your passion. What is it you really care about? I mean, is it education? Is that the arts? Is that the environment? Find out what it is? And to the extent if you can make a career out of that, God bless you. If you can't, then find something that will allow you the time to pursue that as well. But try to find that passion, what really turns you on, what makes you excited to get up in the morning or to go out when you have the free time to do what you really just want to do? And it is. Aren't we lucky that your passion with public policy? Well, I'm not sure everybody would say that, but I'm lucky. I've enjoyed it. I've been very lucky, had a very good career. So that's it for our little experiment, the first edition of What I've Learned? What did you think? Please? Um tell us your thoughts at nine to two four four, six three seven, or as always, email us at comments at current podcast dot com. We'd love to know whether you liked it, and we'll talk to you soon. Hi,