Jennifer Stemmler
Episode 34

Narrator:

Welcome friends to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira, with his guest today and discover the moments that shape us, our families and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, welcome, friends, to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. I'm very excited about our guest. It's a fresh guest. Surprise, surprise, of course, it's a fresh guest. It's a brand new episode. You can hear her laughing already so you can anticipate that this is going to be a fun episode. Before I ask our guest her name, I'm just going to explain to anyone who's brand new to this entire experience and what actually takes place is this. I have 100 questions, I'm not going to ask all 100, of course, I'm just going to ask the first 10. Then our guest gets to choose between 11 and 100 where they want to go. 100, obviously, is the hardest, most difficult question, most vulnerable, and they get to dance around where they want to be. Without much more delay, let's dive in with the very first one and go. There we go. What's your name, and does anybody ever mess it up?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Well, let's see. Thanks for having me, Japhet. My name is Jennifer Stemmler. The only, if you can't mess up, I might say, if someone calls me Jenny.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Jenny is the one off limits. I go by Jen, Jennifer, Miss Stemmler, but Jenny is not on the list.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Noted, noted. Writing this down. That's great. That's good. One day we'll have to unpack why not that one, but we'll understand.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. Jennifer, what do you do for work?

Jennifer Stemmler:

What do I do? I get to wake up every day and be excited about how we're going to change healthcare to have the consumer at the front and center. So I work with a great team, with Jason Wells and several of my peers, to help develop the best digital strategy to serve our consumer at the center of our healthcare journey.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So I serve as the...

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, go ahead.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I serve as the Vice President over Consumer Digital Strategy.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Pretty impressive stuff. For Adventist Health, right?

Jennifer Stemmler:

For Adventist Health, that's right, at our system office.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. You like this?

Jennifer Stemmler:

I love this work.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You love it. I know you do.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I love it. I love it. You can't help but smile when you get to do something every day that you're passionate about.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jennifer Stemmler:

And being a consumer myself in a healthcare journey, I can not think of a better way to have served my community and my patients than implementing things to broadly impact a broader consumer population.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, that's fantastic. For those of you who've not met Jennifer or seen some of the work that she's been leading and innovating in, she is absolutely right. She does love it, and she is creating some of the most amazing, innovative, finding great partners and great initiatives. So it's fantastic to see what you're doing.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Thanks, Japhet.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Brilliant. OK, let's begin with when you wake up in the morning, right? And your first drink of the day. Is it coffee? Is it water? Is it tea? Is it one of those liquid green smoothies? We're very intrigued as a consumer.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yes. I am definitely a creature of habit. I believe in habits and making them good. So I have a firm belief in water and hydration. So I'm going to go with water.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK.

Jennifer Stemmler:

But quickly followed by coffee. So I do have to get some hydration and then wake myself up. So those are two key parts, followed by my smoothie. So there's my morning routine. It does not change. It's the same every day.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You do three?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You do water, coffee and smoothie.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yeah. Not all at once, let's hope, but in that sequential order.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK. Hey, that's great.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And my team, we've shared this as well. So we've shared this same routine, so they're probably listening, thinking, "Yep, that's exactly what she's told us."

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's really good.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Jennifer, where were you born?

Jennifer Stemmler:

I was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Santa Clara. So near the 49ers stadium, which of course was not there at that point, but born in the Bay Area, born and raised.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Fantastic. Good, good. And when you were a kid, actually, have you been back there, in that area?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yes, lots of times.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, OK.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Still have family and friends there. Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK, great. So when you were a kid, back there, what did you imagine you were going to be when you grew up?

Jennifer Stemmler:

I think if you, and I laugh because the first story that comes to mind, my parents used to tell me that I would sit on our front lawn. We lived in this great community in Camden. And I'd sit on my front lawn and talk to my Barbie dolls, they were called Barbies.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Still are called Barbies. And with my friends, my neighbors, and I would pretend that I was leading. So I was leading them down this journey of becoming a doctor.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And I was not the doctor, but I was leading them to be a doctor. So it was very fascinating. They either said, "Well, you're really bossy or you're going to be a great leader." And I chose the latter of the two. But do think that back then, my parents would say, "You were going to be a leader of some sort, you were just trying to figure out what." So it was very interesting to hear that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That is.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Even as a small child.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That is. Hey, that's fantastic.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Leading my Barbies.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Leading your Barbies. That's great. I love it.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Terrible.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I can actually picture that. That's great. That's really good. Super. All right. Personality. If people were to describe you, would they describe you as an introvert or an extrovert? And would you agree?

Jennifer Stemmler:

I think, yep, so that's a great question. Of course, having been through all of the Myers-Briggs and everything, I still have memories of talking about this with my friend, Loretta Sloan.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So we had this conversation, and of course, everyone thinks I'm an extrovert because I'm a social person.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I love to be with people. And I would say that for the most part, that's true. I am a social person. I crave being around other people. If I had 30 minutes of time to pick.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Would you rather go be by yourself in a quiet place to reenergize or would I want to be around people? I will go find someone to hang out with and to be with, whether that's my kids, my husband, my friends, my colleagues, because I do, I get energy from other people. So I need that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's good. That's good. Like it. And then are you one of those early risers or late night owl?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Let's see. It depends on the time in my life.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's true.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I think when I was in college, I was an owl and an early riser because you had to, right? I think I've gravitated towards being an early riser. I get up at the same time every day. I am much more of a clear thinker and energized thinker in the morning. Every time I try and do that same magic at night, it just falls apart and I fall asleep. So I'm an early riser.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And when you say early riser, is that like 9:00, 10:00? I mean, what do you mean by an early riser?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh, my husband would want me to say that on the weekends. My body clock is set to 4:45 AM. And that is, again, I'm a creature of habit, so those habits stay strong even on the weekends.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So I have a very good routine at 4:45 with the water, the coffee, the Peloton and reading.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, you're one of those Peloton people. Oh.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Totally. Guilty as charged. I could absolutely be on their commercials for how awesome this thing is.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I just started the Apple Fitness one where I have them screaming at me.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I don't sense that you're a fan.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh no, I really like them. I love them, but I feel like when I want stop riding, they make me feel I shouldn't.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I'm with you.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yeah, it's good stuff. And again, the consumer digital in me just loves this, so.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh yeah, of course.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Having curated experiences.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And having the ability to leverage that. That wasn't at all your question so I'm going to let you go back.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's actually really interesting. So is there anything you ever do that you do not connect to the consumer experience?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh. Not a lot.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Or do you analyze everything, right?

Jennifer Stemmler:

I think now I do. I did not used to, but now it's my job, my passion, and my hopes and dreams to change that space. And so I think our team has really gained a lot of energy around looking for experiences where it's either really great or really terrible. And how can we pivot and relate that back to healthcare?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Not in the traditional way, but in the new way. And I talk about it all of the time. My family's probably really tired of saying, "Did you see that on the app? They should not be asking you for your name. They should already know that." I mean, by now, my kids can recite what I'm going to respond with.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So it's pretty bad.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

By the way, that was question eight A, just so in case you're wondering which question we are. It was an extra. A bonus.

Jennifer Stemmler:

All right, we're getting closer to that 10.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, yeah, we are. We're doing well.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right, so this morning at 4:45, what was the very first thought that went through you this morning?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh. I'm going to be a little vulnerable. So this morning at 4:45, the very first thought when I woke up today was a really important governance business planning meeting with our partners at Blue Shield and Adventist Health. And I knew that there were some things that I wanted to make sure I was really prepared for. So the first thing I woke up thinking about was I need to go read that one more time just to be ready.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And just to think about the story that I'm going to need to be ready to tell. So right, wrong or otherwise, that's not always my first thing, but this was a very important discussion today and I wanted to make sure our work was well represented.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's great. That's great. That's fantastic. Good. And so here's the last question before we open the floor up to you to choose a number. It's a leadership question. Are you a backseat driver?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Depends on what you mean by backseat driver.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Depends what the Barbie dolls are doing.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK. OK, I would say no. So backseat driver, actually, let me rephrase. So thinking about this more, I would say that, yes, I am. If I pivot this and think about why. I don't think of, in a leadership capacity, being a backseat driver in terms of micromanaging the person in front of you. So if that's the connotation, I would say no, but if it's really to not always lead the way of the team, but get behind someone and help encourage them and help them learn how to drive or learn how to navigate things, I would say that I'm a supporter in that space. I want my team and my colleagues and people that I'm working with to feel like I'm there to support them, not to tell them what to do, because I think there's so many other brilliant people in this organization that I don't need to do that, but I can certainly be there to guide and say, "Did you think about X? Or what about this?" So in that context, if that's what you meant, I think I'm more of a backseat driver.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Love it. Love it. Well, and I love the way you interpret it as well. It's good. Good. Great.

Japhet De Oliveira:

So here we go. The floor is open. You get to pick between numbers 11 and 100 and it gets more progressive, more difficult, more vulnerable as you get closer to 100. And I'll let you know when we have time for just two more. Where would you like to begin?

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK. This is like a tight rope.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh no.

Jennifer Stemmler:

You're trying to figure out how close do I want to go?

Japhet De Oliveira:

It's a wonderful journey.

Jennifer Stemmler:

No, this is exciting. I love the mystery in this. This is very intriguing.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Can I go backwards?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, yes.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I need to understand the rules.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So if I go to this number, can I come back?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, totally.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK, OK.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK, I'm asking that because I'm going to jump to 31.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK.

Jennifer Stemmler:

It's my anniversary day so I think I'll start there.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Brilliant. All right. So tell us about someone you'd love to eat dinner with. And the sky is the limit.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So many people.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Like that.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I know. There's so many great people you would just love to have a conversation with over dinner. I think I would love to sit at the table and talk to Elon Musk.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That would be good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And understand his innovative brain and just wow. And his ability to really have very interesting conversations and opinions and what makes him able to do that. But really more so just understanding how future forward he's always been. And then of course, I'd like to know some of his upcoming things so that I can be ready for that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I like that as well.

Jennifer Stemmler:

But always very intrigued by his personality. I don't always agree with his viewpoints or opinions, but I'm just intrigued by his very innovative thought process as an innovator myself. I think that would be really interesting.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. Oh, hey, that's a great one. That was a great one. Great. All right, so after 31, up or down?

Jennifer Stemmler:

That one wasn't so hard.

Japhet De Oliveira:

See.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You're like, "Wow."

Jennifer Stemmler:

I'll dip in, so let's do 42.

Japhet De Oliveira:

42, all right. Tell us the story behind the background photo on your cell phone.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh, that's a great one. All right, we like 42.

Japhet De Oliveira:

So you've got to describe, yeah. We've got to describe the photo.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And then, yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK, the background on my cell phone is always very intentional for me. I don't change it very often, maybe once a month, but right now it happens to be a photo of my husband and my youngest, Luke. And they're standing on a sailboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean off the island of Maui.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And it's a shot from the, it's a three story. It's not a sailboat, sorry, it's a catamaran.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So it's the top floor of the catamaran. It's the third level where the captain sits and it's looking down at them on the first floor as they're gazing out, looking out into the ocean, father and son. The colors are brilliant because it's mostly the ocean, with them, very little. And I love that picture. Number one, it's two of my favorite people, but it also just reminds me of my littlest and his wonder and curiosity and the beautiful things that we are so privileged to enjoy as God's creation. So it's a really beautiful reminder and keeps me in my happy place when I have to look down on my phone for those really annoying reminders. I'm reminded that that's in the background and reminding me that God is great, God is good, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Jennifer, that's a great story. That needs to be turned into a chapter. That's good. That's really good. That's really good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Well, I meant it.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, I love it.

Jennifer Stemmler:

It really is true.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, no, it's really good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I'll show you my picture someday.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, it's really good. I like that a lot. Good.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right, where do you want to go after 42?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I'm going to run out of favorite numbers. Let's see. OK.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Within 100 that is.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK. Let's go to 30.

Japhet De Oliveira:

30, all right. Tell us about something that you're really looking forward to.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Something that I'm really looking forward to. I'm really looking forward to being able to spend the weekend with my family. As simple as that may sound, we don't get to do that very often. My husband's a firefighter, so he's gone a lot in the summer, and my youngest is growing up so, so quickly. This morning, in my devotion, my reflection, I was thinking about just how fast time flies and not to let that go. I've got three older kids and then my little one. And so treasuring that time and not planning a single thing this weekend, just family time, sounds really amazing right now.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's really good. That's really good. Love that. Good. It's amazing how something as simple as that needs to be planned, but then it's worth waiting for.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, that's good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. Good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Very true.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. That's 30.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK, next number.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Let's see. We're going to go to 50.

Japhet De Oliveira:

50, all right. Share about who has influenced you personally and professionally.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So personally, I mean, I would say that absolutely Jesus influenced me. I mean, I think that the work really there, that just for me is an instant go to. My parents, my mom and my dad, two very, very, very different people. And I think what I've learned is how to really take bits and pieces of good, bad, and really say, those things, when I look back at childhood, I think those really did influence me and make up who Jennifer is. So that's personally.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Professionally, I've been fortunate to have great mentors. There's one that I think back, I worked for McKesson for 12 years prior to coming to Adventist Health. And during that time, I had early in my career, a very strong female leader. And to be very honest, I used to be intimidated by her. And looking back though, I realized she was mentoring me. I didn't know it at the time. And we both sank or swam together.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So it was very interesting for me, very young in my career, to see such a strong female leader and see her be very intentional about being authentic, even when it was hard. And being able to say things, she used to tell me, "Jennifer, you have to have the moxie to say something if something's not right, or if something's great, but you have to have the moxie."

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And that's kind stuck with me. I would also say that now, my current boss, Jason, is a phenomenal mentor. So I have learned far more now than I have in a really long time about how to just be a great leader professionally. So I'd say those two people come to mind first.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. Do you think, and this is actually question 50 A, do you think...

Jennifer Stemmler:

Way to sneak another one in.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I know, I know, I know.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Do you think that your speed of receiving the mentorship has changed because you are just a stronger leader now than you were before? So do you think there's acceleration to that?

Jennifer Stemmler:

That's great question. Yeah, I think you're probably right. First, I mean, sometimes I feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose, but then other times, you have to keep up. But other times I do think that because I've had opportunity to see great and not so great leaders.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Finding one that's great, I want to soak up all that I can very quickly. So I'm not questioning a lot of it, whereas before I might have said, "Oh, there's other motives or it's the task to get done." I do think it's easier for me to accept that, knowing that I've learned so much.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. That was good. See, 50 A is good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

All right.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I should write that in as a permanent question.

Jennifer Stemmler:

You should write that one down.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hold on, hold on.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. Where do you want to go after 50?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh my goodness. So now I'm tipping into the side of the other side.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, the other side.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So let's go with the other side of the 100.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Of the island.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I will go with, let's do 79.

Japhet De Oliveira:

79. All right, here we are. Share, if you would, a painful memory you wish you could forget.

Jennifer Stemmler:

That one's tough. Ooh, I shouldn't have skipped so far to 79. I am definitely a heart on your sleeves person, so immediately when you asked the question, I started to tear up. I would say probably for me would be the day that my parents got divorced. It was really tough and I was 12 and so I think it was just a critical time in my life. It was still, and still is obviously, very tough.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes, yes. Yeah. That would be.

Jennifer Stemmler:

But I think I've learned, some of the things right after that, that I have to think immediately I jump to in my brain when I remember that moment, it doesn't happen very often. But what comes to mind is sometimes you have to go through valleys to get to the top of the mountain.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And going through storms to see that rainbow. And I think maybe if that never happened, I may never have become a Christian. I may never have been baptized. I was baptized as a teenager two years later.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Because I was seeking, I was searching.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So I'm grateful for that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Do you think that through that then you have discovered more, understood people more, expanded more?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yeah, absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

There were some pretty tough moments after that. And still to this day, there are things that come up and I remember, but I do think that the thing that really came out of that was just having the ability to really understand multiple perspectives.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And not having to agree with any of them, but being able to have and invite a dialogue, even when you don't agree, but doing it because you learn. You learn more, you love more. And being able to come out of that with a greater understanding that there's so many different opinions, and it's not up to me sometimes to really pick a side, but really just to listen with an open heart and an open mind.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I've seen that, Jennifer, in the way that you work and lead at Adventist Health. And I thank you for the courage for sharing for everybody who's listening. But I think maybe that's, and as painful and as difficult as that is, but maybe that's part of the hard things that you've pulled and you've pulled some good out of those painful things to make you the incredible leader that you are today. And to be the person who actually listens so well, is patient with others, is able to see so many different perspectives. I see you do that often.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Thank you. I need to be reminded, I think. I'll never forget, I've got a sticky note that probably has been with me...

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh yeah?

Jennifer Stemmler:

For a very long time. And it sits on my monitor now at home and it says, "Listen to understand, not to reply." I think it's Steven Covey or someone that says.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I don't actually know who, I need to give credit to the author, but that quote is a reminder for me all the time. Just listen first to understand, not to build a reply.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That is really good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I can trace that back to that terrible memory and just the circumstances around it. So there is a leadership quality, so I appreciate you reminding me of that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, isn't that the secret of a real conversation where you're listening and you're not thinking, "Oh, I've got to get a reply," right? And that's really good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

That's right.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. I mean, people value that. And I value that in you, and I'm sure that everybody who gets to work with you values that as well. So thank you for that.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira:

So 79 was good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

That was rough.

Japhet De Oliveira:

It was good. Oh, it was good. So you have time for two final questions, two final numbers. Believe it or not. I can't believe it. Our time's up. So where would you like to go for your last two numbers?

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh my goodness.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I know.

Jennifer Stemmler:

The last two numbers.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Let's go to 75.

Japhet De Oliveira:

75? All right. Brilliant. Here it is. Do you remember the first item you purchased with your own money? And if so, what was it and what did you buy? Sorry, what was it and why did you buy it? Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

This might be a really fast question. I don't remember. I have a terrible memory.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's OK.

Jennifer Stemmler:

OK, so this is one thing that drives my husband crazy. I have a terrible memory and I'm always telling him, "Does that mean that I'm going to have Alzheimer's? Is that an early sign?" Because I have such a terrible memory when it comes to trivial things. So I'm not sure that I recall, but now I'm wishing I did.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Because you're going to your last question.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right, fair enough.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I don't recall it. I think I remember where it was and where it happened. I don't remember. I can picture me riding on a bike in San Jose.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK.

Jennifer Stemmler:

With my best friend Teresa. Teresa and Lisa, they were twins. And we rode to the Quick Stop. Do you remember what those were? They were called Quick Stops.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, because I was born in England.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh, that's right. Oh man.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I know, I know. We didn't have Quick Stop.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So here in America, there are these things called Quick Stops, or there used to be anyway. And they're like a convenience store, like a little mart, if you will.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

And so I remember riding our bike there because it was close enough that our parents let us and I had coins and maybe a dollar or something, my allowance, and we bought something and I don't remember what it was, but the trip was fun. So there you go. Maybe I'm more about the experience than what I'm buying.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's good.

Jennifer Stemmler:

That's usually the case.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. All right then, so final question.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh boy.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Where would you like to go?

Jennifer Stemmler:

I don't know if I'm doing 100. OK, let's go with 97.

Japhet De Oliveira:

97, all right. Tell us about a time when you did the right thing.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Well, that one's tough because there's so many opportunities. I'm trying to think of the best example because, of course, there's so many opportunities to do the right thing. Picking that one that really stands out in my brain. Did I do the right thing? I woke up and decided to exercise this morning. That seems so trivial and not really what I want to highlight.

Jennifer Stemmler:

I think doing the right thing, for me, goes back to being honest when it's really hard. And I can remember a time when I had to share really critical feedback to someone that was working with me. And I don't enjoy confrontations, most people don't. And I think it was very difficult for me to not shy away because that would be easy, but really this person deserved to have feedback that would help them grow and learn, even when it was really tough and I really did not want to do it. And being able to share it in a way that was clear, because clear is hard sometimes when you're not delivering great feedback or news or anything. But also doing it with kindness and love from a heart of wanting to do the right thing for that person, rather than saying, "Great job. You did great," because that would be easy and fulfilling, but not helpful at all to that person.

Jennifer Stemmler:

So I am a firm believer in crucial conversations, and sometimes those are really hard to do the right thing, and to be honest and clear. I know that that's what I would want, even when that's hard. So that's what comes back to me is that conversation, and it was face to face back then, it wasn't even behind a screen. So it was even more challenging.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

But I think it was the right thing to do because it helped them grow.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, thank you for doing that and thank you for taking the time to share so many of the stories and experiences that shaped your life into the great leader that you are today.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Oh, thank you, Japhet. This has been fun. I told you I was a little nervous because if you don't know this about me already, I always want to have the best answer, the right answer, be able to know what I'm doing. And so this was definitely a challenge for, you have no idea. So I think to your credit, it gives people a chance to be authentic.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Because this is real, this is Jennifer. Take it or leave it. This is Jennifer.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, absolutely. No editing.

Jennifer Stemmler:

Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira:

One take only. I know. Hey, it's beautiful. It's beautiful. And actually, I think I want to encourage not only us as we continue this, but actually for all of our listeners as well, to continue sharing your own stories and your own experiences and to hear others share their stories and experiences because they shape your life as you shape their lives as well. And you can only just do good by it, so I encourage you to do so. Have an absolutely amazing day and week ahead, wherever you are in the world.

Narrator:

Thank you for joining us for The Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch and submit your story and experience at AdventistHealth.org/Story. The Story & Experience Podcast was bought to you by Adventist Health through the Office of Culture.