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Rural America is brilliant, and it's time the world knew it. Welcome to Rural QueenB, and He, and They. I'm Julie Kelley. I'm a brand consultant and journalist. I work with rural businesses ready to grow, helping them build brands, earn media coverage, and show up in AI search. This podcast is part of that work, bringing the brilliant minds building rural America into the conversation.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: Kevin
Chu is the data king for Vermont's
economic growth, the son of immigrants,
a Middlebury track and soccer star.
A husband to a wife he
did not meet online.
That's correct.
Actually at a bar in Burlington.
Red Square, to be specific.
And the executive director of
the Vermont Futures Project.
So I always say Vermont is the soul of me.
When you think of place and
space- What is the soul of you?
Ooh, that's a great question.
The soul of me comes back
to this idea of opportunity.
I'm the son of immigrant parents.
My parents came to Vermont,
of all places, back in 1986.
, I have an aunt that married an
American, and they happened to have a
home in Vermont at the time, so that
was the one social connection that my
parents had to this entire country.
And I feel so lucky that they ended
up here in Vermont because they
took a brave leap of faith to leave
behind everything and everyone they
knew in pursuit of opportunity, in
pursuit of their American dream.
And they landed in a rural state,
where community really became a
cornerstone of what helped them succeed.
I'm lucky to be sitting
here in front of you.
I'm the beneficiary of so much
kindness, so many opportunities
that were made available to me and
to my family, and I try to pay that
forward through the work that I do to
make sure that opportunity continues
to be part of the soul of Vermont,
tell me about a kindness.
I sat in the backseat of so many different
cars of parents of teammates who would
bring me to and from practices because
my parents, with their work schedules,
weren't always available to help out.
And through that, I had the opportunity
to compete at the collegiate level
in both soccer and track and field.
That would not have been possible
without the kindness of my neighbors
to say, "Hey, this kid needs a ride.
I'm gonna help them out."
And I, am just so thankful for that.
And isn't that so rural?
It is part of the brilliance
of how our communities operate.
Take me to a moment when you realized
the enormity of what your parents, these
immigrants to America, achieved, coming to
one of the most rural parts of the country
and making that life for themselves.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project: I
think the moment really hit me when I
walked across the stage for my high school
graduation because they had preached for
so many years how important education was.
was something they didn't necessarily have
access to in their hometown back in China.
They grew up in southeast China, Guangdong
Province, and neither of my parents,
finished high school or went to college.
So they recognized that with the
opportunities that I had and, my
brothers had to go to school, not only
public school, but even perhaps, go to
college one day, that was preached as
an important milestone in terms of being
able to access even more opportunity than
what my parents had available to them.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: So
when I walked across that stage, I,
teared up a little bit because it was
the culmination of decades of sacrifices
that they had made so that I could
live a better life than what they had.
You are very cosmopolitan you're a
human being who exudes that sense of
openness to the world and curiosity
about what people value, and you really
seek to understand what people value.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
Why stay in a rural area
instead of go to the big city?
, That's a great question i, , graduated
from Middlebury, and many of my friends
after graduation went to places like
Boston or New York City, DC, , and
they'd ask, "Kevin, how come you're
choosing to stay in Vermont when so many
of us are leaving to the big cities?"
you mentioned the word curiosity.
That's something that's always
driven me, And I think I was curious
about what possibilities might
exist in an untraditional pathway.
I think I was curious about
the challenge as well.
I, I'm a hurdler, right?
So I could've just ran 100 meters
without anything in the way, but
part of me was like, " What if we
put some 42-inch barriers in the way?
Wouldn't that be fun?"
and I wanted to see if
it would work for me.
And what I found in that curiosity
was opportunity isn't just
the number of jobs in a place.
Opportunity isn't just the, economic
output as measured by things like GDP.
Opportunity also comes from the social
context, and I mentioned kindness earlier.
I was able to not only start my
career here in Vermont because of
the, economic opportunities but also
because of the social connections
that I, had built over the years.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media:
you've really struck something for
me because I feel I have had a path
like that in my own career, even just
choosing more rural areas for television,
not going to a big city, and, you're
framing it for me in a way right now
that I hadn't even thought about.
Maybe I was a hurdler in another life.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project: Maybe.
Doubtful.
We can go to the track after this.
. We'll find out.
Absolutely not.
I'd destroy myself and the hurdles.
- On, that topic of track, though,
I think that's another piece
that- has also influenced who
I am and why I chose to stay.
I competed at the Division III level.
Now, there was a point in time in my
life when I thought maybe I wanted to go
Division I, and that was more in terms of
playing soccer, but competing at the DIII
level, especially in track and field...
Track and field is a sport that has
very objective measures, ? You run
a certain time, you jump a certain
distance, incredible athletes emerge
from the state of Vermont who are
competing on the, national and even
international level, having success,
Even in a state of 645,000 people, we
can still produce incredible talent.
You don't necessarily have to be from
the big city to compete at that stage.
"We can make it happen here.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: We
can do incredible things and have an
impact beyond the state of Vermont and
make positive change for the world."
I love the underdog, too, and it's
flashing back to the Olympics, the
Winter Olympics- Mm-hmm ... and what
we saw, and all of the attention
that Vermont got in, the Winter
Olympics because of those athletes.
We have more Olympians than any
other state on a per capita basis.
Which really proves your point.
That's right.
Your work with the Vermont
Futures Project uses data.
You are the data king
on this queen podcast.
I'm gonna have to add that to my resume.
Put it right at the top of LinkedIn.
We're toward the end of
the legislative session.
I'll be honest, I'm kind of frustrated.
Mm-hmm.
I want to see progress.
I worry about the taxes I pay, the future
that I have here for my own business, for
my own family, and I'm really committed.
What happens if we don't
pay attention to the data?
Take me out a decade.
. Data is helpful insofar that it tells us
where we are now, how we got here, and
what might happen if nothing changes.
That's the trend line.
And what might happen if nothing
changes, we're, one of the
oldest states by median age.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
The labor market and economic
implications means there will be a lot
of retirements over the next decade.
means our tax base is shrinking.
So to sustain current levels of services
and programs and spending, that burden
will increase for working-age folks.
That's what happens if nothing changes.
Or we reach a tipping point where
the burden is too great, and we
either have to cut back massively
on spending, or we see people leave
because they're fed up with that.
When I say data isn't destiny,
it's because we have a choice as to
which of those futures to pursue.
If we don't like that trajectory,
what is the path forward?
I often say Vermont needs more people.
We can see that from a demographic
and economic perspective.
But I also say more people need
Vermont, and that's the part of me
that inspires hope and optimism.
More people need Vermont, isn't just
a feel-good phrase, but we actually
see from the data market indicators
that there is demand for Vermont.
Tell me about that.
Why do more people need us?
Yeah.
so housing prices is a hot topic
right now because they're high.
They've been going up.
At a basic economic level, price is
an indicator of the balance between
supply and demand, and prices being high
means there's more demand than supply.
That's people that wanna be here.
It's people that wanna stay here.
and we can solve for that if
we can increase housing supply.
Now, that- that's the nerdy stuff.
Why is demand high?
When I say more people need Vermont,
part of that can be the community aspect,
which I've described in terms of my
own story, how much it's meant to me.
Some of that might be the inbound
migration that we saw during the
start of the pandemic, where people
were seeking out areas of the country
with lower population density.
That is enabled also by the rise of
remote work, which isn't going away.
people might need Vermont
because of climate reasons,
we've seen the devastating
impacts of, the LA- wildfires.
There are over nine million
people that live in LA County, and
some of them might need Vermont.
I actually have a neighbor
who moved from Phoenix.
. And one of the top reasons they
chose Vermont was because of climate.
The first time I visited my younger
brother in Colorado, as I flew in,
the sky was hazy, and I was looking
around trying to figure out why, and
sure enough, there was a wildfire, in
Boulder that same day that I flew in.
If you live in a coastal
city in Florida and sea level
rises, you might need Vermont.
we can see that demand reflected
in housing market prices.
I believe that demand will continue to
increase, which is also something that
gives me hope and optimism because if
there's demand for a place, there's
the potential for a bright future.
I would get much more worried if people
said, "I don't want to be in Vermont.
That's not a place where
I see a possible future."
But that's not what
the data say right now.
I was listening to a founder of
a big company in Vermont,, and
they said they have a place here
and a place in North Carolina.
Mm-hmm.
And that is strategic.
Mm-hmm.
It scared me when they said it because as
someone who values these big companies and
understands how critical it is that they
are investing in us, I also know what it
means And just this week, the latest round
of the infant formula plant closing for
good up in the town of Georgia and Vermont
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: Is this
the moment to decide if our future looks
like this or something even more vibrant?
Does it look like companies in 10
years going, "We can't swing it"?
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project: I want
this to be the moment, and I think a lot
of Vermonters want this to be the moment.
I want this to be the moment too.
It's a scary time, and to describe
the moment we're in is not only a
choice between abundance and scarcity.
I think those are buzzwords that have
possibly been overused at this point.
But for Vermont, I see this
as a moment between economic
hospice or economic healing.
Economic hospice would be how do
we minimize the pain and manage the
decline, the demographic realities
that we're facing and, just try to
do as much as we can, understanding
that there will be no growth.
Economic healing is taking a look at the
conditions we're in now, understanding
the root causes of how we got here,
and actually doing something about
it so that the long-term trajectory
is one of vitality and opportunity.
I wanna pursue that path
of economic healing.
I know you do, too.
I know many Vermonters do, too.
And it's gotta be an all-in effort.
of any business, of any organization,
of the legislature or the governor,
but we have to have a collective vision
of where we want to go as a state,
and everybody has to do their part.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: It's
really interesting because I put a post up
on LinkedIn about that, and the feedback
was so extreme, both in private messages
and on the comments, "What can I do?"
Mm-hmm.
Like, asking me.
I'm just one person, too,
but I get why they said it.
And I love that about Vermont.
I love that that is
the way people show up.
They see a problem, and they
ask, "What can I do to help?"
But Kevin, how then do we take
what you are speaking of now,
and the talking stops, and the
collective movement happens?
Yeah.
I've heard The Futures Project
described, several times by different
media outlets as a think tank.
. Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
And my response has been, " We,
don't need to be a think tank.
We need to be a do tank."
We need action, I do think that a big
part of this is legislative action.
It's policy.
and when we take a look at something
like housing, for example, I've heard
the argument that, "Oh, policy changes
themselves aren't gonna build new houses."
And I say, "Yeah, but we need a starting
point where it's allowable to build
houses," And not just a few houses.
That's right.
A lot of houses.
It also is a cultural shift that we
need to look inward and reflect on,
some of the stories and narratives,
sometimes even myths that hold
us back from meaningful change.
As I've carried out the work of The
Futures Project and talked about
growth, one of the stories or the
sentiment that I, encounter as
pushback is, "Well, I don't want that.
I don't want Vermont to
turn into New Jersey."
I, even took a picture, I stopped
at a red light, of a car in front
of me with a bumper sticker that
said, "Don't Jersey Vermont."
I actually was born in New Jersey.
And I'm so glad you're a Vermonter now.
I'm so glad I'm a Vermonter, too,
and my parents, when they chose
Vermont, my mother became a nationally
recognized teacher- in Vermont.
They committed 40 years to Vermont,
and- That is not really what we mean.
I don't think that's actually what
people really mean because I think
we're more thoughtful than that- Yeah
if they think about the people they know.
That's right.
I know a lot of new Vermonters who
moved in post-2020 who are on our
school boards and our town boards and
are building co-ops, all those things
that matter so much to all Vermonters.
That's exactly right.
Yeah.
The bumper sticker, , "Don't Jersey
Vermont," is just a surface-level phrase
that's easy to repeat because maybe
it's fun to say, but when we critically
examine it and start to ask, "Okay,
who in our lives, are creating this
powerful impact in their communities?"
And, we just dig a little bit
deeper, we realize, oh, maybe we
can discard that narrative, because
i-it just from a data perspective,
we're never gonna be New Jersey.
Vermont's population would have to
be about 11 and a half million before
we reach New Jersey-level density.
if we can just start with the idea that
anyone who wants to be here and contribute
meaningfully to our communities should
be able to call themselves a Vermonter,
that alone is a step towards progress.
Because for me, policies and programs
are often a reflection of some of
the underlying attitudes or beliefs
that are held in a community.
Or fears.
Or fears, that's right.
I think that the healing has to begin
with, what do we wanna say yes to?
What do we want to enable?
What do we want to incentivize?
I remember as a kid, I went out
to cut down a Christmas tree
with my mom and my aunt from St.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: Croix,
which I'm not sure how a woman from the
islands was cutting down a Christmas tree.
And it fell off the top of our car,
and I stood there in the middle of the
road and said, " I really wish a truck
would come over that hill right now."
And sure enough, there came the truck.
The man stops, throws the tree
into the back of his truck,
follows us home, unloads it for us.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
That is rural America to me.
Mm-hmm.
That is the heart of our communities,
the heart of our human beings.
Do you have a moment like that that
stands out, that you say, "I really wish
people would understand who we are"?
Yeah.
There was a car that broke down
kinda close to where I live.
A wheel had fallen off.
I don't think they tightened their
lug nuts enough, and the car was
stopped on the side of the road.
The wheel that had fallen
off was nowhere to be seen.
And because I was pretty close to home,
I just drove home and grabbed , my jack
and, my impact wrench and came back
and put that spare on, took a lug nut
from each of the other wheels, just so
that it was secure enough to drive the
half-mile to the shop down the road.
And, the vehicle, had out-of-state
plates on it, and it was two
young people of color who I think
were students at the university.
And the whole time they were just
like, "Oh my God, this would never
happen in the place I came from.
No one would ever stop."
I hope that interaction stuck with
them and it makes them think about
what living in a rural place, hopefully
Vermont, , would be like, that someone
did stop, someone did check in.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media:
Boy, is that just not the truth.
We know there's the other side and the
other stories, but we have to own that
this is innately part of who we are.
Mm-hmm.
Give me your top three
favorite rural places.
It could be town, trail, place to
eat, porch to watch a sunset, and
they don't have to just be in Vermont.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
Is that sacrilegious to
say- ... to the Vermont Futures
Project executive director?
I don't think it is, and here's why.
One of the ways that I've described
why the work that we're doing here,
why the work of the Vermont Futures
Project, what's happening in Vermont,
why is it important at a national scale?
Because Vermont is one of the oldest
states by median age, we serve as
a leading indicator for the rest of
the country, because if we look at
demographic trends across the US,
fertility rates are declining everywhere.
The country is getting older,
but Vermont has a head start.
That also means that the conditions and
the challenges we're responding to, we
have this privilege of either being a
leader for what to do or what not to do.
One of those things will happen.
So it's not sacrilegious to pick
other places, because what can Vermont
bring to solve issues everywhere?
I think that's how , a lot of
our entrepreneurs think too.
It's not just, "What products or
services am I providing to Vermonters?"
They're thinking, "How can I
make the world a better place?"
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media:
It's literally how I pick my clients.
Mm-hmm.
How I choose to partner, because
they are building something bigger
than themselves and Vermont.
That's right.
So I didn't answer your question though.
My three favorite places.
Da-na-na.
One of them is right down
the road, Kingdom Trails.
I always look for an excuse to go there.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project: I
think it's just an incredible story of a
community coming together, with private
landowners pitching in to, create this
wonderful world-class trail network that
has become a mecca for mountain bikers.
, People travel from all over the
world to come to this special
rural place,- Yes, the Northeast
Kingdom of Vermont- That's right
deserves a shout-out.
another rural place that comes
to mind is Acadia, Maine.
I've just had some special family
trips there and memories through
the years, and I will always hold
that place near and dear to my heart
because of the close connections
that I was able to cultivate with my
parents during those family vacations.
Oh, that's amazing.
Then the third place, it would be the
outdoor track at Middlebury College.
And you might think that's a
weird one because outdoor tracks
anywhere kinda look the same.
They're 400 meters, probably six or eight
lanes, and, that reddish rubber, right?
But,...
The, Middlebury track is just surrounded
by this beautiful landscape with the
green mountains in the background.
But I also like the fact that it could
feel like any other track, ? Because
back to that idea that I shared earlier
where we have Vermonters competing at the
international level and having success,
that is one connection that Vermont has
to the rest of the world, athletics.
This common language, this thing that
brings people together across different
cultures, different geographies.
Whether you're from a rural place or an
urban place, you can get together in the
arena of sports and share across cultures,
, in a common experience and find that
shared humanity that I get, , pulled
back into time and again with sports.
It's part of why I still coach.,
I love watching sports.
, I'm looking forward to the World
Cup where, again, the world comes
together, , and has this common language.
So yeah, the track at Middlebury
because it's in a beautiful
setting but also because it's a
connection to the rest of the world.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media:
The other thing that comes
to my mind is food Mm.
Mm-hmm ... when I think of those parallels
I think about food probably too often.
Apparently I do too.
As you're talking about tracks, I
often say that rural America, we don't
need big box stores on every corner.
Our conveniences run a little different.
For me, that's a ski mountain
20 minutes from home.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
What is it for you?
For me It's being able to experience
mountains, lakes, rivers, but
also going into a quaint downtown.
, It's the food, it's the people, it's
the diversity of environments that
are accessible within just a 30-minute
drive or a one-hour bike ride.
, That's one way I love to explore the state
of Vermont is on two wheels and pedaling
sometimes up a steep, steep incline and
then enjoying the, , pull of gravity as I
go downhill and into a new village center.
, I, I think that one of the
Stories that doesn't get told
often enough about rural places.
I, I think, , too often there's just
this single image of what rural means.
, And, and we need to be able to
highlight the untold stories of the
really cool things that are happening.,
I think that the stories about the
landscapes get told quite a bit.
I think the stories about perhaps
agriculture get told quite a bit.
But in this rural state, we're
also building electric airplanes.
We're creating gallium nitride
computer chips which are on
the cutting edge of technology.
, We're also creating kickass ice
cream and beer, ? That's super cool.
And I'll say chocolate for
Vermont Nut Free Chocolates.
Chocolate, soaps.
, We have a diversity of industries that
people don't often associate with rural,
and those stories need to be told too
because then someone who perhaps might
wanna go into one of those industries,
they see rural as a possibility,
and that's a missing opportunity,
which I know you're doing a fantastic
job in trying to, fill that gap.
, Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: We're
really rewriting the story of rural.
Mm-hmm.
And it's so much fun
to rewrite it with you.
Oh, it's a blast.
One of the stories I've heard about
rural, and to some extent in the data
this was true in the 20-teens, , was
the migration away from rural.
And even as a kid I was told, "Kevin,
you might have to move out of Vermont
to start your career, to- Same
earn a higher salary.
Maybe you'll come back later in
life, but, who knows," right?
That, that was- No, we,
didn't even get that.
We went, "You'll have to stay away.
Mm-hmm.
There aren't jobs here."
Yep.
That, another myth that
we can dispel with data.
But there are now.
There are.
There's two open jobs
for every one job seeker.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
There are economic opportunities.
Vermont has the 20th highest median
household income in the country.
It's risen at the third fastest
rate over the past five years.
, when I was growing up, I was nudged away.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: good
thing I'm stubborn and, I sometimes
disobey because I chose to stay.
It's funny, I'm stubborn too, but I did
go away But I'm stubborn enough that I
had to come back, and I know there are
a lot of people who want to come back.
Mm-hmm, that want to come back
or want to stay- ... and they
just want pathway to do that,
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
So here's the piece that, I
absolutely love and come back to.
The quote is, "I love Vermont because
of her hills and valleys, her scenery
and invigorating climate, but most of
all because of her indomitable people.
They are a race of pioneers who almost
beggared themselves to serve others.
If the spirit of liberty should vanish
in other parts of the Union and support
of our institutions should languish,
it could all be replenished from the
generous store held by the people of
this brave little state of Vermont."
That is also why I say
more people need Vermont.
In this moment in time across our
country and across the globe, Vermont
can be that store of energy and
replenish, the trust in our institutions.
It can restore the trust in each other.
That, to me, is what keeps me in rural
places, that ability to look across the
table, walk across the street, see the
humanity in every person I encounter, and
recognize that people are trying their
best, and we need to celebrate that.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media:
We need to support it.
we need to enable it, and
, that's what keeps me going.
So you told me, one of the questions I
asked is something you get asked a lot.
What's a question that you wish you
got asked, that you don't get asked?
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project: Can
I take a moment to think about that one?
You're the first person to ask me that.
Huh.
What's a question that
I wish I got asked more?
Or at all.
Yeah, or at-
- What comes to mind for you?
Um, Wow.
So sorry to turn it back around.
You've stumped me.
I think this is the first time
in a podcast or interview that
I've been asked a question that
I didn't have a ready answer for.
This is fun
It may be something that's
hard for you, right?
Yeah.
It probably is something that's harder
to talk about I, in the context of
this conversation, Or the context-
Yeah ... of your life And, and my life.
Yes, both.
I think that when a lot of people hear
the word rural, there's, perhaps an
unconscious bias and an association
with whiteness And , I wanna work
with you to dispel that myth.
I have done some amazing collaborative
work with the Vermont Professionals
of Color Network to talk about
the thriving BIPOC community here.
I think that whether it's rural or
BIPOC, often in public discourse about,
policy or underserved communities and,
, oppressed groups, , whatever the label
may be, there's this deficit framing
where it's like, what can the public
sector or what can government do to help?
When sometimes it's perhaps what can
we do to get out of the way leadership
that's needed is barrier deconstruction.
there are plenty of, upper middle class
people of color who actually would
love to come to Vermont to ski," but
that's not part of the storytelling
or the image that we project.
I wish I had more engagements
like this where we had time
to dig into, specific stories.
When I shared the story about stopping
to help the, folks on the side of
the road with their car, right?
That's not a question
that I get asked a lot.
That was an opportunity to share
a rural experience with folks,
who might not understand what it
means to live in a rural place.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media:
That doesn't show up in data There's,
no statistic that I'm aware of, of
how many times a Vermonter pulls
over to help someone in need.
But we can communicate that
through the stories that we tell.
And you felt that story, it was
very important for us to know
that they were people of color.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
Mm-hmm.
Why did you want us to know that?
Because I want listeners to know
that it was important for me to share
with those people in the moment that
they too can, be part of the Vermont
community, that they belong here, that
there are people here who want to see
them succeed and look out for them
Yes.
It is a very intentional decision by all
of us to do that, to make this a place
that is that kind of place And this
is why I mentioned the restoration of
trust, among neighbors, between people,
and recognizing the shared humanity.
That is rural America's superpower,
and we have to extend it to anyone that
wants to be part of rural America Because
the trends, if we go back to the data,
is we are, seeing population decline.
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media: And
to sustain rural communities, we need
people from other places who may very
much want to be part of our community
to feel welcome to join that community.
Both because we benefit.
We benefit.
That's right.
Like, I think of St.
Johnsbury and the vibrancy
of our arts community and our
concerts at Dog Mountain, and
the people that you see there.
Kevin Chu, Vermont Futures Project:
We don't all look alike.
No, and that's fun.
That's special.
It's really cool.
"We need a framework of equity that is
additive," so that when someone joins
a community, we're thinking about, what
are the benefits to the entire community?
What are the new ideas or ways
of thinking that they can bring
that expand our capabilities?
Because too often, what I observe,
the default is an us versus them.
It's this tendency to think that
something new or a growth is a
threat, rather than thinking through,
what are the potential benefits and
how does this make us all better?
Julie Kelley, Rural QueenB Media:
that co-op in St.
Johnsbury, one of the people on that,
board who is moving that forward is a
man who moved here from somewhere else
with his family, and I think his wife
is the president of the school board.
Mm-hmm.
That's awesome.
Thank you.
Thank you for, that raw honesty,
'cause those are the conversations.
We have to say it out loud.
We do.
. And- And we have to say it to more
than just you in that room where
you have your professional group.
. The rest of us need to be thinking
about that ... we need more people
like you to ask the hard questions
to help these stories emerge.
thank you for giving me the opportunity.
Yeah.
Thanks for coming to the kingdom.
My pleasure.
I created Rural Queen Bee, He and They
to have these raw conversations, to
build real value about what rural America
stands for and how it feels to live
and work here and build something here.
Thank you to Kevin Chu for
bringing the data, the heart, and
the hope to this conversation.
If you feel lit up by conversations
like this and want to be part of
the collective movement, share this
and tag it so others can join the
discussion and understand the nuance
of who we are in all of our brilliance.