Dining with Della: Julia White at Sandbar
February 22, 2016
I met up with Julia White, Communications Manager for the Centre
for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) at the Sandbar Restaurant on Granville
Island. This is a favourite Vancouver spot, under the Granville Street Bridge,
where you can dine outside all year round. It is classic West Coast complete with big warm blankets on the chairs, the
sound of gulls in the background and boats cruising by.
I first met Julia when she worked for Genome BC. She has the
driest sense of humour and never seems to lose sight of the funny side of
situations. She is one of those highly organized, competent people who never
seek the limelight. She was taken aback when I asked her to participate in this
blog series. “Why me?” she asked. I find her insightful, delightful and truly
enjoyable to be around.
What worked...
What one bit of communication impacted your life?
From a very early age, Julia had a love of reading. She could
not get enough books to read. She started with the classic Nancy Drew series and
graduated to Sweet Valley High and more. Today, her favourite genres are political thrillers, legal dramas, historical novels and biographies. She mostly
focuses on fiction and admires people’s ability to tell a story.
This came through later in our discussion when she mentioned her reaction to hearing Al Gore speak about the
Inconvenient Truth. Through her work in academia, she guesses she has heard between 300 and 400 presentations. This one had her on the edge of her seat. She was way up in
the balcony and was hooked from beginning to end. His charisma and timing blew
her away. While she has never yearned for centre stage she believes if you are
going to be out there, you should strive for the gold standard. And, Al Gore
was that for her.
(Note from Della: Julia’s enthusiasm for Mr. Gore made me go back and look at his famous
presentation again. She is right - he has what it takes. He was just in
Vancouver last week for a TED talk and from the media coverage, you can
tell this is a man who knows how to connect and resonate.)
What did not work...
Julia’s career as a high-tech recruiter in the 90s was the part
of her life that did not work out. She thought becoming a recruiter might have been the ticket to becoming an extrovert. She thought it would force her to
become more outwardly comfortable. In fact, it was painful. When the tech
market crashed in 2001, it was the best thing to happen to her. She was let go
and went back to communications work in science, the field where she excels. She
called it the “perfect escape”. What a delightful way to see getting laid off
from your job!
(Note from Della: We really must stop trying to make everyone become
an extrovert in this world. Let’s work hard at finding ways to hear from and
value all those introverts and ambiverts. Check out this video for more on this
subject.)
What if...
What advice would you give to your younger self to enhance your ability to communicate with others – and why?
For Julia, it would come under the umbrella of personal courage.
Believe in yourself and take more risks. Listen to your inner voice and step
out.
(Note from Della: When Julia and I met up she was just back from an
amazing trip to the Middle East, something totally out of her comfort zone. I
think she has mastered that personal courage thing now.)
She noted people often talk about the desire to develop public
speaking skills and it conjured up 4-H memories from childhood. Part of that
youth leadership training included demonstrations and speaking. She felt she
was awful at it. She enjoyed the process of preparing, writing, and creating
posters. She was in her zone when she worked with partners and could show someone else how to present the info. How prophetic. She knows
she does not want to be the organization spokesperson but excel at preparing
others. She wonders if she should have done Toastmasters but really does not
see that as a key piece in her toolbox. I think her role behind the scenes is
equally important to those on the stage.
(Note from Della: We need all types of communication specialists to
make the important discussions happen. Julia loves the dialogue around science
and has helped people tackle the tough subjects like GMOs. She is a big
believer in openness and finding the right people who can talk about difficult
subjects, knowing you don’t always have to agree, just respect the many
opinions.)
If I was a scientist, I would want Julia in my court helping me
prepare – any day!
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