Posts By Connie Morgan

0 Kimbra Takes the Neptune

April 17, 2015
by Connie Morgan
· Reviews

In August of last year, New Zealand native Kimbra, released her second full-length album, The Golden Echo. When I originally saw the Coachella line-up I was so sad that she would be there and not at Sasquatch (I bought my tickets in November). In fact, Kimbra was really the only act at I wanted to see at Coachella this year because let’s be real, the line-up was kind of terrible. There was so much EDM on the list that I was confused as to whether it was Coachella I was looking at or Tomorrowland. I mean, I like going to EDM shows as much as the next person but when I go to a festival like Coachella that’s not what I’m looking for.

20150413_215507 — Kimbra Live at The Neptune

Anyways, back to what’s important, back to Kimbra. If you aren’t familiar with her, get familiar. You have probably listened to her and didn’t realize it. She’s the female vocalist on Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know.” Gotye exploded onto the scene with that song and I love him, but Kimbra is ten times as talented.

Monday (4/13) I had the pleasure of seeing Kimbra live for the first time at The Neptune in Seattle. Although The Golden Echo is a solid album, her first album Vows just kills it for me. If you are just now getting into Kimbra, listen to Vows first. I am sad I wasn’t able to see her on the Vows tour but I knew that she would play lots of stuff from her old album as well as her new one so I was beyond excited for the Monday show.

My expectations were HIGH for Kimbra. Not only does she have an incredible voice and great song-writing talent, her clothes are my life. In fact, if I had to trade a life with someone (cause I wouldn’t unless I was forced) it would be Kimbra. Touring, getting’ funky, wearing bright colors, that’s the dream right there. Kimbra is known not only for her crazy costumes, but unique music videos as well. She doesn’t just entertain with her voice, she uses her body, her clothes, and the lighting to create an experience for the audience that they’ll be hard pressed to experience with any artist. Just like her music videos, Kimbra’s live shows are quirky, original and a little off the wall.

Mikky Ekko opened for Kimbra. I wasn’t familiar with any of his music except for the song “Stay” that he sings with Rihanna. He blew me away. Seriously, his voice was so powerful. He worked the crowd and although he was loud, it never felt shouty or screechy to me. Since the concert, I have looked up Mikky’s stuff and am sorry to say I wasn’t impressed. He plays it too safe in his recordings and I want to hear the raw beastly stuff that I witnessed at The Neptune. Sad the dude doesn’t take more vocal risks on his studio tracks.

When Kimbra took the stage it was dramatic just as you would guess. Dressed in a cape with a weird humanoid outline on it she melodramatically grabbed the mic to the sound of her fans (me included) screaming. Eventually taking her cape off to reveal a futuristic silver/metal skirt and crop top she was definitely fun to watch. Often appearing to be in her own world, Kimbra wiggled around stage, danced and was just goofy looking at times. I go gaga for that stuff but overall there was something missing. It was hard to place but I was slightly disappointed by the concert.

First of all, the woman needs back-up singers. There was a lot of back up track music played and I hated that. I come to a live show to hear live music, not recordings of backing music and vocals. Kimbra had a band with her but only bass, guitar, drums and piano. There was no horn section which was a real bummer. Speaking of the band, Kimbra was constantly looking at her band mates like they were messing up. Maybe it was nothing but it felt weird to me. I was always taught that the show must go and the audience should never know when stuff goes wrong. Another weird thing was that she kept pulling at and playing with her hair. Maybe it’s a wig and it was about to fall out? I don’t know but it was strange, especially since Kimbra’s persona is that she doesn’t care what people thinks, she isn’t afraid to be weird, yet she seemed very concerned about her hair.

All those issues were minor though. I love Kimbra because her voice is powerful and she uses it in a way that’s hard to describe. She does her own looping and in the live session I have watched on YouTube, she’s incredible. I always say “listen, this is where she goes nuts!” at some point during all of her songs. But I never felt like she was “going nuts” last Monday. I was especially stoked when she came back on stage for the encore and sang my favorite “Come into My Head.” On the recording she definitely “goes nuts” but I didn’t feel that power at this concert and she seemed hesitant to let herself go.

I described it later as if she was just playing around with her band in a garage instead of playing to a crowd. Weirdly enough, she posted a similar caption on Instagram in reference to the show. I mean, she’s Kimbra so she was still great and still is one of the best female vocalists out there in my opinion. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I felt a little let down.

Regardless, Kimbra is impressive ad well worth the money if you get the chance to see her. I may have romanticized what I thought a Kimbra performance should entail. Be sure to check out some of her music videos and give her a listen if you are unfamiliar. She’s uber cool and super talented.

0 “Semper Gumby”

April 11, 2015
by Connie Morgan
· In the News

Growing up Dyllin Drolz knew there was one path he would never go down. The military seemed like a far cry from anything that he would be interested in or good at. Yet something called him to a career in the service and over three years later he still has no regrets.

In high school Dyllin played football, enjoyed auto mechanics and banged on the drums in pep band. Dyllin lead a fairly normal

Dressed in Blues

life for an American high schooler, something that would plague his mind later, that word, “normal.” Like any young person or really any person at all, he had his own insecurities. One of these insecurities was his weight. Though not exceptionally heavy, Dyllin had always been a “big guy” and didn’t consider himself fit enough to be fire fighter let alone a United States Marine. Firefighting seemed like a good idea but fighting fires required physical fitness too and is an extremely competitive profession. After Dyllin graduated from high school, the idea of military career started to seem like the best way to acquire some of the skills he would need to become a fire fighter.

As Dyllin’s friend, it’s crazy to hear him talk about some of his insecurities. Fear of failure, fear of being average. From the outside, Dyllin always appeared comfortable in his own skin and at times, maybe even overly confident. While Dyllin himself didn’t see himself joining the military early on, I was not surprised when I heard the news. The confidence he portrayed, extreme loyalty to his family and desire to help others (he has won numerous volunteer awards) provided a background that would prove to be a perfect fit for the military.

Those traits are what Dyllin reflects on now. When you ask him why he joined the Marines, he’ll mention a desire to serve his country or do his duty. While the opportunity to benefit from the GI Bill was also a factor, Dyllin shipped off to boot camp on September 19, 2011, not because he was simply trying to pay the bills, but because he was on a quest to better himself.

While the Marine Corps certainly isn’t for anyone, Dyllin was drawn to it because of its core value system. The Marine Corps brotherhood stood for what Dyllin stands for. One team. One Fight. It’s rather incredible that Dyllin joined the marines considering his struggles with weight. It’s no secret that the Marine Corps is usually considered the toughest branch of the military. In high school, it would’ve been hard to imagine Dyllin as a marine, but now it’s hard to think of him as anything less than a badass. He has leaned out, bulked up and gained a new kind of confidence that’s rather remarkable.

Deployed in Africa

Now an air craft mechanic in the Marines, Dyllin has been deployed twice and is awaiting confirmation of a third deployment. The Marine Corps has taken him around the world. Spain, England, Iceland, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Djibouti have all been checked off the list with Japan on the horizon. The work he is doing is intensive. While he is currently is not deployed and is living in California, 50 hours a week is the norm. Despite the long days and limited sleep it doesn’t usually feel like work for Dyllin. “Semper Gumby” or always flexible is an unofficial motto of the Marine Corps and one Dyllin and his brothers live by. The term “brothers” isn’t used lightly either. These are the men Dyllin would die for and he knows they would do the same.

“My brothers at work, we motivate each other,” said Dyllin. “You can have the worst day at work with jobs and chores but if you have good morale you can have a good day, you can have a fun day. You’re working with your brothers and best friends all the time.”

Despite the taxing job and long hours, Dyllin still finds time to hit the gym and got married in December of last year. The gym is his happy place, so to speak. It’s where Dyllin challenges himself on a more individual level. A career in the Marine Corps

Dyllin and his wife Krista

means one must be physically fit, no exception. Dyllin has not only become physically fit, he has found a hobby that his transformed his body, mindset and even career ambitions. This gym mentality of doing an extra rep, adding another set, pushing yourself when you think you can’t translates into his job as a marine as well.

“There’s always a little more than you think you can. In the gym doing eight sets when you know damn well you can do 10,” reflected Dyllin. “I find myself stopping at work and being like you know what you should probably be going a little bit harder than you are now.”

Although I consider myself to be fairly well-versed in the military lifestyle, my interview with Dyllin on his strenuous lifestyle was eye opening even for me. But that’s all Dyllin asks of people, a little understanding. Veterans and soldiers aren’t always thought of as heroes and during a time of unpopular wars, sometimes the treatment at home isn’t much better than deployment overseas.

Adaption to civilian life is a struggle for many marines post-service. Dyllin jokes that his grandma has simply come to accept the fact that he has the mouth of sailor now, and that’s part of the culture. Shifting from one extreme culture to a “normal” life can be shocking to vets who aren’t used to speaking in a politically correct way, having a routine lifestyle or even sitting most of the day. Contract deadlines creep up on you and all of a sudden a marine is back in a world that is now unfamiliar.

The only thing that the Marine Corps is limiting Dyllin in is his ink addiction. Four large tattoos are currently on his body, all related to the Marine Corps. This tattoo is his oldest and most meaningful. The middle cross is in honor of his dad, while the four around it are for four close friends of his. These crosses have their weight but are a reminder to Dyllin that he should never “take it easy” because that would be doing these loved ones a disservice.

Though pity is the last thing Dyllin or any veteran wants, Dyllin acknowledges that more respect from the civilian world would be appreciated. Dyllin and his brothers (and sisters) are proud of what they do and do it for little pay. Dyllin reminds me that when you take into consideration hours worked verse pay, a huge percentage of service men and women don’t break minimum wage. Yet during economic hardships, the military is always put on the table as one of the first things to cut.

“We don’t do it for the money but people are so willing to materialize the service members, they’re just the boys and girls overseas doing stuff,” Said Dyllin.

A $15 an hour wage seems almost dreamlike to a solder getting shot at making half that much.

“A mutual respect is needed,” added Dyllin. “We raised our right hand and you said I’m going to protect everyone in this nation and our constitution by any means necessary. They did that for you.”

After a third deployment, Dyllin will exit active service in September of 2016 with an additional three years of reserve duty left. Right now he plans to earn a business degree and open his own gym. While the Marine Corps has helped Dyllin to realize his full potential, he hopes to do the same for others.

“Release your inhibitions and get more ambitious,” advised Dylin. “Do what you want to do instead of what you think you should do.”

I have always been proud to call Corporal Drolz a friend and watching his transformation into a young man the whole nation can be proud of has been nothing short of a joy.

*This is the first of a series on veteran and military topics. If you are or know a person I should be talking to, whether a veteran, army wife, VA employee or something in-between, please feel free to contact me at comamo91@gmail.com.

0 Loss and Gains

April 8, 2015
by Connie Morgan
· Health and Fitness

So how does one go about picking a trainer? Do you pick someone who looks the way you want to look? Do you pick someone who is interested in the same sports? Do you pick someone who has a ton of formal education and technical training? When I was deciding who I wanted to turn to for help reaching my fitness goals, it was a combination of things. My “trainer” (though he can’t technically be called one yet) is one of the most inspirational people I have met. He trains every day in the gym, combining both weight and cardio, eats clean, and is studying exercise science at Central Washington University. But more impressive than that, he overcame an obstacle millions of people struggle to overcome. Obesity. His transformation has been amazing and because he knows what it takes to make a real (yet healthy) lifestyle change, I trust him to help me reach my fitness goals.

The beginning of the journey — The Beginning of the Journey

Josh Stancil is 22 years old from a small town in Washington called Rainier. His high school was 1A when he attended, but now is even smaller at 2B. Josh describes his parents as loving and supportive and he grew up with 2 older brothers, 1 older sister and one younger sister. He played a handful of sports while he was in high school including golf, track, baseball and football, with football being his main focus. Despite the American Dream-esque life growing up, Josh struggled with his weight, starting at a very young age.

Sometime getting your child to eat is a struggle. Parents usually encourage their children to eat more and getting children to eat their veggies can be an even bigger struggle. And if grandparents are involved? Don’t even think about walking out of the house not uncomfortably full. Josh was blessed (or cursed) with “easygoing” taste buds. He would eat whatever was put in front of him whether it was lasagna, a pile of asparagus, or cottage cheese. When he would eat it wasn’t just one serving, it was two, three, maybe even four. Josh would go back for more and no one had the heart to tell the kid to stop eating so much. The weight problem started when he was only five years old. Josh reckons today that his parents probably couldn’t hold him when he was that young, at least not for long periods of time. Memories such as running to your dad when he gets home from work and jumping into his arms don’t exist for Josh.

Emotional hardships went past the physical. Kids at school would joke about Josh’s weight and even his closest friends would poke fun at him. When you’re an overweight child, you have to develop a sense of humor if you want to survive. In such a small town, everyone knows everybody and Josh constantly had the sense that people were looking at him funny or making comments behind his back. His classmates and friends weren’t trying to hurt him necessarily, but their words and actions stung none-the-less.

One of the most beloved kids at his school, Josh was chosen as Homecoming King by his classmates

“I mostly just laughed it [the jokes] off and pretended like it wasn’t a big deal,” recalled Josh. “To them it was a joke, but to me it was like getting hit in the face every time.”

Despite the subtle teasing, Josh was the nicest kid in school. He was sort of a friendly giant and his classmates would go on to vote him “Most likely to befriend you” in the senior yearbook. Despite being such a nice guy, that wasn’t what Josh wanted to be known for.

In 5^th grade Josh made his first go at trying to lose weight and was unsuccessful. In 6^th grade he tried to play football and wasn’t allowed to play because he was too heavy. The youth league had a weight limit to keep kids safe, one that Josh surpassed. He was 160 pounds. In middle school he would surpass 200 pounds. Still very conscious of his weight, Josh attempted multiple diets that would last two weeks at the most. Instead of losing weight Josh was quickly gaining.

It wasn’t until he was 16 years old that a seemingly normal experience sparked a lifestyle change. Josh got to go on a swimming fieldtrip after his class won a class-to-class competition and was awarded a pool party at the Great Wolf Lodge. It was the moment that Josh looked around watching his classmates swim when he realized he had to make a change. All the other kids were having a great time while Josh was too embarrassed to take his shirt off.

The very next day, Josh took a picture of himself, and would continue to do so every two weeks. He set up weight goals and a plan. It wasn’t a well-informed plan but over the next two months Josh lost about 50 pounds. He did this by simply making his portions smaller. He would place whatever his parents made for him on a small salad plate. He didn’t stack it high and he didn’t get seconds. This was before he even started lifting in any extensive fashion. Portion control, P.E. class and football caused Josh’s weight to melt off. It was then that what the kids said behind Josh’s back changed from negative to positive.

“What really fueled the fire was the walking in the hallways in my school, because it was such a small school, everyone knew who I was,” recalled Josh. “I remember walking down the halls and people would look up at me and they’d be sitting on the ground and they’d start whispering and pointing at me ‘cause I had changed so much.”

Josh had gone from the “friendly fat kid” to a local inspiration.

“It was exhilarating,” said Josh.

Soon Josh was carpooling with friends to the gym and the weight fell off even more. The next football season Josh stopped focusing on losing the weight, wanting to stay strong so he could perform as a lineman. Josh remembers his grandpa not being able to find him on the football field because he was no longer the huge kid and blended in with the other players.

In high school the focus was losing weight. Josh ended up going from 300 to 198 pounds when he graduated. After getting much thinner Josh noticed that he was actually getting weaker. His bench max fell and it was then that it just “clicked.” Josh knew he wanted to study exercise science in school, his focus shifting from weight loss to muscle growth.

Now stronger than ever, Josh has taken an interest in body building. He has expressed interest in competing but still struggles with fear. Though the feedback Josh gets now is almost exclusively positive, the hurtful comments made before the weight loss still have a huge impact. Because of his dramatic weight loss, Josh has loose skin, something he is still a little self-conscious about.

There is nothing easy about losing weight and Josh will be the first to admit that. Inspired by his own experience, Josh recently decided to pick up a second major. In the hopes of becoming a P.E./health teacher, Josh will stay at Central for an additional two years. To Josh it’s worth it if he can have a positive effect on students’ lives and help ensure they develop a healthy lifestyle. Teaching young kids about getting or staying healthy is an opportunity for him to use his own experience to fight an issue (childhood obesity) that is plaguing the United States. While he used to think that helping adults as a trainer would be his passion, now Josh relishes in the idea that he can educate and influence kids so that they never need a trainer.

So why have I asked Josh Stancil to help me with my fitness goals? Because he is everything that I have written above. Josh is legitimately one of the nicest guys you will ever run across in the gym or in any room for that matter. Josh has taken me under his wing and I can only dream of going through a transformation even half as impressive as his. Be sure to follow him on Instagram for more fitspiration!

0 Workin’ on My Fitness

April 2, 2015
by Connie Morgan
· Health and Fitness

I get asked fairly regularly what my “workout plan” is. It’s a huge compliment but to be honest, I was taking educated guesses as to how I should be training. I am working on making my training a lot more specific and getting help from my more knowledgeable friends to do so. I am NOT a professional trainer, nutritionist or anything else health related but I do feel good about my body and its ability to perform. Despite my insistence that I am not a professional and don’t know what I am doing, folks want to copy me, so here is the low down on my “program.”

My training started the beginning of the calendar year. Spring marks a slight transition in my Tri training and a huge transition in my weight lifting as I am now focused on getting ready for Miss WA as opposed to just Tri training. I wanted to get swole, ripped, buff whatever. Hopefully we see a lot of progress, hence the pictures below.

I am training for two things, well three things technically. I will compete in my first Olympic distance triathlon in June and first half Ironman in July. While doing this I am also getting ready for Miss Washington. For those who don’t know, Miss Washington is part of the Miss America organization (not the Donald Trump one) and it will be my third and last time competing.

For my triathlon training I am still in “Olympic” mode. This part of my training will end in two weeks and after that I will go into more specific half Ironman training. The half Ironman is my focus and I am treating my Olympic Tri as more of a check/tune-up. This all may seem like a lot, but my background as a swimmer and collegiate runner have prepped me pretty well for this transition.

In general I swim twice a week, bike once a week, run twice a week and do one brick workout which means running and biking mixed into one. Right now my “biking” has been on the stationary bike indoors, as it was too cold and icy for me to go outside. Next week I’ll start taking my bike to the pavement to really get things going.

As for lifting, I have ramped that up A LOT since I stopped running in school. I do general weight lifting four days a week, plyometrics one day a week and some kind of light or body weight lifting once a week. It’s kicked my butt, but I feel stronger than ever.

My meal plan has gotten quite a bit stricter as well. I have always eaten pretty healthy but since graduating in December, I have gotten a new job and make more money so I eat better. It’s not super strict, but in general I stick to chicken, fish, veggies, fruits and nuts. I recently gave up dairy because of the problems I have when I run, but more on that later. The food I buy really isn’t that expensive, it’s simply the huge amount of food I eat every day that makes things harder to afford. With all of my training I am trying to hit 3,000 calories a day, it’s difficult, but doable and definitely not recommended for everyone.

In my adult life, I have felt pretty confident in my body. I have always been an athlete so staying in shape has never been a problem for me. I recently asked my friend, an exercise science major and aspiring bodybuilder, to help train me because I do have isolated areas I want to make stronger and more aesthetically pleasing for my pageant. I want to be clear that I am not unhappy with my body at all, I simply am striving to look as good as I can, and we all know nobody is perfect.

You can see that at certain angles everything looks on point. I saw the picture of me at the top of this post and thought “Dang, I look ready for Miss America!” But at certain angles (as in the picture where I am on the move) things don’t look as “tight.” My hamstring-glute connection is not where I want it to be and hopefully that’s where I will see the biggest transformation in the next couple of months.

I will post my workouts and meals every day. Hopefully this journey will be satisfying to me and entertaining for you to watch!

Keep in mind that I am shooting for 3,000 calories a day. If you are eating less but want to be on the same plan, simply eat one serving of the things I eat two of. It looks overwhelming but after about two weeks it’s easy.

Breakfast:
4 eggs
2 pieces of 100% whole wheat toast with 4 tablespoons of PB (I just eat the Safeway brand)
1 banana
1 fruit smoothie (1/4 cup apple juice, handful of spinach, 1/2 cup Greek Gods non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup Safeway plain soy milk, 1/4 cup mixed berries, 1 scoop strawberry-mango Spark)

Snack:
2 small boxes of raisins
2 servings lightly salted almonds

Lunch:
1 whole orange
2 servings Veggie Pasta Rotini with 1/2 chicken breast

Snack:
1 banana

Dinner:
1 1/4 cup brown rice
2 Tillapia fillets (4 oz. each)
1 cup cooked broccoli
1 1/2 servings sweet potato tater tots
2 servings cooked shrimp

Total Calories: 2927

20150331_202133[1] — My pup Boomerang thought dinner looked as good as I did!

Morning Workout:
Leg day!
5 min WU on stair-climber
One legged squats (4 sets of 12 on each leg)
Leg press (4 sets of 10)
Sumo Squats (3 sets of 10)
*First day with my new trainier so a lot of time was spent learning what the routine is going to be!

Afternoon Workout:
Swim day!
400 front crawl
400 pull
400 front crawl
400 pull
+20 secs rest in-between

Be sure to stretch!

0 Ladies Leave Your Man at Home

May 23, 2014
by Connie Morgan
· In the News

Females dominate public relations. At least they dominate the major. They don’t necessarily dominate the actual jobs out there, but this is something that I’ve discussed in another blog worth checking out called “Where My Sistas At.” We know why women aren’t always in the high profile PR positions, but when they are, are they treated differently?

I think I’ve always been able to hang with the boys. I remember in elementary school when the boys and girls would race down the playground and certain boys didn’t want to race me because they were afraid I’d beat them…how embarrassing. Chances are my grades are just as good as yours, male or female and although I am majoring in public relations, my second major is economics, a field heavily dominated by men. I have a management job where I manage men and women and I bought my first house at age 18. Boo yah. I’ve made it clear I am capable of taking care of myself. Throughout my successes, (and low points) I have been subject to a little bit of sexism. Usually people act this way towards me without even realizing that what they’re saying is potentially offensive. I have a position of slight power as the Brand Manager at 88.1 The ‘Burg, I’m a leader by default on my track and XC team and I am a current participant in the Miss America program. These are my top five most annoying things people say to me because I am a woman.

1. You’re pretty tough, because you never cry.
My high school friends would laugh if they saw this one. Yes, since coming to college I hardly ever cry…in front of people. I cry all the time. Within the last 24 hours I have cried. Do I think I am tough? Hell yeah. Is it because I don’t cry? Heck no. You may be asking yourself, so you cry; I still don’t see the problem. When was the last time you heard someone tell l a man he was tough because he didn’t cry. I never have. That’s because there is a double standard. Women who cry are normal, men who cry are weak. Women who don’t cry are tough or hard while men who don’t cry are normal. Crying in public is one of the toughest things you can do. Its making yourself appear vulnerable, its letting you emotions show instead of hiding them down somewhere deep. Crying in front of people is badass, whether you’re a man or woman. Don’t get me wrong, nobody likes a crybaby but the periodic cry is fine by me and I won’t degrade you for that whether you’re a man or woman.

2. You seemed like a prude when I first met you.
This has been said to me at the workplace. I’m sorry? In what way did I seem like a prude? I wasn’t loud? I dressed well? I don’t gossip? When I ask people why I seemed like a pride they usually confirm all of the above. Though men are referred to as prudes, other males who acted similarly to me at the workplace were never accused of prudishness (to my knowledge). I believe there is a false notion that women are bubbly, social, airheaded creatures, or at least they should be. This isn’t what everyone thinks of course, but when you don’t fit into one of those categories you are sometimes labled as a bore.

3. You have a dude’s sense of humor.
What does this even mean? Yes, I can quote Tropic Thunder almost all the way through, but so can my female best friends. Are we actually a bunch of bros and I didn’t realize it? What is a female’s sense of humor I wonder? While rom-coms are generally marketed to women, when it comes to pure comedies, is Bridesmaids the only thing we women can claim? Maybe Mean Girls? And even those could be categorized as romantic comedies. Maybe instead of saying I have a dude’s sense of humor; you should tell me I have a good sense of humor. And no, I’ve never seen The Notebook.

4. You eat like a dude.
Once again, the comparison to a dude. Statistically, perhaps men do eat more than women, but anyone who thinks that scale is universally true doesn’t hang out at my house. I eat like a cross-country runner. I eat like an active person. I like to say, I eat with a purpose. What is a comment like that supposed to accomplish. For a split second it makes me feel bad, only for a spit second, Domino’s pizza is just way to delicious for me to feel bad any longer than that. By the way, I’ll take anyone on in a pizza eating competition, I don’t care if you’re male or female.

5. You have a nice a$%.
Need I explain? I put this on the list because I feel that this is something only women regularly hear. I have never heard someone, male or female, tell a man he has a nice rear-end. I have been told this in the office, I have been told this in a casual setting, I have been told this at a bar. It doesn’t matter where I am, I can’t seem to escape the fact that people seem to like my bum! Most of the time, it just isn’t appropriate to tell a woman this, but in a world of booty songs, booty jokes and a general fascination with the derriere people somehow think it’s OK to tell a woman what they think of her tuches.

Being in the PR profession will undoubtedly come with its difficulties, trials and tribulations. There will certainly be moments when I will want nothing more than to have a good cry and other times when even a compliment on my caboose will make me feel better. Although I am sure I will be able to handle whatever comes my way ultimately I just want a family. Whether I become a mother and housewife, or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company I am sure I will find happiness. And that, my friends is the beauty of being a woman.

0 Where My Sistas At?

May 22, 2014
by Connie Morgan
· In the News

As I get ready to compete at the NCAA Division 2 Track & Field Championships today in Allendale, Michigan, I can’t help but notice something about the athletes that surround me. A lot of them are black. We all know that track, especially jumps and sprints are usually dominated by African-Americans, but there are a lot more black students competing at the national level then in my own conference which is in a “whiter area” of the country. Not a knock on my part of the country, but it’s nice to see so many successful black and white athletes running around. I’d love to see Martin Luther King enjoy a track meet where a white teammate hands off to a black teammate and a hug at the finish line follows

With all these black kids running around I did notice something strange, not a lot of black adults. Where are the black coaches? For that matter, where are the women coaches? Well, there aren’t very many. This got me thinking about a thesis written by the Associate Dean of Student Life at Central Washington University, Dr. Keith Champagne. The thesis was on the lack of African-American athletic directors in the U.S. Before Dr. Champagne’s thesis I had never realized what an imbalance there is in athletic administration. This is a field that has recently seemed appealing to me. With my PR, economics and athletic background, this might be right up my alley. It may shock you to know what an outlier I would be if I acquired an athletic director position. There are very few black or female athletic directors at the university level, and don’t even get me started on black females.

First, let’s take a look at the statistics concerning black athletic directors. Black athletes make up about 25% of all Division I athletes. This may seem surprisingly low, but keep in mind that there are three sports in which black athletes tend to compete in, basketball, football and track. Other sports such as swimming, lacrosse, golf, tennis, ice hockey, field hockey, crew and even baseball and soccer have low levels of African-American participation. This is in part due to black workers making about 75% of what their white counterpart makes. Expensive sports or are available to those who can afford it. Sports that are dominated by white players are also usually those where club play and early exposure are key to later success.

Carla Wilson, who was hired last December and is the only black female athletic director in the DI, not at a historically black college

Although there are sports with virtually no black players, the sports most heavily attended, broadcast and financially profitable are dominated by African-Americans. 45.8 % of DI football players are black compared to the 45.1% that are white. 60.9% of male DI basketball players are black and 51% of female DI basketball players are black. Basketball and football are the biggest money makers in college athletics. Statistically, black people have more experience playing these high profile sports and dealing with the pressures that go along with them. These experiences are not reflected in the hiring of athletic directors.

Only 7.4% of DI athletic directors are black, while in my division, DII, only 3.1% are. Almost as bad, only 8.3% of DI athletic directors are female and 15.5% of DII athletic directors are female. How many athletic directors are black females? One. Not including historically black colleges, there is one female African-American athletic director in DI. Here’s the real kicker, this woman, was hired in 2013, December of 2013. Before her there were none. What’s shocking about this fact is that many of the fields that best lend themselves to an athletic director position are dominated by women. For instance, 75-80% of PR practitioners are women and 43% of public administration majors are women. Women have the skills, we have the experience, but we’re not getting the jobs.

The all female CWU crew competing at nationals this weekend.

There are a lot of voices cheering for more equal opportunities between men and women. I’m all for equal pay, but I think a lot of the data supporting the notion that women make less than men is skewed. Yes, men make more than women on average, but when you control for certain factors, this isn’t actually the case. Women make less than men because they often choose to leave the job force for some time to have children. Women also tend to choose jobs that are lower paid. It’s in our psychology, we can’t help it! Women have the urge to nurture and help others, leading to jobs in non-profit, teaching and nursing. While there are high-paying jobs in these fields, most of them will not make as much as the doctor, lawyer and engineering jobs men are more inclined to be interested in. The lack of female athletic directors is still a bit of a mystery to me. As a black female, I can change the game. Whether it’s as an athletic director or in some other field, you can bet I will. I’ll be on the prowl for black and female coaches this weekend and if I spot a black female coach you can bet on a second blog. 🙂

0 This Goes Out to All the Mamas

May 11, 2014
by Connie Morgan
· In the News

There aren’t a lot of mom’s better than mine. If you want to know how successful a mother is, look at her final product. My mom has two grown children who are pretty self-sufficient, paying for school on their own with no loans and getting pretty good grades while doing so. My brother and I are fairly well adjusted, contributing members of society who both have won awards and accolades for various accomplishments. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that my mom is a huge part of our success and my brother and I wouldn’t be where we are now without her.

In another blog, I wrote about social media no-nos. Although I can be critical, I love social media. Some people hate it, but in my opinion the pros of social media far outweigh the cons. Social media is an important part of both your personal and professional PR portfolio. In general, I prefer following individuals over corporations. I feel more of a connection with individuals and usually the message seems more sincere. But, there are a handful of days out of the year where I want to delete every individual off of my news feed. One of these days is Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is a time when I prefer the corporate mother’s day messages over the individual ones.

Here’s my issue with the mother’s day posts. First of all, none of the captions with the photos are original AT ALL. Nearly every

My Lovely Mother and I — My lovely mother and I.

mother’s day post uses some variation of “Happy Mothers’ day to the best mom on the planet. I appreciate everything you do for me. I love you.” I wish people would get a little more creative with their captions. Mine would say something along the lines of, “Although this picture may lead you to believe otherwise, no I’m not adopted. This is my mom and she’s awesome and I love her. Happy Mother’s Day Mom!” Still gets the point across, but isn’t the same old Hallmark boring I’ve read about 100 times today.

Picture that accompanied American Legion tweet. — Picture that Accompanied American Legion Tweet.

Now I said my mom’s day post would say because I haven’t posted a Mother’s day shout out. Why? The first reason is that my mom would be angry if I posted a picture of her. Like a lot of moms out there, she hates having her picture taken and hates pictures of her being out in public even more. I am doing her favor by not posting a picture of us on social media. The second reason I haven’t posted anything is because my mom DOESN’T HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA. She would never see the tweet/status/post unless I showed it to her on my own device. I’m guessing this is the case with about half the mom posts I see. Your mom isn’t going to see that, so why are you posting it? Are you trying to brag about how awesome your mom is? Are you just doing it because everyone else is and you don’t want to feel left out? Maybe instead of being on your Instagram, you should put your phone down and spend the day with your mom, you know, actually doing stuff together.

There are some Mother’s Day posts I really enjoy reading. Non-profits and corporations nail it when it comes to mom’s day. Although it’s almost a guaranteed PR move to get you to support their cause or buy more of their product, I still love it. Politicians have also done a nice job of supporting their mamas this year. In particular, John Boehner’s video tribute to his mom was excellent. Some of my other favorites included The American Legion‘s tweet and picture referring to mother’s currently serving. Oreo also had an adorable tweet that encouraged followers to save the last Oreo for mom. Even the NBA got in on the Mother’s day action with a simple tweet that still touched my heart.

The NBA tweeted this picture for Mother's Day — The NBA tweeted this picture for Mother’s Day.

Holidays are a time when businesses can capitalize on either selling more product, increasing traffic to their pages, developing the personalization of their company or all three. It’s not often that I prefer corporate social media over that of my friends but when it comes to originality and the “aw factor,” corporations have become quite good at pulling at our heartstrings.

P.S. I love you mom. Sorry for the picture.

2 Who Speaks for the Halfies?

April 21, 2014
by Connie Morgan
· In the News

We live in an era where people are constantly trying to define themselves, or rather they’re trying to define what they’re not. “I am not defined my weight,” “I am not my hair,” (great song BTW), “I am more than a number.” All powerful movements and statements surging through my social media feeds. Well, I’d like to add one to the list. I am not my race. As a halfie, my race is constantly a topic of discussion. Now sometimes, I bring this upon myself. I crack jokes, I refer to myself as a mutt for heaven’s sake! But sometimes people cross the line, especially complete strangers. Its got me thinking, who speaks for the halfies? Why do people think its OK to say some of the things they say to me? I try to beat out stereotypes for both minorities and women by living a life filled with success, service, style and hard work. But perhaps there should be a PR campaign based around PSA’s telling people how to appropriately approach people about their race.

Here are some of the more ridiculous things I have heard over the years:

1. So what are you anyways?
How does one even answer this question? What am I? Well, let me tell you, I am a human being, I am a hard worker, I am a loyal friend, I am an athlete, I am a weirdo…the list goes on and on. Though this statement seems harmless, lets put it into a corporate PR context. Imagine that Barack Obama was visiting a poor neighborhood in Tacoma, Wash. Imagine he is visiting a predominately Japanese neighborhood but he doesn’t know anything about the town accept that there is an Asian community there. Now imagine that President Obama asks a 14-year-old girl, “So what are you guys anyways?” The outrage and PR headaches that would cause would go on for weeks. I know for a fact, Fox News wouldn’t drop it for at least a month’s time. Although its easy for me to let this type of question role off my shoulders, its disturbing how many people have asked me this question, especially when I was a little girl.

2. I could tell you were half, because you don’t really act black.

Its hard for me to hold my tongue when people say this to me. I know they don’t mean it to be offensive, but its nothing but offensive. So because I study hard and get good grades I’m not black? Because I enjoy swimming I’m not black? My preference for Subarus over Cadillacs means I’m not black? You’d think because we have a black president now I’d stop hearing this sort of nonsense but I haven’t. ESPN commentator Rob Parker offended some when he made racist remarks about Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III after the quarterback said he didn’t want to be defined as an African-American quarterback.

“I want to find about him,” Parker said. “I don’t know because I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancee. Then there was all this talk about he’s a Republican, which there’s no information at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue.”

The notion that having a white fiance is any sort of proof of not being a “brother,” as Parker is also sited as stating is ridiculous. Furthermore, since when did being a Republican mean you weren’t black? I was under the impression that America is a free country that encourages different opinions, discussions and beliefs. That’s part of what makes the country so strong. Parker later apologized to RG3 for the comments in a smart PR move.

3. So that’s why you’re athletic.
Now this has a a little merit because historically African-Americans excel in basketball and track, sports I have participated in. What makes this statement racist is the assumption that all black people are good at sports or are even interested in sports, which is simply not the case. People who think this should meet my cousins, some of the biggest nerds on the planet. Even funnier is that I excel in long distance running, something I most certainly inherited from my white side. The black side of my family are short, stocky and built more for power and speed. They look like sprinters. On the other hand, the white side of my family is longer, leaner and have a history of participating in endurance sports. Sorry to disappoint, but its fair to say that a good part of my athleticism comes from my white side.

4. Can I touch your hair?/Do you have back or white people hair? (Said while already playing w/ my hair)

First of all, don’t touch my hair. I don’t know you, so hands off. I understand why folks would be curious about my hair. But complete strangers approaching me and touching it is a little too far. Black people hair is a foreign animal to anyone who isn’t black. They don’t understand it, and most white people don’t realize how much fake hair is out there. Even more offensive is when people dare to tell me that I should be glad I don’t have “black people hair.” Excuse me, natural African hair is gorgeous. Although I am content with the hair I have now, I would love to rock some of the looks black women pull off. What’s more, is that folks don’t understand that not all black people have the same hair, just like they don’t all have the same skin color.

5. You’re only half anyway.
This is a confusing one, because sometimes people say this to me like its a good thing and sometimes they say it like a bad thing. I was talking with some close friends about how I sometimes feel like white guys aren’t as “into me” as boys of color and one (white male) responded with “you’re only half black though.” This person was trying to convince me that white guys think I am attractive, but the implication was that if I was full black they wouldn’t. In other cases, I have felt alienated from black people, and have been teased, even by my own family, for being the “white girl.” Its similar to the Tiger Woods complex. The joke being, when he is winning, he’s white. when hes losing, he’s black. You’d think being a halfie would mean I fit in with everyone but in reality, I often feel like an outsider in both categories.

Ultimately, I just want to be known as a good person, a kind person, a person you can trust. When RG3 said he didn’t want to be defined as an African-American quarterback I could relate. I did nothing to accomplish my race. This was the way I was born. Am I ashamed of my race? Hell no, and I wouldn’t ever want to change my genetic make-up. But I don’t want to be defined as my race, I want to be defined by my accomplishments, my triumphs and how I overcame failure. My race should be in the footnotes, not in the headline. As a future professional, I hope I can lead a life that changes the way at least some people see race, and gender! We’re all part of the human race and the PR campaign to convince people of that starts right now, with me.

0 The Single Life is Exhausting

April 20, 2014
by Connie Morgan
· In the News

I’ve been blessed to have many talents. I’m reasonably intelligent, athletic, musical and occasionally I can crack a good joke. I claim its because of the mutant half-breed genes. One thing I’m not good at is boys. A lot of women (and men) claim that they suck at relationships. Why is this? Why do signals get misinterpreted? Why do moments of opportunity get surpassed? Why am I not where I want to be?

Now that I almost have two degrees, my college education causes me to relate everything in my life to what I have studied in school. Economics is a fancy way of saying “the study of choice,” while my PR degree included nothing but communication courses! So I should be great at making choices and communicating my wants and needs right? Wrong. But when you think about it, everyone is a PR professional in a way. Public Relations is “the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person.” While this definition states that the image being maintained is an organization or famous person, we are all maintaining our own image to the public every day. Social media, in-person interaction, texting, calling, its exhausting. The funny thing is, the same stuff that can get a Fortune 500 company in trouble with the public, is the same stuff that can get an individual in trouble with the public.

Using incorrect grammar or spelling in any social media post is my nightmare. What’s worse is that one little mistake can make you appear to be a total dummy to whoever you are crushing on. It seems like no matter how many times I check my post or tweet or comment before I hit send, errors occasionally slip through. Some people are such nazis about this, that a misspelled word could mean intellectual suicide! Oh, you used the wrong “your?” You’re (your?) now an idiot in the eyes of your followers. The same goes for major organizations. Even more terrifying is the thought that someone might hack your account and write something embarrassing. Oh, your friend posted “I love pooping more than anything” on your Facebook page. Yeah right, you’re now a freak in the eyes of your followers. Telecommunications company Vodafone had a PR headache when a homophobic tweet was sent from their account by a supposed hacker. These sort of public relations nightmares can ruin any chance at a relationship with one special individual, or thousands of individuals.

CEOs, celebrities and politicians have all gotten into trouble over saying stupid stuff. CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries was nailed to the wall when he said, “Abercrombie is only interested in people with washboard stomachs who look like they’re about to jump on a surfboard.” Mel Gibson lost his A-list status when it was discovered that he said, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” And politicians seem to have the worst PR mangers in the world because they are constantly making ridiculous statements, such as Bill Clinton‘s infamous, “It all depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” When I am around someone I like, I get nervous, I say the stupidest things. This usually involves me letting too much of my weird show, too early. For instance, admitting that I am obsessed with unicorns on the first date, or mentioning that chicken gizzards are one of my favorite snacks. I get nervous, it slips! The same probably happens for people constantly speaking in the spotlight though that’s still no excuse.

Sometimes I wonder how I can expect to manage the reputation of an organization when I can’t even manage my own reputation. I’ve been referred to as “the quiet one,” “the crazy one,” “the serious one,” and recently my fellow employees told me that I would do well in prison. I didn’t know whether to be honored or to be insulted. I’m not quite sure what I want to portray myself as to the public but perhaps some corporate PR strategies would work well in my personal life.

2 All Hail the Queen of PR

April 14, 2014
by Connie Morgan
· In the News

There’s a lot of people who like to hate on Kim Kardashian. While I don’t consider myself one of the haters, I can’t say that I am a fan. Though I’ve never seen an episode of any Kardashian related show I can’t help but learn tidbits of her life while waiting to pay for my groceries. Somehow, even though I have never seen one episode of any her shows, I know Kim K. has sisters named Khloe and Kourtney, along with two younger ones that are not as famous. I know her mom is Kris Jenner and I know that her stepdad is Bruce Jenner, the famous decathlete. I know that Kim has a baby with Kanye West named North. How do I know so much about Kim Kardashian without watching her shows? Because Kim Kardashian is a PR genius.

Kim Kardashian is and has been one of the most famous women in America for quite some time now. But why is she famous? Is she a singer, politician, actress? No. The woman is famous for virtually no reason. Her fame has now given her the opportunity to sell products like nail polish, jewelry, perfumes and more under her name.

How did Kim accomplish her empire? How the heck did this “normal” lady build an empire? Through genius marketing and PR moves. When ratings for her show start to drop, there’s a surprise engagement, baby announcement or fight. Kim K is rumored to be extremely cooperative with the paparazzi. Kim will tip off the paparazzi as to where she will be, so that pictures of her in the media will be when and where she wants them to be. Sometimes Kim will sell her own vacation, wedding or other highly sought after pictures to the press herself. It is estimated that she made a cool $100,000 selling pictures of herself and ex-husband Kris Humphries in Mexico.

Other celebrities have taken noticed Kim’s marketing prowess. With 13.85 million followers on Instagram and 20.7 million followers on Twitter, this woman who fell into fame is quite impressive.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, he said, “Kim started from pretty much nothing, and now everyone everywhere knows who she is. That’s what I want to do.”

Say what you want about Kim, she knows how to work the media. Bad press is good press in the case of Kim, and she knows this. Her and beau Kanye were recently on the cover of Vogue magazine, there’s now a image of the “ideal woman” the emulates Kim floating around on social media and there are whispers of a $30 million wedding with Kanye. Kim hasn’t peaked and she isn’t going anywhere. Keep your eyes up in the checkout lanes for what’s to come.

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