Thrive! Meetings & Events

04/19/2026

Today I’m 58!

04/08/2026

In advance of Stop Food Waste Day on April 29, I am chatting with Christy Cook, CEO of InvestHER Strategies on the Eating at a Meeting podcast.

Christy has spent her career designing and scaling food-waste reduction programs for stadiums, universities, corporate foodservice, and large events—proving that cutting waste can also cut costs and elevate the guest experience. Today, we will chat about where food waste really happens at meetings and events, how to use data and design to prevent it, and why women leaders are reshaping ESG and sustainability in hospitality.

If you plan, host, or cater events, this conversation is a playbook for making every plate count.

03/08/2026

Happy International Women’s Day!

For the past five years, Women’s HERstory Month has been one of my favorite traditions.

Each March, through thrive! meetings & events and the Eating at a Meeting Podcast, I’ve had the privilege of shining a light on incredible women who are shaping our food system — from farmers and producers to chefs, innovators, educators, and leaders across the food and hospitality world.

This image represents just a snapshot of the women we’ve celebrated so far. Different backgrounds. Different paths. One powerful common thread: their work is helping create a food system that is safer, more sustainable, and more inclusive.

Their impact shows up everywhere — on our banquet tables, in our communities, in our supply chains, and in the conversations we’re having about the future of food.

I’m grateful to each of these women for sharing their stories and for the work they continue to do every day.

And we’re just getting started.

The 2026 Women Making HERstory honorees are coming soon — and this year we’re placing a special spotlight on women farmers in recognition of the UN’s International Year of the Woman Farmer.

Stay tuned! 🎧🎙️

03/04/2026

No live Eating at a Meeting Podcast show today. Family comes first, and right now, that's where I need to be.

Wednesdays are usually my favorite day of the week because I get to go live and talk with you about the food and beverage that feed our meetings and events.

This is especially hard because I am so excited about what’s coming. 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer, and I’ve been working on the next class of Women Making HERstory honorees—women farmers, fishers, cheesemakers, urban growers, and food‑system leaders who are literally feeding our meetings, conferences and events.

I can’t wait to introduce them to you properly, and I want to do that from a steadier, more grounded place.

If you’d like to support the work while I’m in the background mode:

• Share the name of a woman farmer, fisher, forager, food‑rescue leader or food entrepreneur you think should be on my radar.

• Or just drop a kind thought for all the women doing emotional labor and caregiving while also trying to change food systems.

Thank you for understanding, for showing up week after week, and for caring about how the world eats when it meets. I’ll be back live soon—with more stories, more HERstory, and more ways to make every meal matter.

02/18/2026

There's no Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE today.

I’m on-site with a client, doing the behind-the-scenes work I love—checking temperatures, reviewing processes, and making sure everyone can eat safely and confidently. 🌡️

I’ll be back next week behind the mic with more conversations about how Every Meal Matters.

02/05/2026

I recently contributed this article on vegetarian meals at events to the Northstar Meetings Group page.

How are your event vegetarian dishes?

Maybe not for every meal, but approaching F&B with a plant-forward mindset can help energize participants and save money.

02/01/2026

I tackled the snow and shoveled the driveway this afternoon.

Took a bit over an hour and I earned my move goal for the day. ❄️💪

Now for some stretching and Aleve!

02/01/2026

This is a list of organizations that are offering food assistance in Minneapolis. If you know of others, please comment.

We’ve compiled and vetted a list of Minneapolis organizations bringing food and assistance to those in need.

02/01/2026

Snow day!

At 4PM, we had 4 inches. Have not checked since, but it has not stopped and I supposed to continue for another 8 hours.

All forecasts say 7-12” total.