Alter Egos

Valley Business Women by Day...

iy Kristine Hedlund

What would you do if the stars and moons were all aligned properly, if you had all the money you needed, and the world was yours to own? A few weeks ago, I was invited to experience a ride-along with a member of the Phoenix Police Reserve. We pulled the 5 p.m.-to-midnight shift on a Friday evening, and to pass the time, we started discussing our day jobs and the activities we would do with our time, were it possible. It turned out that these officers had it all - both were local attorneys by day, whose passion for law enforcement led them to the Reserve. As the Chairman for the Reserve Foundation and a Phoenix Reserve prospect, I share their same passion. Fighting crime has become my new "alter ego."

PW met up with three local women who wasted no time in introducing us to their "alter egos." From ballroom dancing to rocking out to unloading a fully automatic assault weapon, there are no guidelines or college degrees needed to fulfill these dreams.

Beverly Kidd - 3TV News

Besides my two boys, I can honestly say that my life's passion is reporting breaking news. I love broadcast journalism, especially the challenge of bringing people the big stories that affect them and their families first ... and getting it right.

What might surprise my viewers, however, is my closet passion ... rock music. While other moms are reading Cosmo and People, I'm reading Spin.

It all started when I was 11 years old. I would sit for hours in my bedroom in my family's house in Virginia Beach listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album while the other kids in my neighborhood were playing in the sand. I knew every word to every song, and I still think it's one of the best rock albums ever made. When I wore out that vinyl - yes, vinyl - I'd put on my second favorite, "Some Girls" by the Rolling Stones.

I have loved music from as far back as I can remember. I used to beg my dad to play his eight tracks of a group called The Rascals. (That's going way back.) He took me to my first concert when I was just 10 years old - the group Chicago. It was the coolest thing. The arena, the lights, and the best part of all ... the music. Chicago incorporated not only guitars, keyboards and drums at the show, but also horns, trumpets and a saxophone. From that day forward, there was no turning back. I was hooked.

In college, I continued my love affair with music by listening to REM (trying so hard to figure out what Michael Stipe was saying), the Police, the B52's, and a great but more obscure band called the Cocteau Twins. While the hair was awful in the 80s, the music was not.

I was working two jobs in college, and I didn't have a lot of money. So when the idea struck me to buy my first bass guitar, I had to settle for a 50-dollar off-brand number from a secondhand music store. As lowly as that first bass was, it served the purpose.

I began practicing my "skills" with some friends from school, mostly playing a slue of Led Zeppelin songs. I was terrible! I think they tolerated my painful playing because I was the only girl in the band, and it's always cool to have a girl in the band ...

At the time, I had two jobs, a full-time class schedule, and I was a cheerleader for Virginia Commonwealth University. There wasn't much time to practice, so playing my bass kind of fell by the wayside. However, after my divorce five years ago, I was searching for something to fill time. That was when I found my new best friend.

I walked by a music store and laid eyes on a beautiful black Fender bass in the window. She had to be mine. Since then, I've taken lessons and learned how to read tablature. I'm still too shy to play in a band (perhaps out of fear from my early college attempt), but I've found playing to be a great way to relax at night after a long day of the News. It's my therapy after spending an entire evening reporting about car accidents, fires and robberies.

I have two sons who also have a passion for music. We play a game in the car where I'll put on a song and they have to guess which band it is. They've been listening to Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and Johnny Cash since they were born. I took my oldest son to the Phoenix Symphony when he was just five years old, and he was absolutely mesmerized; I'd never seen him sit still for that long.

Today, I have instruments all over my house. A Gretsch drum set, a baby grand piano and a bass guitar reside in my living room; the kids have electric guitars with amps in their bedrooms; and, I have a Jimbe drum in the dining room. Yeah, it's pretty noisy around our house! Good thing I wouldn't have it any other way.

Helen Chau - BankUSA

Afew years ago, I started watching "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC. I quickly became fascinated by the skills of the celebrities, not to mention the beautiful, sparkling costumes. I was amazed by the fact that many of the celebrities had never danced before, and I admired their courage to do something many wish they were brave enough to attempt. Their ability to step outside their comfort zones and embrace a new experience was something that I, too, had experienced in my own life.

My family and I moved to America from Hong Kong when I was 15 years old in search of a better life with more opportunities. My father had done this once before when he migrated to Hong Kong from mainland China when he was 17, believing that if he worked hard, he would surely succeed. It wasn't easy to make our way in our new country, but we worked hard and it paid off. My father was right. As a result of this experience, I have always believed that I could do anything if I worked hard enough. While I have to say I was a bit intimidated by the idea of ballroom dancing, I was also intrigued with the idea of stretching myself to take on something new. Basically, I decided - "If they can do it, I can do it, too."

I began my journey to becoming a ballroom dancer at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Chandler. Aside from some social disco dancing in college, I had never taken a dance class. Since then, my life has changed significantly. Ballroom dancing is now my passion.

Interestingly, taking dance lessons began in very much the same way as my career. I started working for Harris Bank when I was still in college. I started as an assistant accountant, worked hard and stretched myself. Today, I am a CFO. My life plan has always been to set a goal, work hard to achieve it and learn as much as I can from the journey.

It wasn't long after I started lessons that I met my future competition partner and teacher, Nikolay (Niki). Niki, a talented Bulgarian dancer, inspired me to continue with more private lessons. Niki was really the best teacher in the studio in terms of skill sets and was always patient with me. I knew I was learning from the best. So when he proposed the idea of competition, although I was hesitant at first, I trusted his judgment.

As with everything else I have achieved, I knew that setting a specific goal was important to ensuring success. The goal in ballroom dancing is to participate in a performance or a competition. Going into a competition or signing up to do a performance in front of an audience was a way for me to push myself to do better; not necessarily to prove to others that I was better, but to prove to myself that I could do it. (Of course, it didn't hurt that I got to wear those beautiful gowns!) In May of 2007, I signed up for my very first competition, with less than a month to train. At the same time, the studio started a new program called "Dancing with the Stars." Coincidence? I think not. It was my turn to be a "star." Through this program, each and every student would have a chance to perform in front of an audience. This was the perfect incentive for me to prepare for competition.

The "Dancing with the Stars" challenge required me to step out of my comfort zone and stretch my capabilities when I was performing in front of an audience. I had a great time and realized that training for competition was going to be a lot of hard work, as well as a lot of fun.

While training for competition, I was introduced to another instructor, Yavor, a friend of Niki's and fellow dancer also from Bulgaria. Yavor would be training me for the rhythm dances like the rumba, cha-cha, samba and East Coast swing. I continued to also train with Niki, who taught me the smooth dances like the foxtrot, waltz, Viennese waltz and the tango.

The week prior to the first competition, I began to get cold feet. I was frightened that I might forget the steps, trip, or make a total fool out of myself in front of the audience. But, I remembered my father's journey and the many challenges in life that I had already overcome and was reinvigorated with the motivation to persevere, despite my fear.

One of my dear friends at the time told me this: "Mistakes will be made, but it is how you dance through those mistakes that will make the difference. Think of how many Olympic ice skaters have fallen, (televised around the world) gotten up, and taken home the Gold!" He was so right; and even now, before very performance, I think of his words of wisdom and it immediately gives me a boost of confidence. My line dance instructor has two rules she tells the new people every week: Keep moving and have fun. You just need to apply those thoughts to your competition.

Finally, the big day arrived. What an experience that first competition was! A whirlwind of costume changes, dance routines, applause and emotion were soon rewarded with 36 first-place awards, 13 secondplace awards and one third-place award. Wow - I never thought that it would be so much fun and excitement.

After the first competition, I signed up without hesitation for a competition to be held in September. Because I was still on a steep learning curve, I was taking six to seven lessons each week to prepare.

The work of learning new and more advanced routines was trying at times, especially in light of my work responsibilities. I did nothing but work, dance and sleep for weeks; but, I was having the time of my life.

Today, dancing is a very big part of my life. I'm taking lessons each week to prepare for the next round of "Dancing with the Stars" at my studio. I also dance socially every week. If I could, I would travel the world competing and teaching others the joy of ballroom dancing. This hobby is the best thing that has happened to me in terms of keeping me in shape and young in spirit. Every lesson is a complete workout - stretching, jumping, sweating and burning calories. It helps increase flexibility, strength and balance. I don't even go to the gym anymore.

Dancing isn't just about the steps and music; it's a unique combination of physical activity and social interaction. Dancing enhances my life in so many ways - my health, social life and confidence. Like so many other things in life, you get out of dancing what you put into it. I am so grateful that I have found this outlet for my energy and passion.

Therese Grayson - ProMeridian International

We are all busy people, and as I have gotten older I have become much more discerning about where I put my time and energy. If it isn't fun, doesn't teach me something new or doesn't expose me to some great people or adventures, it doesn't make my priority list.

I like physically and mentally challenging activities. Over the years, I have taken up scuba diving, jumped out of a plane and survived a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with 11 girlfriends from Wisconsin. (It was a good thing that the year before I had enrolled in a class at the Gunsite Academy to learn how to survive dangerous situations; 11 girls for seven days with no hot showers can be dangerous.)

I recently turned 50, and I decided there was no better time to embark upon a new adventure. A friend of mine and a former graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy (FBICA) shared with me that the FBI was 100 years old this year, and that the FBICA had a great 8- week program that spent Thursday nights exploring the FBI and its role in areas such as counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence and cyberspace crimes. Plus, those attending the program had the opportunity to see SWAT teams in action, experience Range Day, and take special tours of facilities.

Intriguing, but I still wasn't sold. Why would I want to work all day only to spend the rest of my evening at the FBICA? I am so glad I asked. It turns out that the FBICA started in Arizona in 1993 and provides business, civic and religious leaders with an insider view of the FBI.

They talk about the history of the FBI, as well as its organizational structure, process and role in Federal law enforcement. The list of over 450 graduates in Arizona is an impressive lot of men and women from various backgrounds that continue to share their knowledge and foster community relationships long after graduation. Lastly, the FBICA has a steady stream of events that bring in special speakers like FBI Agent George Piro, the agent who spent seven months with Saddam Hussein gathering critical data and getting to know both the dictator and the man; and the agent who worked on the Unabomber case for almost 16 years and was part of the Ted Kaczynski arrest team. After learning more about the FBICA, I started to doubt that I would even make it through the nomination process.

My friend explained the nomination process. You had to be nominated by a former graduate and, if selected, they would do background checks and finger printing. I heard the competition was tough - almost 200 applications to fill 25-35 seats. I didn't think I would get in; but if selected, it would be like winning my personal trifecta: learning new things, meeting interesting people and gaining community involvement.

The letter arrived from the FBI informing me that I had been selected to attend the FBICA. I was excited to meet my new classmates and to learn about their experiences, yet intimidated thinking about how little I knew about the topics and that aspect of life in Arizona.

John Lewis, the FBI Special Agent in Charge for Arizona, kicked off the first session with a powerful vision of our next eight Thursday nights. He introduced his impressive team and shared the importance of the FBICA's contributions to our Arizona communities. Each Thursday night, I found myself driving through rush-hour with enthusiasm because I couldn't wait to get to the Academy to hear the speakers. Driving through the HQ guard gate, the escorts and high level of security brought a sense of reality to what I would be hearing that night. This wasn't TV ... it was real.

Dr. Skip Watters and other FBICA Board members attended the sessions, as well. They talked about and demonstrated their ongoing commitment to community, our education and the importance of partnerships in keeping Arizona a great place to live and work. The topics expanded to include discussions on child predators, gang involvement, and immigration issues and challenges.

I started to look at my surroundings in a different light. Initially, I had to force myself to integrate the information on a business, community and family level, and somewhere around week 4, it started to come together. When the evening sessions were over, I would drive home to North Scottsdale and catch myself in awe of each of the agents that presented their area of expertise that night. The content made me realize how naïve I was in the ways of the world, and what a privilege it was to be naïve. Their dedication, their professionalism and the sacrifices they made on a daily basis instilled a deep sense of respect and gratitude. I became more and more conscious of how many people have made and continue to make sacrifices to protect our freedoms, and I went to bed humbled.

Live demonstrations of SWAT teams, Evidence Response Teams and the opportunity to visit a Federal Prison were just some of the activities offered to the attendees. Range Day was awesome. We learned about FBI methods, standards of excellence and equipment. All of the FBI agents and the support team volunteered on their personal time to make the day outstanding. After some safety instructions, I had an opportunity to shoot a 40mm Glock handgun, a MP5 machine gun and a 20-gauge shotgun. What a blast. The voice in my head saying, "You're not 25 anymore, Grayson," was confirmed by my aching shoulder the next day; but I wanted to do it all over again.

All too soon, the conversations moved on to our impending graduation. It would be held at the Wrigley Mansion. Governor Napolitano would be our keynote speaker, and we would be joined by past graduates of the FBICA as well as our families. The graduation was impressive; the speakers instilled a sense of camaraderie, pride of accomplishment and the challenge of taking what we had learned and making a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

When the evening was over, I thought about my eight-week adventure and realized the adventure wasn't over; it was just beginning. As the CEO of a consulting firm specializing in technology and organizational development, security now has a broader definition. As an individual and active community volunteer, security has a higher priority. All kinds of new adventures await me. I hear there is a CEO Range Day in October, and we will have an opportunity to visit Quantico in November.

Last week, I was enjoying my alone time - also known as rush-hour - and it hit me: I had joined the FBICA as an individual for an adventure, and I had become part of a great team and community with the opportunity for life-time adventures.