Speaker 1 0:00

So just as a warm-up and introductory, would you like to say your name, role, and what inspired you to join Havenwood?

Julie Foster 0:07

My name is Julie Foster. I'm a chef, food service director. And I started at Havenwood. It was through actually a friend of mine that's a neighbor. She's a dietitian. I've worked in food for 45 years. And I've served elderly people, young people, and I had worked previously worked in a treatment facility. And so I thought it would be really awesome to do that again. And so here we are.

Speaker 1 0:34

That's awesome. And if you could describe Haven Wood in just one word, what would it be and why?

Julie Foster 0:39

We care. That's two words, but we care.

Speaker 1 0:42

Fair enough. Okay, and just moving on to role and your calling towards Havenwood. What called you to trauma treatment and what keeps you here?

Julie Foster 0:51

Well, I've been here for almost eight years. And honestly, I really didn't know that much about trauma, but I was intrigued by some of the aspects of it. I myself had gone through a lot of struggles in my life and eating disorders, things like that. And so I looked at it as an opportunity to just learn more about it. I have a huge heart of compassion to help others. It's just what I've always done. I like to serve others. It just was a challenge for me. And I stay because honestly, I love these kids. I love them.

Speaker 1 1:24

Yeah. So what is a day at Havenwood for you kind of look like?

Julie Foster 1:28

Well, my day or everybody else's day. Your day. So my day goes super fast. Average day. I'm usually the first one here in the building. Sometimes Michelle beats me, but mostly it's me. And I just start prepping breakfast. We have a dining room, we have a cafeteria, but we have to actually deliver some of the food. We're trying to keep everything operating smoothly and efficiently and not having so many kids in one area at the same time. So I start at around 6:30 in the morning, and by 7.30, I'm ready for breakfast. And then I have to start dividing up food, and that's takes a lot. Actually, we have staff that come and they pick up the meals for specific homes. And then we have kids that from other houses that will actually come and eat breakfast at the school. So there's that, and then it's cleanup and on to the next meal. Typically, my day goes super fast because it's really just like breakfast, boom, boom, boom, lunch, boom, boom, boom, cleanup. You're like, wow, where did though that eight hours go? It just goes really quick. We serve the kids, we get to engage with them, which is for me, it's very rewarding because it's fun. You see one that just barely comes. And clearly when they first come, they're not real truly happy to be here. But then after a little bit of time, they start getting integrated, they relax a little bit more, they make a few friends, and things change. So we get to see that every single day, and that's our typical day.

Speaker 1 2:58

Very nice. So, how do you feel like your role impacts a student's healing or sense of safety?

Julie Foster 3:04

Oh my goodness. Let's see. What's the old saying? You are what you eat. We are what we eat. Food is everything. Food is comfort, food is security. A lot of these kids didn't have regular meals. They may have struggled to get meals. They know every single day that we are a constant, that we are gonna be there for them no matter what. If the power goes off, we're gonna be here for them. They're gonna get breakfast, they're gonna get lunch, they're gonna get dinner, they're gonna have a snack in between. They can count on us and they know it. And we hear about it every day because they'll tell us, I want you to make my favorite dish. We build that trust with them and we build it rather quickly.

Speaker 1 3:45

That's amazing. And just moving on to the third section, so sort of what makes Havenwood different? Can you share a moment that made you think this is why Havenwood is different?

Julie Foster 3:54

Havenwood is different because we focus on each child individually. They're all different. They all come from different backgrounds, they all come from different types of things, whether it be trauma or abuse or whatever abandonment or whatever that they had to deal with. And through all the therapies and everything that every person here offers their peace, it makes a complete puzzle to heal them, to heal their brains, to heal their mind, to help them to be functioning young women and prepare them to go out into society. I worked in another facility and it wasn't like that. It was more disciplinary-based. And Havenwood doesn't do that. It's basically about trying to be mentors, to set the example for them and redirecting them when they need to do something differently, but doing it in a way that that's not saying you're a bad kid, it's just saying we need to try it this way. It's totally different. The program has grown exponentially and it just keeps getting better all the time.

Speaker 1 4:59

Awesome. What is one innovation, ritual, or culture piece you love? Maybe something that in outsiders might not ever see.

Julie Foster 5:08

When you say outsiders, you're talking about people that don't work here. I think most people, if they live in the community and they hear about a facility, there's a lot of stuff out there that gives people the idea that, oh, you don't want to put your child in a facility. But if they literally would just come in and go on a tour, I think they'd be in awe if they could meet with some of our team, the administrative team, some of the academic team. And it would change their whole viewpoint. We're not just a treatment facility. We're a home, we're a family from every area, from all the mentor staff that we have here. I watch them every single day, and just the rapport that they have with one another and the teamwork that they show, and they've got each other's backs. And it's kind of the same thing with the kids, the way they come together for each house. They've got each other's back. Same with our administrative team, leadership team. If I've ever needed something, all I have to do is ask, and there's always someone that is gonna help you do it. It's like this. I had to have Nathan set this up for me. Computers are not my thing. I make food. It's a wonderful culture.

Speaker 1 6:17

Yeah, just what is one skill or mindset that sort of helped you grow?

Julie Foster 6:21

Well, I think we grow every single day, and I look at things a little bit different than most people. I've had many years to grow. I try to make every single day as a new day. And what can I learn today? As far as my job goes, it's pretty much consistent. We're doing the same things. Cooking for me is just something that I do. I don't really have to think about it. I don't have to put too much spot in it into it. It's all the other pieces that are involved with it that so I don't really grow there because I've done it for so long that it's like I could do it in my sleep, if that makes any sense. The areas where I grow is watching, watching a young woman come in that she doesn't talk to anyone. You can tell that she's either shy or for whatever reason she doesn't feel worthy to talk to people. And then later on, it's as they go through the program, their whole disposition changes, their personality comes out. You start to see them blossom, of which you knew that they it could be all along. And for me, that's growth. That's what I see every day. And I love seeing girls when they come in and they're upset that they're here, they're sad that they're here. And I always tell them, but you know what? One day you're gonna come down and you're gonna walk through my line and you're gonna say, guess what? I'm graduating next week. I said, Right now, it seems like a long time, but this is just a short season, really, that's gonna help build the rest of your life.

Speaker 1 7:45

Absolutely. And just for yourself, like what sort of helps you like reset on like any kind of tough day?

Julie Foster 7:52

I have a saying, but it might not go for most people. But I always say when it's too hard for everybody else, it's just right for me. I keep myself regulated. Do I have situations that are hard sometimes? We do, but I believe in I've raised children, I'm good with them. I start off by trying to build the relationship with them in the beginning so things don't happen or escalate. It's like when a new person comes here, you can't just automatically tell them what to do. They're not gonna listen to you. You have to build relationship with them, you have to get to know them. And then after that, you have that mutual respect, and then they'll listen to you. So those are the things that could be considered a bad day. For me, I don't really have bad days. I choose to, instead of reacting to things, acting on it. Okay, so this just happened. What are we gonna do to correct it? And as far as with girls fits anything with them, having structure, having firm boundaries with them that they know. I get it all the time. They'll come down and be like, I need this or I need that. And I'll just say, Do you see that? And they'll be like, No. And I said, Well, neither do I. So I guess we're not serving it today. So it's stuff like that. You could be running to the walk-in 12 times to get stuff for them. But after a while, they pretty much know how I am. And so then eventually they just stop asking me that question, if that makes sense. I don't know. I just stay self-regulated. I just try to think of the best possible way in which the day can be. And sometimes there is a lot of chaos, but you can rise in the chaos.

Speaker 1 9:25

And so, what would you say to someone before someone who might start working here? What would you say to them before they step into this kind of work?

Julie Foster 9:34

I would tell them they have to be patient, they need to be kind, they need to have strong compassion, and mostly they need to learn to be still. I've seen a lot of staff come in, they don't really understand trauma. You can't just look at these kids and look at their behavior. You have to look at farther than the behavior. What caused the behavior? Why are they acting this way? What can we do to help them? What can we do that's gonna make a difference in their lives? But right now they don't know you. And so just be still. Sit back, watch other staff that have been here for a long time, and that's how you're gonna learn, and that's how you're gonna be successful. If you try to jump in and you're gonna just tell somebody to do something and they don't know you, it's not gonna go over very far. It's just slowly learning to build those relationships, trusting relationships.

Speaker 1 10:24

And just moving on to the fifth section, just a fun little lightning round. What is your favorite Havenwood tradition or inside joke?

Julie Foster 10:32

Oh my gosh. Honestly, I don't really have one. I don't have time for jokes. Our department's just a little bit different because, like I said, it's different than any other area of the building because mainly we're just like I said, it's very fast-paced. We're cooking for a hundred plus meals. It's just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I really don't have an inside joke. We joke amongst each other, but I can't really think of anything specific that is a trend or something that's specific to Havenwood.

Speaker 1 11:02

That's okay. Let's try this one. What is one surprising fact about you?

Julie Foster 11:07

Oh, wow. Most people probably wouldn't know that I have my own ministry on the side. And I don't know if you ever heard of worship flags, but I'm a flagger. And a lot of people don't even know what that is. But what that basically means is that during holidays and the special occasions, I dress up and I have these beautiful silk flags that are very expensive, depending on what the holiday is or what the occasion is. This is how I express myself, and it's a spiritual thing. So it's basically a form of worship. So yeah, most people wouldn't know that about me.

Speaker 1 11:43

That's cool. And just the last section, so just like a closing reflection kind of area. What does quote world-class treatment mean to you?

Julie Foster 11:51

Well, number one, be better than anyone else. But number one, we stand apart or we are set apart from everyone else. That saying I say, when it's too hard for everybody else, just right for us. I kind of live by that motto. I've worked in, like I said, retirement. I've worked in treatment programs, and sometimes it always comes down to just it's about money. And so this is a difference. I see a real difference here. I've seen girls that have been healed after being here. And sometimes they've come and they've been here for a couple of years and then they've left. I just watched the transformation. Sometimes it's not all of them, but it's a large percentage of them. So I think that Havenwood really has a high percentage of girls who actually receive healing and preparation to help them to live successful lives and to be confident and to let all those things go that cause them so much pain. Everyone here is compassionate, caring. I see it every single day with from our nurses to our administrative, all of our leadership every day. And you can just tell that the people and the mentors too. You can just tell that they care. That's what makes the difference, and that's what we all should be doing is coming to work every day. And what can I do today that's going to make a difference in one of these girls' lives?

Speaker 1 13:14

Yeah. And do you have any message for staff, students, or families?

Julie Foster 13:19

For staff, students, or families. Just keep going. Don't ever stop. This life's worth a good fight. And I believe that everything that we go through is like a refining fire. Sometimes we go through struggles, but it's all to teach us and help us to grow. And some things are difficult. Life is difficult, but we just keep going on and we can be successful and we can overcome anything.

Speaker 1 13:42

That's awesome. Thank you for your time. Thank you for coming on and telling me all these lovely things.

Julie Foster 13:49

Thank you.