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Wendy Walker [00:00:05]:
Hi. This is Wendy Walker and when I’m not running or making quilts, I’m listening to John Garrett on What’s Your “And”?.

John Garrett [00:00:17]:
Welcome to episode 639 of What’s Your “And”?. This is John Garrett. And each Wednesday, I interview a professional who, just like me, is known for a hobby or a passion or an interest outside of work. And to put it another way, it’s encouraging people to find their “And” — those things above and beyond your technical skills are the things that actually differentiate you when you’re at work. It’s the answer to the question of who else are you beyond the job title. If you like what the show is about, be sure to check out the award-winning book. It’s on Amazon, Indigo, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, and a few other websites.

John Garrett [00:00:48]:
All the links are at What’s Your “And”? dot com. The book goes more in-depth with the research behind why these outside of work passions are so crucial to your corporate culture. And I can’t say how much it means that everyone’s reading it and writing such great reviews on Amazon. Thank you so much for those. And more importantly, changing the cultures where they work because of it. And if you want me to read it to you, that’s right. This voice reading the book. Look for what’s your hand on Audible or wherever you get your audio books.

John Garrett [00:01:13]:
And please don’t forget to hit subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any of the future episodes. I love sharing such interesting stories each and every week. And this week is no different with my guest, Wendy Walker. She’s the vice president regulatory affairs at Sovos and now she’s with me here today. Wendy, thanks so much for taking time to be with me on What’s Your “And”?.

Wendy Walker [00:01:32]:
Thank you, John. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. I’m excited to talk about my “And.”

John Garrett [00:01:36]:
Absolutely. This is gonna be so much fun. This is gonna be awesome because I know not a lot about quilting. I’m not gonna lie. So I’m excited. This is gonna be fun. But I have 17 rapid fire questions. Get to know Wendy out of the gate here.

John Garrett [00:01:47]:
Buckle up. Here we go. How about a favorite color?

Wendy Walker [00:01:50]:
Oh, hot pink all day.

John Garrett [00:01:52]:
Hot pink. Okay. Alright. There you go. Right out of the gate. I like I’ll ever wear it,

Wendy Walker [00:01:57]:
but it’s my favorite.

John Garrett [00:01:58]:
Yeah. Right. Exactly. How about a least favorite color?

Wendy Walker [00:02:01]:
Probably green.

John Garrett [00:02:03]:
Green. Interesting. Okay. Alright. That’s fair. How about a favorite band or musician?

Wendy Walker [00:02:08]:
Oh, Metallica. One of my favorite bands. That’s incredible. Yes. Those are my first two concerts. There you go. Hey. Yeah.

Wendy Walker [00:02:16]:
Oh, you should do that. One of the best concerts ever.

John Garrett [00:02:18]:
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. It was amazing. That was right when the Black Album had come out. And yeah. Oh, my gosh. Yes.

John Garrett [00:02:24]:
This is incredible. Yeah. Awesome. How about a favorite actor or actress?

Wendy Walker [00:02:28]:
I’d say probably favorite actor is Johnny Depp. I know he’s a little weird, but I’ve had like a crush since the late eighties way back in 21 Drum Street.

John Garrett [00:02:35]:
Yeah. And he’s in in great stuff. So he’s a good actor. So why not? Like yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And how about a toilet paper roll over or under?

Wendy Walker [00:02:43]:
Oh, no preference. Really don’t care. Yeah. I’m not one of those people who cares.

John Garrett [00:02:49]:
Right. Yeah. Within arm’s reach is probably a preference, but other than that, like, it’s like outside of that, we’re good. How about oh, there’s a fun one. Oceans or mountains?

Wendy Walker [00:02:57]:
Oh, that’s a hard one for me. I think oceans. I’m a beach person. Love the beach. Love the sun.

John Garrett [00:03:03]:
Okay. Alright. How about a puzzle? Sudoku, crossword, jigsaw puzzle?

Wendy Walker [00:03:08]:
Jigsaw. I’d say jigsaw and then crossword. Yeah. I used to have, like, a whole room set up just for jigsaw.

John Garrett [00:03:13]:
Oh, yeah. Well, because you can’t, like, pause and, you know, like, I mean, you have to leave it there.

Wendy Walker [00:03:18]:
You have to leave it there. And I have cats. So

John Garrett [00:03:20]:
Oh, yeah. Then they they are not puzzle friendly at all. How about Star Wars or Star Trek?

Wendy Walker [00:03:26]:
Oh, Star Wars every day, all day.

John Garrett [00:03:28]:
There you go. Okay. Alright. How about your computer? More PC or Mac? PC. That’s me too. I don’t I never learned the other. How about a favorite day of the week?

Wendy Walker [00:03:37]:
Friday. Isn’t that everyone’s? Right? I I

John Garrett [00:03:41]:
thought every day was Friday, to be honest. I didn’t know. Like, I was like, what? Like, it’s how about you? More pens or pencils?

Wendy Walker [00:03:47]:
Pens.

John Garrett [00:03:48]:
Pens.

Wendy Walker [00:03:48]:
Yeah.

John Garrett [00:03:49]:
There you go. How about ice cream? You go in a cup or in a cone?

Wendy Walker [00:03:52]:
Cup. The cone makes me kinda it takes away from the enjoyment of the ice cream in my opinion.

John Garrett [00:03:58]:
I’m on edge the whole time. The anxiety is very high.

Wendy Walker [00:04:00]:
Yeah. You’re like You eat it really fast too. It’ll melt.

John Garrett [00:04:04]:
Yeah. There you go. Would you say you’re more of an early bird or a night owl?

Wendy Walker [00:04:07]:
Oh, early bird. I’m up at 5 AM every day.

John Garrett [00:04:09]:
Oh, okay. Alright. Yeah. Interesting. How about a favorite number? 8. 8? Is there a reason?

Wendy Walker [00:04:16]:
No. I it just I when I was a kid, I I got infatuated with writing eights. The little bubbles Yeah. Snowmen, you know, and I make snow. Pads. I don’t know. So ever since I was a little kid, when I was learning to write eights.

John Garrett [00:04:28]:
It’s a cool one to draw, I mean, or write or whatever the word is.

Wendy Walker [00:04:30]:
Otherwise, it might be 26 now that I say that just because several people in my family, including myself, our birthdays are on the 26th of the month.

John Garrett [00:04:38]:
Oh, okay. Yeah. Well, you can have 2. I’m feeling generous. You can have 2. I like it. That’s nice. How about a least favorite vegetable?

Wendy Walker [00:04:46]:
Probably onions. Oh. I used to really like them. And then after my second child, didn’t they just don’t agree with me anymore. So yeah.

John Garrett [00:04:55]:
There you go. That’s wild to have that switches like that.

Wendy Walker [00:04:58]:
It does. Your body changes.

John Garrett [00:05:01]:
Yeah. Yeah. We got 2 more. Would you say, more corporate tax or income? Personal tax.

Wendy Walker [00:05:06]:
Oh, personal tax All day.

John Garrett [00:05:09]:
There you go. Yeah. Corporate’s got a lot of stuff to it. That’s for sure.

Wendy Walker [00:05:12]:
My expertise has always been in personal. So

John Garrett [00:05:15]:
There you go. There you go. And the last one, the favorite thing you have or the favorite thing you own?

Wendy Walker [00:05:19]:
My favorite thing I have is my sewing machine, my FOSS sewing machine.

John Garrett [00:05:24]:
Wow. That’s incredible. Have you had it for a long time?

Wendy Walker [00:05:26]:
I’ve had it now for I got it during COVID, very start of COVID.

John Garrett [00:05:29]:
Oh, okay.

Wendy Walker [00:05:30]:
I was really excited that they let me go up and, like, pick it up. I had to stand outside. But yeah.

John Garrett [00:05:35]:
Right? That’s awesome. Yeah. And that that dovetails perfectly right into your hand of quilting. And how did that get started?

Wendy Walker [00:05:43]:
So I’ve never been a crafty person. Right? I think a lot of women growing up as younger girls, right, their moms or their aunts or their grandmas or whatever, They did hobbies and crafts together. I just was never that person. I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t do it very well. I didn’t like to follow the directions. I was messy. You know, that kind of thing.

Wendy Walker [00:06:00]:
I never felt super creative. You know, even my own daughter who is very good at painting and photography and stuff. And so but, you know, I don’t know. About 8 years ago, my mom, who’s a very crafty individual, decided to start quilting. And when I was younger, I always loved quilts. I have them on all of my beds in my house. I had a mother-in-law that made them for my daughter when I was, you know, when she was young. And so I just always loved them.

Wendy Walker [00:06:23]:
And so about 8 years ago when my mom picked it up, I thought, boy, this might be kind of a fun thing to do together. Now my mother lives on the West Coast. I live in Ohio. She lives out in Utah, a long way away. But it’s something that really we connect on, and we text about it. We send pictures to each other, you know, that kind of thing. It really started out as something to connect and because it was something I was always infatuated with.

John Garrett [00:06:46]:
No. I love that. And, yeah, I mean, you don’t have to be sitting next to each other doing it, but, you know, it you have that sense or that camaraderie or or whatever. And like you said, send pictures, share you know, tell stories, connect on on that human level.

Wendy Walker [00:06:59]:
These days, you’ve got, like, that online thing too. Right?

John Garrett [00:07:02]:
Right.

Wendy Walker [00:07:02]:
I will sometimes set up, like, in my office or in my sewing room, a a laptop with a camera so she can see. And I’ll be, like, show me how to do this. I’ll show her what I’m doing so she can see, and then we can, you know, like troubleshoot things together. So, yeah, pretty cool even though we’re that far apart.

John Garrett [00:07:19]:
Yeah. That’s pretty awesome. And I’m guessing that, tax conversation isn’t really creating that connection the same way that quilting is.

Wendy Walker [00:07:26]:
It does not. However, you’d be surprised. My mother is a a CPA. She was a

John Garrett [00:07:30]:
Oh, that’s amazing. Okay.

Wendy Walker [00:07:32]:
So every now and then we get into the tax world, and we talk tax. Yeah. You’re right. We bond a lot more over this.

John Garrett [00:07:39]:
But it sounds like quilting, there’s a different energy to it now. There is.

Wendy Walker [00:07:43]:
First of all, there’s a creativity to it that, you know, I did not know I had. So it it tapped something in me, you know, that I didn’t realize. Maybe I shouldn’t say it that way. I realized I had it, but more in the business world. And I think I just never thought I had it outside of the business world. And I think it was the first time that I felt like I opened that up in myself.

John Garrett [00:08:04]:
That’s pretty cool, though. I mean, it just it makes you just feel more activated, I guess, as a human. It’s like, wow. I have other resources. I have these other dimensions to me that I can go and play with, and sources of confidence even.

Wendy Walker [00:08:17]:
There are so many fabrics. There are so many colors out there. There are so many shapes and ways that you can make things that you’re not stuck in a box of the same thing over and over. And I think that’s what really got me excited about it is it feels very limitless. The sky is the limit, right, in terms of your creativity.

John Garrett [00:08:36]:
Yeah. And so do you have any experiences from quilting that are some of your favorites that come to mind or some of your favorite quilts that you’ve made?

Wendy Walker [00:08:43]:
Yeah. Well, my very first quilt, of course, was really cool. I tried to do the top. They called there’s a top, and then you make the sandwich. So the top is the top, and then there’s a middle piece, which is the soft stuff, and then there’s the backing. Right? And so when you put those together to make the sandwich, then you quilt. I made the top, and I brought it to my mother’s because I had no idea how to put the sandwich together or let alone finish the quilt. Right? That one was really memorable because I brought it to her house on vacation, and we spent a couple of days together finishing it and, you know, learning all those parts of the quilting.

Wendy Walker [00:09:15]:
So that one’s definitely a memorable one. Over the years, I’ve had a few where I’ve done, like, outings, where I’ve done quilt outings with people or gone away for a weekend and done that. And so I’ve got quilts from those well, that’s from that trip we did or from that trip. So some of them are memorable because of that.

John Garrett [00:09:33]:
Yeah. That’s cool. And so the sandwich so the top is kinda the pretty part, if you will. That’s a puzzle to put that together. And then, yeah, the warm stuff or the end yeah. Like you said, the soft stuff

Wendy Walker [00:09:43]:
that I’ve added. Called. Uh-huh.

John Garrett [00:09:44]:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then the back is more of just like a solid color usually or whatever.

Wendy Walker [00:09:47]:
Be or it can be just as creative as the front if you want.

John Garrett [00:09:51]:
Oh, wow. Okay. Alright.

Wendy Walker [00:09:53]:
Yeah. There’s so many things you can do both back and front.

John Garrett [00:09:56]:
Yeah. And then and then I guess there’s the sewing it together because the sewing isn’t just around the edge. It’s not a pillow. That’s a lot of work.

Wendy Walker [00:10:03]:
So that’s where the quilting comes in. Right? So sewing is, you know, you’re sewing the top. You’re just putting those shapes together following a pattern. Like you said, you put the sandwich together with pins, but that’s where the quilting comes in. Now you quilt pretty designs on the quilt, or maybe you just quilt in the lines or you know? So, yeah, the outer edge will hold it, but the middle, what you’re doing all throughout the quilt is, you know, what gives it its design. My mom, one of the more fun experiences, my mother purchased a long arm machine. In quilting, when you think about a quilt you might buy at the store, you imagine those patterns. They look like they never have a mistake on them.

Wendy Walker [00:10:41]:
They’re just perfect swirls and lines. We use these machines called long arm machines and where you literally attach the quilt to it, and you program it using a computer for the stitch that you want. And you hit start, and it does it on its own. And you you have to watch it, and you gotta, you know, kind of be there with it. But it creates a much more, you know, put together finished looking quilt than, say, one that you might machine do. Personally, I don’t have a long arm, so I do machine quilting. So I use rulers, and I use or just what they call free motion, where I just do my own designs. And so that’s where the creativity part gets fun because I’ll change threads and do circles or different shapes, squiggly lines, or whatever, you know, to bring out the quilt.

John Garrett [00:11:27]:
That’s amazing. Yeah. There’s so much layers of creativity that can happen. Like you said, I mean, there’s the top and the design and then the stitching. That’s wow. I never even realized that or appreciated, I guess Yeah. How much, you know, work goes into that. That’s impressive.

John Garrett [00:11:40]:
Wow. And so do you feel like any of this translates to work as a skill or as a relatability or something? Yeah.

Wendy Walker [00:11:48]:
Yeah. You know, I’m an expert in tax. Right? I think quilting allows me to tap into my learning side because I’m an expert in personal income tax, and I coach people, you know, all day long. I give advice. I educate people, you know, on tax issues. So I think when you’re a leader at your work and in your job all day long and you’re directing people and things and you’re the expert in the room, it can be very refreshing to, kind of, do an about face and be a newbie in the room. And I know I said I’ve been doing this for 8 years. That’s infancy in the world of poking.

Wendy Walker [00:12:22]:
Right? I have met ladies, men too, who have been doing this for 20, 30, even 40 years. And that, like, vulnerability of not knowing, not being the expert in the room, it’s really refreshing to me. I don’t feel the pressure of everybody, you know, expecting me to have the answer all the time, and I feel like I can open myself up and just learn more.

John Garrett [00:12:44]:
That’s an excellent point. And sometimes our ego steps up and fights that, wants us to be the expert, wants us to be the thing or whatever. And so it’s great that you found that vulnerability and and accepted being the newbie and embraced it even. And so that’s refreshing to hear as well.

Wendy Walker [00:13:02]:
I didn’t realize the and that kinda goes to another point, which is stress relief. But I didn’t realize that allowing that would make me feel more relieved. Right? Because, again, not having to be on all the time and not having to be that person with the answer does allow you to kinda not be so stressed out. But the other thing about it is it really lets me focus on the now. I think we spend a lot of time in our lives, you know, worrying about what happened or worrying about what’s going to happen and completely lose sight of what’s happening right now. And when I quilt, I’m in the moment. There’s no mind wandering, or I will cut myself, or I will sew something wrong, or, you know, have to rip it all out later on or something. Sometimes a quilt technique can be so difficult that I really have to pay attention to the video or, you know, the pattern or whatever.

Wendy Walker [00:13:50]:
So when I really focused on quilting, my brain has time to rest from the tack stuff. Right? And my career, my kids, whatever the stresses might be, it it allows me to just kinda be in that moment.

John Garrett [00:14:02]:
Yeah. I love that so much. Yeah. Because it’s hard to be in the moment work wise. There’s always something else. There’s the stress. There’s all the thing, I guess, because we’re getting paid for it maybe. I don’t know why.

John Garrett [00:14:13]:
But, you know, and in the quilting, you’re like, hey. If I mess up, whatevs. You know? Like, I mean, I’m not getting paid. Like, this is a a passion of mine. I enjoy it.

Wendy Walker [00:14:20]:
It allows you to be you. I think that’s it right there. You can make a mistake, and you can say to yourself, well, but that’s for my house or, you know what, oh, well, who’s really gonna see that? Or so I think it does allow you to just kinda go outside the box and be really abstract in the way you’re doing things and not worry about if if somebody else likes it or not.

John Garrett [00:14:39]:
That’s so beautiful how you said that. I mean, it just allows you to be you. I mean, how powerful is that. Right? I mean, enrich and just imagine if workplaces allowed us to just be us. You know? Like, what an amazing place to work and and to be, and and I think a lot of it we do to ourselves in our own head. I mean, I it’s not like work tells you on your first day, hey, don’t be you. You have to be this pretend person that is a vice president and act this way. And I think we do it to ourselves, but I don’t know.

John Garrett [00:15:10]:
It feels like organizations could maybe help crack the code a little bit.

Wendy Walker [00:15:14]:
Great point. I think when we start off at in any organization, they have those guidelines they give you. Right? And those guidelines sort of create the first box that you’re in, you know, in the organization. And so to your point, I think then from there, that shapes who you’re gonna be at work. And I think the difference with this is that because I said before, there’s so many fabrics and techniques and colors and patterns out there and ways to make a quilt. Honestly, there’s various ways to make a quilt. I think because of that, you definitely feel like not just less constrained, but you almost, like, want to see what else is there. What else can I explore doing? You don’t necessarily get stuck in one way of quilting, for example.

Wendy Walker [00:15:53]:
You’ll try new techniques and be more open to it.

John Garrett [00:15:56]:
Yeah. It’s almost like the box is infinite. There is no box.

Wendy Walker [00:15:59]:
There is no box. Yeah.

John Garrett [00:16:01]:
It’s beautiful because then you have the freedom and the the shackles are off, and you can do whatever you want, and it doesn’t matter, you know, type of thing and the freedom that comes from that.

Wendy Walker [00:16:10]:
I think the only downside for me has been just, like, the time. I just wish I could do it more often, you know, than I can. So because to your point, you’re not feeling your freedom. You know? Sometimes you have to when you leave it behind sometimes, you wish you could have it.

John Garrett [00:16:24]:
Yeah. And I mean and you’re good at your job and you enjoy your job, but rarely have you said, wow. I wish I could do more of this. Yeah. You know, like, it’s like, for free just on the weekends. Why not? Let’s just pick it up.

Wendy Walker [00:16:36]:
I’ll just have to give advice for free. No problem.

John Garrett [00:16:39]:
Right. Yeah. Exactly. And, I mean, you’re good at it and you like it, but, you know, there’s other parts to who you are. It’s really cool that you found that piece of you, and you’re embracing it and and nourishing it and shining a light on that. And how important do you feel like it is on a leader or on an organization to encourage their people to have these hands or to shine a light on these?

Wendy Walker [00:16:58]:
Oh, I think it’s incredibly important. I think, you know, at the end of the day, the quilting for me and for people that work with me in my organization have seen this different side of my personality and that it has allowed me to be more open minded. Right? And at the end of the day, it’s created more helped me taught me a lot of lessons in patience and grit. Right? And so I do think that when companies are encouraging kinda more out of the box thinking, you know, that is definitely going to encourage more ideas, more creativity, more we shouldn’t be doing this the way we’ve always done it kind of thinking. You know? All of those things that are valuable to a business.

John Garrett [00:17:36]:
That’s awesome. Yeah. Because I mean, only good things happen when you start to get to the human that’s behind the job title. And sometimes I feel like we sabotage ourselves because, oh, people don’t care or this has nothing to do with my job or even though it always does in some way. And so I think we sabotage ourselves in that regard, but only good things happen. Like you said, people got to see another side of you and and a different personality and a different way of approaching, you know, issues or problems, you know, or puzzles, if you will. And so only good things happen.

Wendy Walker [00:18:06]:
Especially as a tax person, I think that or as a, you know, I guess, as a tax person, people perceive you to be boring or, you know, maybe, you know, that all you do is tax or you’re all you’re into is numbers. Totally. You know? Yeah.

John Garrett [00:18:18]:
You live at the office. Right? Do you have a wait. You go home? What? Do you have a house? Like, that’s weird.

Wendy Walker [00:18:23]:
I’ve had several colleagues who just say, wow, Wendy. I just can’t picture you doing this on the weekend because it is such a whole other side of my personality.

John Garrett [00:18:30]:
Yeah. That’s amazing. But it’s like, well, what what do you think I was doing? Like, what do you like, it’s a this is crazy. Like, you know, like reading tax codes? No. I’m doing other things.

Wendy Walker [00:18:39]:
You know what they thought? The only thing I ever really shared with them was running. So I I that was my other hobby that we could have. But I used to you know, I do run, and several people in my organization are in the racing or just young athletes, that kind of thing. And so that’s really what I share about myself initially. And so for them, it was like, oh, she’s this tax person and she’s really self disciplined. She’s a runner. You know? And so I think they didn’t see that, like, relaxed side of me that can be really fun and creative this way.

John Garrett [00:19:08]:
Was there a part of you that thought, you know, hey, maybe I shouldn’t share the quilting? Like, they know the running. That’s enough. You know? Is the quilting too far?

Wendy Walker [00:19:16]:
It was. Because sometimes when people ask me what my hobby is and I tell them I like to do quilting, they’re like, what? Did you say quilting? Like, it’s such a I guess it’s kind of obscure for some people, so they think it’s strange. I think they also because like I said before, my colleagues, their initial reaction was, wow, Wendy. I can’t picture you doing that. And so I think it’s because I know that people have perceptions of me as a person in the tax world, and so I just was worried about how that might change their perception. The other thing is, I told you I’m a newbie. Even 8 years into this, I didn’t wanna show people. I was afraid if I told people that they’d be like, oh, show me what you did.

Wendy Walker [00:19:50]:
I know everybody can’t see, but I keep a quilt behind me in my office, and I change it out occasionally. But, like, that only started in the last couple of years. I wouldn’t even hang quilts for people to see in the house because I was still working on refining, and I felt embarrassed to show my work. You know? This year, for the very first time, though, I actually made a quilt, a baby quilt, and gave it to a colleague as a gift. So I felt like I finally got the confidence. You know?

John Garrett [00:20:14]:
That’s really cool. Yeah. And I mean, that’s the thing is just, you know, hanging it behind you on virtual calls, then it’s a can opener conversationally. Like, people ask, wait. What is that? What oh, well, it’s something I made. And then, wait. What? And then there’s follow-up questions, you know, to that instead of the blurred out background or the fake background or the whatever. It’s like, no.

John Garrett [00:20:33]:
Put some stuff there. It brings you joy and then, you know, other people can then ask about it as well. And that’s another point that you brought up too of being the newbie is, yeah, you say I’m a quilter and then, you know, people expect what are you making them for, you know, giving them away and selling them and you have a whole Etsy store. It’s like, no. I enjoy quilting. That’s it. Like, am I good at it? I don’t know. You decide.

John Garrett [00:20:55]:
I don’t even care. You know? It doesn’t matter. It’s just I enjoy.

Wendy Walker [00:20:58]:
That’s it. I truly just enjoy the time. I I think one of the things that most quilters will tell you is if you ask them how many projects do you have going. Right? There isn’t just one quilt at a time. Right? I currently myself probably have maybe somewhere around 6 or 7 things going right now. I think that’s part of it. Right? It’s just having that I don’t I have no expectations. Right? No one is expecting me to be done by a certain time or turn that over by a certain day, unless I’m actually making a gift for someone, you know, that is definitely the beauty of it.

Wendy Walker [00:21:27]:
No timelines there.

John Garrett [00:21:28]:
That’s awesome. Do you have any words of encouragement to anyone listening that they have an end, but they feel like no one’s gonna care or it has nothing to do with my work?

Wendy Walker [00:21:36]:
Oh my gosh. Like, it was funny when I was thinking about this podcast, John. I was thinking about that question a little bit, and I was thinking about how I would answer it for my as a runner and how I answer it for quilting. And the interesting thing is it’s the same answer. Right? Which is that the reason that I didn’t wanna tell people I was a runner when I first started and this reason I didn’t wanna tell people I was a quilter is because I was embarrassed. And it’s like, why are you embarrassed? You know? Well, it’s easy to say when you’re 8 years down the road as a quilter or 15 years as a runner. You know? But when you’re first starting out on something that you’re maybe don’t feel as good about, you don’t want other people to know. What if you fail? What if you have to show them your mistakes? I truly think that for me, that first quilt top that I did when I brought that to my mom, And she did kinda snicker a little when she saw it because it was not the best sewing job.

Wendy Walker [00:22:23]:
Right? But we made it work, and we put together a beautiful quilt. Somebody gave me a compliment on the way home that day. And so I think, like, overcome that fear. Right? Like, just face that fear. Hobbies should be fun, and you should not allow them to, you know, trigger some of those other emotions that you’re already, you know, maybe dealing with in your work or personal life.

John Garrett [00:22:43]:
That’s a great point. Yeah. Because I mean, a lot of that spills over. I mean, a lot of our regular life spills over into work and vice versa, and everything’s spilling over into each other. And, you know, this is a great place to just it’s kind of an eye of a hurricane. Like, you know, everything’s crazy around you, and you’re just in this peace in here and now, you know, being present and fully in this immersed in this moment, and that’s a beautiful thing to be able to achieve that. I mean, it’s kind of the, I guess, the runner’s high that I’ve heard about, and as long as you’re doing it for your own enjoyment, then it doesn’t matter if it’s terrible. Like, it literally doesn’t.

John Garrett [00:23:22]:
People could judge you all day long for, man, she’s her quilts are the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. I don’t care. I don’t yeah, they are. They really are and I don’t care because that’s not why I’m doing it and not for your judgment. I’m doing it for mine. And as long as you’re progressing and you love it, then keep going. And, that’s great great advice. Such great observations there, Wendy.

John Garrett [00:23:44]:
That’s awesome. This has been so much fun having you be a part of this and but I feel like it’s only fair that we turn the tables since I rudely peppered you with so many questions at the beginning. We turn it around, make it the Wendy Walker podcast. Thanks for having me on as a guest. Yeah. And I’m all yours. Whatever you wanna ask.

Wendy Walker [00:23:59]:
So I was gonna ask you, well, first of all, what’s your favorite colors? And they have to be opposite. Two colors that are opposite. Like, black and white, for example. Right?

John Garrett [00:24:07]:
Okay. Yeah. So, I mean, blue I definitely like blue for sure. And I probably red, does that count as an opposite? It does. I think. Yeah. It’s it’s probably a a least fair it’s just too fiery. It’s too something.

John Garrett [00:24:20]:
And and a lot of it has to do with wearing it is weird for me, but it’s also just too like, it’s I don’t know. It’s too violent or I don’t know. Whatever it is.

Wendy Walker [00:24:30]:
So it’s opposite, but it tones but the blue helps tone it down, it sounds like, for you.

John Garrett [00:24:35]:
Yeah. So, yeah, blue is definitely, yeah, my favorite. All the blues, really.

Wendy Walker [00:24:39]:
And then I guess what shape would you pick? Like, if there are a couple of shapes you could pick, triangles, rectangles, circles, squares, like, rhombus, you name it.

John Garrett [00:24:49]:
Yeah. Rhombus is kinda fun because it’s the square rectangle that got a little tipsy, and then, you know, a little leaning tower piece. Those are fun. I mean, circles are always great because they’re complete. So I always enjoy those. That’s a good question.

Wendy Walker [00:25:03]:
I asked you those questions sent because now I know I have the idea for a perfect quilt for you.

John Garrett [00:25:09]:
Oh, yeah. Right. There you go. Right?

Wendy Walker [00:25:11]:
So when I think about that, I think about the fabrics. Although, I’d probably add a white just to go with your red and blue just because you need some, like Yeah.

John Garrett [00:25:18]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Wendy Walker [00:25:19]:
More neutral. Right? Yeah.

John Garrett [00:25:20]:
Or if it was like a I mean, just the Notre Dame in me is, you know, a blue and a gold or blue and a yellow or something like that. Those are always yeah. I mean or yeah. Something like that, that’s always fun.

Wendy Walker [00:25:30]:
There you go. Oh, Notre Dame, Alright. So there you go. Now I know exactly the kind of quote you need.

John Garrett [00:25:37]:
There you go. It’s pretty easy. It’s it’s just in our blood. That’s how it is. You got me all quilt thinking now.

Wendy Walker [00:25:43]:
There you go.

John Garrett [00:25:44]:
That’s amazing. Yeah. That’s very cool. And so thank you so much for being a part of what’s your end and just sharing it and being a living example of, you know, that who you are is so much more than what you do. You know? So thank you so much, Wendy, for being a part of this.

Wendy Walker [00:25:56]:
Thank you, John. I appreciate talking about it and sharing it with you. It’s fun.

John Garrett [00:26:03]:
Absolutely. And everybody listening, if you want to see some pictures of Wendy’s quilts or connect with her on social media, be sure to go to www.WhatsYourAnd.com. And while you’re on the page, please click that button, do the anonymous research survey about corporate culture, and don’t forget to read the book. So thanks again for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or whatever app you use and for sharing this with your friends, so they get the message that we’re all trying to spread that who you are is so much more than what you do.