Tell us about yourself.
I moved to Fargo from Sauk Centre, MN back in 2008 and Fargo has been my home ever since. I went to school at NDSU where I made many friends and connections that were the reason I stayed—including meeting my husband, Derek. We married in 2016 and have two beautiful and energetic daughters. As a family, we love spending time exploring the various parks of Fargo, heading out on bike rides, gardening, playing games and trying to make one another laugh!
I have been involved in candidate coaching, job placement and career planning for over six years, but I have been with Sagency for about eight months. I think it is amazing to have the opportunity to help connect candidates with new roles or opportunities that excite them and help them find positions that meet their career goals and aspirations! On the flip side, I get the opportunity to work directly with many companies and organizations that do amazing work or have incredible missions, so it is also very rewarding to connect them with the right candidates to lead their teams toward achieving organizational goals and success.
Who are some people who have been influential in your journey and why?
My family has always been very supportive throughout my journey, and they have encouraged me to take chances and to pursue opportunities to grow. My parents have taught me the importance of hard work and dedication, my husband has been my biggest cheerleader by encouraging me to take on new challenges. And now, I have my children who inspire me daily to be my best self and to treat every day as a chance for a good day.
Professionally, I had some strong female leaders very early in my career that gave me a voice, gave me a seat at the table and encouraged me to always stay curious. To them and for their empowerment, I will forever be grateful.
What are some of your favorite things to do in our community?
My family and I started this thing during the pandemic that we called “Park Hopping.” We would take a Saturday where we had no plans, which was most of them at the time, and we would check out a new park each time and usually go to multiple in a day. Our whole family loved it and we found so many neat spots that have since become favorites!
We also really like attending farmer’s markets, walking around downtown and hanging in the “spinny chairs,” as my kids call them, and enjoying bike rides throughout Fargo’s parks.
Professionally, I really enjoy attending networking events, staying involved with the FMWF Chamber and meeting new people through volunteer involvement and community events.
Do you have any book or podcast recommendations for our readers?
“Dare To Lead” by Brené Brown. I have listened to this book several times and attended a workshop surrounding these methodologies and Brené Brown’s work. This book really highlights areas to be cautious of when it comes to leading a team, provides strategies for coming together as a team and gives many group and one-on-one conversation tools and strategies to help navigate tough topics. I utilize strategies from this book in my day-to-day with my team and at home.
“Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. This is the best book I have read about change management and where I first learned about change management as a specialized practice. Throughout this book, Chip and Dan highlight instances throughout time where major businesses and corporations have had to make some hard pivots to take themselves to the next level.
What are you hoping to gain from the United Way 35 Under 35 Women’s Leadership Program?
I hope to gain more confidence and learn strategies for how to best contribute to my team at work, my family at home and my community. I think there are many topics we can read about or study, but lived experience can be one of the greatest teachers. I am very excited about this program as it will allow the participants to share our own individual experiences as well as learn and grow from what is to come in the program. I am hopeful that the confidence, network and experiences that come from this program can help me to see how I can help out in my community in ways I may not have thought possible previously or that I may not have given myself the chance to pursue in the past.
What do you think can be improved in our community?
I hope our community continues to grow in ways that support and encourage the networking of individuals and families, thus creating a connectedness that gives everyone a sense of belonging here. I think that our community has created many opportunities for people to come together to either get involved in contributing to an amazing cause or just to get to know one another. As our community continues to grow, I hope that the offerings and opportunities continue to grow right along with it to enhance or cultivate everyone’s feeling of belonging.
What are some of your passions outside of work?
My passions include my family, my faith, plants, gardening, biking, puzzles, learning, etc. I get passionate about learning in general and like to invest in a variety of topics from self-help and professional development to the Vanderbilt dynasty to monarch migration patterns. My family and I love to get outside during every season, but, naturally, we spend a lot of time outside during the warmer months and we keep ourselves busy with recreational activities, bonfires, grilling and going for walks. I love engaging in deep and meaningful conversations with others, so I enjoy learning about what others are passionate about as well.
Fargo is like a big, small town and I love it. For anyone that is reading that may be considering making a move to the area but is like me and from a super small community and intimidated by the FM area’s size, don’t be. I love the sense of community we have here and I believe we are lucky to have so many opportunities to connect and network!
Let’s connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-reil/
