WEBVTT - 29.5 What I've Learned: Christie Todd Whitman

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<v Speaker 1>Surprise, everybody, did you miss us, Well, here we are.

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<v Speaker 1>We're back. We decided we were going to try something

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<v Speaker 1>new and different. We invite so many fascinating people into

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<v Speaker 1>our studio or we go into their kitchens, as was

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<v Speaker 1>the case with Eina Garten, we thought we'd give you

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<v Speaker 1>a little podcast extra if you will, yes, a little

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<v Speaker 1>something extra, as they say in New Orleans said apparently

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<v Speaker 1>some one of your favorite words exactly. But last week

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<v Speaker 1>you might have heard our conversation with former New Jersey

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<v Speaker 1>Governor Christie Todd Whitman. And because she's so successful in

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<v Speaker 1>such a high achieving woman, we decided we would talk

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<v Speaker 1>to her a little bit about her life professionally and

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<v Speaker 1>personally and what she's learned. This is something we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to try to do with many of our fascinating guests. So,

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<v Speaker 1>dear listeners, here's the first edition of what I've learned.

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<v Speaker 1>What was your first job? First job was, as all

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<v Speaker 1>you want, paid job or volunteer job. The first job

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<v Speaker 1>that I went to on a regular basis was a

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<v Speaker 1>candy striper at the local hospital. And what was your

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<v Speaker 1>first page job? First page job was working for Nelson

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<v Speaker 1>Rockefeller for President. We know how that ended. Yeah, I know,

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<v Speaker 1>So as a kid, what did you want to be

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<v Speaker 1>when you grew up? A surgeon? I love cutting up worms? Seriously, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>oh yeah, I thought I thought that'd be really neat.

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<v Speaker 1>And again, you're helping people, but I was fascinated by

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<v Speaker 1>I was very good at dissecting frogs and fetle pigs

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<v Speaker 1>and things. I liked cutting up yellow jackets and pinning

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<v Speaker 1>them to cardboard and saying like this is the thorax. Anyway, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>what role or job has brought you the most joy? Governor?

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<v Speaker 1>Without question? Because you had New Jersey has the most

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<v Speaker 1>powerful governor of the fifty states, which means that you

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<v Speaker 1>have an enormous ability to do things because the entire

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<v Speaker 1>cabinet is yours. You've appointed them, you point all the judges,

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<v Speaker 1>all the prosecutors, but you really have the ability to

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<v Speaker 1>focus on issues you want to deal with and it's

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<v Speaker 1>everybody's on your team. They're not trying to undermine you

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<v Speaker 1>because they want to run against you in the next cycle.

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<v Speaker 1>And little known fact, maybe you have a fantastic governor's

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<v Speaker 1>mansion called Drumthwackett. Drumthwackett. Yes, what was your big break

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<v Speaker 1>being born into my family probably. I mean I had

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<v Speaker 1>enormously supportive parents, and because of my age difference with

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<v Speaker 1>my siblings, I was able to experience I traveled around

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<v Speaker 1>with them a lot. They couldn't get rid of me.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it was a real pain, and they couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>get babysitters who would take me for long. Um, so

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<v Speaker 1>I've got to experience a lot of things that I

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't have otherwise. You were born to a very prominent

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<v Speaker 1>Republican family, and if you wanted to learn more about that,

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<v Speaker 1>you can listen to the whole interview with Governor Whitman.

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<v Speaker 1>But what did your parents teach you? Dad was very

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<v Speaker 1>firm and Mom was to always leave a place better

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<v Speaker 1>than the way you found it, and anything. You can

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<v Speaker 1>achieve anything you want, but you gotta work for it

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<v Speaker 1>and be willing to work. And that also of anything

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<v Speaker 1>worth doing is worth doing well. Believe me, once you

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<v Speaker 1>start a job, you better be doing it right and

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<v Speaker 1>you better finish it. Um. That was very inculcated in

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<v Speaker 1>me early on, and it's probably helped you a lot

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<v Speaker 1>in your political career. What do you think was the

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<v Speaker 1>most important lesson you learned professionally throughout your career, no

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<v Speaker 1>matter what job you held at the time. Trust my instincts,

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<v Speaker 1>trust my gut. The biggest mistakes that I made were

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<v Speaker 1>ones where I didn't trust my instincts of telling me

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<v Speaker 1>to don't do it this way or do it that way,

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<v Speaker 1>and I listened to other council and maybe didn't And

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<v Speaker 1>that was but they were they were not huge ones.

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<v Speaker 1>They were more campaign type of issues. Uh. The other

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<v Speaker 1>is to understand you don't have to know everything, and

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<v Speaker 1>you never are going to know everything. It's fine. Respect

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<v Speaker 1>the people who do know, be willing to listen and

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<v Speaker 1>know what you don't know, and know what you don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>And what do you think was your greatest mistake and

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<v Speaker 1>what what did you learn from it? Well, probably the

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<v Speaker 1>biggest mistake um taking E p A. No, that's not true,

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<v Speaker 1>although it was in a way. I mean, it was

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<v Speaker 1>just such a big bureaucracy and it was a regulatory

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<v Speaker 1>agency without the kind of freedom. You were so constrained

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<v Speaker 1>by the enabling legislation that created the agency that you

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<v Speaker 1>really couldn't be terribly creative and solving problems. And that

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<v Speaker 1>was that was a big frustration. What do you still

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<v Speaker 1>want to learn? What do you still want to do

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<v Speaker 1>in your career. Oh gosh, I want to learn everything.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. I'd love to spend more time with

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<v Speaker 1>international issues. Actually, what I want to do more spend

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<v Speaker 1>more time with my grandsons and granddaughter. You know, it's

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<v Speaker 1>nice to find that balance. And I'm pretty good place

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<v Speaker 1>right now. You had a happy forty one year marriage

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<v Speaker 1>to your husband John. I asked you what was the

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<v Speaker 1>most important thing you learned professionally but personally, what do

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<v Speaker 1>you think has been the most important life lesson? Treasure

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<v Speaker 1>of the moment. I mean, you just never know what's

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<v Speaker 1>going to happen in life, and you need to be

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<v Speaker 1>aware of that. I like most people who are in

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<v Speaker 1>full time kind of jobs, Um, there is no perfect balance,

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<v Speaker 1>and but you have to find what works for you.

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<v Speaker 1>And there'll be days when you at least there were

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<v Speaker 1>nights when I was up all night saying, oh my gosh,

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<v Speaker 1>I've I've short changed the kids, I'm a horrible mother,

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<v Speaker 1>and others where I said, I'm not focusing on my

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<v Speaker 1>job enough. I should have gone to you know, done

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<v Speaker 1>something else. And it takes a while to find that

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<v Speaker 1>balance that works for you, but you can, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>you may be able to have it all, but maybe

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<v Speaker 1>not all at once, all at the same time. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's a It's life is a challenge, but it is

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<v Speaker 1>for everybody. And piggyback nown what Katie said, what do

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<v Speaker 1>you think you learned about how to have a successful marriage,

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<v Speaker 1>since here seems to have been a very happy one.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the most important thing was we always when

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<v Speaker 1>I came home or when he came home, you're home

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<v Speaker 1>and you try to put the office aside, and if

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<v Speaker 1>you have to do something later on, great, But when

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<v Speaker 1>you have kids, you got to be with the kids.

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<v Speaker 1>And every year we would take a week where he

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<v Speaker 1>and I and the kids would go somewhere we'd never

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<v Speaker 1>been before, taking the kids with running a van and

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<v Speaker 1>driving around national parks and learning how to whitewater kayak

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<v Speaker 1>or to mountain bike. We had some really wild mountain

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<v Speaker 1>biking trips and kayaking trips, but doing something so that

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<v Speaker 1>we weren't distracted with our friends, and the kids weren't

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<v Speaker 1>off doing things with their friends. We were experiencing something

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<v Speaker 1>new and different together just for a week. But it

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<v Speaker 1>made a difference, which is increasingly difficult to do given

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<v Speaker 1>what I'm holding in my hand. My irophone. This little

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<v Speaker 1>thing really gets in the way it does. I'm fascinated

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<v Speaker 1>when I go into restaurants and I see couple sitting

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<v Speaker 1>at the table and they're not neither wanted talking to

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<v Speaker 1>the other, They're just looking at Really, I just I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know. I don't get it. John and I used

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<v Speaker 1>to love to have conversations, arguments or conversations how wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you want to call them. And finally, if you had

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<v Speaker 1>a twenty two year old young man or woman who

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<v Speaker 1>came to you and said, I need some advice. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>it can either be about life or I want to

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<v Speaker 1>get into politics. Um, what would you tell them? I

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<v Speaker 1>generally tell people find your passion. What is it you

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<v Speaker 1>really care about? I mean, is it education? Is that

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<v Speaker 1>the arts? Is that the environment? Find out what it is?

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<v Speaker 1>And to the extent if you can make a career

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<v Speaker 1>out of that, God bless you. If you can't, then

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<v Speaker 1>find something that will allow you the time to pursue

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<v Speaker 1>that as well. But try to find that passion, what

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<v Speaker 1>really turns you on, what makes you excited to get

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<v Speaker 1>up in the morning or to go out when you

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<v Speaker 1>have the free time to do what you really just

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<v Speaker 1>want to do? And it is. Aren't we lucky that

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<v Speaker 1>your passion with public policy? Well, I'm not sure everybody

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<v Speaker 1>would say that, but I'm lucky. I've enjoyed it. I've

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<v Speaker 1>been very lucky, had a very good career. So that's

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<v Speaker 1>it for our little experiment, the first edition of What

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<v Speaker 1>I've Learned? What did you think? Please? Um tell us

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<v Speaker 1>your thoughts at nine to two four four, six three seven,

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<v Speaker 1>or as always, email us at comments at current podcast

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. We'd love to know whether you liked it,

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<v Speaker 1>and we'll talk to you soon. Hi,