Wendy Johnson

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING YOUR AGE?
In many respects, I’m truer to myself now than I was 20 years ago. In my current job, the responsibilities are high because we take care of our communities children. At the end of the day, I can look in the mirror and think I have done my absolute best and I’m good with that. I can’t say that I have always felt like that, I’ve always allowed pressures to really weigh on my shoulders. Being older is liberating because I focus on being true to myself.

WHAT HARDSHIPS HAVE YOU ENDURED THAT YOU FEEL HAVE MADE YOU STRONGER?
The end of a marriage and the hard work of rebuilding, putting your life back together, figuring out yourself, what’s new, and what’s next when you’re an adult with children. That and running my first half marathon. Two entirely different experiences, both extremely difficult. You survive, you thrive, and you know you can do something difficult. 
That experience has really taught me it’s a long run, life is not a sprint, and I’m not a sprinter. I can pace myself, I can be patient, methodical, and intentional to get to my goal.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
My kids, they are amazing, smart, and responsible. I hoped what I was doing helped them become responsible humans. They have both overcome challenges in their lives and I’m really proud of them.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
My Disney department 56 Mickey’s Christmas Village holiday collection. I collect Mickey Mouse; I love the spirit of Walt Disney and this amazing empire that Disney has become, and it all started with a mouse. 

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
I don’t treasure objects, the treasures are relationships and people, not possessions.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING YOU HAVE CHECKED OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Travel to Hawaii, we spend most of our time in Maui but also a couple of days in Honolulu and O‘ahu.
I was a Hawaii-50 kid growing up and had those quintessential shots in my mind of this fairytale land that is Hawaii, it’s beautiful and amazing. I thought it would be so cool to stand in front of the building across the street from where the original Steve McGarrett and Dano did their Hawaii-50 thing. And to see Pearl Harbor, just to have that experience was really cool.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?
Being with my family. Especially as my mom and dad age and have cognitive challenges, memories and experiences are special. I don’t need fancy stuff; I need the people around me that matter and we make everything else work.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Understand your why and what drives you, and keep doing the hard work because it’s not meant to be easy. Not just professionally but as a human. Really understand that and allow your work and volunteer efforts to flow from your why. I know my why, and it drives me every day. 
I would also tell my younger self to not compare my life to the lives of others, you only see slices of other people’s stories. I’m a driven person so I would allow those influences to cause me to doubt myself. The truth of the matter is when you really think about it everybody’s story is different. We all have a unique story, and I would tell my younger self to appreciate that earlier and celebrate it and not try to compare and outdo yourself.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOUNGER WOMEN?
Shake hands well and own your space. I think women tend to sort of stand back, and there may be times when it’s necessary to step back. But if you’re in a space you’ve earned your way into or you’re responsible for, you must own it and be willing to lean into discomfort, lean into situations where not everyone is going to like you. You can own your space and still be kind.
Support other women. Sometimes women tend to look for fault in others instead of celebrating something that’s amazing that another female has achieved. Even if it’s a goal you want, an honor, or a reward you wanted. You must support other women.

WHAT IS A TRAIT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
Kindness

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO OR FAVORITE QUOTE?
Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Fear, not regret.

WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN YOUR FRIENDS?
Honesty & celebration. People who celebrated with me when I’ve achieved success and I celebrate with them when they achieve success. I value friends who are inquisitive, inclusive, and open-minded. Friends who are friends even if we don’t always spend a lot of time together, we can still love and support one another.

HOW DID YOU CHANGE OVER THE YEARS?
I learned how to be a better coach for others, I’ve grown in my confidence and my surety in myself, of what drives me. Even when I was early in my career I was confident in my work, and I always worked super hard to make sure I knew my stuff and I earned the opportunities that I got.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would get up and move more, be healthier, and be more active. Because as 60 becomes the new 40, or the new 30 depending on the day, I realize that health is a gift. It takes hard work to take care of that gift, and I don’t always keep that in the forefront of my mind. You must take care of yourself. And it’s taken a long time to accept that taking care of your health, both mental and physical, takes intentional deliberate time.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I want kindness, relationships, and the ability to solve difficult problems. Be kind, be civil, having relationships with people, that’s what I want for future generations.
I want my granddaughter and her friends, the kids in our classrooms today to be kind. I want adults to be kind.

WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY AT THIS AGE?
My granddaughter and to see her process the world and learn, it’s amazing.
This is my 22nd school year in the Wichita school district and I think about how many kids have come and graduated from our district, and how many young minds have learned and grown. I see it happen with her and she’s not even in school yet. And knowing that I affect that through my work and my volunteer efforts and through my best job, which is being a grandma, a Gigi, that brings me joy.

WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER?
Kindness.

DO YOU LIKE BEING 40+?
Yes, I do. There would have been a time when I would have not had that same answer. But I love it. My life right now is good, it’s great. I really wouldn’t change anything.

WHEN IN YOUR LIFE, SO FAR, HAVE YOU FELT MOST CONFIDENT, AND WHY?
When I was Admiral Windwagon Smith, in 2017, at the Wichita Riverfestival. It was the first time in a long time that my voice was my own. Most of my work is representing this major public entity, the school district. When I was Admiral Windwagon Smith I still represented my employer, my volunteer friends, and the organization but I had the opportunity for my voice to be my own. It was horribly uncomfortable being the person others looked at because I’m used to be the one that coaches people who are on that stage. It was immediately more nerve-wracking than I thought. I loved the kids I worked with, I loved the cause I represented, I love my community and it was such an honor to be in that role, it was a life-changing experience.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
I haven’t talked much about Terry and the amazing life that we have together. We’re both in a second marriage, we talk periodically about how life and hard things give perspective and wisdom. We both value being together, experiencing life, valuing one another, valuing relationships, and not worrying so much about stuff.
This certainly is a change that has been part of my life for the last 10 years, to have that confidence in a partner and that deep commitment to one another and one another’s success.