Graced to Lead
The Graced to Lead Podcast is an empowering space dedicated to women, designed to inspire, equip, and nurture their leadership abilities in every aspect of life. We are here to remind you of the extraordinary God-grace you possess to lead with confidence and Biblical wisdom, whether in your professional endeavors, at home, in your business, or within your ministry.
Join us weekly for a journey of personal growth and empowerment. Each episode and post is crafted to challenge and inspire you, providing insights and tools that propel you forward in your leadership path. Graced to Lead is more than a podcast; it's a call to embrace God's grace to lead, even if you feel unqualified. Here, we believe in your power to gracefully, boldly, and effectively lead God’s way!
What to expect: solo episodes, conversations with guests, and even a few giveaways.
Graced to Lead
S2/E13: Faith, Family, and Finding Your Leadership Voice with Danette Toole
Danette Toole brings a wealth of experience to this candid conversation about authentic leadership across multiple domains. A corporate leader with over 20 years in HR and talent acquisition, a US Army Reserve veteran, entrepreneur, ministry leader, and devoted mother, Danette offers profound insights on maintaining priorities while excelling in diverse roles.
The heart of our discussion centers on Danette's refreshing approach to work-life integration. "Family always comes first," she declares with conviction. "The work is always going to be there, but your family time is not always guaranteed." Rather than compartmentalizing her life, Danette has developed practical strategies for moving between leadership spaces while preserving what matters most.
We explore the delicate balance of expressing faith in professional environments, where Danette shares her journey from reluctance to confidence. "You don't have to wear a flag and wave it around, but it is okay to express your beliefs and stand on them," she reflects. This authenticity has unexpectedly opened doors for others to share their own beliefs and values.
The conversation takes a fascinating turn when discussing entrepreneurship through a spiritual lens. Danette and her husband launched Grenada Nut Company with their natural pain relief products because they felt "convicted" to share these solutions with others who needed them – viewing their business much like sharing the gospel.
Perhaps most powerful is Danette's revelation about recognizing leadership within yourself before external validation arrives. "Know that you already are a leader, and when you start functioning in that, the positions come," she advises. This wisdom epitomizes her approach: leadership isn't bestowed by titles but demonstrated through consistent action, faith-based values, and prioritizing relationships.
Ready to transform your approach to leadership across the various domains of your life? Listen now and discover how to lead with both grace and effectiveness.
Connect with Danette:
- LinkedIn: Danette Toole
- Facebook: Cinnamon Sugar
Please subscribe to our mailing list to stay connected and get updates! Thanks for listening to the Graced to Lead Podcast.
Hey y'all, welcome back to the Grace to Lead podcast. Today's episode is packed with real talk and some wisdom. I'm chatting with my friend, danette Tool. She's a corporate boss, a military vet, an entrepreneur, a wife, a mom and a ministry leader. Basically, she's doing all the things right, and so what we talk about today is what it really looks like to lead with faith and to make space for your family as you lead, and a real talk to stop downplaying the leadership that you already carry. So are you ready? Let's get into it.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Grace to Lead podcast. I'm Belinda Gasson, your host, and listen, we have an amazing guest with us today. Her name is Danette Tool. Let me just tell you about Danette. Danette is a leader with over 20 years of experience in human resources and talent acquisition, including more than a decade in pharmaceutical and biotech. She currently serves as the RPO team lead for enabling operations team at Tailored Management, supporting AstraZeneca's US talent acquisition strategy. Her work spans multiple critical areas, from HR and corporate finance to sustainability and administration of operations, versatility and commitment to operation excellence. It was what she does, y'all.
Speaker 1:So listen, danette is also a proud US Army Reserve veteran. She served as a military intelligence analyst, an experience that shaped her discipline, resilience and sense of service. In addition to her corporate career, danette co-founded the Grenada Nut Company with her husband, arthur. Their family business creates 100% plant-based topical products that provide natural drug relief from joint pain, offering healing rooted in nature and culture through products like Meg Relief, meg Rub, meg Soak and Meg Balm. She's a Maryland native and holds a BA in marketing, with a minor in photography from Baruch College in New York City. She is a mom of two, serves in her church's dance ministry and she finds joy behind the camera as a portrait photographer. Listen, danette is bringing all the things y'all, and that's one of the reasons that I wanted her to be on this show. You have a leader who has lived a full and a fulfilling life. She's balancing all kinds of things, and I think that there is wisdom in what she has to say today. So welcome Danette Toole to the show. Welcome to Grace to Lead, danette.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. It's an honor and a privilege to be here with you today.
Speaker 1:Well, I am really excited and, as you know, for every guest, what usually happens is we run out of time. So for this time, we're going to jump right into the conversation, and I think that one of the things that is really interesting about your journey is that you've been able to do your passion projects like your photography business. You've managed to climb up the corporate ladder and have real leadership role in corporate America, and you've started your own family business, which, meg Relief is wonderful, listen, the great end of that company. You all need to plug in because with that Meg soap and you put that thing and soak your. We're going to stay focused, but I think that people will hear this and they'll say, well, she must be a superhero, or something Like how in the world can she do all of these things? And so I really want to start with how you navigate the spaces, how you navigate the spaces, and so can you tell us what is maybe one tenet that is grounding for you as you navigate those spaces?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I know, for me, a family always comes first. So if there is something that I need to attend to with them while I'm still in corporate, I make space for that. I do A lot of times it's difficult to make that space, but I prioritize my family's needs over anything else and that's just how I live, quite honestly. Yeah, so just being organized in that, okay, this is the all of the things that we have coming up and trying to get that on the calendar. You know, just basic stuff and making sure that I'm still able to balance my workload and all the needs from the corporate side of things. And then I always do make space for my dance ministry as well, like they could ask me anything and I'll be like, okay, we're going to figure this out. Those are the things that are the most important. Obviously, my career is important, because without it we couldn't sustain our household, but I think, out of everything, those are the things that you can't replace, right? So for me, they always take precedence.
Speaker 1:So I love that you said family, and this is an interesting place for us to start, because one of the common things that we hear from leaders is I don't know how to balance it all. I want to put my family first, but when I do that, sometimes my work suffers. Or you know, if I try to carve out time, then something always comes up. And so, for that woman who's leading in these spaces, what would you give as one or two pieces of advice for how they can navigate those challenges?
Speaker 2:I will say that the work is always going to be there. There's always going to be something that is an emergent situation that you have to attend to, but your family time is not always guaranteed right? And just recently we just made a family trip. We were out, we went to Atlanta for about five days, I think it was, and we spent such good quality time with our family. I can't even express to you how important and precious that was for me, and excuse me because I may get emotional Because I love them so much, but it's moments like that that can't be replaced.
Speaker 2:And I got back and at first I was just like, oh, I can never take a vacation. Everything's blowing up. But you know, my husband, who is my rock, talked me off my ledge and always says you don't really mean that, you don't mean that, you know it's fine and you're going to go in there and you're going to do what you do and you're going to set everything right and then it will be OK. And and he was right, he was 100 percent right. And now, looking back at that moment, I'm I'm so thankful for the time to enjoy family, to come together, to be intentional about the time we spend together because it is so important. It's so important for the kids also to see us being intentional, because I know that that's going to carry forward when their next generation comes.
Speaker 1:We're not. I mean, that's part of why this podcast exists. It's part of why Grace to Lead works is because we need to have those vulnerable spaces, and it sounds like one of the tools that you use is really having that support from your husband, and so you know him saying listen, let me help you get a different perspective. Here It'll be OK, here it's going to be okay. So I love that. I would like to know I'm going to press in a little bit because I think you approached something when you said you came back and you were feeling overwhelmed. You had this conversation with your husband and he helped to navigate that. I'm curious were there conversations that you needed to have in the corporate spaces? So did you have to have conversations with your boss or your coworkers or the people that you lead in transitioning back from vacation?
Speaker 2:Yes, there had to be some conversations. Typically, when I head out, we always make sure that we have somebody there that we can have as our backup so that if anything does happen with whatever workload we're working on currently in our stakeholder, that they have somebody to reach out to. There were a couple of situations that happened while I was away. Immediately, I had to schedule some time with the woman who had agreed to be my backup. She really was helpful to keep things moving while I was out. The conversations are easy, really, because they update me on the situation and I say thank you for your support. I'm going to take it forward from here. Just making sure that everybody's aware hey, I'm back. Thanks for your patience. Making sure that everybody's aware hey, I'm back. Thanks for your patience. I appreciate you, but I'm on it now and we go work this out. So that's basically how that goes.
Speaker 1:So, leaders, if you're listening, there are two things that she just said that I think is really important here. When you are looking to prioritize your family first and you want to make sure that your family doesn't get lost in all of the things, that one you need to be intentional about that. So her and her family decided to be intentional about spending this time with the family. That's the first thing. The second thing is that she set systems in place so that when she left, things would move on, and sometimes as leaders, we don't wanna give anybody an opportunity to step up and do things, but it sounds like in your case, there were things that came up but things worked out, and so I think that's important. And then, the last thing that you said that I want our listeners to really hear is that the conversations were easy, that you had when you came back, and I think in our minds sometimes we make things bigger than they really are and we tell ourselves, oh, when we come back, all of these difficult things are going to happen, but that's not necessarily the reality. So thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 1:Let's move a little bit. You talked about the dance ministry, which means that's important to you, and so know that you are a woman of faith. Can you tell us a little bit about how faith has shaped the way you lead? And let's start first with the corporate space. How has your faith shaped the way you lead in the corporate spaces that you're in?
Speaker 2:So for me in the corporate space, because I know it is very delicate, but I always have at the forefront of my mind my Christian beliefs and I think one thing that I always fall back on is compassion and meeting people where they need to be met, need to be met. You know, understanding, not probing and forcing the issue, but if they're asking for my opinion, I'm not afraid to share that. You know, because of my faith, this is how I feel and a lot of times we do definitely shy away from that because it is so taboo to discuss, you know, christian beliefs or any religious beliefs, but I find that the more that I share, the more people are comfortable sharing themselves. I definitely say that. You know you don't have to wear a flag and wave it around, but it is okay. You should feel safe to express your beliefs and be okay with standing on them as well.
Speaker 1:So well. You've said a lot here, so one of the things that I heard you say was compassion, and I think that is one of the tenets of our faith is having compassion for others, and we have a role model in Jesus with that Right, and so I think compassion on the job is important and I think it's interesting that you shared that. When you share openly, so it's not like you're going around, as you said, waving a flag, but if someone asks or they notice something in your behavior, you share, opening openly, which gives other people permission to do the same, and so I thought that was really good.
Speaker 1:I'm curious you said that you are much more comfortable now, and I want to kind of tap into that a little bit. I would love, if you're comfortable sharing, to hear from you what reservations you had before and what kinds of things made you less comfortable before and what things happened to make you more comfortable.
Speaker 2:Yes. So I think for me, I was never extremely confident in my abilities to be a leader and really was more afraid of judgment from peers, from executives, et cetera. I didn't want to be deemed the religious one, that person that nobody wants to talk to or that it just. I felt that if I expressed or shared I would be judged right. And because it's almost an unspoken law that you can't talk about politics and you can't talk about religion, it was in that understanding that I didn't feel so confident.
Speaker 2:But I think, as I've found reliance on my you know, I pull my strength from God.
Speaker 2:So in everything that I do, when I am sharing, as I've shared privately or one-on-one or in small groups, I have just felt more strong in being able to stand on my faith and share and I think that's just about me and my spiritual growth as I've come along in that and then also just being in a space where I'm more comfortable with my own abilities, like I feel very validated in my leadership abilities, like I didn't see it before and see that I was a leader before I was a titled leader, right, I didn't feel like I was a leader but as I reflected I see, oh yeah, I was. Yeah, I was doing that. I see why people were coming to me and I used to think I don't know why. Everybody can't figure it out. But they come to me because they know that if they come to me, I'm not only going to help them, I'm going to direct their path in how I think they should go. I really rely on God is my strength. Honestly, like every single day, that is where I pull my strength from.
Speaker 1:This is really good, and this is why we have these conversations, because I think somebody needs to hear that you have a very impressive career. But I think it surprises people to hear that established leaders didn't always feel so confident in their leadership, or that to say out loud. Well, I wasn't even as confident in my spiritual walk as I, you know, thought enough to share it or enough to to own it, and so I think it's great for our listeners you, if you are feeling this way, if you're feeling like I don't even know if I'm a leader, like I don't know why people are coming to me, I don't know how I can represent God in these spaces. Know that it's all a place of walking it out, and what we heard Danette just say is that as she walked, as she grew, as she did, the confidence came. I think that is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing that.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about this business. I remember the announcement of Grenada Nut Company and I was thinking, because I know your family, I was thinking how on earth are they going to have a whole business and leave that business while doing all the other things? Because you're doing a lot of things. You have kids, you have life, you have church and your husband has a business and you're working. It's a whole lot. So tell me why? First of all, the company. Why did you start Grenade and Nut?
Speaker 2:Well, I think why? Because we felt like people need to know, people need this in their life, like this product is special and it's special to us and we didn't want to be selfish and keep it to just ourselves. We could have, but we felt it was also a formula that is drug-free, that is plant-based and that works, is game-changing. I mean, it's changed our lives, so we wanted that for other people.
Speaker 1:So I think this is a brilliant point. To stand on for just a second, you said that you felt passionate about it, that you wanted to share it, like you share the gospel, and I think that's brilliant, danette, because I think there are lots of people who are sitting on entrepreneurial ideas, companies, businesses, gifts, services whatever they want to call it that they can package and give others to sell, or whatever the company services are, and to understand that if it's given to you by God, you have a responsibility to share. It is a whole paradigm shift. Do you feel that way? Like if you didn't move, what do you think would have happened?
Speaker 2:You know that is so good. I think we would have felt that way definitely if we had kept it bottled up and just kept it to ourselves. I feel we would have felt very convicted.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is so good. Yeah, your services hear me. Leaders listening to Grace the Lead, grace the Lead leaders listen to me when I say listen, linda, do they still say that? I don't know. Listen, that idea that you have for the business, for the book, for the company, for the whatever, you have a responsibility if it's been given by God to give it to the people that God intends that is a Selah moment. Wow, okay, I have some questions. Let me see. Okay, so could you give me one or two things, one or two leadership lessons that you've learned over this course of time that prized you in this leadership journey?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think one of the biggest lessons that I learned was not always to take every word from another leader whom you respect as gospel, because you may get in there and find a completely different situation. Get in there and find a completely different situation. You have to assess for yourself. And that was one of the things, because when I first became the RPO lead, the team reputation was not great, I will tell you that, and I was just like I don't know how I'm going to do this. I have this one member whom I have to deal with and I'm hearing the leader that left there recently that you can't listen to anything they say. Everything's a lie, like all these things. I was already worked up and I was already like had in my mind and understanding what this person was going to be like, and it was so not the case, like it was just I think it was more so that this person really just wanted to be heard and validated themselves, and once that happened, the whole relationship changed, the whole attitude changed. The whole attitude changed, everything changed and I got the respect that that last leader did not, and so you know. So I say, take things with a grain of salt From leaders and really hear your people, like really listen and take it in what they're saying, because a lot of times they just want to be heard. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2:One other thing I can share that comes from the dance ministry as a leader, because I never saw myself as a leader there. I just love it with all my heart, soul and everything that is within me, and the people that I have and can call my sisters and brothers in the dance are so special to me. But I never saw myself as a leader. And then you know it's funny again my husband. He's talking to me and he said you know, but aren't there times that you create?
Speaker 2:You are asked to create the choreography yes. Aren't there times where you are asked to bring a short sermon at the beginning of the rehearsal? Yes. Aren't there times where you're asked to lead prayer? Yes, okay. So what part about you're not a leader of dance ministry is this? I said oh well, I guess you're right. You're right, I would. I would encourage people to try to take a step outside themselves and look from the outside to really see and assess what your role is, because God is elevating you for a reason. God has picked you for this specific season and this specific time. So you are where you need to be.
Speaker 1:I'm pausing intentionally because I see that you feel this deeply and so I thank you for that. I think those are two very good lessons to take things with a grain of salt, assess for yourself what you need to happen and not rely on what you heard. That's really good leadership advice across. Wherever you're leading, even if you're leading in your home and you have children, whatever you have a dog assess the situation for yourself. And then this point of looking outside yourself is necessary because we often do see ourselves in the bubble of our experiences. In the bubble of our experiences which is often full of disappointment sometimes, or rejection or whatever those things are, but taking a step outside and realizing you were already leading before you got the title. I mean and that's what this is about Grace to Lead is for leaders, but it's not always for the people who have the titles. We're leading in lots of areas and we don't realize. I think that is beautiful. As I suspected, we're getting close to the end of our time.
Speaker 1:It's clear that, in order to navigate all the spaces in your leadership journey, it takes a lot of coordination and a lot of support, and I want to ask, as a final question here what are the things that tools, resources, people, systems that you use in your leadership roles, that you can't live without?
Speaker 2:Well, wow, I rely on my calendar. I rely on my calendar to keep me straight, number one, because if that's a mess, then it can really be a mess. But I think, for me, besides all the system support, I think innately, it is you being present in the moment, really tuning in and dialing in, being engaged with your role, with your team, with your leadership, with the organization as a whole as to what is going on. Because if you don't know what's going on, how can you do your job? How can you tell people what they need to do? What they need to be focused in on to do is being dialed in.
Speaker 1:And so I hear you saying it's important to be dialed in, really being aware of what's happening. How do you do that, Especially if you're a leader that's not at all of the tables, If you're not sitting at the table where there's information to share? What are the ways that you dial in that you understand what's happening in the environment around you?
Speaker 2:Well one. I definitely try to be present. I show up to the meetings that I'm encouraged to attend anytime. If I know that there's going to be leadership on site, I'm going to have my butt there on site and they're going to see my face and they're going to shake my hand. That is one way to be engaged. That is one way to be seen and also to be included at the table. A lot of times I'm included because I'm present, because I'm there, Because, in all actuality, our RPO team the larger team we are considered field-based, so we don't have a requirement to go into the office, contrary to people's beliefs.
Speaker 2:However, they see me two to three times a week in the office because I need to show up. I need to make those connections. The connections are so important to be given the opportunities to be placed in those places where you can be leading things, where you can get the information, Because it's so important for us to know what's happening on a more global scale. This is a global organization and there is stuff happening all the time and a lot of it impacts our day-to-day. So I just encourage people to make yourself present and make those connections.
Speaker 1:Danette, what are you most proud of in your leadership journey in any of the space?
Speaker 2:You know it's funny Stability, stability. I am most proud that I brought stability to a team that was seen to be, you know, very unstable, not performing, not performing. And I know that I brought stability to them and I know now from their feedback that they appreciate what I bring to the table for them, so that for me, and what do you want your leadership legacy to be?
Speaker 2:well, that's a tough one for me because I mean, I don't think, in terms of legacy long-lasting, like I am in the present, what I'm doing and I think well, so saying that, I think it's providing a firm foundation right, a blueprint of how it should carry on.
Speaker 1:I think that's a good place to end. I'll ask you one final question. Then we'll have you tell people how to connect with you, whatever you'd like to share with those who are listening. If you could leave this conversation with one piece of advice for the leader that's listening, what would that be?
Speaker 2:That would be know that you already are a leader and when you start functioning in that, the positions come. It comes to you. That is how it was for me, and once I understood and grabbed onto that, the roles were just presented to me. I didn't even have to go out for it. I was identified as the leader because I was functioning already as that leader. So know that you have it in you, so just walk in that.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, danette, for that. This has been an amazing conversation, as I knew it would be. I think that many women who lead will find value in everything that you had to say, and I imagine that some of them are like hey, how do I connect with Danette? So Danette, tell us how can people connect with you, and is there something that's going on that you'd like to share with people or you'd like to tell people about? Now would be a great time to do that.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you can connect with me on LinkedIn. I am in their Danette tool, I believe. I also have photography page on Facebook if you wanted to check that out. So that is Cinnamon Sugar and you can find me that page on Facebook as well. And then also for our Meg Relief products. And then also for our Meg relief products, you can find us at meg reliefcom. That's M E G R E L I E Fcom. Yeah, and so please feel free to reach out to me. I'm always here.
Speaker 1:We'd love to connect. Thank you so much. So, for our listeners, we will put all of these links in the description box. You can reach Danette on LinkedIn as Danette Tool. She also has her photography business Facebook page, cinnamon Sugar. And, of course, you can go to megreliefcom. I highly recommend the Meg Relief products. Listen, that foot soap will get you right. I keep talking about it because that happens to be my favorite product, but there are lots of other great products.
Speaker 1:Thank you, danette, for being a guest. It has been, as my grandmother would say, a plum pleasing pleasure having you on. Thank you, thank you for inviting me and, to our listeners, thank you for listening to Grace to Lead. We are picking up season two soon and we're already planning for season three. I do not take your listening for granted. I hear you. You want to see some videos. We're working on that. You can go to BelindaGastoncom to get all the deets on what's happening with me and listen to your episodes, download your episodes and share if you think that this has helped someone. I'm so grateful for you. And so, until we meet each other again next week, remember you are indeed graced to lead. Bye-bye.
