Well I think I can speak the for majority of us when I say, thank goodness 2020 is over!!! Finally!! Now that the longest year in history is officially over, we are determined and committed to making 2021 the best year yet! To start things off, we have some exciting news! Some of you may have heard, but the man behind the scenes, who has been helping Family Chatterbox run smoothly from the beginning, is officially joining us on a full time basis! Let me introduce you all to our Operations Officer Michael Wade! Below you will find a little more information about him and how he hopes to help Family Chatterbox continue to grow
First tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Michael Wade and I have the privilege and honor of being married to the Owner and Founder of Family Chatterbox, Kasey Wade. While I was born in California, my family moved to Minnesota at an early age, so I have grown up and spent the entirety of my adult life in the twin cities metro area. I went to college at Bethel University and absolutely loved my time there! I graduated with a major in Biblical and Theological Studies along with minors in both Psychology and Family Studies. Throughout growing up, my time in college, and my time since graduating, I have always had a heart for serving and helping people in need, playing games and being competitive and rooting passionately for my favorite sport teams!
Why did you choose to join Family Chatterbox full time?
Well, I have actually been working for Family Chatterbox since we started the company in January 2017. When we first had the idea of starting a company, Kasey made it very clear, she was only going to start Family Chatterbox if she didn’t have to do any of the business side of things, she wanted to focus on doing what she loves, providing therapy in kiddos home, building a team, and educating parents. So, from the beginning, I have been the guy behind the scenes, taking care of all the business side of things so that team could simply focus on providing therapy. As FCB (Family Chatterbox) has continued to grow, it has required more and more of my time and attention, so much so, that in September of 2020 we started to make plans for me to officially quit my “day job” and join FCB full time starting January 1st 2021. It is my goal to continue to serve the team, make their jobs easier, and to help grow FCB into the total care, interdisciplinary team that Kasey has always dreamed of.
What is your work experience?
After graduating from Bethel I got a job at Minnesota Teen Challenge. While there I held many different jobs from support staff to legal liaison, where I got the opportunity to work directly with judges, parole officers and residents of the program. After Teen Challenge I took a job working at Fairview Hospital in their mental health and adolescent crisis and stabilization unit. During my time there I was able to work one on one with teens and lead educational groups on topics such as depression, anger, and coping skills. I absolutely LOVED my time on that unit, however, feeling the need to continue to grow and expand my knowledge in other areas of my life, I left Fairview and pursued a job at a tech company as a Quality Assurance Specialist. It was through this job that I learned the value of a good team, and how important it was to not just have co-workers but to have and to build a team that you could count on, lean on, and trust. I have held many different jobs and many different titles, but none as prestigious as Operations Officer at Family Chatterbox
What are you most excited about when you think about joining Family Chatterbox full time ?
Man, that’s a tough question. I truly do love to see and be a part of creating a team and an atmosphere where people feel loved, cared for and valued. One of my primary goals when I join FCB full time, is to focus on the team. Focus on growing the team, not just in the number of people we have on the team, but also in the quality of relationships that we have with our existing team members. I get excited about finding new ways that we can have fun together, laugh together, and grow together. Additionally, I would say I am excited about exploring new opportunities that FCB has had in the past but we didn’t have the capacity to explore or entertain but now do. I won’t spill the beans on all of the things we are exploring but the idea of a Learning Center, Hiring an OT, and creating curriculum for parents and daycares are just a few of the ideas and opportunities we are actively pursuing 🙂
Lastly and most importantly … Whats your favorite food?
Well, I am a sucker for food so that’s a tough question. I LOVE LOVE LOVE pasta. I could have pasta every single day and be super happy about it! I also really like desserts, chocolates, really good ice cream and fruity candy.
Well, welcome aboard, we are excited to see what you can do now that this is your full-time gig, now get back to work 🙂
-Kasey-