28 CityTREES
the structure. I thought it would make sense
to start with that and adapt as we went along.
During that first meeting, you and I talked about
big picture goals and professional challenges.
After that, we discussed the topics that were on
your mind. We revisited some of the challenges
and added some topics as we went along.
Maegan: Do you think that structure was
effective, and what would you change
if you were to repeat the program?
Miche: I think the most important thing to estab-
lish the relationship was creating a consistent
standing meeting. I would track the topics and
themes that we discussed so we could visually see
progress or recurring themes as we went along.
Miche: Would you say that there were
any mental shifts that stemmed from
being a part of this program?
Maegan: Yes—confidence! Our conversations
helped me to not feel like an impostor at work
and recognize that I have something to contribute,
even if I'm not doing everything perfectly.
I was able to apply our conversations about
bringing a full authentic self to work and advo-
cating for oneself with supervisors.
Miche: Was there a discussion that
you found particularly relevant?
Maegan: We had one conversation about career
pathways and taking the next step. The synthesis
was, "When deciding which path to take forward,
consider what kinds of things you actually want
to spend your time doing in terms of both your
immediate and long-term personal and profes-
sional goals. Ask yourself if you can continue to get
value out of your experience that would benefit
those goals. If not, it's time for the next step."
Maegan staging for a tree giveaway at a
Denver Digs Trees volunteer event.
Maegan Blansett sharing canopy assessment
results with the City of Colorado Springs staff
and members of the public ahead of their
Urban Forest Master Plan development.
