Key Points Summary:
- YWCA Programs Supporting Military Women
Sheila Holman shares her experiences with the YWCA’s Dress for Success and Workforce Development programs, which help female veterans transition to civilian work in Nashville. These programs include professional development, confidence-building workshops, and styling sessions that provide military members with the skills and confidence to thrive in the workforce. - Building a Healthy, Mission-Driven Culture
Holman emphasizes the importance of a mission-driven culture in nonprofits like the YWCA. Her team’s work in domestic violence prevention and youth empowerment requires holistic care for both clients and employees, focusing on a family-oriented, yet healthy, professional culture. Holman’s approach prioritizes self-care, supporting employees as individuals, and establishing healthy boundaries to prevent burnout. - Intentional Networking and Job Transition Advice
Holman advises military members on transitioning to civilian careers, emphasizing the importance of finding industries and roles that align with their passions. She suggests networking intentionally through LinkedIn, volunteer work, or social events, which provide natural and engaging ways to build connections. This guidance helps veterans find roles that align with their interests and strengths, rather than overwhelming themselves with random applications.
Interview Transcript
Sean Ofeldt: Welcome to Landing Zone Nashville, a live show that highlights great companies in Nashville and explores why Nashville is such a great place to live and work for the military community. I’m Sean Ofelt, your host and CEO of Transition Overwatch. And today I have the pleasure of speaking with Sheila Holman, who is the Vice President of Human Resources for the YWCA in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Welcome to the show, Sheila.
Sheila Holman: Thank you for having me.
Sean: So we’re gonna jump right into it. Your mission at the YWCA is focused on eliminating racism and empowering women. And recently you oversaw a powerful project for wounded warrior women up at Fort Campbell. And the goal I believe was to get them prepared and ready for the workforce. Can you tell me more about that project, what it involved and what the outcomes were?
Sheila: Sure. Well, our Dress for Success program and our workforce development team have worked with wounded warriors off and on throughout the years. And we’ve got some great stories of them bringing in ladies that have been in the military for a decade, need some support in figuring out what it’s going to look like to be in the workforce again. And I think one of my favorite projects was when we had a partnership with Ulta and some other sponsors. They came in, they did hair, they did makeup, we did suitings, we did a career development session, and they do offer that off and on as well. so that they could talk about what their resume should look like now and how to interview and how to prep. And those things are just vital. When you’ve been out of the workforce for a while or if you’re changing from one industry to another, it’s really important to have someone give you some feedback on how you’re presenting because oftentimes we have trouble telling our own story.
Sean: Absolutely. And storytelling is huge, especially for military members and being able to translate, obviously, what they did in the military, but making that applicable to the civilian workforce. So it sounds like that project was highly successful. How often? Is that an ongoing project? Is that offered throughout the year? What does that look like for somebody that might be listening?
Sheila: It’s usually a once a year event, but of course, any partner that refers someone to our Address for Success or Workforce Development program, that can happen throughout the year.
Sean: Excellent. Okay. So there’s different programs that are in place, and maybe you could tell me a bit more about that, just kind of from the standpoint of understanding who the organization is, but what are those other services that are being provided to both the military community and the community at large?
Sheila: Sure. So every YW is a little bit different. Our YW focuses on domestic violence. So we have the largest domestic violence shelter in the state of Tennessee. We have sixty-five beds. So one side is women, one side is women and children. And we’ve added a pet shelter so that people can bring their pets. We also are the local affiliates for other programs that are global. So Girls Inc, which is a youth program in Metro Nashville schools. A Men Together, which is a program for boys in Metro Nashville schools. And our goal there is to really empower the youth of Nashville to understand how to prepare for the future. So we’re teaching them leadership skills, college prep, really building their confidence, creating a cohort of like-minded individuals. and helping them be the best version of themselves. Particularly in the men’s or the boys’ group, we’re talking about how to identify your emotions, how to have healthy masculinity, and what version of manhood fits you because a man isn’t just the athlete, he’s also the artist. And so there’s a wide spectrum of what that can look like for you.
We want girls to have opportunities in STEM and STEAM projects and to really broaden their horizons. Maybe you never thought about being an engineer. Well, that opportunity is open to you. So let’s talk about what that looks like for you. So a lot of times it’s about broadening their horizons, going on college tours, talking about teen dating violence when that’s appropriate, and just making sure that they’re the healthiest version of themselves so that we never see them in our shelter, hopefully, right? We’ve given them tools.
And then we have our Family Learning Center, which helps individuals that did not get their high school diploma. prepare for their HiSET or GED and pass the test so that they can graduate and move forward. And what I love about the YW is we don’t just want to give people one step forward. We want to make sure that they have an entire path. So now that you have the diploma, do you need support getting a college application completed? Do you need support interviewing, you know, so maybe I need some interview prep. Maybe I need a brand new resume. Maybe I need some clothing, which then we would refer you to our Dress for Success program, which helps women find an outfit that makes them feel powerful. Right. Everyone walks into the room differently when you feel like you look sharp. And so we want to make sure that they have confidence when they walk in that room.
Address for Success is another global program that fits our mission. So we help individuals, Wounded Warrior Groups is one of those, come in and find the best version of themselves so they walk in with confidence. And what I didn’t know until I started working there was that you get one outfit if you have an interview, but you get enough for a week if you get the job. So now you can mix and match, right? It’s not that one step forward, it’s an entire path. So our programming is very comprehensive. We work really hard in making sure there’s wraparound services that make the transition complete for that individual. And that’s why I’ve been there so long.
Sean: Now, that’s excellent. And on that note, as you’re giving the overview, I realize that you must have a very mission-driven or purpose-driven team.
Sheila: Absolutely. You’re not going to get rich in the nonprofit space, right? People don’t donate money so that HR or finance or any of those individuals make a lot of money. They’re doing it because they see a need or a gap or that someone is struggling. And so we do our best to really steward that money well. But we choose individuals also that have a heart for the mission. And we’ve really worked hard at what else can we do to make this a meaningful career moment for them. So one of the things I do is, you know, I talk to my leaders about what they want to do next. I talk to my leaders about how can I help them grow. I talk to my leaders about if they need a safe place to decompress and talk about an employee issue, I want to make sure that I’m there to support them and give them tools.
So we talk a lot about self-care, right? This is a tough thing to do sometimes. If you work in a domestic violence shelter, you hear some really tough stories. How are you going home and decompressing? What are your tools? And can we give you permission to take a day to yourself after a really tough call? Can we give you permission to walk away and go take a walk around the campus or go get something to eat? And so I think really thinking holistically, we’ve got a lot of social workers, right? So they understand that self-care model. And we have a lot of folks that are trained in making sure we’re trauma-informed. And oftentimes as leaders, we have to remind them to use that lens on themselves as well, right? We don’t want that secondary trauma. We don’t want those feelings lingering. You have to be able to process and put it down. And I think because we’ve been intentional about that, people have really enjoyed making the YW their work home.
They are continually trying to do things to lighten the mood, to make sure that we’re bonded, to make sure that we work together. I think, you know, this is the most communicative organization I’ve ever worked for simply because everyone wants to be a part of it and everyone wants to support. So, you know, I tell the story all the time: when COVID hit, our CEO, Sharon Roberson, she could have been at home. She was at the shelter. You know, she made sure those kids had laptops. She made sure that Girls Inc. and men showed up to help them use the laptops so they could do their homework. We had leaders taking shifts overnight because when COVID first hit, we lost staffing. And everyone pulled together. And when you see that come from the top echelons of your leadership, everyone jumps in. They realize that’s part of the culture, and we support each other in a lot of different ways.
And I think when you’re able to do that, when people know you’re invested in them as human beings, as well as a director or a manager or a frontline employee, it makes a difference. And people then want to work for you. You can’t leap over the employee to get to the client. You have to make sure you take care of the employee and they’ll take care of the client.
Sean: Yeah, that’s phenomenal. I appreciate you sharing those examples as well. On that note, you had spoken with Emily on our team prior, but you had noted a difference between a family-oriented company and a family culture company. Can you tell me a bit more about that and how you see that through the YW?
Sheila: Sure. Well, I used to work in health care before I worked at the YW. So what I saw sometimes is that physicians might create a family culture in their clinic but it was unhealthy, right? It was, “I know your personal business, I’m involved in your personal business, but then the moment something goes wrong, I fire you,” and there’s a whole bunch of feelings, right? I would rather be in an organization that’s family-oriented, which means we want to make sure that your whole person is considered. If you need to take care of an elderly parent, if you need to take care of your child, if your spouse is struggling with a mental health issue, we want to make sure that we consider that whole person and that we allow you time, space, and flexibility to take care of your family and then come back to work.
We all take really good care of each other and we have each other’s backs, but we try to make sure that we still have healthy boundaries with ourselves and with our clients because, as a social worker in social services, some of our individuals could very easily fall into the habit of maybe giving too much and being too invested in a client to the point where they harm their relationship or themselves, right? We don’t want people to end up burnt out. We don’t want them to be taken advantage of. We don’t want them to put more of themselves out than is healthy. As people say, you can’t pour from an empty cup, and we don’t want them to leave empty. We want them to work from their overflow and that in order for them to do that, we have to make sure we’re investing in them.
Sean: You know, and that distinction is really interesting. I think a lot of people hear, you know, “family-oriented company” and it sounds like, “Okay, this is great, really tight-knit team.” But to your point, that can have really sort of negative aspects of it as well. And I love the fact of, you know, how you’re defining family culture, right? The fact that yes, family comes first, but it’s also self-care. It’s also the whole person approach. And at the end of the day, we’re not maybe necessarily, you know, sort of ingrained in each other’s lives, right, to the point of that family-oriented culture. But rather, we’re still supporting them, but we’re supporting them in a healthy way that allows them to have that. So that’s a really interesting distinction, not one I’ve heard before. So I appreciate you sharing that. That’s really neat.
Sheila: Absolutely.
Sean: So you’ve done career coaching with individuals who are preparing to transition out of the military. And what would you say are the top five factors that someone should take into account as they’re, you know, as they’re taking that next step?
Sheila: Well, I think anyone transitioning, because I work in HR, because I’ve done recruitment, a lot of times people will ask me, “You know, I’ve done this for ten, fifteen, twenty years. I want to do something different.” And the military is no different. So the first thing I tell them to do is really start thinking about where you want to work. I want to be really intentional about putting you in front of the right organizations rather than smattering the universe with a hundred resumes with companies that in the end I’m not compatible with. So I tell people to think about what industry lights your fire, right? Maybe you can do accounting anywhere, but what is going to make you excited about getting up and going to that organization?
And an example I give is I can do HR anywhere. HR and manufacturing doesn’t really light my fire as much as maybe doing HR and healthcare or HR in the nonprofit space. I’m excited to go to work in the nonprofit space because I love the industry. And I was the same way in healthcare. You don’t want to put a scalpel in my hand. I’m not that person, but I can make sure I hire someone good to hold that scalpel. I can make sure they’re happy and whole. So they’re not thinking about their retirement or their benefits when they’re taking care of you. So industry is important in my book.
The size of the organization is very important. Large organizations have the benefits of having maybe more dollars for training, conferences, things like that. They may be a more well-oiled machine. They may have more growth opportunities within that organization. Smaller organizations give you the opportunity to maybe spread your wings in a little less structure. So in the nonprofit space, it’s all hands on deck. You get the opportunity to touch a lot more than you would maybe in a larger organization. And sometimes you can even build your own role simply because you’re filling a gap in an organization that has really tight staffing anyway. So there’s benefits to both. You have to think about what feeds your spirit in your work culture.
I also tell people to think about location. So, you know, downtown can be tough in the Nashville area as far as parking and traffic and all of those things. If you have to come into work, is that really where you want to be? A lot of people in Nashville commute from surrounding areas. So maybe Murfreesboro or Hendersonville and things like that. You have to know that you know that you know that you’re OK with that commute. Because I’ve had plenty of people say, “Oh, I just want anything.” And they get anything, and they’re miserable driving for an hour every morning. So be intentional about that location, which kind of goes into the next point, which is what is the work environment? Is it hybrid? Are you remote? You know, if you’re only coming in two days a week, maybe that forty-five minute drive isn’t such a big deal. But you want to know that ahead of time.
What is the environment that you’re walking into? Is it very suit and tie or is it blue jeans and a T-shirt? Because that might make a difference to you as well. So I tell people to think about what work environment you want to work in. And then what kind of roles are available in those organizations? So if you decide, I want to work in the nonprofit space, I know that this particular type of nonprofit really lights my fire. Now, what roles do they have available? Sometimes roles are named different things in different industries. So I’ve had people in the military do HR work. It just wasn’t called HR. Right. And so now that you’re looking at the healthcare industry, what are the roles that are in line with what you would like to do? I’ve had people find roles they didn’t know existed in today’s world. There’s so much out there. So take the time to research it. And with those five things, you can really build a portfolio of organizations you would like to work for. And now you’re really ready to get close to them.
Sean: So I love how you start with industry. I think that’s really… I mean, we love that concept. The your exposure and the work that you’ve done with military members that are transitioning out when they’re kind of having that initial conversation where are they typically where are they starting? Are they thinking of job titles or something other than let me start with industry and filter my way down the way you just explained it?
Sheila: I think it’s tough for them to hone in. When you’ve lived military life for quite a while, you’re used to some things being predefined. You’re stepping into a predefined project, goal, or what have you. And so sometimes it’s really hard for them to hone in on what industry am I excited about, right? And so sometimes I say get close to someone that knows you well and see what they say. Are you happiest when you’re around sports? Are you happiest when you’re talking about science? What kind of projects do you have at home? When you start thinking about what makes me excited, then maybe you can find an industry in that arena. If you happen to love architecture, maybe an engineering firm would be exciting for you. So thinking just about what do you like? What do you love? And maybe ask the people around you. That can help as well, because people get really stuck when they’re thinking about just what they want.
Sean: For those military members that you have worked with, have you found that to be hard? Is there sort of a gap between, “Okay, this is what I did in the military,” and being sort of maybe pre-set to say, “Okay, I have to take that skill set and find that out.” Whereas you’re saying, “OK, yes, you have a skill set, that may drive some of this, but it sounds like it’s more what drives you?”
Sheila: I do think sometimes they’re overwhelmed with the amount of opportunities, right? And I think one of the beautiful things about the military is you realize how much you can do. You realize that whatever it is, you will figure it out. And that’s the beauty of hiring a veteran, right? These are the scrappiest individuals that are not afraid to get out there and troubleshoot. If they don’t know it, they will figure it out. But that also means sometimes you’re having trouble honing in on your specific gifts or what some people might deem your calling. And so a lot of times I will tell people, let’s just focus on one, two, three, whatever you’re comfortable with. And let’s see what pans out.
Sean: Yeah, intentionality is huge. And I mean, in the military, you’re always planning and then, you know, going on a mission. And I, you know, we look at it the same way. It’s you’re going on a mission, you’re transitioning out of the military. And you could be a veteran, and you’re transitioning from one career field to another one industry to another. So And you could be a civilian and go through transition as well, right? Transition is a fact of life. It continues throughout as long as you’re living.
Sheila: Absolutely.
Sean: And as we’re wrapping up twenty twenty-four and going into twenty twenty-five, you had mentioned networking. Why is that so important and how should military members specifically go about that or how should the military community go about that?
Sheila: I tell people I was not good at networking to begin with, but I realized the power of those relationships and those introductions. So the easiest way to start networking, if you’ve been out of the game for a while or even if you haven’t, is to look at platforms like LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great way to build relationship, to follow industries, to see what’s trending. It can be really simple.
Another great way to network is to volunteer. So, you know, if you’re not tickled about LinkedIn or if you’re not as excited about having coffee with a stranger, when you volunteer, you’re on a project, which is very similar to what the military does. Right. You get thrown in with a bunch of people and you’ve got to make something happen.
Sean: I actually love that idea. I mean, the military communities often told network, network, network. And usually that results in just, you know, kind of defaulting to LinkedIn, right? Taking people to coffee. And that’s a very unnatural, to your point, right? Very unnatural for a lot of people. And while there is a lot of people on LinkedIn that would likely, you know, happily connect and have a conversation, share a cup of coffee. It’s still sort of that level of discomfort that an individual may feel. I just love the idea of saying, go volunteer somewhere.
Sheila: Absolutely.
Sean: And, you know, on that note, so we always like to look at Nashville and say, what is it that makes Nashville a great place to live and work in your opinion?
Sheila: For me, Nashville has something for everyone, right? We are the health care hub. We have a lot of nonprofits that are here. We have organizations like Amazon. We’ve got sports, art, theater. Every artist in the area has a bar, a restaurant. There’s plenty of country music. There’s plenty of jazz music. There’s plenty of a little bit of everything here. So I feel like there’s something for everyone in Nashville.
Sean: And Sheila, you had mentioned kind of going to art studios and that sort of thing. What is it about something for everyone that compels you or what do you find most interesting for yourself?
Sheila: For myself, I love it all. But I’m probably someone that you will see more interested in the live music. So we have large venues, of course, but Nashville’s really well known for smaller venues. So maybe the City Winery, the Ryman, something like that where it’s a little more intimate. You get a little more exposure to the artist.
Sean: That’s awesome. Well, Sheila, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you, learning more about, you know, what you do, but also, you know, the mission at YW. And really just appreciate your time and appreciate you and everything that you continue to do for the military community.
Sheila: Thank you. I appreciate it.
