Christy Belz welcomes her friend and fellow Colorado advocate Mindy Watrous, President and CEO of the Tennyson Center for Children, for a conversation that moves between the personal and the profound. From becoming a foster parent at 23 to leading one of Colorado's most impactful children's nonprofits, Mindy's path was never planned — it was pulled, thread by thread, by a love for kids the world too often overlooks. This is a warm, candid conversation about trauma-informed care, the courage to follow your passion, and why second chances aren't just a philosophy at Tennyson — they're the whole point.

Key Takeaways

• One Choice That Changed Everything: Mindy traces her entire career — and her family — back to an accidental placement at a therapeutic foster care agency at age 23.
• What Trauma Actually Looks Like: She breaks down how trauma shows up in children — from acting out to complete withdrawal — and why something as simple as a closed door can send a child into crisis.
• When the Building Itself Heals: Mindy shares how Tennyson partnered with trauma-informed architectural firm Shopworks to design a space where everything — colors, textures, open doors — communicates safety.
• Second Chances as a Practice: She explains how Tennyson operationalizes second chances for kids and staff alike, through restorative justice and incident debriefs.
• The Mistake That Reshaped Her Leadership: Mindy opens up about a high-stakes error at Special Olympics, and how a board mentor's grace — and a story about a semi-truck full of outdated stationery — permanently changed the way she leads.
  

Resources Mentioned:

Crossroads Event – Journey of Rebecoming: https://visitdenver.com/event/crossroads%3A-the-journey-of-rebecoming/138692/

Connect with Mindy Watrous:

Website: https://www.tennysoncenter.org/

Email: mindy.w@tennysoncenter.org

Paths to Healing Spring Luncheon: https://e.givesmart.com/events/Mlh/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-watrous-9833195

Connect with Christy Belz:

Website: https://christybelz.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/

Christy Belz welcomes longtime friend and civic leader Cristal Torres DeHerrera, Chief Operating Officer of the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, for a conversation that spans decades of friendship and a career that defies a straight line. From M&A law to city government to one of the country's busiest airports — and finally, to the zoo that always felt like home — Cristal's story is about returning, again and again, to the values her parents instilled in her. This is a warm, honest conversation about mentorship, courage, and what it looks like to choose your family when it matters most.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts!

Key Takeaways

• Community as a Foundation: Cristal shares how her parents' deep involvement in social justice movements shaped her belief that true success means lifting others, not just yourself.
• The Power of Honest Feedback: She reflects on a pivotal moment at Brownstein where seeking brutal, unfiltered feedback from a mentor completely transformed her career trajectory.
• Mentor, Sponsor, and Board of Directors: Cristal breaks down the three types of advocates every woman needs and explains why each one plays a distinct and irreplaceable role.
• Courage to Leave the Law: She opens up about how stepping away from her legal identity — first for city government, then the airport, then the zoo — required more courage than any career achievement.
• Conservation as Community: Cristal talks about why leading the Denver Zoo feels like a full-circle return to her core values of belonging, equity, and uplifting communities.
  

Connect with Cristal Torres DeHerrera:

Website: https://denverzoo.org/

Glowing Wild: https://denverzoo.org/events/glowing-wild/

Email:

Connect with Christy Belz:

Website: https://christybelz.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/

What does it look like to lose everything you built — and discover it was actually a gift? Kami Guildner spent over two decades in the oil and gas industry before an unexpected layoff cracked her life open. What followed was a spiritual awakening, a career reinvention, and an unlikely set of teachers: horses. Today she's the founder of the Extraordinary Women Ignite Conference, host of the award-winning Extraordinary Women Radio, and a business coach helping high-achieving women find their voice, their vision, and their next level.

In this episode, Kami shares what the corporate world taught her, what the horses showed her, and why the moment everything falls apart might be exactly the moment you've been waiting for.

What We Cover

• How losing her job of 20+ years became the best gift she never asked for
• The spiritual awakening that followed — and how horses became her greatest teachers
• What equine-assisted coaching actually looks like, and why it works
• How to shift from "this is happening to me" to "this is happening for me"
• Why community isn't just a nice-to-have for women entrepreneurs — it's the whole strategy

This Week's Guest: Kami Guildner Business coach, storyteller, and founder of the Extraordinary Women Ignite Conference and Extraordinary Women Radio. Cami combines soul and strategy to help women entrepreneurs raise their voices, expand their visibility, and build businesses that actually light them up.

https://www.kamiguildner.com

If This Episode Moved You Share it with a woman who's standing at a crossroads and calling it a crisis. And if you're ready to find your voice and your people, look into what Kami is building — it exists because she refused to let a layoff be the end of her story.

Connect with Christy Belz:

Website: https://christybelz.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/