Young, Lifted & Leading: Rewriting the Narrative with Satyne Doner

00:02.06
Betsy Hamm
Welcome to Loud and Lifted, the podcast where we're done whispering about women need to be... Oh my God, I messed up in the first line. We're in trouble. Okay. Need to... Need... Women need to do to be more supportive. Okay.

00:13.03
Betsy Hamm
Welcome to Loud and Lifted, the podcast where we're done whispering about what women need to do to be more supportive of each other, and we're ready to say it louder for the ones in the back. I'm your host, Betsy Hamm, and today's guest is living proof that leadership doesn't come with age requirement and courage doesn't wait for permission.

00:28.71
Betsy Hamm
Satine Donor is the Associate Editor of Women in Restaurant Leadership at QSR and FSR magazines, and she's not just writing about change in the industry, she's leading it. She's building a national platform that elevates, educates, and empowers women, and she is showing up with purpose and power.

00:44.18
Betsy Hamm
She's bold, she's grounded, she's young, and she's here to talk about building platforms that actually support women, not just with social media posts, but with real opportunity. Let's get loud and lifted with the unstoppable Satine Donor.

00:57.73
Betsy Hamm
Welcome Satine.

00:57.78
Satyne Doner
Hi, how are you today?

01:00.73
Betsy Hamm
Good. Thank you so much for being here.

01:02.81
Satyne Doner
Thank you. This is so good.

01:03.66
Betsy Hamm
Well, here as in you're in Florida, right?

01:05.72
Satyne Doner
Yes, here is in Tampa, Florida. I will represent.

01:09.21
Betsy Hamm
Nice.

01:09.28
Satyne Doner
It's hot here. We're getting ready to be summer for the next 10 months. so

01:14.31
Betsy Hamm
Yeah, I'm slightly jealous because we cannot get out of this like cold weather in Pennsylvania. So I would love some nice Florida weather about right now.

01:21.69
Satyne Doner
I know a lot of people are here on spring break right now and I'm like, well welcome, welcome.

01:24.32
Betsy Hamm
Oh, true. True. Yeah. You're like, welcome. Please leave soon.

01:28.03
Satyne Doner
Yeah.

01:29.34
Betsy Hamm
So you've been in Florida your whole life. Just tell us a little bit about yourself before we get into world. We'd love to hear your story.

01:35.02
Satyne Doner
Yeah, absolutely. So I am a very rare Florida native. i grew up in suburb of Tampa, a tiny town called Tarpon Springs. It's a great place if you love Greek food, just so you know, anyone go there.

01:46.53
Betsy Hamm
okay. Okay.

01:47.77
Satyne Doner
um They have something called the sponge docks. So they have people go out every morning and they dive into the water for sponges that you can use, you know, as a loofah or something like that.

01:57.85
Betsy Hamm
Oh, wow.

01:57.91
Satyne Doner
So that's a fun fact about Tarpon Springs, Florida. um Like I said, I grew up um in this area for the past How old am I? just had my birthday like three weeks ago. 23 years of my life.

02:07.37
Betsy Hamm
Oh, happy birthday.

02:08.84
Satyne Doner
Thank you so much.

02:08.97
Betsy Hamm
Oh, baby. You're a baby. I love it.

02:12.97
Satyne Doner
ah So yeah, I haven't flown too far from the nest. I have my horse. I've had him for almost a decade. i keep him about 30 minutes from downtown Tampa. People are always surprised when I say that.

02:26.09
Satyne Doner
they They always say, you know, I didn't know there was there were there was land outside of Tampa. And I said, yes, you just got look for it.

02:32.55
Betsy Hamm
Nice.

02:33.02
Satyne Doner
So that's basically, that takes up all my free time. So if I'm not here, not writing, not working on the world platform, I'm usually out riding my horse or cleaning a stall.

02:43.85
Satyne Doner
ah The funniest and like the most creative ideas I've ever had in my whole life have come from the inside of a stall, covered in the rest.

02:50.74
Betsy Hamm
Ooh.

02:51.17
Satyne Doner
It's very unglamorous.

02:53.11
Betsy Hamm
Okay. Like while you're cleaning, not while you're actually writing.

02:54.66
Satyne Doner
yeah Nope. While I'm cleaning the stall, it's quiet.

02:56.36
Betsy Hamm
Okay.

02:58.38
Satyne Doner
It's peaceful. It's already...

03:00.88
Betsy Hamm
mean, most people say the shower or driving a car or going for a run, but okay, cleaning up a horse stall.

03:05.37
Satyne Doner
Yep, it's in that small.

03:06.00
Betsy Hamm
That is the first. I love it. Hey, it's clearly working because in your 23 years, you have been making quite the impact.

03:10.43
Satyne Doner
Yeah.

03:13.80
Betsy Hamm
So um so for those those people who are not familiar with women in restaurant leadership, tell us what it is and how it got started and how you even got involved in this.

03:22.05
Satyne Doner
Oh my goodness. Well, I will try and be quick with this. So let's roll the scenes way, way back, way back to September 2023. So I was an intern for QSR and FSR magazines. We're a B2B magazine that covers QSR and FSR. So basically...

03:40.59
Satyne Doner
the entire restaurant industry. And we have a very large event every year in September in Atlanta. And what started as a women's networking hour very quickly turned into the fire marshals telling us, hey, you have too many women in this room, like too many people. we got to shut this down.

03:59.84
Satyne Doner
So have to give the credit here to our editorial director, Danny Klein. He you know saw this idea. He saw there was obviously something there. And a lot of the women in the room, just you know thinking off the top of my head, they eventually became what was Worrell's board.

04:17.31
Betsy Hamm
Okay.

04:17.42
Satyne Doner
They told him, you know we should do something. We should do something more. There's more that we can do. to uplift women in the industry and bring them together. So September 23, hang with me here.

04:30.95
Satyne Doner
Six months later, Danny put together the very first women in restaurant leadership, we call it WORL, event out in Nashville, Tennessee. we had He put together an advisory board of about 20 people at the time, I think 24.

04:47.57
Satyne Doner
And they sort of went out and recruited people for us.

04:47.56
Betsy Hamm
Wow.

04:51.39
Satyne Doner
And we sold out that event with 300 people, which was crazy because this event just came up out of thin air.

04:55.30
Betsy Hamm
Oh my gosh.

04:58.05
Satyne Doner
We said in six months.

04:58.33
Betsy Hamm
In six months, that's amazing too, that team pulled together.

05:01.42
Satyne Doner
Yeah. And I was there for that very first event. I was still an intern. i was finishing up my senior year of college. I remember being very scared. Honestly, there were so many different types of leaders. You know, you had people who have been in the industry for decades.

05:17.02
Satyne Doner
You have people who are, you know, just starting out, people in the mid-level. And there was just so much happening that I felt like a deer in headlights at the time.

05:26.51
Betsy Hamm
Oh.

05:27.09
Satyne Doner
i was just in the back of the room and just kind of taking it all in Little did I know, you know, Danny always has tricks up his sleeve. You're like, I'm sitting there trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life because, you know, that's what it feels like when you're getting ready to graduate.

05:40.87
Betsy Hamm
Sure. Absolutely.

05:41.54
Satyne Doner
I'm like, I have to make all these big decisions. Nothing is working for me. You know, what am I going to So right after the first world event, Danny called me right outside my class. My phone was about to die. He's like, hang on, find a charger. I've got something, the best opportunity. You'll never get anything cooler than this.

06:01.03
Satyne Doner
He said, would you like to take over the women in restaurant leadership, not just the event, but create a platform for it? I said yes. I mean, I said yes in three seconds.

06:12.12
Betsy Hamm
Right. You're like, oh, sure.

06:12.71
Satyne Doner
It wasn't even a question. Yeah. I was like, yeah, totally. And I didn't really understand what the impact that I would have at the time or what I was walking into. I just wanted a job. Like I had bills to pay.

06:22.23
Betsy Hamm
Sure.

06:23.55
Satyne Doner
So I was like, yes, I'll take any full-time job.

06:24.48
Betsy Hamm
Right.

06:27.04
Satyne Doner
But what ended up happening, I started last June. So I'm getting ready to celebrate my one official one year working full time.

06:32.48
Betsy Hamm
Nice.

06:34.71
Satyne Doner
um We built out an entire what I call the engine of products. So we have, you know, the magazine, the print stories.

06:44.96
Betsy Hamm
Nice.

06:45.68
Satyne Doner
We have a digital platform for digital stories. We've got a newsletter, ah podcast, a webinar series, virtual hangouts, you know, like little zoom sessions every month.

06:58.65
Satyne Doner
And of course our signature event, which we announced today, we're bringing to the larger event in September. So we've got lots of things going on workshops and, you know, hang on with me here.

07:05.89
Betsy Hamm
nice No, it's great.

07:10.61
Satyne Doner
I know I've been yapping about this, but there's so many different things that, you know, we've turned this idea of, you know, how can we serve the community? How can we bring women together? How can we be the bridge between you know leaders who have been in the industry forever and leaders who are making looking to make their next pivot? you know how can we And even newcomers into the industry, how can we elevate, educate, and empower?

07:35.18
Satyne Doner
And whether it's through the digital stories that I write to help bring visibility and awareness, or it's you know our Barbie party networking event that you know everyone's silly and connecting with each other,

07:47.55
Satyne Doner
um we just want to have an impact and, you know, foster conversations that help push women in the industry forward. And now we have, you know, we just welcomed our new board, our advisory board.

07:59.23
Satyne Doner
I flipped it over, spent the past two weeks, you know, sourcing.

07:59.57
Betsy Hamm
Nice.

08:02.82
Satyne Doner
We have 40 board members, brand new from all over the industry. um Very proud because we brought in some Gen Z board members. So it's very diverse in terms of, you know,

08:10.63
Betsy Hamm
nice

08:14.60
Satyne Doner
age, job, title, you know, how long you've been in the industry. So I just want to represent everybody.

08:21.98
Betsy Hamm
And I love that. I love that it is representing everybody that, to your point, you know could be somebody who's just starting off into the world and somebody who's been in doing this for 30, 40 years because, you know, there's something to be learning from each of those people, no matter how much experience they have.

08:35.97
Betsy Hamm
So I love that it's not just, oh, you have to be VP, C-level, whatever it is. like Let's get them while they're young, essentially, and teach them, you know, like how this can work when we work together.

08:41.84
Satyne Doner
yeah Yeah.

08:46.97
Betsy Hamm
So I think um elevate, educate, empower. Those are three.

08:50.22
Satyne Doner
So it's elevate, educate, empower, and then, you know, our backup is unite, lead, inspire.

08:51.13
Betsy Hamm
i mean, I love that.

08:57.20
Satyne Doner
So those are just sort of, you know, the the values that I hold really near and dear to me. And I think the other thing about world... It's very, it happened very organically. i think the community just needed a safe space and they really held onto that. And it's kind of like surfing. I mean, we've been surfing this wave of energy and I'm just here to sort of guide, be the good shepherd of this energy.

09:20.10
Satyne Doner
And for us, you know, leadership doesn't look like one thing you can lead. And I think Rhonda Levine, one of our board members, she's the CEO of Ziosk. She said you can lead from any seat. So I personally really hold onto that. And I,

09:34.66
Satyne Doner
actively you know encourage anyone to come be a part of what I call the world of world from anywhere.

09:41.41
Betsy Hamm
That's awesome. And I'm sure you're getting a ton of ideas and feedback from not just the board members, but just, you know, women who've participated. So how do you, how do you prioritize, right? You're probably, you probably, and probably even just personally, you probably have a million things that I want to do this, this, and this.

09:54.86
Betsy Hamm
Like, how do you just take a step back and prioritize how you're going to spend the time and energy?

09:57.29
Satyne Doner
Yeah.

09:59.68
Satyne Doner
Yeah. So that's been a learning curve for for me

10:02.73
Betsy Hamm
That's always probably going to be a learning curve.

10:04.10
Satyne Doner
Yeah, this is a learning curve because this is, you know, my first full-time gig. This is my first time sort of learning how to strategize and brainstorm in a professional setting. So there has been a little bit of a curve there, but I have such an incredible team. I mean, the support from my editors,

10:21.64
Satyne Doner
from my editorial director, from the sales team, um you know, from our events team, they they really do stand behind me and help uplift me. And they have all really taken me underneath their wings. So anytime i have questions about How do I prioritize things? They are there to guide me.

10:40.65
Satyne Doner
And you're right. I am getting, you know, pitches and through my email and through LinkedIn. And sometimes it does feel never ending, but I just tell myself that is a very good problem to have.

10:53.22
Satyne Doner
And it's just more opportunities for me to either tell stories of the incredible women of this industry, or, you know, I always ask people, what's on your mind and what's on your heart and how can I help get that story out?

10:53.23
Betsy Hamm
Totally.

11:07.19
Satyne Doner
So usually, I mean, more logistically speaking, I'm very hands-on. So I am thinking about getting a giant whiteboard to like brainstorm on and think about, you know, every month,

11:14.36
Betsy Hamm
Oh, nice. Yep.

11:17.54
Satyne Doner
What do I want to highlight? um But I usually have keep a journal. i brain dump. I brain dump often in my journal. And just on a day-to-day, I try to you know, what's main priority.

11:28.90
Satyne Doner
We're still journalists at the end of the day. So yesterday was our print deadline.

11:30.90
Betsy Hamm
Sure.

11:32.74
Satyne Doner
So Monday and Tuesday, I really had to turn everything off, like all my notifications, just so I could go in what I call the layer, my little writing lab. And get these stories out because I take it very seriously. I take everyone's story as if it were my own.

11:48.28
Satyne Doner
And I want to do them these women justice when I tell their stories because it's important to them. It's important to me.

11:55.42
Betsy Hamm
You know, and you just bring up a really good point about the journalist piece. that That's obvious, of course you're a journalist, but I wonder if that's part of the success of Whirl is because it's journalists running it and your jobs are to tell stories. So you're able to connect with people and pull out that emotional connection that maybe sometimes doesn't happen when you're with an organization that's just sort of, you know, maybe scheduling a few events, they do a few social posts, but just doesn't create that engagement and that story that gets people like sucked in, right?

12:16.66
Satyne Doner
I

12:20.60
Betsy Hamm
Like it's sort of like you're building this, I don't want to call it a cult, but you're building this organization where people have so much love.

12:24.87
Satyne Doner
i mean, we can go through internally.

12:26.62
Betsy Hamm
I guess it's, okay, good.

12:28.69
Satyne Doner
well ah because I because, mean, it's ah it really is a community. We started last June, you know, we created the LinkedIn and today it has almost 7,000 followers. Our second world event sold out at around 500 people and we had a waiting list.

12:44.84
Satyne Doner
And I mean, i will tell you, Betsy, like I am not a trained journalist. Like I'm not a journalist. I didn't go to school to be a journalist. I'm a, you know, it just happened by happenstance.

12:51.91
Betsy Hamm
Okay.

12:54.06
Satyne Doner
I've always loved to write my entire life, but I went to school for business. So this is very interesting.

12:58.11
Betsy Hamm
Oh, okay.

12:59.23
Satyne Doner
You know, goes hand in hand, but I'm just so passionate.

13:00.87
Betsy Hamm
Yeah.

13:02.67
Satyne Doner
I treat everybody in the community. It's really hard, but I don't care that it's difficult to make those connections with people. If it's your first time at an event, you know, I don't care if I'm busy. I want you to come find me so I can you know walk you through.

13:17.51
Satyne Doner
And I know how intimidating it is to come to these large industry conferences because I've been there. I was literally just there last year feeling those feelings.

13:23.91
Betsy Hamm
Right. its Last year. Yeah.

13:27.15
Satyne Doner
I'm just, I mean, I am a huge empath. Empath. Oh my God, i'm saying that wrong. Empath. But- you know the i know how intimidating, again, these events can be. I know how intimidating it is go on a panel for the first time or even just raise your hand you know in any professional setting.

13:37.60
Betsy Hamm
Oh, totally.

13:43.65
Satyne Doner
So if there's something I can do to help or you know what we've done really brilliantly, I think, is build out this board of 40 plus board members. And we now we have 40 legacy board members, our world OGs is what I call them, that they show up.

13:55.82
Betsy Hamm
That's great.

13:59.70
Satyne Doner
They are so generous that they volunteer their time to helping this community. They show up at these events. They are great brand ambassadors. They help with bringing in the newbies and the first timers.

14:12.00
Satyne Doner
And, you know, it's not just me. It's a whole suite now of people who are just dedicated to the movement and giving back.

14:15.63
Betsy Hamm
I love that.

14:18.60
Betsy Hamm
Well, and you're you're so right on the intimidation part. I think that's a struggle, especially for women. i mean I think it's for everyone, but especially for women. And a lot of times in the restaurant industry, you walk in and and and when I started going to some of the leadership stuff, I was like one of the few women.

14:32.01
Betsy Hamm
So then it's that whole struggle of not feeling confident, and maybe changing how you ah behave or perform.

14:33.10
Satyne Doner
Yeah. Thank

14:38.08
Betsy Hamm
But when you're in a group of women, it can go one of two ways, right? Like it can feel like a little intimidating, maybe you lack confidence and and it feels more competitive, but you've managed to create this atmosphere where, because part of it is your energy and your personality, you're so welcoming, you're so high energy.

14:52.81
Satyne Doner
yeah

14:55.05
Betsy Hamm
um You're always seem happy, right? Like that's awesome that you're able to create this atmosphere that people feel comfortable and feel safe in essentially, which I think is then when we can really grow um and learn a lot when people are just feeling comfortable and safe in the environment they're in. so And that's huge. The fact that you've done that in a year is like kudos to you.

15:13.21
Satyne Doner
Thank you so much. And I don't really know how it happened. I'll be honest. so

15:17.16
Betsy Hamm
It's okay.

15:18.71
Satyne Doner
Somehow my personality has just sort of bled into the movement. But I mean, at this point now in my career and just having a clear view of what I want world to be and the impact I want it to have, it's becoming more intentional and

15:22.30
Betsy Hamm
Yeah.

15:32.48
Satyne Doner
my eyes are just open to how this affects others. But I mean, I'll give you an example. How can you feel intimidated when you're at a networking event and everybody has fluffy pink light up cowboy hats?

15:45.52
Satyne Doner
You have people walking around dressed like Barbie. Our editorial director has a fake Barbie box on.

15:51.25
Betsy Hamm
I love it.

15:52.38
Satyne Doner
We do these events, you know, with the intention to make networking easy because we know how hard it can be. We have first timer meetups, we have crazy wacky Barbie parties. And, you know, some people might say, oh it's a little unbuttoned. It's not professional. But who said leadership development had to be so buttoned up? I mean, we can let loose and have a little bit of fun and just get rid of some of those barriers that make, you know, leveling up hard and making connections hard.

16:22.62
Betsy Hamm
Sure. Oh, I love that. So have you run into any um like negative feedback or support, whether from other women or from men being like, what is this? Why are you guys doing this? How's just the feedback outside of this amazing group that you're creating ah been?

16:35.42
Satyne Doner
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's a great question. Certainly over the past, you know, year and a half, almost two years of doing rural, we've gotten, you know, and we still get the what is rural question, but I just view that as an opportunity to educate them on just, it's a very powerful case study in, you know, the power of shared voices of connection and community.

16:50.94
Betsy Hamm
Sure.

16:59.08
Satyne Doner
And, you know, of course you get the, you know, are men allowed I mean, we had, I think, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

17:05.02
Betsy Hamm
Sure.

17:06.74
Satyne Doner
mean, it is women in restaurant leadership, so it is marketed very specifically. But, you know, there is something to be said about allyship and male allyship. And we very much, you know, cherish our male partners and how they can help. I mean, just being real, sometimes when your boss or your mentor is a man and has, you know, in some industries, the power to unlock things,

17:28.67
Satyne Doner
Sometimes them helping you raise your hand and that can be a big unlock for people. so

17:33.03
Betsy Hamm
Absolutely.

17:33.27
Satyne Doner
So there's something to be said about that.

17:36.24
Betsy Hamm
Yeah, and I'm a big fan of mentorship and and I talk a lot about mentorship and making sure you have mentors and that when as you grow in your career that you become a mentor. But I think the other piece too that that we I don't talk about enough, i don't if other people do, is just the sponsorship piece of it where somebody is sponsoring you. And a lot of times it probably is a man if he's in a higher position or whatever it is where he's you know going to say your name, he's going to recommend you for a project when you're not in the room. So you know being intentional as as that grows. like how How do you find mentors? I think sometimes people think it's this formalized...

18:06.58
Betsy Hamm
will you be my mentor like proposal?

18:08.31
Satyne Doner
Yeah.

18:08.46
Betsy Hamm
And it's not you know it's not like that. it's just It's making connections and reaching out. And when I first took on the CEO role at Duck, I was like, oh my gosh, I don't really know other CEOs. like This is all new.

18:18.68
Betsy Hamm
And I was just on LinkedIn like reaching out to people like, hey, I'm new to my role. would love to talk to you. would love to have you know feedback. and And some of those casual conversations ended up being longer relationships where I'm still in touch with those people to just you know It might be a random text of, hey, have you ever dealt with this? you know Could you help me with this? Or do you know somebody who does that?

18:37.58
Betsy Hamm
um So you know that sometimes it's informal. But you know having um a vehicle like Worrell to be able to meet people, you know that would have been a whole other game versus me and my blinding links LinkedIn messaging to people hoping that they write back.

18:48.33
Satyne Doner
Yeah, I know. and I mean, yeah, it can be scary, especially on LinkedIn. It's like, how do I do this? How do I not come off like salesy? Because, you know, we get so many, you know, cold messages every day.

18:58.51
Betsy Hamm
Right. Yeah. So many. Yep.

19:02.40
Satyne Doner
But I think we do get comfortable in our bubbles and we get we feel safe there. So it can be hard to sort of reach out. so I'm trying to with world create just a very big bubble, very big, wide bubble that can help bridge people together and have those conversations.

19:12.30
Betsy Hamm
Yes. Yep.

19:17.13
Satyne Doner
And people have gotten jobs through world. People have met their mentors through where I get I mean, just the messages that I get, they They remind me of why I do this when I get get messages like that um of people, you know, jobs, mentors, even just a friend.

19:27.12
Betsy Hamm
Yep.

19:32.80
Satyne Doner
I mean, sometimes I do think we're going through a loneliness epidemic.

19:34.34
Betsy Hamm
Sure.

19:36.13
Satyne Doner
I think it does affect a lot of people.

19:36.71
Betsy Hamm
Absolutely.

19:38.36
Satyne Doner
i mean, my first job right off into the workforce, I work from home. So I understand sometimes those feelings when you get really deep into the grind and, you know, your deadlines and all this, it can feel isolating.

19:43.92
Betsy Hamm
Oh, yeah.

19:51.41
Satyne Doner
So it is nice to have that.

19:51.80
Betsy Hamm
Yeah.

19:53.64
Satyne Doner
breath of fresh air and just that person who asks how you're doing.

19:54.60
Betsy Hamm
Right.

19:57.10
Satyne Doner
Yeah.

19:57.67
Betsy Hamm
No, I love that. and And if it's once or twice a year or different conferences to be able to see people in person. I went to a conference ah a month or so ago and I was so happy to see people that i I just haven't seen and be able to connect in person.

20:06.22
Satyne Doner
Yeah. Yeah. yeah

20:09.44
Betsy Hamm
i That just, that goes back to the loneliness thing and just having that conversation that real life connection having those network events that are not intimidating is super smart. So I love that.

20:18.12
Satyne Doner
yeah

20:19.43
Betsy Hamm
So do you have any like metrics that you guys are using from a number standpoint or is this just kind of like the growth perspective? Like how are you going to measure success over the next year?

20:28.31
Satyne Doner
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, of course, we are we have our sponsors, so we run metrics in that number. um you know We're always looking to start at Strike Up Partnerships that way.

20:39.02
Satyne Doner
um We are starting you know Branded Content Studio. That's something that we have had within the larger company that we're going to do for World, which is exciting. um Of course, we're looking at how many people come to the conference year over year.

20:53.65
Satyne Doner
um So just the technical aspect of that.

20:53.63
Betsy Hamm
Nice. Sure.

20:56.05
Satyne Doner
But for me, again, it's just how do you measure an impact? I mean, it's from the stories I tell. It's from the messages I get.

21:02.32
Betsy Hamm
sure

21:04.28
Satyne Doner
um You know, just seeing the amount of people every year grow at the event when I stand up there on that stage and I see everybody, I'm like, this is amazing. So I just hope me personally, just how can I reach out and touch more people in their lives?

21:20.93
Betsy Hamm
That's great. That's good. Well, and I said to you earlier, one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on is because I talk about people who are actually taking action to make things happen. And now in the restaurant industry, everybody knows you.

21:31.27
Betsy Hamm
You are like celebrity at this point, which is so awesome.

21:32.32
Satyne Doner
Well, thank you.

21:34.46
Betsy Hamm
I love it so much.

21:35.40
Satyne Doner
It's so surreal.

21:36.10
Betsy Hamm
um

21:37.66
Satyne Doner
Like, really?

21:37.86
Betsy Hamm
But yeah, totally, totally.

21:39.48
Satyne Doner
Because even I get stuck my own bubble.

21:41.80
Betsy Hamm
Hey, you're top 30. You just won that award for the top 30 women in the industry, right?

21:44.73
Satyne Doner
It's okay.

21:46.29
Betsy Hamm
So another awesome kudos to you. but So, um but I think, you know, as we look outside the restaurant industry, you know, part of my reason for wanting to have you on was because, ah you know, there's a lot of other industries where a world doesn't exist.

21:58.18
Betsy Hamm
So what's your advice to others in different industries who want to start something like this? Like, how do you get the momentum? And, and you know, so I'm sure it's baby steps, but how do you just start to kind of get this in place that people in other industries can try to replicate this?

22:11.81
Satyne Doner
Yeah, the first thing I would say is act first, post later. So a lot of the things that we do at Whirl behind the scenes, before we even make that social media post, we're already, the story's already out there, you know, the workshop's already in motion. So in that way, we're very genuine and authentic in the fact that we want to make the impact and then post about it later.

22:36.22
Satyne Doner
You know, it's not

22:36.50
Betsy Hamm
Nice.

22:37.00
Satyne Doner
our first priority to have it on socials just to get clicks. So that's number one. But from a logistical standpoint, I would say any industry that you're in, unfortunately, you're a woman, I'm sure a lot of the things are universal, like for example, imposter syndrome. I think we've all felt that regardless of our industry.

22:56.54
Satyne Doner
If you're looking to make a women's group, first, you need to just tap into that emotion. What are people in the industry feeling? What do they need? For us, it was community. Again, I think that can go across industries.

23:07.16
Betsy Hamm
Mm-hmm. Totally.

23:07.54
Satyne Doner
And so we found, strategically found top voices. And I think with Danny and I being journalists, we had connections and a network already. So we kind of found you You know, who are those top voices? Who knows the most people? Who can have, you know, have the greatest impact and are they willing to help?

23:25.84
Satyne Doner
So we found those people and that was our original advisory board. And they sort of just the magic went from there. I mean, they went out, they kind of, I don't like to say recruited, but they just bring people into the fold.

23:36.89
Betsy Hamm
Sorry.

23:38.54
Satyne Doner
And month after month and just all the way up until now, we're still bringing people in the fold. I mean, I have two calls later today from people who, you know, they they write to me and they say, Satine, I feel like a big fish in a little sea. Can you show me around?

23:53.18
Satyne Doner
Absolutely.

23:54.03
Betsy Hamm
Oh, that's awesome.

23:54.20
Satyne Doner
just have to be willing to say yes.

23:56.03
Betsy Hamm
Sure.

23:56.44
Satyne Doner
And make it known that you're willing to be that person that will be the connector. And it can be hard. I know time, you know, everyone's busy nowadays, but just setting aside a few seconds to say, hi, how are you? You know, and maybe this is the journalist to me, but asking people, where do you come? What's your story?

24:13.91
Satyne Doner
And I guarantee you people will be willing to share.

24:17.01
Betsy Hamm
I love that. And it's funny that you say that about asking questions because I tell my, I have two teenage daughters and my 14 year old sometimes is quiet in settings and not as, you know, as active or as, as, uh, uh, engaging.

24:28.20
Betsy Hamm
So I said to her, just start asking questions. Like when you don't know what to say, just start asking questions to people because it's just kind sometimes gets people to open up and like engage in the conversation from other places.

24:36.67
Satyne Doner
yeah

24:37.58
Betsy Hamm
But that's a great way just to start talking to people.

24:37.97
Satyne Doner
Oh, yeah. I mean, you just need people. I think at the end of the day, you just need ah few people and then just let it grow organically from there. I mean, its it really is about just creating a community. And to your point about the questions, my roommate is a therapist.

24:53.25
Satyne Doner
So I'm sure you can hear that our conversations.

24:53.60
Betsy Hamm
Oh, no. that good or bad?

24:58.06
Satyne Doner
She's really good at asking questions. Sometimes she's too good asking questions.

25:02.33
Betsy Hamm
Right, right. Oh, that's so funny. Oh, that's awesome. Okay. So I want to do a quick rapid fire with you, right?

25:08.00
Satyne Doner
Let's do it.

25:08.30
Betsy Hamm
So let's see how you do with this. um What's louder, your leadership style or your playlist?

25:14.49
Satyne Doner
I would say my playlist. I definitely enjoy rock music, all different kinds. So I love a car concert. So my playlist.

25:21.75
Betsy Hamm
Okay. Are we going old school rock or like current rock?

25:24.11
Satyne Doner
Yes. Old school rock, current rock.

25:25.68
Betsy Hamm
were going to say that.

25:26.67
Satyne Doner
i Yeah. Yacht rock. Like it doesn't matter to me.

25:29.38
Betsy Hamm
Okay. Nice. All right. Most overrated leadership buzzword.

25:36.14
Satyne Doner
I mean, i just keep coming back to circle back. I'll circle back around because I say it so much. I'm like, okay, my friends always joke because they say I sound like a girl boss or I sound like I work in corporate America.

25:42.06
Betsy Hamm
fair.

25:48.75
Satyne Doner
And I'm like, guys, stop. They're like, who are you?

25:50.62
Betsy Hamm
That's yeah, that's true. Let's circle back. I'm going to say that sometimes too. I get it. Uh, one restaurant you'd never say no to.

25:58.56
Satyne Doner
Right now it's wing stop.

26:00.43
Betsy Hamm
Oh, okay.

26:01.26
Satyne Doner
I know.

26:01.23
Betsy Hamm
Good choice. Good choice. Uh, what's a hot take you've had, you have about women in leadership that might ruffle feathers.

26:10.25
Satyne Doner
Sometimes we are the only ones that get in our own way. And sometimes the people who can cut us down the most are, you know, other women. So we just need to be cognizant of that and really just understand that success for one person, it's not a competition, you know, like success, ah rising tides lead, rise.

26:36.69
Satyne Doner
Oh my gosh. rising tides lift all ships, right? it' It sounds cliche, but I always come back to it.

26:42.82
Betsy Hamm
So true.

26:43.42
Satyne Doner
You know, you don't, you gaining success doesn't cheat someone else out of success. So just be mindful.

26:47.94
Betsy Hamm
So true. We can all be successful for 100%.

26:49.88
Satyne Doner
Yes. Plenty of room.

26:52.23
Betsy Hamm
What's the last thing that you did that scared you, but you did it anyway?

26:56.68
Satyne Doner
Probably speaking up for myself and setting a boundary. i am definitely a self-proclaimed people pleaser. i think in a lot of ways, it makes me really good at my job because I love making people happy. But I i have to remind myself I can't pour into people twenty four seven without pouring into myself.

27:17.22
Satyne Doner
So having the courage to step back a little bit.

27:20.56
Betsy Hamm
um That's good. That's good to even acknowledge.

27:23.14
Satyne Doner
Yeah.

27:23.26
Betsy Hamm
If we're all had a mascot, what would it be?

27:26.16
Satyne Doner
I thought about this. I thought about it. yeah I do think it would be a Phoenix rising from the ashes because we do have, yeah.

27:32.32
Betsy Hamm
oh

27:33.57
Satyne Doner
I just think it's a powerful like image.

27:36.57
Betsy Hamm
okay. Okay. i thought you're going to say like your horse, but okay. That's even,

27:40.64
Satyne Doner
You would love that.

27:43.33
Betsy Hamm
that's awesome. Any parting words, any other tips for success as you um help others maybe create in other industries?

27:50.60
Satyne Doner
I would just say reach out and Don't focus too much on how big that impact is as well. You know, it can look as simple as connecting with three women in your local community and getting together over a glass of wine and asking, you know, how are you doing? And any what how can I support you?

28:10.84
Satyne Doner
Or it can be as massive massive as 500 people at a leadership conference. I mean, it really, it can be a small drop or a large pond. Like it doesn't matter.

28:20.52
Betsy Hamm
No, that's great. And keep working on circles. You know, I talk all the time about, you know, making sure you have circles and those circles are different.

28:23.48
Satyne Doner
Yeah. Yeah.

28:26.88
Betsy Hamm
There'll be different groups. There might be three women in this circle that all know each other and three or four over here, but having those circles um who can support you is is a game changer for sure. So that ties into that, which I love. So that's great.

28:38.01
Satyne Doner
yeah

28:39.11
Betsy Hamm
ah If our listeners want to find you, and oh my gosh, if our listeners want to find you, LinkedIn, best place to look you up?

28:46.10
Satyne Doner
Yep. LinkedIn is the best place. Just look me up. It's Satine. I'll spell it out. S-A-T-Y-N-E. Donor. Just look me up on LinkedIn. ah Check out the Women in Restaurant Leadership page on LinkedIn as well.

28:57.49
Satyne Doner
But you can also go on QSR and FSR Magazine, their website. They've got great stuff. I'm a little biased if you're looking to read.

29:03.51
Betsy Hamm
They do.

29:04.73
Satyne Doner
but's a good starting point.

29:06.17
Betsy Hamm
Absolutely. No, that's great. Huge thanks to teen for bringing the fire, the focus, and the reminder that the next generation of women leaders isn't coming.

29:08.87
Satyne Doner
Thank you.

29:13.77
Betsy Hamm
They're already here. If you've been waiting for a sign to start that platform, raise your voice or build something bold for women in your world. This is it. And if you like this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with the women who light your fire. The louder we get, the stronger we lift till next time. Keep showing up, keep standing tall and keep getting loud and lifted.

29:32.76
Satyne Doner
I love it. Oh my gosh, you're a pro.

29:33.85
Betsy Hamm
Yay. Thank you.

29:35.76
Satyne Doner
You're a pro.

29:36.35
Betsy Hamm
Thank you. Well, it's hilarious because my major in college was communications journalism. Like I thought I wanted to do PR.

29:42.24
Satyne Doner
That's so funny.

29:43.45
Betsy Hamm
Yeah. So now I'm like, oh, the writing stuff is coming back.

29:43.86
Satyne Doner
my goodness.

29:45.93
Betsy Hamm
Like I have to, and I would write my own stuff. Kristen would always kind of get whatever. like, you write everything yourself. Like what kind of CEO are you? I'm like one who wants to write everything myself.

29:53.69
Satyne Doner
Yes. it I mean, it's it's it's a dying art, I think, personally, right? Because some of the emails I get, I'm like, wow.

29:58.18
Betsy Hamm
Yeah. Right.

30:00.69
Satyne Doner
hu Did we run this through Grammarly?

30:04.33
Betsy Hamm
Yes. Yeah.

30:05.03
Satyne Doner
Can we run it through?

30:05.51
Betsy Hamm
Especially nowadays. Yeah. There's always it's easy to clean it up.

30:07.74
Satyne Doner
There's AI now.

30:08.27
Betsy Hamm
So.

30:08.95
Satyne Doner
Did we run it through ChatGPT?

30:09.01
Betsy Hamm
Right. True. True.

30:11.66
Satyne Doner
It's so funny. Oh,

30:12.41
Betsy Hamm
That's true. That's funny. Well, I'm nice to reconnect with you. You're right. You to totally did do an interview forever ago.

30:15.52
Satyne Doner
it's been so nice.

30:18.28
Betsy Hamm
So um I love what you're doing, but keep it up.

30:18.39
Satyne Doner
It's so long ago. Thank you. I love everything. Really quick, I won't take too much more of your time, but I mean, what inspired you to...

30:23.71
Betsy Hamm
Sure. Oh, let me get something. Okay.