Carpool Conversations
Worth the Investment: Becoming Someone Others Want to Support
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Transcript
Flaws And Authenticity On Display
Jacki Lutz 0:00
People never maybe maybe your situation is different because you did like this official program with women in autocare. So people knew it was your first time and like that's kind of part of your journey. Where my first time, I don't even know how many people knew it was my first time, but like now people feel like I didn't know you ever had a first time. I feel like you've just always been doing it. And I'm like, no, I was like freaking out, you know, but part of that.
Tanya Hunt 0:21
You might need to bring back like a fresh, like a one of the original videos.
Autumn Lamb 0:24
No, you need to throw it back. I feel like your growth has been something that everybody has watched is naturally like shine and see. And so it's always good. Like I when you did that one post about what was it, your school post or something, like with your old photo on the billboard. Oh yeah. So it's just it's things like that. It's like, look, even though you're reflecting on your own situation, it also helps other people say, Hey, look, this is where they started, right? And that's why it's like you have to eliminate some of that perfectionism because we're not ever going to be perfect, but we're gonna like come in as an authentic person. And when that shows and that passion shows, then you really know that hey, this person really is genuine and you really want to help them, you know.
Tanya Hunt 0:58
That's why I don't take myself too seriously. I'm like, okay, if I'm serious and I'm then it turns intimidating, you know.
Jacki Lutz 1:02
I'm like, I'm like, no, this is it.
Tanya Hunt 1:03
We're cool.
Jacki Lutz 1:04
The thing is, is if you if you if you don't show your flaws and then when people see them, they know them. Yeah, but if you're always showing your flaws, this is me. Your card, they're kind of like, yeah, well that's just yeah.
Tanya Hunt 1:13
Jesus Christ. I think, yeah, start out with this, this is me, and then it allows everybody else to be themselves.
Jacki Lutz 1:21
Welcome
Welcome And Why These Guests
Jacki Lutz 1:22
to Auto Care on Air, a candid podcast for Curious Industry. I'm Jackie Lutz, content director at the Auto Care Association, and this is Carpool Conversations, where we collaborate on today's most relevant power skills. We are all headed in the same direction, so let's get there together. Welcome everybody to another Cardpool Conversations. I'm Jackie Lutz, and I am here with two of my dear friends who are probably familiar to anybody who is involved in our industry because they have are on a run of award winning right now. But you have both won uh Babcox's woman of the uh women at the wheel in 2024. You guys were page partners. 26 and 27.
Autumn Lamb 2:10
26 and 27. Yeah, you guys side by side.
Jacki Lutz 2:12
Yeah, exactly. Um, and both um uh our impact award, 40 under 40 award winners last year. Yes.
Tanya Hunt 2:19
Yes.
Jacki Lutz 2:20
So that's really why I wanted to get you guys on this conference. And Tanya, you've won a couple women in autocare awards.
Tanya Hunt 2:25
Yes.
Jacki Lutz 2:26
Champion of the year, yes, 2021. I think so. Woman of excellence, yes, 2022. Okay, so you're like on a run. So I hope we'll see how how long this goes. Yeah. There's other awards out there for you to win. Um, but I want to give each of you guys the opportunity to quickly uh introduce yourself. Autumn, do you want to go first?
Autumn Lamb 2:44
Of course. So I am the director of marketing and brand strategy for GSP North America. I'm also the vice chair for Women Auto Care this year. So I'm serving my first term. It's been an exciting event, and I'm just kind of consistently involved. I'm also part of the Yang Speaker Mentorship Program, or not, I'm sorry, Speaker Mentorship, the Mentee Mentor Program. So we just kicked that off, which is really exciting.
Meet Autumn And Tanya
Autumn Lamb 3:05
Um, so I just stay connected and involved with some of the industry events of things that are happening, and then I continue to hopefully bring that improve my job and what I can bring to my company. Yeah, awesome.
Tanya Hunt 3:14
Um yes, so I am with Terapower, um commercial project manager. I am this year's Yang Chair and um women at AutoCare champion. So I'm behind the scenes lately, but been uh giving more focus to Yang lately.
Jacki Lutz 3:26
So yeah, it's awesome. And being involved in those things. I think a lot of people have seen your guys' faces. And one of the things I love about this show is I get to get people on that um you're used to hearing from, but never about the subject that we talk about, right? Um so we're gonna talk about investing in people today. And um, I love that we're doing it at the Women in Auto Care conference because honestly, if I had to count the people that invested in me in my career, a lot of them are here. Yes.
Autumn Lamb 3:55
Yes.
Jacki Lutz 3:55
Yeah, same. Um, so how's the conference
Why The Conference Matters
Jacki Lutz 3:58
been? It's been good.
Autumn Lamb 3:59
It's been amazing. I think our, you know, with the theme this year being fuel, fuel, fuel of the future, it really does set a foundation to really understand where we're at currently. And I mean, we're we're all different titles, jobs, descriptions, and so many different channels of the automotive industry. So bringing everybody into one room really shows you, hey, what we're all doing also contributes to the future, and what we do today really impacts that and what we contribute to our industry. Yeah.
Tanya Hunt 4:24
And I'm loving that um all the ones that have been mentors to us, they're like, this is the reason we're here. Yeah. Like, not that they haven't learned everything already, but they're like, you know, they're learning from us too, but they're like, we're here to make things easier and more beneficial for you. And so, and I love that they were very open about that on stage. Like, we're here for you guys. Yeah. Like, we've we've done our things. We're, you know, we found our positions, we want to bring you along with us. And that's what women in autocare has always been about.
Jacki Lutz 4:49
Yeah, it's like they're at the giving back stage. Yes. Was it Tina Hubbard last year? She was on stage. She said, learn it, earn it, return it. So they're in that return. I still love that. Yes, yeah, absolutely. Um, so we're talking about investing in people. Um, do you guys have any experiences yourself of somebody actually investing in you that you want to mention?
Autumn Lamb 5:10
I think there's been so many people. I don't have anything specifically I want to point out, but I do think that, you know, with our industry, we have so many people that are willing to give and give back because, you know, we know that sometimes retention in our industry is really hard. And so one of the most purposeful things that we can do is continue to uh connect with the younger professionals and continue to grow them. And just like people have that stepped up with me from CAWA Association, from Yang, Women in Auto Care, like these three communities, even you know, within my job too as well, that have all stepped up to support me in ways or seen things that maybe I haven't been able to see, right? To continue to grow. And so all of those things really make a difference as you're on a path, right? Trying to figure out what am I doing, what I want to contribute, or what am I also contributing to my company that's beneficial and bringing the value right to what we need to um overall um succeed, right? To be successful.
Tanya Hunt 6:01
Yeah. Yeah. I think I guess just like in general as well, just being able to have the opportunities to get involved. So, like a lot of companies, like, you know, there's only so many people that can go to a conference and things like that. And so I feel my boss has been very good in letting those doors be open to me to allow me to be involved, which has directly impacted the industry as I'm doing gang and women in auto care. Like that's gonna go, you know, triplefold to the future. Whereas if you, if I had stayed at the office, didn't know auto care existed, like somebody else could have stepped up and done it. But like what would have been missing if I hadn't come, you know? And so um, it's just one of those things you'll never know what would have been different. Right. Um, but I love that he allowed my attendance, he allowed me to get involved and give that time to get back to others.
Jacki Lutz 6:45
Yeah, and
Full Circle Mentorship Moments
Jacki Lutz 6:46
I think um it's kind of a good uh uh transition because there's a lot of ways that you can invest in somebody, right? And like um really wanted to talk about the full full circle moments, right? And it's funny because we're kind of sitting in one right now. So I remember, oh my gosh, and I don't know what year, probably 2022, something like that. A couple years ago. Um, I was sitting at Women in Auto Care breakfast before at Apex, before it is what it is today. We were at like a restaurant, something like that. Yeah, and um, somebody came up and introduced Autumn to me, and she's like, I just wanted to meet you. I see what you do, and it just really inspires me and all this stuff. And I'm like, I thought it was so cool that she told me that I inspired her, but I don't know if you realize just knowing that you believed in me inspired me, and I didn't even know you, right? And I still carry that with me all the time. I still have like your the the note you wrote me and the and the macrame thing you sent me, you know, like things like that, just like that encouragement. And I think that that's a way to invest in people too. Absolutely, just like words, right? Yes, and I know you guys had a moment similar with Tanya.
Autumn Lamb 7:55
Yes, and uh full circle moments are always happening, right? That's always the one of the most amazing things about the gratitude of it because you don't realize those small impacts that make a big difference. And so Tanya, kind of similar to your situation, Jackie, is I didn't know Tanya as well, and she reached out to me about looking something over and said, sure, I'm happy to help. And then I remember seeing her on stage at a women at autocare conference in Palm Springs, and I was just so in awe of her and what she delivered and just everything about it, right? And especially if it was her first time being on stage there, and it was like it did not look that way. And to people out in the audience, right, it was it was very reflective of seeing the authenticity, the passion, everything behind it. And it was just like, I want to be that person when I grow up, and I want to be that. And so ever since then, I've really, you know, leaned on Tanya's just as far as like just inspirational stuff and like seeing everything that you do in the industry and your involvement and every award is so well deserved because you always give back to people no matter who you know or how much you know them, and I really respect that. And so that's been an amazing part of my journey with you. Awesome, yeah, yeah.
Jacki Lutz 8:55
And then Tanya, yes, we had a moment like this too.
Tanya Hunt 8:58
Yes, absolutely. So when I was getting involved with Women in Auto Care and Yang, uh, Jackie was actually involved in both. Um, and I was like, How do you do that? Because she had young children, I had young children, and she's like, Oh, you know, you just step up, find somebody that has a subcommittee. I was like, excellent. And she's like, I happen to have one. I was like, even better. Um, so Jackie got me involved with Yang through the engagement committee, which is where the mentorship program started with her and Megan. And what has been beautiful is I didn't only just join that subcommittee, I ended up joining council, became vice chair. I'm now sitting here as chair. And what I love is the program that you helped start is now 65% growth since the first year. That's amazing. And it's amazing. It's gone from like 12 mentors to 24 to 75 mentees to over 120.
Jacki Lutz 9:43
Oh, wow.
Tanya Hunt 9:44
Yes, no, those numbers. Wow, that's amazing. Um, my goal was to have 40 mentors before I leave. Um, we'll see how it goes. Um, but we have 24 and they're all fabulous. There's more that want to be mentors. We're still actively looking for the mentees. So it's just really getting the word out there, like, hey, there's a resource out here for people who want to invest in you and the future generations. Like, we have the people that want to invest. We need to know who wants to be invested
Small Words That Change Careers
Tanya Hunt 10:09
in.
Jacki Lutz 10:09
Yeah. So and I think it's it's an important point of this. You know, when we talk about investing in people, it's not it doesn't have to be a lot of time, right? It doesn't have to be a lot of effort. Yeah. You'd be surprised how much people just need to know, like, hear encouragement or make a connection or, you know, somebody reach out. I mean, I've had people, you know, just tell me that they see a skill in me that I didn't see. You know, and it like changes my career because I'm like, okay, maybe I have a strength over here. Right.
Autumn Lamb 10:39
I I just mentioned that on stage because one of the sessions today between Tammy and Olivia was talking about that full circle moment. They literally said full circle. And it was such a a triggering thing because it does happen a lot, even if we don't realize it. But small words make a big difference to somebody. So saying, Hey, I'm proud of you, or hey, I'm inspired by you, or hey, how can I help you? Really does allow somebody that's maybe new in the industry or somebody just starting out or trying to even just figure out, or maybe even going through something, right? To know that somebody is seeing you from the outside that maybe you're not seeing to really be able to reflect on that, right? And take that piece to heart.
Tanya Hunt 11:13
Right. And I think it's also just for those who are not outgoing, which I would not understand.
Autumn Lamb 11:18
Neither would I.
Tanya Hunt 11:19
You they don't know they could ask. And so I I was joking earlier that I was telling people that I uh I didn't have my business cards last year because they're just like 10 years too old. And what I did is I was seeing all the new young faces that had joined the conference. And I just there wasn't a quicker way to do this. I literally like ripped up a piece of paper and gave them my name and my email and my phone number saying, like, if you needed help getting a mentor one-on-one, I've done that a dozen times. I will help you connect you. By the way, you also appear under 40. I would like to introduce you to Yang. Be careful there.
Jacki Lutz 11:55
I know.
Tanya Hunt 11:56
I have to stop doing that. It's it's bit me in the bit.
Jacki Lutz 11:58
As long as you say under 40, not like over 40.
Tanya Hunt 12:00
Yes, yes. Um, so because it's a compliment then, right? Exactly. So, but yeah, so like just finding those fresh faces, showing them there's people who want to invest in them and connecting them to those people. I always say that like relationships equal retention. Like, this is a fabulous industry. It's built on relationships, but you have to keep making them. And then they're not gonna leave, they're gonna stay. And then they continue to have those relationships. Because I feel like the family businesses is the legacy, but we don't have that as much now with all the mergers and acquisitions. So it's the communities that are having to form those relationships to keep us all going.
Autumn Lamb 12:34
Well, even with legacies, right? Small businesses, sometimes the the younger generations will leave first or do something else, but then they'll end up somehow coming back and then they'll come back to their to their family business, right? So now they're new to the industry, even if they haven't been working there for so long. So actually, just at CAWA, I met with an individual and she was coming back to her, to her um father's shop or his business. And so she's like, Look, I'm only three months into this. And I said, Okay, here's my number. Connect with me. Let's put 30 minutes on a calendar and let me talk to you about some certain things that you can start looking at to get involved in. And one of them was like women in autocare, and I definitely said yang, and I've definitely directed people to Tanya as well. I'm like, Tanya, can you help it out with some yang information? And so it's really, you know, leaning on collaboratively on both associate both committees and just associations and involvement and just everywhere that you can find somebody that's a young professional is just saying, Hey, are you aware of this? That small little conversational piece is a really good way as a segue to talk to them, but also too as a really good um opportunity to show them, hey, there's so many other resources that are available to you to grow your career.
Tanya Hunt 13:34
Right. I have a um all things women in autocare and all things yang email that's just bucketed all ready to go.
Autumn Lamb 13:40
Yep, I love that.
Tanya Hunt 13:41
Ford here, here's all the links, and here's my email. Like, if you need anything, ask. Like, because there's just no excuse. Like, if you you have once you know the resources are there, yes, if you have a question, just ask. Like it's not a problem. But like if you just go to the website, you're like, I don't know. You know, so I do try to simplify it so it's like a little less scary.
Jacki Lutz 13:58
So a beautiful thing too that I think we should mention is sadly, it's not an option for everybody to go to these events, to come to these events, you know, in our industry, our industry is huge, but you know, um, a lot of people work in the shop level and they can't afford to either send or they can't afford to not have a body at the shop that day, you know, like but um virtually you can also do a lot of these things too. And I think it goes, and we're talking a lot about um being the person to invest in somebody right now. And I've had a lot of people do this digitally with
Virtual Networking And LinkedIn Reach-Outs
Jacki Lutz 14:30
me, people I don't know, and they reach out on on LinkedIn or something and they'll just be like, maybe they just got laid off and they're like, I'm just trying to make connections. Um, can we do like a 15-minute coffee break, something like that? And I'll I'll always take it. I will I will never say no if I if I can help it. And I'm helping a stranger and it may never come back. But it's like, you know, making those connections and those acquaintances is so important and saying yes to the opportunities to also invest in people when they ask, but also like people that reach out to invest in me too, digitally, people I've never met still means the world. So, like, just because you're not necessarily here in person making all these connections like we've been able to in our careers, still a lot of this available to you.
Autumn Lamb 15:13
And they're willing to say yes, right? Because that's also a big part. If you're giving resources or providing these opportunities and stuff, it's really about eliminating that barrier of intimidation and saying yes to the opportunity and you know, taking it or taking the chance on themselves too, because you have more of a supporting community, right? Trying to be build you up and lead with you.
Tanya Hunt 15:31
Yeah, I had someone reach out to me on LinkedIn that I didn't know. Um, she had seen like a generation gap post or something that was more, I guess, public. And she was like, I'm just looking for somebody like near me. And so, like, I was like, Where are you? So like Salt Lake City, okay. And so like I like pulled the information like who do I know in this area? And I connected her with someone. Yeah, perfectly. Just to give her like a face, a name, kind of think she was in between jobs.
Autumn Lamb 15:52
It's a starting point.
Tanya Hunt 15:52
Yeah, so yeah, same. I would never, I would never say no.
Jacki Lutz 15:55
Yeah, those connections are cute.
Tanya Hunt 15:57
One thing I can do, especially if it's just like on the computer, like, yes, five seconds, that's it. An easy click of a button. Yeah, yeah.
Jacki Lutz 16:02
And also, um, you really don't have to be. I I think maybe some people feel like they need permission to be the person to invest in someone, right? Like you need to be a C level employee or something like that, that you're in this position to invest in another person. But um, I feel like we've been investing in people our whole career. Right. I've been investing in people in my, you know, you don't need that permission to be like, even if it's something like what Autumn did with me, where it's just like encouragement. Yeah. You know, like you really act, you should actively seek
You Do Not Need Permission
Jacki Lutz 16:34
out people to invest in like that because they will remember it and carry it with them.
Tanya Hunt 16:37
Absolutely. And I think because of these conversations and just knowing for personally, like someone's on stage, you just assume they know they did a great job. I'm like, no, great job.
Jacki Lutz 16:45
Like, man, they need to hear it.
Tanya Hunt 16:46
Yeah, you don't always you don't always hear it from everyone. And so, like, I do try to be encouraging, like whenever I can. Like, I love your jacket. You did a great job on stage. Like, oh, you made a great point. You know, it's just those little things cost nothing. Five seconds of your time, and then like you have a sticky note from a couple years ago. Like, you know, like I keep stuff like that too. Do those things, you know? Um, we do sticky notes at at work. Um, February's share the love month. I love that. And I just throw sticky notes in the in the the break room and I saw that when we interviewed you.
Jacki Lutz 17:13
I'll go to town. Yeah, your CEO was so cool.
Autumn Lamb 17:16
I'm I'm a memorabilia person too. I collect everything from those little mementos or things that people give me. And I'm also the person that will give that to other people as well. I am I'm a gifter at heart, but also too is you just don't know. And one of the sessions that we had talked about that for every one negative thought, it takes five compliments. Yeah. And that's really important to know because naturally us as humans, right, we can tend to lean more on the negative thoughts. And so it really does make a difference when you go up to someone and say, Hey, you did a great job. I'm proud of you today, or hey, I did this. And um, you know, those are just little conversational pieces, but they do really make a big impact when you do talk to somebody. And so sometimes it's not so much about having to always show up, or like you said, it's not always about a title, it could literally just be being a kind human, being authentic, and also leading with passion. When you're passionate about something, it's very reflective in the things that you do, and people attract to that. Right. And when you do that, right, you're bringing the people that will naturally want to grow with you, and then that's how you start growing your garden.
Jacki Lutz 18:10
Yeah. And I think too, a common misconception is the high achievers. Yeah. Like they must hear it all the time. Like they must always get compliments. You know, they're they're they I think they get it the least. Yeah, it's like, oh, they know. Yeah, they know right. And I'm telling you, like they need to hear it too. So don't don't discriminate.
Tanya Hunt 18:30
Yeah, for sure. Um, actually, just today, um, I just remembered that one of uh dude the generation gap connection circle for women in autocare, and one of my like I guess regulars found me and she gave me like a thank you gift and like got gave me like a Texas necklace. I was like, thank you. You know, and like there was a moment in time where I was like, I wasn't sure if I needed to juggle all the things I was juggling, and it just made sense to keep my circle because I was like, I was like, ah, we it's been three years, we got a good run. Like, are we gonna run out of topics? I don't know. Um, and so it just encouraged me to keep keep it going. Like, if if that helped her come to this conference and feel comfortable and connected to someone. Because like coming to a conference without knowing anyone, I had another another member, she said it was the smallest conference she'd ever been to because she knew 20 people that she had, you know, participated in the connection circle with would be there and that she would find someone she knew. And so I feel like that's really one of the common goals of the connection circles is to make the big community feel smaller. And so it helps encourage you to like keep that up. Like it's only an hour a month. Um, some are bi-monthly now. I kept my monthly. Um, I was like, we have things to talk about. Um, so I think that's really cool though to give them that one person to that friendly face to look for. Because if you don't know anyone, they can be very intimidating.
Autumn Lamb 19:40
And that's why we do the networking dinners, right? Right before conference. And it really has made a difference. And I think some ways that people view a conference when you come into this, if you're coming attending by yourself or even with other, you know, team members, but maybe they're more remote, right? Right. And so it can be a very intimidating thing coming to a conference, especially as a first-time attendee, because a big majority of our room today and yesterday was filled with first-time attendees, is having that level of saying, hey, you're about to go network with 10 different people. You there you're all in the same level of playing field that nobody knows each other. And it really brings us to have a conversational peace when we're at the table. And so whenever I sit there, I'm like, look, you're gonna be leaving with 10 best friends or at least 10 other people that you can find in a room. And I tell people all the time, if you know me or you see me, just stand next to me if you feel uncomfortable or intimidated. And you can find somebody and leave me, but no matter what, I never want that to take away from the actual insights and the valuable stuff that we share at these conferences because everybody feels intimidated, everybody feels this way. And so it really allows everybody to understand that we're all in the same boat, right? Or we're all in the same car, we're just all trying to drive forward together. Right.
Jacki Lutz 20:43
Like a carpool. Um, so let's talk a little bit about say somebody invested in you. What are some action items we can give people? So somebody took the time to connect you to somebody, somebody's encouraged you. How do you become a better person for people to invest in?
Autumn Lamb 21:00
Lead by example. I think actions speak louder than words, as always. And one of the biggest things is we all we all have the same time in a day. And what at the end of the day is it's just being able to contribute small pieces and you
How To Be Worth Investing In
Autumn Lamb 21:15
know, sometimes it's not taking the whole elephant, right? How do you eat a whole elephant one bite at a time? And so being able to say, hey, look, if this person gave me this, but I can't do that, well, maybe I can start small. And sometimes it's like we have micro, micro volunteer efforts that you can do in Yang or you can do in women in autocare that allows you to not be so committed as a council member or so heavily involved in that effort, but it allows you to dip your toes into what the possibilities are and grow from there. And so I think when people give me advice, it's always like, let me actually take the advice in and make sure that what they're giving me, I am actually doing right. So every day, how am I showing up as my authentic self or how am I leading with the things that people have passed down to me and how can I also give that back to somebody else? Yeah.
Tanya Hunt 21:54
And I think we've mentioned like gratitude goes a very long way.
Autumn Lamb 21:57
Yes.
Tanya Hunt 21:57
Um, paying it forward, absolutely. I also have found opportunities to highlight that person. Like you invested in me. Hey, do you want to do it? Do you want to be a speaker at YPS? Do you want to um speak at Connect? You know, so giving them a full circle moment of, you know, yeah, you've been in the industry, say 20 years, but you know, the under 40 may not know you. Like, let me spotlight you and talk tell them how awesome you are, because you know, you may not know who they you may not know the the younger crowd just yet. I think that gratitude is huge.
Jacki Lutz 22:28
It is. Like um, just it's almost like just acknowledgement, like I know that you helped me. Yeah. Or I know that you, you know, it's it's just kind of like, okay, so the effort, like it's not necessarily like when you say full circle, it's not like you're gonna get something from it necessarily, but it's more rewarding for the person who invested with you.
Tanya Hunt 22:45
Like, like I said, like you'll never know the changes that were made that would not have happened otherwise with different people. Um, I've always been very grateful for you. I've always been grateful for Jessica Telicious, like she invited me to Connect. I didn't know Connect was a thing. Like, you know, so like opening doors that otherwise would not have been opened, you know, and then from there, I get to be involved in the mentorship program for Yang. I've gotten to help match over 240 mentees with mentors. Yeah. I'm gonna be bragging about that for a while. That's good numbers. I'm also going to be continuing to do so. I'll let Mary know. Be like, listen, I'm gonna continue this efforts with you. Um actually leading. Yeah. So um just yeah, helping make those connections. Um, you know, creating ambassadors with Yang helped bring in non-Yang members that were advocates for the younger generation so they can still be involved in a smaller way because uh, you know, ambassadors is get the word out. Mentors, you know, it's quarterly, you know. And so, yes, there is those micro volunteering where it's not weekly, monthly, you know, it could be once a year or quarterly. Yeah. And so, um, yeah, I've been I've been loving a being able to spotlight the industry veterans that paid it forward for us already, but paying it back before they go, you know. Yeah.
Autumn Lamb 23:58
And sometimes I feel like in full circle moments, right? It's not necessarily saying, hey, I'm expecting them to come back to me. Right, no. It's also the fact of the gratitude of just passing it along, right? And then in hopes of one day they do come back and you're like, oh my gosh, you've expanded your growth path or your career in so many different ways. And just to say that I was a part of that, just to contribute to open at least a door, be able to give one stepping stone in the pavement of your path, right? Right. That really does bring it does bring a level of, you know, um appreciation to yourself to say, hey, I contribute to that, right? It's not so much expecting, it's just more of the appreciation of saying, I was glad that I can contribute to help somebody out, right?
Tanya Hunt 24:33
Yeah, I think I like the moments where you see them where they like take a step out and they're on the stage that you were on fewers.
Autumn Lamb 24:38
I feel so proud in those moments.
Tanya Hunt 24:39
Yes. So like I'm hoping I have those moments um in May where, you know, I've I was there two years ago and you were like, Oh, I'm so nervous, I don't want to do that. I'm like, do it. Um, you know, reach out for that scholarship, go for the next step, or go for the five for five, do the leadership 2.0. Like, I uh encouraged um my good friend Kendra to apply for leadership 2.0 and she got it and she got her AAP. I was at her graduation. I I was taking pictures in the front. So um I love I love seeing them come to their own and making their own path, and you know there's people behind them as well.
Autumn Lamb 25:12
So you think the chance is really important, right? And I always tell people at the end of the day, if you don't get it, that's totally fine too. You try again. There's plenty of time for all that, but at least give your opportunity to have an official no before not just assuming that you're not gonna get it, because that opportunity can be a yes. Yeah, and so I just tell people just do it. Yeah, just at least try.
Jacki Lutz 25:30
Apply.
Autumn Lamb 25:30
Yeah.
Jacki Lutz 25:31
I also think like um a lot of you know what we talked about was um people who want to give back, you know, reach out, right? Um on the investee side, is that is that the word? Um, if you're being invested in, also think about like getting on the offense and reaching out. Yeah, like don't be afraid. Like there's a lot of people in this industry that could be on the other side of it and have something to offer you and could help you, but you gotta be vocal about the fact that you need help and know what you need.
Tanya Hunt 26:01
And and you know, that's
Ask For Help And Get Specific
Tanya Hunt 26:03
where building your network comes in, right? Yeah, I think um like with the speaking mentorship, um, Jessica was my speaking mentor. And so I was like, hey, I want to do this. And I I you know, that was a direct connect, but like knowing like certain needs that you like, I want to help, you know, promote my career development. So I have connections with Liz Whalen, Kim Nolan, like, hey, how do you recommend me approaching this? You know, what what questions should I have? What points should I make? Um, what's in my my I did all this thing seemed good folder. Um, you know, so you have people that have have done it themselves. And so like you can ask from their experiences as well. So I think having those connections, you kind of like know who to talk to, like based on their stories that they have shared. And I think that's part of this is like you hear people's stories that you may not have access to. And then that makes them the expert in their journey. You're like, hey, how did you go about that? What can I do similarly? Yeah, absolutely.
Autumn Lamb 26:58
And especially when they know their path or maybe where they want to go, because maybe sometimes I might not be that specific person, but I might know somebody. And I'm also that person will connect them. So, you know what? I might not be this person for you, but I'm always here to support you. However, I'm gonna get you connected with this person that can really strengthen, right? They might be in a different career path, they might be doing something different, or they are just focusing on something specific, and I'm like, I know the perfect person. And so that's why the power of can of networking and connections is so important because I do think that our community loves to give back. It's just finding that that puzzle piece or that piece where someone fits in, right?
Tanya Hunt 27:31
Yeah, and I think we do have to encourage those who may think they have nothing to offer. So there's also that side of it of, oh, I haven't done anything.
Jacki Lutz 27:38
Exactly. Um you don't need permission.
Tanya Hunt 27:40
I'm not a VP, I'm not a manager, but I am a connector, and I don't have to have a title to connect you to somebody that's going to be able to help you in your journey. And I love LinkedIn for that. Yes. It's like, oh, what position are you looking for? Let me find someone who is in that position and they can tell you all about it.
Jacki Lutz 27:54
And again, that's a great point, is like, you know, if you are somebody in the industry who can't come to these things, um, LinkedIn's there for you. Yes. And get involved in the industry. Join the, you know, the Yang LinkedIn page, join the Women in AutoC Link team and you know, start seeing like who's showing up, who's engaging, and like those could be contacts for you. And I guarantee you they will be willing to help you.
Tanya Hunt 28:14
Yeah, and I've had many say, like, hey, if you need a mentor, because I do one-on-one connections, you know, uh put me on the list. I'm like, got it, no problem. So absolutely. Yeah.
Autumn Lamb 28:22
This year has been something at Women Auto Care, is a lot more women are like wanting to get involved, and I love it. It's more um empowerment and a lot more increasing of volunteering, and which is great because that allows us to be able to expand and to get more people involved to be able to do the same thing and contribute back to the community. And the more that we all focus on it, just like Yang has ambassadors, right? These are all ambassadors for Women Auto Care that just allows us to expand our network in our community. Right.
Jacki Lutz 28:46
Yeah. So, you know, we just had like a uh lengthy discussion about this topic. And if our audience really could take away one thing from this, what do each of you guys hope that that message is?
Autumn Lamb 28:59
Just do it. I think that's a really big one. It sounds like Nike, but it it really is something that we get in our heads a lot and we second we second guess ourselves. And sometimes we just have to submit it and just know that hey, let's shoot our shot. And at the end of it, um, even if we don't get it, right? We learn something. And if it was meant for us, I always feel like it will find us.
The One Takeaway Each Guest Wants
Autumn Lamb 29:20
And sometimes we don't really see it at that moment, but we will see it in the future. And that's why it's really good to lean on your network because sometimes you need that support system, maybe not in just strategic ways, but just for support. And a lot of it comes with encouragement, even in those times, right? We're gonna get yeses, but we're also gonna get no's. We're also gonna get successes and we're also gonna get failures. But we take those failures as learning lessons and we grow from there. And that's why it's really important to have that growth in that community.
Tanya Hunt 29:45
Yeah, I think the thing that resonates the most with me is get a mentor and be a mentor. There's always something to learn. It doesn't have to be somebody older than you. It could be a peer, they could be younger. Um, but that we all have something to teach one another. And I think it's just a matter of knowing your value and how your value can help others and just being open to that constantly. Like I'm always looking for to bring someone up. Like peep many, plenty of people pulled me up. I want to bring them with me too. Um, and so I just think the mentorship, even though sometimes that's a scary word for people, some people don't like mentorship. Um, that's might be why we have connection circles and stuff. Um, they they branded it appropriately. It's less, you know, less scary. Um, but yeah, just look to see who you can help and like just each day, and yeah, you'll you'll never know the ripple effect that it has.
Jacki Lutz 30:31
You know, something I started doing a year or two ago, um, I realized how much of a words of affirmation person I am uh after getting this job, like how much I need to hear, like, okay, it's resonating, I'm doing well, whatever. Um, so I started just every week I'll send out a text. It used to be a written letter, but then I started getting behind. Um, but I send out a text once a week to somebody and just it's either encouragement or it's a thank you or it's just something. And usually it's somebody that I it can be an email, it can be on LinkedIn, however I
Make Encouragement A Weekly Habit
Jacki Lutz 31:03
can get a hold of them, or just being like, hey, I've been seeing you put more stuff out on LinkedIn. Like it's amazing to see, and this is what our industry needs. Thank you. Right. You know, like I had, you know, I remember Bill Hanvey did that to me, I don't know, six years ago, like well before I worked for him. But I remember him emailing me and being like, I think, you know, I love what you're doing on social media, our industry needs more of that. And that's all I needed to like keep going. Yeah. And I think those little words of encouragement do a lot for people. Yeah, I think that's a great habit. Yeah.
Autumn Lamb 31:29
I'm overly expressive. So probably if you've met me before, I always tell people, I'm like, I'm proud of you, I see you. And a lot of those things, right, wouldn't happen if we if I wasn't inspired or if we weren't inspiring each other, right? And it really does come with being able to vocalize that to somebody. And that's really important for us to know, right? Is being able to have those words of encouragement and you know, that support system and things like that that really allow us to not just invest into other people, but we also feel some type of way about giving back as well.
Tanya Hunt 31:58
Yeah. Yeah, and I think it's really cool. Um, with with the awards I may have received, um, my company team has always been very celebratory. Like, like, hey, we're gonna, you know, pop some bubbles, you know, and and celebrate. Um, when Kim and I won awards, you know, the whole team came out to see us and cheer us on. And so I think we can just do that daily. Like, who can you cheer on today? Send the text, send the email. Absolutely. Like, it's not silly, it might mean the world.
Autumn Lamb 32:24
Yeah, it does make a difference. Even if we don't see it at this time, right? It will make a difference. Absolutely will.
Jacki Lutz 32:30
Yeah. Well, thank you guys so much. And you guys should both know that you're both in positions that are really inspiring people. You have a lot of influence. Yeah, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. And I'm so glad it's falled it fell into your guys' hands, you know, because you guys are are great keepers of that. I know a lot of people are watching you guys, very inspired for leading these communities. So thanks, Jack. Thank you so much. You're welcome for this conversation. Absolutely.
Autumn Lamb 32:54
I'm glad to be a part of it. And also, Tanya, I just want to say too, it's just seeing you all the time and you're an inspiration. And so just being a part of all this conversation today and everything about it. We are doing things, but you know, you have definitely contributed to my path. So thank you for laying some bricks in my in my road.
Tanya Hunt 33:10
You're very welcome. Thanks, Autumn. And thank you, Jackie. I love it.
Jacki Lutz 33:13
Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Autocare on Air. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so that you never miss an episode. And don't forget to leave us a rating and review. It helps others discover our show. Auto Care on Air is proud to be a production of the Autocare Association, dedicated to advancing the autocare industry and supporting professionals like you. To learn more about the association and its initiatives, visit autocare.org.
Description
One of the biggest career accelerators in the automotive aftermarket is also the simplest: someone decides you’re worth their time. From the Women in Auto Care conference, Jacki Lutz sits down with two award-winning industry leaders, Tanya Hunt (TERREPOWER) and Autumn Lamb (GSP), to get honest about what “investing in people” actually means when calendars are full, budgets are tight, and confidence is shaky.
They talk about the moments that changed their paths, a quick note of encouragement, an invitation to get involved, a mentor who helped them take a risk, and the “full circle” feeling of watching someone you supported step onto a stage of their own. We also break down a hard truth: high achievers often hear praise the least, and a few thoughtful words can be the difference between someone shrinking back or stepping up. If you’ve ever assumed people “already know they did great,” this conversation will change how you lead.
You’ll hear practical ways to build retention and community in the auto care industry without needing a big title: micro-volunteering, mentorship programs through Women in Auto Care and YANG, connection circles that make a big conference feel small, and LinkedIn networking for professionals who cannot travel or who feel intimidated reaching out. They share how to be a better investee too: get specific about what you need, ask anyway, and give yourself the chance to hear an official yes.
If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone you’d invest in, and leave a rating and review so more automotive professionals can find the show.
