Industrial Marketing Summit 2025 Preview with Meaghan Ziemba

Curt Anderson  00:00

Week, right? Yeah. Hey, Damon, we’re live. Dude, how are you, man, I’m doing great. Curt, my goodness gracious. Happy Monday. Did you get a good night’s sleep? Yes,

Damon Pistulka  00:09

yes, I tell you. I am a little sad though, because something, as I was exercising this morning, I realized something we’re we’re going this next weekend will be the first weekend of the year without football.

Curt Anderson  00:27

It’s kind of, it’s kind of

Damon Pistulka  00:29

NFL. I mean, we have and then we get the super bowl again, which the Super Bowl is okay, but I was just, there was a little bit of sadness right there.

Curt Anderson  00:37

Well, I got for, I guess we’re gonna have to go find a hobby, are we not? We’re gonna have to go find some type of that’s what I was afraid of. Well, you’re great, you’re, you know, you’re in Seattle, you’re outdoors all the time, so, you know? And I wasn’t going to talk about football, because my, my our friend and I are little heartbroken. This was a little heart broken today. But hey, let’s give a big intro. We have just, uh, needs no introduction whatsoever, but we’re going to anyway. We’ve got the one. The only the Maven manufacturing is in the house. Megan Zimba. Megan, how are you? I’m great. How are you guys? Oh, my goodness gracious. If I you know what demon, if you might have to call 911 if I don’t know if I’m going to get through this whole interview. So you know, I’m just my I feel my heart. Just do it again, right? See, I just feel my heart pounding. Meaghan . For folks that are are, if there’s anybody out there not familiar with Meaghan  Ziemba, mavens of manufacturing, please share a little bit. What is going on your world? How are you making the world a better place with mavens of manufacturing? Yeah,

Meaghan Ziemba  01:35

so I’m Meaghan Ziemba. I’m actually an industrial tech writer for engineering manufacturing. I’ve been writing since 2008 five years ago, I started mavens manufacturing during the pandemic to really highlight women’s voices in STEM fields and in the sector, and it has blown up since then, and I’ve still do it every Friday at 1130 Central Time. There are different times now, because I’ve I’ve been more flexible with women’s schedules, so sometimes we’ll do early morning, sometimes we’ll do later. I’m actually getting people from around the world to to share their stories as well. So there’s been a couple where I’ve had to show up at eight in the morning because they were either in Ireland or Australia or the UK. So it’s been pretty wild to hear different stories from the women’s perspective. And yeah, I hope it keeps going. I have a few young girls that listen in every week their hashtag. Junior Board of Directors if you’re not following that hashtag, Peyton and Aiden, they live in Canada with their dad, Hank pream. So I just want to shout them out every chance I get, because they are listening, they are watching, and their curiosity has been struck. So hopefully when they get older, they’ll actually come into engineering, manufacturing and career pathways. So super excited. Yeah, wow. That is

Curt Anderson  02:57

absolutely phenomenal. Let I want to, let’s go back so during, it’s amazing how many things came out of COVID. So this is your COVID Baby, if you will, mavens manufacturing, right? Just yeah, through a little bit like, what was going through your mind, what was going what was happening at the time that you started this, and did you, did you see this five years later, that you’d still be where you are?

Meaghan Ziemba  03:17

No, I actually had no idea where it was going to take off. I didn’t even think people would be interested in it, and I was also afraid that some would be like, Oh, well, it’s kind of discriminatory, because I did pitch it for a nonprofit organization that I used to volunteer for, and I was like, Hey, we should really create this podcast series and interview women in the local area, and they were trying to attract both men and women. So they were like, No, we don’t want the guys to feel left out. Now I have interviewed some gentlemen on the show. One gentleman was Chris, and he came on and actually gave tips on how dads could introduce STEM related fields with their daughters and the types of play that they’re doing at home. So he offered some suggestions on play activities you could do at home with your daughters, which was really cool. I’ve had drew crow on a couple of times. I just had John Frank go on with Wendy last week or the week before, to talk about IMS. So I’m not like completely kicking them out. I just I want the focus to be around how we can really recruit more women into engineering and manufacturing, because we all are well aware of the skills gap. But when I started, it out, the whole reason why I started is because, you know, during the pandemic, a lot of people were creating more content online to kind of like, keep their sanity, because we were all isolated from one another. And I would offer suggestions to some of the podcasts that were already out there, but they never would reach out to the women. So I made an announcement I want to say in November or December of 2020 just saying, hey, you know, interested in hearing your stories, would you you know book like time with me to share your story on a live event? And I actually booked out episodes until April of the following year. So it was definitely something that women wanted to do. And it’s really cool, because there’s a lot of women out there who, I think initially they would be nervous to share their stories, but this has really helped them gain that confidence, because now they’re seeing the importance of like, yeah, we need to share our story so that younger women, younger versions of us, can actually gain the confidence to really come into this sector and know that they can be successful in it. So I did not think that it was going to be this popular. I did not expect it to be international and have women from other countries reach out to me and say, Thank you. Like, that’s just been mind blowing. But again, it’s, it’s younger girls, like the junior board of directors, who reach out to me and like, send me pictures of them in the Maven shirt and flexing. And just seeing those little girls, like, be confident with who they are, is has been like the cherry on top for me. So super excited to keep going. Yeah,

Damon Pistulka  06:04

it is so cool,

Curt Anderson  06:06

absolutely awesome. And so did you know, when you think about the impact that you’ve had, you know, and Damon and I are, are huge, proud girl dads, you know. And so again, we just absolutely love the work that you’re doing, you know, as I said, as you got into this, did you have any idea of the scope of, like, the impact that you would have coming into this? You know, like, it’s opened up the door for you. Like, you know, we’re gonna be, you’re speaking at the industrial marketing summit next month. We’re gonna be talking about that. I know you do a bunch of speaking events. You’re on LinkedIn, like crazy. Anybody out there that absolutely connect with Meaghan  on LinkedIn, follow her story, follow her journey. But again, like, you know, does it ever you ever sit back and, like, think, like, Man, I’m really, I know you’re super humble. Do you ever think that like man, like this is awesome, like, I’m making a little bit of a difference? Do you ever,

Meaghan Ziemba  06:53

oh, yeah, for sure, especially with recent news that I read. So like, I I read a very disheartening article about women in Afghanistan, and Aaron Prather shared a post a while ago about a new movie that’s coming out in March about the all girls Afghanistan robotics team. And I’m really looking forward to seeing that movie, but I can’t think of her name right now, and tiny Sheriff she she’s a teacher here in Illinois, in Illinois, and she shared an article, and basically it was stating how they no longer have access to education after sixth grade, the consent to marriage has dropped down quite significantly, which is really scary. And yeah, I just It’s mind boggling to me that there’s still some sort of threat behind women who want to achieve their dreams and pursue higher education and become more knowledgeable about what’s going on around them and pursue careers that you know to traditionally weren’t careers that they pursued. So for me, it said to hear women come up to me and say, Thank you. You know you helped me be confident and you encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. I really want that to keep happening, because I think it’s important, and I think the way that societies progress forward is if everyone within that society works together and come up with innovative ideas to move that society forward. I don’t think you can just keep it to one type of group like I don’t think that’s how we move forward at all. So it is really, really surreal for me, and I just, I just get teary eyed when people come up to me and tell me, I I just had a conversation with Tony Neary, because I had a moment of like, I don’t think I’m doing enough, I don’t think I’ve accomplished enough, like I feel like I’m behind. And she was just like, No, Your word for this year is going to be rise, because there’s a lot of stuff that I’ve been experiencing. And she’s like, you’re an absolutely amazing person, so don’t forget it. So yeah, I really appreciate my tribe of women that I’ve built around, too, because sometimes I need that encouragement myself to to know that I gotta keep going because it is something meaningful for other women to follow my footsteps in. So, yeah, it’s been, been awesome,

Curt Anderson  09:28

yeah. And really, the cool thing is, like, you’ve paved your own path that, Megan, I remember several years ago, you’ve been on the show multiple times. We were going to have you on the show one time, and it was, like, manufacturing month. It was October, yeah? Like, Hey, man. Like, this is super bowl season for me. And, you know, I remember you and I, we were talking about some of the events that you did, you know. So you’re on site, either at schools, colleges, universities, you know, can you just share, like, what are some of the experiences that you’ve had in person when you just see the faces light up, or, like, when you’re at the events? And like, you know, Jake calls, like, showing up with his. Automation, you know, this little dog or whatever, you know, like, what are some of the highlights that you’ve experienced on site, and just seeing the light the faces light up of like, what you can bring for the opportunities for manufacturing for young people? Yeah,

Meaghan Ziemba  10:14

so it’s been definitely mixed, because I feel like when kids are younger, they don’t really understand necessarily, the impact that they could potentially have when they’re first starting out in things and like, I don’t know if they’re aware of, like, how important it is to be able to make things with their hands to really keep society progressing forward. So I feel like when they meet someone like myself or Jake hall or drew crow. Like, Drew crow. When you watch that man do his thing, it’s phenomenal, because he does get a group of kids, like, taken back by, like, wait a minute, you mean, I can actually do this my my future hasn’t been set for me. I can actually change the direction of of where I want to go, and I think that’s where we like thrive the most is when we see that interaction and that reaction from us saying, No, you can actually do this. And then they start believing in himself. It’s just crazy. It’s just amazing. So I like those moments. My favorite moment of all time was going to automate for the first time back in Detroit, a group of us got together and we walked around in inflatable Dino suits, and it was all girls, and everybody’s like, why the heck are you doing this? But during that show, I actually met Hank for the first time, and he came up to myself. Ally G Nikki, Gonzalez, Courtney, Fernandez and Payne and Aiden made us handmade cards. And like wrote thank you for inspiring us. We want to be strong like you. We want to be a hero like you. Um, so I think that’s when it clicked for well, myself personally, but I think it clicked for all of us, like what we say is important, and it is making a difference and it matters. So just having those small moments is is really, really cool. And then when we make that connection for companies, because I also do storytelling for MTD, CNC, when we make that connection with companies as well. It’s just as exciting, because I feel like some companies get stuck on, you know, how am I going to share my story without being too pitchy? And what sort of story can I tell that’s really going to connect with not just the next generation, but current generations? And how can we show it in an authentic way. And I’m MTD does a really good job at making memorable stories for companies, so I think it’s just as important for companies to make that connection, not just for the next generation, but current generations. Because I feel like there is an awareness problem with parents of of Gen Z that are in certain areas they don’t really know why manufacturing is important, or that it exists in their backyard. So when you have these different platforms and you see the difference that it makes it, it truly is a highlight for individual content creators like myself and as well as companies that are making a huge, huge difference. Yeah,

Curt Anderson  13:21

absolutely love it. So, hey, we’ve got a couple comments here. We got Bob feathers in the house here, better together, and Diane Byers in the house. Diane boom helping students see the possibilities and opportunities. Your future is not set. So guys, thank you again. Drop us a note. Let us know that you’re out there. Please do us all a favor. Hey, I’ve got a couple. I missed this one back here. I missed Diane saying, Hey, happy Monday. I missed that one. So sorry about that, Diane and Bob says, Hey, good afternoon. Meaghan  is awesome. Bob totally agree with you 100% so Alright, Meaghan, what I’m going to do, I’m going to I’m going to pop up your website real quick. We were talking about that before. Now, hey, now you’re saying that you’re creating content. Who? Did you say you’re creating content for?

Meaghan Ziemba  14:02

Um, it’s a brand called mtdcnc. So they hire me to come in and do some emceeing for them. So Eddie Saunders is part of that group. Tony Gunn is part of that group. Uh, Arthur field is also part of that group. They have a fur, fur, who’s in Mexico, she does that, Lindsay Vickers, Joe Reynolds, Paul Jones, I don’t know all of the UK team members, so I do apologize for not knowing their name. Hopefully I can go out to the UK and meet everyone in person. Hint, hint Tony. Hint, hint Tony. But yeah, they they’ve been around, I want to say, since 2017 but they started focusing on CNC machining, and I think now they’re slowly broadening out that because everything automation is happening, and there’s there’s a bunch of platforms for like data analytics and predictive maintenance and prevented maintenance and machine learning, so they’re getting into a lot. Of different processes and concepts for manufacturing. So it’s been a lot of fun. I love Tony. He’s got so much energy. So anytime I hang out with him is a good day, because I just try to take some of that energy awesome. It

Curt Anderson  15:14

is why so Tony was on the show in November, and so that I when you mentioned I wanted to repeat the company name, and while we’re doing that, I’m going to pull up your website real quick. But Tony gun, another great advocate for us, manufacturing wonderful person to connect with. But Meaghan, you know, I want to talk. So if there’s somebody out there, I want to hit this for a couple points. Number one, you know, you start your own podcast. Nobody will encourage you, and, you know, incentivize you to do it. You took bull by the horns. Did it yourself, and it just opened up, just a world of opportunity spreading a message in like, you know, here we’re on your website, and we see you in front of a packed room talking about your passion, you know, just two things I’d love for you to share some of the things that people should be when they follow you. What would they know about you? Is like with your content. Number one, number two, who should be hiring you for speaking events.

Meaghan Ziemba  16:07

So what they should look forward to in my content is raw authenticity. So this is who I am. You get what you see. And I am trying to filter myself a little bit because I understand that believe being completely blunt and direct is not for everyone. So

Curt Anderson  16:30

why start going Megan, right? Just just

Meaghan Ziemba  16:33

because I do. I do care about how people I don’t want people make the wrong assumption about me, so I am trying to dial back on my edginess, not too like, that’s why I keep my head shaved, because, yes, I am edgy, and I like to be edgy, so, but you’re going to get raw authenticity, and you’re going to get passion, and you’re going to get emotion. Like some of the women that I have had conversations with are just the these knees like they’re amazing human beings, and you know, they they’re they’re single moms, they’re married women, they’re women that came from a different industry. They’re women that left manufacturing and then came back. They’re women that started their own businesses. They’re women that you know had their own doubts and insecurities but kept moving forward. They’re some of the most resilient, gritty women that I know. Not gritty as in, like, gross, sexy, but like, they’re, they’re just, they’re raw, authentic women, and they have such an amazing they have so many amazing stories. So you’re, you’re going to definitely get really good stories if you you tune in my content. And then who should be hiring me for speaking events? You know, any brand that’s looking for, you know, help and raising brand awareness, any brand that’s looking for help to connect with their community, any brand that’s looking for help to connect with younger generations. If I’m not the person for you, I can definitely refer other individuals. I’m even good at content creation, so if you’re having a hard time with like your social media strategy or your just content strategy, look me up, because I have that skill set that’s not AI and it’s not your grandmother’s typewriting, you know, generation, I can include your voice in it. I’ve also been helping people from the C suite become with their thought leadership content. So if you want to write a book, look me up. I would love to review your book and give you suggestions. And anyone that’s, you know, doing an event for women empowerment, or just getting younger girls to believe than in themselves, I definitely have the knack to get them excited and be a little bit more better about themselves after I speak. So those would probably be the people to hire me absolutely.

Curt Anderson  19:02

So I hope everybody heard that. So if you have an event coming up in 2025 Megan is for hire, and I tell you, she is. I’ve had the privilege of seeing her first hand, and she is a powerhouse speaker. As a matter of fact, we’re going to talk about it more, because I have an another opportunity next month, Meaghan, we get to be in person again, and I get to see you on stage. Cannot wait. So I just before I leave, come off your website, I just want to talk about some of the points that you have. You know, bringing awareness, units, US manufacturing. But again, I just really want you to emphasize here, why? Why does, man, if I’m going to the dumbest question, I hope nobody like clips this out. Damon, I hope nobody so this is I’m prefacing this dumbest question comment of our show. Why is it so critical that young women get into manufacturing?

Meaghan Ziemba  19:51

Well, right now we we represent 30% but that statistic is a little misleading. So the majority of us seem to be. In sales or marketing positions. When you break it down to like CNC machinists and welders and computer programmers, the percentage gets less, and then when you break it down by ethnicity, it’s even less. And you can’t really be the best at innovation and technological advancement if you don’t have a diverse team, because you’re really not pulling from those individuals personal life experiences. And it’s those life experiences that really set up our thought processes and how we problem solve. So why would you want the same looking types of people in one room? Because then you kind of fall into that group think, right? You don’t. So when I first started out in technical, technical writing, one of the things that people thought was a disadvantage for me is I wasn’t an engineer or manufacturer, and I think that’s a huge advantage for me, because I’m able to ask the questions that technical experts wouldn’t ask because it’s so ingrained in their head that they would just want to think, to think outside of the box in that way. An example I bring up, there’s a cooking show on TV. I don’t know if it’s still on TV, but it was basically like these young cooks that were like, from the ages of five to 14, or something like that, and they had to go against a professional chef. And most of the time, these young cooks were out cooking the professional chef because they weren’t set up with limitations on how to properly cook something. So they were being more creative in their thought process. And I think that would be helpful if we started looking in other groups that we normally don’t recruit from. So one of the gentlemen that was on a panel discussion, his name is Mike White, and he was talking about some of the places he recruits from is church groups. And I believe he’s from Georgia, so he would actually go to church groups and try to recruit talent from these groups I know Drew crow has a lot of conversations around individuals that were formerly incarcerated in setting up training programs for them. And then there’s a lot of conversations around veterans and former athletes. Like, how can we really attract them with women in particularly we, we tend to be natural multi taskers and problem solvers, like we could take on a lot and still get things done. And we have a different type of creativeness behind us, like men and women think differently. So you can look at some inventions, like, I went to an event and a woman was like, you can tell the gas pedal was made by a man, because no way can you drive a car with a high heel stiletto on, like it just wouldn’t wear it. But think about it, if a woman were to recreate that design, how would it be so that we don’t have to kick off our shoes and put different shoes on to drive a car? So we just, we go through life differently than men do. So we’re going to be thinking about things a little bit differently when it comes to certain things that we use, that are manufactured. So it’s it’s nothing to like make people feel uncomfortable with if it does good, because uncomfortable, this helps us progress forward, I guess, but it really is just a way to be more innovative and stay ahead of your competition if you have diverse teams. So I hope more manufacturers and businesses think about that.

Curt Anderson  23:32

Well, drop the mic. Meaghan, yeah, that was a phenomenal answer, and I want to come back to Bob says, hashtag, no filters. Hashtag, be authentic. So Bob, love it again. Guys, drop a note in the chat box let us know you’re out there. We’re coming in top of the hour. We’re here with Meaghan Ziemba, Z Inc, and the Mavens of Manufacturing, I might add the Maven, right? So let’s go here, Megan, so you’re going to be speaking at the industrial marketing Summit, second year in a row did, right is the second year in a row I

Meaghan Ziemba  24:02

didn’t speak last year I just attended, and I wasn’t even going to attend, but then I heard Joe Sullivan was going to be there, and I needed to meet him in person, because he, like was really the one that helped me set mavens off, because after I was on His podcast, Chris Luki contacted me, and then Jay called, contacted me, and it just kind of waterfall effect from that. So I really needed to give him a hug and just shake his hand, because he he’s an amazing human being. Yeah.

Curt Anderson  24:34

Okay, so that’s fascinating. So you and I were together last year, and, you know, yeah, I don’t know if you remember. Do you I’m pop quiz. Do you remember how you and I connected

24:43

before IMS you and I

Curt Anderson  24:46

connected years ago by the one and only? David Mante,

Speaker 1  24:51

that’s right, I forgot about that. Yeah,

Curt Anderson  24:55

just the leader of the pack@manufacturing.net He’s a frequent friend on the show here. And just what a he’s my former boss. He’s so he reaches out to me. This was like, probably in 2020, he goes, Hey, Curt. He goes, I have a friend that that you have to have on your show. She’s a good friend of mine. Used to work for me. Blah, blah, blah. Meaghan Ziemba, so that’s how you and I connected. Was from David Mante, yeah,

Meaghan Ziemba  25:20

he’s, he’s my former boss. He was, like, the funnest person to work for. Is this

Curt Anderson  25:27

awesome? Just an absolute. And talk about passionate for manufacturing, oh yeah,

Meaghan Ziemba  25:31

and very quick, wedded, too. So, like, I enjoy his sense of humor. He’s amazing. He’s

Curt Anderson  25:37

incredible. Great dad. We could go shine and on him. You know what? I’ll cut this clip and I’ll send it to him. So alright, let’s dive into industrial. You know what? That’s you know, I was thinking that you spoke last year, but I was, you know, I was, like, so smitten that you and I got to hang out and meet in person and so, but you are speaking on stage. You’re running a panel, if I’m not mistaken, correct? No, I’m

Meaghan Ziemba  26:00

actually participating in the panel, so Jennifer Dawkins is the moderator, and then I’ll be speaking with Jacob Sanchez and Mary jetsie and Mary was actually on mavens, sharing her story. She’s amazing. Nice.

Curt Anderson  26:13

Got it? Okay? So let’s dive in. Let’s dive into your Alright, so I want to give a shout out to our friends here, Joe Sullivan Wendy, so they were just both on the show recently. And hey, you know what? Real quick Damon, we had a wonderful guest on the show Friday. The director of the Purdue MEP Manufacturing Partnership, Renee Stewart, was on the show Friday Meaghan. And at the Purdue MEP in the state of Indiana, they have an incredible program. They call it second chances for folks that have been incarcerated and that type of thing. They’ve impacted 1000s of individuals. She was invited to she’s speaking in March at the at South by Southwest, about the Yeah, amazing, and about women in manufacturing. She’s the director of the Purdue MEP. So you guys, you should connect. You guys would be best friends. And another person, another woman power, just, I really hope

Meaghan Ziemba  27:10

she connects with Drew Crow, because Drew is actually speaking at South by Southwest as well. So Izzy, okay,

Curt Anderson  27:16

well, yeah, we’ll have to make that connection. So hey, Damon, we just signed up. Uh, Meaghan, did you catch drew last year? Did you see his keynote? Do you remember Drew? Drew, Dale? Uh, Dale, did you catch

Meaghan Ziemba  27:29

Yeah, I’m actually hoping to sit in on his sessions this year too, because I really enjoyed

Curt Anderson  27:35

so he’s he’s coming on the show next Wednesday. So like, man, if you want to know anything about AI, you gotta catch Dale. He is just absolutely incredible. So all sorts of wonderful people here. Paul Kisha, we’ve got Jim Mayer, we’ve got Dale once again, just cruising on the list. Let’s come down to your group is right here. So Brandon, for recruiting the next generation, just talk a little bit about what’s what’s your panel discussion going to be,

Meaghan Ziemba  28:01

yeah, so a few things we’re going to be touching on is, like, really the I like to call it the awareness gap, because I think that is what it is. Like, a lot of people don’t know what manufacturing is. I think you guys experience the same thing, like when you go out and you’re using either your phone or you’re walking across the bridge or you’re hopping on a train or something, you’re always curious as how that specific thing was manufactured. Maybe that’s just me, I don’t know, but I look at everything now in a different lens, just because of this sector. So I think that’s what we kind of need to do. And how do you do that? Well, you got to be a good storyteller, or start telling your stories and sharing them. So I’ll be focusing more on the storytelling aspect thing and how you can really share the things that you’re doing with your customers, either through case studies or voice customer testimonials. And then Mary has really done an excellent job with Bates filled products. She’s written two manufacturing children’s books. Already, she does a lot of outreach to the elementary schools. Like one of the projects that she does when she visits schools is that they melt down chocolate and they make chocolate molds. So real basic foundry stuff that they do at Batesville. So it’s it’s really good information on how manufacturers can connect directly to their communities. And then Jacob has always been a rock star at like, STEM program. So I know he’s been a mentor for FIRST Robotics, and he’s actually judged a couple competitions. Maybe it’s been more than a couple competitions, but he’s with, I guess, right now. And they do a lot of stuff with school stuff too. So I think he’s going to be focusing on, you know, the STEM opportunities that companies can get involved with. And then I think we’re going to touch base on, you know, the role of AI and how that can help companies really connect with their communities and create these partnerships with different organizations. Because, you know, the. Can we manufacturing is really important for economic stability in any community that you’re involved in. Like, I know, when Deloitte, Wisconsin took a hit back in the late 90s, early 2000s it really affected our community, and it affected the smaller businesses that ran in our community that had nothing to do with manufacturing. And you know, with the help of Diane Hendricks. She’s invested a lot of money back into some of the stuff that we’re doing. She created a vocational school, I think it’s called, I don’t know, correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s basically, I think they added more grades to it, but it’s K through 12 now, or they’re working on K through 12. But as soon as you walk into the building, you can tell that it’s STEM focus, because everything is open layout. So like you can see the air ducts, you can see the wiring. Their boiler room has a glass panel over it that, like calls out each part of the boiler room. So they’re really focusing on appealing to the kids strength. So they, they take the kids through this process, they dig into what they’re interested in, and then I believe, at the end of the year, they they kind of see if the kids are still interested in those same things, and they really try to pair them up in a in a program that aligns with their interests. And a lot of it deals with like STEM fields. So it’s really interesting to see that kind of school. They have a huge waiting list. I wanted to put my kids on it, but it’s just massive right now. And I don’t think my kids would get in there, but we’ll see, yeah,

Curt Anderson  31:33

and I’ll tell you what she’s so alright, we’ll come back. I want to, I want to close out on IMS, but what Diane Hendricks has done for the Beloit community. So if you’re not familiar, you can Google her. She’s a billionaire, right? Self Made billionaire, and has just had a massive impact on the Beloit community and just done tremendous things for youth, like you said, manufacturing, retail, all sorts of wonderful things. Just having a huge it’s, it’s amazing to see what somebody can do when you can do good and have that impact in a small community, like Yeah, but

Meaghan Ziemba  32:05

it shows too, that when manufacturing is good, everybody else is good within a community. So that’s why you have to be advocates for it within your own community. I’ll tell

Curt Anderson  32:16

you, the ripple effect is just so amazing. Because when you think about like every job that like you’re you’re such a cheerleader for manufacturing Megan, and you think about every job that you help, you know, shine a light on, you know, promote, create, if you will. You know, it has multiple jobs that goes down the line, you know, yeah, that family, you know, it’s not just a job. It’s like being provided for that family. They’re buying a home, they’re buying things in the community. They’re going out to restaurants. Their kids are playing sports and what have you. They’re paying off debt. They’re paying off they’re paying off debt. And Diane Byers says Megan, keeping a voice, a resource, a champion for manufacture and appreciate you and all that you do. How about that? How about that? Thank you, beautiful. So alright, let’s so IMS industrial marketing Summit. It’s at the end of February. It’s in Austin. What were any, any particular takeaways that you felt last year? Or why, if anybody’s on the bubble, if they’re thinking like, do I want to go to Austin? Do I want to pay for the transportation be away from my office family? What are some What was your takeaway last year? And why should somebody just absolutely not even think about it, just go to the industrial marketing Summit? Yeah, I think if you’re

Meaghan Ziemba  33:26

involved with any type of marketing for your company, it’s a really great place to go, especially if you’re like a marketing team of one. I do a lot of content creation, but I learned about some interesting trends that I didn’t even know about were happening at last year’s event. And I’m super excited to to hear some of the talks this year, because it’s things that I’m like, Oh, I wonder what their angle is on that. Or, oh, what does that mean? And like, How can I apply it to some of the things that I’m doing? So if you’re looking to really up your marketing game, but you don’t have time to do that individual research. This event really gives you a bit of everything, and it connects you with the expert. So you know, Joe’s going to be there, John’s going to be there, Wendy’s going to be there. So you already have some elite marketing professionals that are going to be there, and it’s a great way for you to connect with them and kind of pick their brain on what’s best for your company,

Curt Anderson  34:24

yeah. And I think just the opportunity, you know, like, you know, you mentioned, like, you know, COVID, you know, way behind us, but still we, we’re some kind of, like, living in a little bit of that life, right? A lot of it’s virtual. A lot of it behind, you know, Zoom screens and this, that the other thing, but just the opportunity, I mean, like just to meet you in person. You know, Jeff Long is going this year. Greg, Miss You just, you know, Sammy Burch, Chris Lukey Jay call you know you mentioned Wendy COVID. Just all these wonderful people. I mean, there’s just, there’s no replacement for meeting people in person. You know, you and I were gave a big hug and a high five and just, you know. Was just so awesome, finally meeting you in person. What was it? What does it mean to you? And I know you do a lot of traveling, going to a lot of events, what’s it mean to you when you finally get to meet people from virtual to in person, I

Meaghan Ziemba  35:13

think it’s just a different dynamic. You actually get to pick up on the individual’s energy. Like, not everybody’s good at virtual events, like sometimes they get scared with that red light going on off their camera, so they kind of shut down a little bit. And it’s not, you know, out of the norm for that to happen. It’s happened to me before. When I first started putting myself on camera, back at product design and development with David Mante, as soon as that red light came on, it was like instant nausea and like, I’m going to lose my cookies all over the place. So I just think when you need someone in person, you get a sense of their energy, and you know if they’re really who they are, and it helps build that trust a little bit better than a virtual event does. So I always encourage people to get out and meet people and just see what kind of drives their passion and what they’re really and and see if they’re really authentic or if they’re just someone masking to be something. Because there are a lot of people in this sector, I feel like are doing it for the wrong reasons, and I don’t wish any company to connect with those types of individuals, because I don’t think they’ll, they’ll get an ROI out of it. Yeah, so I don’t mean to call people out, but like, I should that’s all right, yeah. So Damon,

Damon Pistulka  36:39

what are your thoughts? Well, I just think, I think that’s true about meeting people in person and then being able to really get to know who they are, because it’s a it’s a lot different, especially if you’re in a produced setting. I mean, that’s one thing I do like about live video, because after about so many hours of live video, it’s hard not to be you. Yeah, I don’t know anyone that could do, you know, Curt, we’ve done hundreds and hundreds hours of video, and if anyone go wants to go back and see mannerisms, what we say, what we talk about, consistently, you know, you just get that in live video. I really enjoy that about it. But these produced situations, like you said, you can, you can make something look much differently, and it’s nice to strip that back and get to the real people. Yeah,

Curt Anderson  37:32

yeah. You know what? That’s perfect. Let’s slide there. I’m going, I’m going a little off, off script. There we go. When you went, you so you do live stream. So catch Meaghan  on Mavens and Manufacturing every Friday, 1130 Central time. But as she mentioned, she’s been kind of flirting around with different times being more accommodating. You know, a lot of folks are not comfortable doing live you can do podcasting, record, it. What? What inspires you to do live streaming?

Meaghan Ziemba  37:58

I’m a horrible editor. Yeah. I don’t like video editing. I’d rather and when I first started out, I didn’t have the money to hire anyone, so I had to do everything my own. Like, if I, if I could have a team behind me, that might have been a different story, but I literally just did the live because it was the most convenient for me in terms of getting it out there and and pushed out. So like, my Spotify channel is behind simply for the fact that I haven’t edited any of the recordings. So YouTube is going to be the most up to date channel for mavens and manufacturing, and I’m just a horrible editor. There’s other people that are better at it than I am, and yeah, so hire them.

Curt Anderson  38:47

Good answer. I say, yeah. Well, that same thing. You know, people are like, you know, how well, how much time do you spend on editing?

Meaghan Ziemba  38:55

Zero? Literally, zero. Yeah, we do. You know what? I’m trying to get better at it, because there are times where I am out and I do record interviews on site for Maven. So like, I’m trying to get better at it, um, I’m still trying to figure out what platform to use for me, because I don’t, I don’t want to learn, right, anything new. I want it to be very user friendly and very quick for me to use. And right now, iMovie is the quickest for me, but it has its shortcoming. So now I’m like, Okay, so I’m talking to Ian, and I haven’t talked to Jake yet. I was going to wait until IMS and see what sort of stuff he does, but, yeah, I just would rather hand it off to someone else. Yeah.

Curt Anderson  39:40

Well, couple couple comments here. Diane says, Hey, always played her strengths. Lol, so, Diane, thank you. We appreciate that. She said, 1,000% manufacturing is good. It’s good for the community. Drop the mic right there. Diane, I agree. 100% we’re going to start winding down. Meaghan, but before we do, you mentioned AI, can you just kind of like i. Want to put you on the spot. Do you want to share a little bit like, how are like, what’s AI in your world? How are you using it? What are you seeing? What are some benefits, anything that you want to share as far as AI goes? Yeah,

Meaghan Ziemba  40:10

so I feel like there’s still kind of, with anyone that’s in the sector, we know what sort of benefits there are. I’m really curious as to see what sort of like standards and compliance stuff comes out with it, because when it comes to technical information, you really ought to make sure that information is correct and right. Now, I think there’s still kind of a gap between AI and pulling that information from everywhere, and I’m just kind of curious as to like security reasons to like what’s going to happen, because there’s videos out there of individuals doing things that they didn’t do. It was all AI generated. So that’s kind of creepy, and that doesn’t help us with the general public, right? Like the general public just thinks all this automation and robotics and AI is like, going to destroy humanity as we speak and I we gotta stop that misconception. We have to start sharing our narrative from our personal experiences. I think it’s going to be really cool with marketing, just because, you know, things are coming out where they’re actually personalizing more of the content that they’re targeting different groups. So there’s a shift right with traditional marketing, where we’re not trying to create content that really attracts us like we need to purposely target who we want to be in our funnel, and start building content that really nurtures that relationship it makes longer lasting relationships, so that we can have either repetitive opportunities or new opportunities. And I think word of mouth is going to be a bigger thing now because of that. So that’s really cool. And I think voice of customer is becoming more popular, which I’m actually getting really excited about because I really like hearing customers experiences with the companies that have helped them solve a problem. So that’s actually something I want to get more involved with and help companies build. But I think AI, it has its advantages, but it also has the negative side with some of the stuff that I mentioned earlier. So I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to it. Do I think it’s going to replace human connection with content? No? Because I just think it sounds robotic. Still, I don’t know. And maybe it’s me as a writer, and I’ve been writing for so long, maybe it’s easier for me to call that out versus someone who doesn’t have that type of experience, but I still can kind of tell when something’s been generated versus when someone actually wrote it themselves. So we’ll see. I’m excited about it. I look forward to it and looking forward to Dale’s conversations around it at IMS, because he’s going to be talking about it. So, yeah, I’m excited to see where it goes. It.

Damon Pistulka  43:07

It just seems like every day there’s something new, a new application you read about where you go, Ah, I never thought about using it for that. But you know, to me, it’s exciting just the multi it can take so many different pieces of information and accurately summarize them, which we can’t most of the time, accurately summarize them if you put it in the right way, which we can’t do. I mean, right if you have 17 different reports and you’re trying to get a, you know, a consistent message that comes across, or data that you want to support out of it. I think that’s the thing that really helps. And then when you think about how that helps somebody in marketing, how that helps somebody that’s trying to teach people, that is a huge power, powerful thing, because we couldn’t do it before. Now we can, and that impact is so much better for the people that ultimately get and get exposure to that.

Meaghan Ziemba  44:01

Yeah. So I just had a conversation with one of my friends about this, who also is a writer. Um, I recently have been diagnosed with ADHD, and it explains so much, like some of the things that, but I have a hard time processing certain information and connecting the dots, so creating a basic outline for me sometimes can take hours just trying to get it. So sometimes I do things backwards, and I’ll start with like the ending, and work my way up, and then create an outline, which it’s really backwards, but it’s just it’s been a very difficult challenge for me throughout my life. I use chat GPT sometimes to just come up with a basic outline for some of these things. So then I’m like, Okay, there’s that bucket. Now I can dump everything in that bucket, here, here, here, here, instead of like, okay, this goes in that bucket. This goes here. This goes there. If I can’t see a visual representation of it, it’s really hard for me to like. Like, organize my thoughts. So chat, G, P, T has been helpful for me in doing that. That’s

Curt Anderson  45:06

awesome. Yeah, it’s a big assistant that can help you in many ways. And we mentioned Dale. The other person at IMS Megan we definitely need to catch is Carla. So Carla Gregory was last year, and she was on our show last year in a just like mind blowing what she was showing us, like, right on the show, it was just, it was, yeah, it was wild. And so again, that’s a great thing about, you know, stepping out of your comfort zone, you know, like for yourself, getting on stage, speaking and, like, collaborating with other, you know, like minded folks that are just really passionate about their trade, their skills, their God given talents, and just sharing that with other folks, of like, Hey, this is what’s working for me. Maybe you know, if it works for you, then that’s awesome. Hey, and Harry’s in the house today. Damon, happy Monday football this week. But you guys have Meaghan, so all is good. Meaghan, totally agree. Now, Meagan  we’re looking our wounds a little bit today, just a little bit right. Do you have your Do you have your give your mug there? Do you have your mug? Yeah, want to flash it or, you know, they’re poor. Our poor Buffalo Bills didn’t quite make it. So close, so close, but we’ll get We’ll get through it. What our Buffalo Bills, psychiatrist, counselor says, we’ll survive. So we’ll survive. We’ll start winding down again. Strongly encourage, welcome, you, invite you, implore you. Connect with Meaghan  on LinkedIn, if you’re not already, if you, if you’re thinking about, if you’re a candidate, to go to the industrial marketing Summit. Man, please go. Meaghan. Will be there all sorts of wonderful, amazing, incredible people. Meaghan, I’m going to be sitting right up front. Man, just rooting you out. Oh, thanks. I’ll take a picture of you. I can’t wait. I’ll take, probably taking, and we’re going to be going live. So, Damon, we’re going to be going live. And so, you know what’s funny is, last year, , I have Meaghan  to, we, I’ve set up to go live, and I watched you walk out the room, and I was with somebody else. We’re getting the computer camera set up, and I got, like, it took me a couple minutes I go running out in the hall, and I couldn’t find you. And I don’t you, and I don’t think that I grabbed you to come on a live so this year, you’ve got to come on the live show with us, because we’ll be streaming live from the industrial marketing

Speaker 1  47:11

Summit. We’ll definitely do that. Yes, let’s do it. Yeah. Okay. Alright. Awesome. Damon,

Curt Anderson  47:15

thoughts, takeaways, your thoughts as we wind down with Megan. No,

Damon Pistulka  47:18

just excited to see how things are coming with you, Megan, and sharing your message for younger people and get them into manufacturing, because I’m going to tell you what I’ve said it before. This is so important for us in the US, to show these kids there is something for them out there that they probably haven’t considered that will give them an incredibly productive long term career that doesn’t necessarily include a four year degree. Not everyone was set up to go to a four year degree. You might not go to any thing past high school. You might go to a technical school man or you might have a four year degree. But manufacturing has so many opportunities right now that we just need to keep telling our young people about them, because they’re out there. And this is not these are really living wage jobs that can support families, and they can do just awesome stuff over their life if they want to do it. Love that you’re sharing that.

Meaghan Ziemba  48:24

So I I’m actually working on a book that goes over all of that, and I’m hoping to awesome, publish it in August. Yeah. So yeah, I have a fire under within me, and I have an accountability buddy, and I’m getting my outline done this week. I’m actually working on two books. So I got an accountability buddy for the one that I just started an outline for, and then I’m hoping to create the second outline for the second book by the end of this week. So I’m working on one to be published in August. Awesome.

Damon Pistulka  49:00

So we’ll see what happens.

Curt Anderson  49:01

Well, if we So, first off, as soon as that thing gets published, you need to come back on, because we’re gonna have people, and so we would love to support you. If we can be accountability buddies, you let us know anything that we can do to support you. I’ve written one, and I’ll tell it is, it’s a labor of love. Meaghan, it is very challenging. If you ever run a geek out or talk about it, let’s talk offline. Be happy to support you absolutely. And you know it might be better off talking to somebody that’s like, written several, or at least done well with it. But I can tell you firsthand, it, it is, it’s but I will say this to me, it’s almost like, when I talk to somebody that’s run a marathon, I’m like, you ran a marathon like That’s so like you ran 26 miles like that is so beyond my, my, my realm of comprehension. And I do have to say, like when you finish, and when I say when you finish that book, because you will, it’s going to be such a massive accomplishment. Your kids are going to be so proud of you. You’re going to be proud of yourself. And so go for it. Just. All I could say is just give it all you’ve got and make it happen.

Meaghan Ziemba  50:03

I’m super excited about Yeah, I’m so with the marathon thing. So I’m also starting this 75 hard program on February 1, on February 1. So I might be a little cranky when you see me at IMS, because I think I’ll be on day 26 the day of the panel discussion on it, I should be fine. Actually, it’s day 26 so that should be plenty of time for my body adjustment. But it really is about mind over matter and just being consistent and creating healthy habits and like, having a routine. So like, I am manifesting it. I’m going to have it done by August and published by August or September. So I’m manifesting it and getting it done. Yes, get

Curt Anderson  50:47

her done. Hey, and we have no doubt, Miss Mavin and manufacturing, that you will indeed get it done. And so I can’t wait to see you at the end of February. 1 off, thank you. Thank you for all that you do for the community, our LinkedIn family, our LinkedIn community manufacturing. Community manufacturing family. And for all the young women, young people out there that you’re just really shining a bright light, you’re making a massive, huge difference, we’re huge, huge fans. We love you. Love what you’re doing, and just keep firing on all cylinders. So hey, I’ve got a big round of applause for Meaghan  for absolutely crushing it today. Tons of mic drops, all sorts of inspiration here. And so Meaghan  and for folks to find you, LinkedIn, mavens, manufacturing, anywhere else we can find you hanging out.

Meaghan Ziemba  51:34

You can find me on Z ink solutions, com as well too. That’s my writing. So I’m trying to promote that brand as well, because I kind of shoved it under the rug for a little bit. It’s like my stepdaughter or something like, horrible, right? That’s just like, This is my baby too. So LinkedIn is the best channel. If you want to reach out to me, there mavens a manufacturing you can find a scheduling link. So if you want to schedule 15 minutes with me to have a conversation, please do that. I I’m looking for more people to share their stories, so please contact me if you have an amazing story, and I’d love to to feature you on leaving. So awesome.

Curt Anderson  52:09

Thanks, guys, awesome stuff. Megan, hang out with us for one second. We appreciate you, we applaud you, we commend you, we appreciate you. So Meaghan hang out with us for one second. Guys, go out there just be someone’s inspiration, just like wonderful Meaghan  is, and you just go out there and make a little better place. So Damon, thank you, brother, Thank you Meaghan. Hang out and we’ll see you guys on and we got another great guest on Friday, Damon, we’ll be back here Friday. Have a great

Damon Pistulka  52:34

week, everyone. We’ll see you guys. Go crush it. You.