Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living magazine. Today I have Margaret Morgan with me. How are you, Margaret?
Margaret Morgan: I’m well. How are you?
Toni: I’m great. So, Margaret, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Margaret: I grew up in Berks County. I went to Exeter High School and then went to Temple University for my undergrad. I studied tourism and hospitality management with a business minor. Then, I worked in Philly for about two years after that. I opened the Hotel Monaco in the housekeeping department, and then ran somebody else’s Segway touring company, but was on my own while she moved to North Carolina. Unfortunately I lost my job there and came back to Berks County. I started at the Museum, and now I’m at the Doubletree doing all their social catering sales.
Toni: Wow. That’s quite a journey!
Margaret: Yes.
Toni: Let’s get into the Project. What does inspiration mean to you?
Margaret: Inspiration to me means somebody or something that’s very passionate about what they’re doing, believing in what they’re doing is going to make a difference either in the community or in their lives or somebody else’s life. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in their own life.
Toni: Do you know what that feels like? Do you know when that happens?
Margaret: I don’t think you know it right away. I think it maybe comes as an afterthought or maybe completely after the person has left either for the day or left your life or something like that. I don’t think it’s necessarily something that you know happening that instant it’s happening. I think it’s an afterthought.
Toni: And what happens when that happens?
Margaret: Something chemical I think in your brain that kind of triggers almost an adrenaline-like feeling. You just get a whole new feeling of happiness or ready to go on and take on a new challenge. A very positive feeling.
Toni: So it’s a visceral reaction that when you see it. You know it, you’re inspired, and it makes you want to do something.
Margaret: Yes.
Toni: Okay. Do you remember the last time you were inspired?
Margaret: I’m trying to think. My sister, who is older than me, she went back to school and I thought that was really great for her. Probably not the most recent experience of inspiration, but she went into nursing. There are so many other things that she does on a daily basis. She took it and went back to school and didn’t really care that she was probably one of the older people in the class, and just really ran with it. Now there’s so many things in her life on a daily basis – she’s pregnant, so all this nursing stuff comes into her life daily that is really helpful for her.
Toni: So you can take bits and pieces from other people’s journeys and be inspired by that and put all of that into practice for yourself, correct?
Margaret: For sure. Yes.
Toni: So tell me how you’ve done that. How have you taken times when you’ve been inspired and put them into practice here in Berks County?
Margaret: Moving back … I never thought I’d ever move back to Berks County. I never wanted to and it kind of fell in my lap. I really was very involved when I was at Temple within my school. I was really trying to do that in Philly and just didn’t find my niche there.
When I came back here I made it a goal for myself to get involved in anything I could find. I started with GRYP. I got heavily involved with Kristi. She put me in touch with the right people to get involved there. She was very inspiring to me. She kind of threw me right in and trusted me to help with planning G!G! and help with the events. Now I’m their Secretary and their Marketing Chair. There was a lot of trust going on there. I got involved with that. I’m also a member of Berkshire and I’m on their events committee, so I’m using my knowledge there. That’s how I think I’ve put my inspiration into practice is helping the community and trying to get involved in networking with a lot of young professionals in the area.
Toni: Are you finding yourself paying back the networking that was provided to you when you came back?
Margaret: Yes, I do. I’ve met so many people that do so many things, and everybody somehow is connected. It’s so much fun to see how we can find that connection with people you’re just walking down the street with.
Toni: Do you think it takes courage in order to follow through with something you’re inspired by?
Margaret: I think so. I think if you’re inspired it’s probably something that you’re not used to doing. If it was something on your daily basis, it’s just the norm for you then. I think it takes a lot of courage to step out of your comfort zone and do something different. Hopefully then you’re inspiring somebody else to do something that’s out of their comfort zone.
Toni: That’s what I’m finding so interesting about how you’re answering the questions is that there isn't a specific, “Ah-ha! That’s what I want to do!”, but it’s like, “Okay, they did it. I’m so inspired by what they did,” that it gave you the courage to do the same.
Margaret: Exactly.
Toni: So It’s almost like it fueled your courage.
Margaret: Yes, because I was very shy. I didn’t love talking to people. It’s a very nerve-wracking thing for me, which is odd for the job I’m in, because that’s all I do is talk to people. But the more I did it and the more I watch people, and I’m a very hands-on learner, that’s what fuels me to help increase my network and push myself in the right career path and all of that stuff. I see my inspiration more in people than other things, I guess, throughout my day.
Toni: They move you, don’t they?
Margaret: Yes.
Toni: That’s what I’m hearing is that you’re moved.
Margaret: Yes, for sure.
Toni: So who in Berks County inspires you?
Margaret: There’s a lot of people that I’ve recently met, but two of the people who have been there the longest are my parents. My dad worked very, very hard to support all of us in his family and opened up his own branch of the business he was working for. He pushed very hard for that. That was very inspirational to see him go through that journey, but he also did it so my mom could stay home with us and she didn’t have to work, or she worked and had a very flexible job; an either/or kind of thing. She was inspirational in that we could all go on trips and we didn’t all need to be together. We could do our own things throughout the day. She goes on trips by herself and doesn’t need anybody else with her.
It was showing that you needed to push and work really hard to get a great career, but that you should enjoy what you get out of it, too, and be able to be with your family and be a strong, independent person even when you have a family.
Toni: Wow, that’s great. So she really inspired you as well to not just get lost in the whole work thing, but to enjoy it. Why the heck are we working?
Margaret: Exactly. You’re working for something. It’s not just to go to work and come home and do it all over.
Toni: That’s right – and show that you can do it. Anyone else in Berks County that inspires you?
Margaret: Craig Poole at the hotel is an inspiration for many people around here I’m sure, but his acts of kindness and how he employs people who other people just don’t even give a look at is a really great way to go to work every day.
Not everybody looks the same. Not everybody has the same background. We’re not all from upper middle class or middle class families. Some of these people that I work with are lower income people who are second chances, and it’s great to hear their side of the story, too. That’s an inspiration to see where they were and how they’re bettering themselves to be a better person.
Toni: Did it change your perception?
Margaret: It did. I never really spent that much time in Downtown Reading, but the more I come here – obviously I’m down here every day – but the more I talk to people; it’s not that bad, and it’s getting better. It’s all in people’s perception down here, and the more you can get people down to Downtown Reading, they’ll all learn. It’s not what people make it out to be.
Toni: That’s absolutely right. What would you like your legacy to be, Margaret?
Margaret: When I was reading that question I thought, “I don’t know.” I’m still young. I haven’t thought that far in advance yet, but I would want people to think of me as a hard worker, that I treated everybody fairly and gave everybody a chance at what they were at least trying to do or helping them, trying to make themselves better. That’s what my parents did for me, and how they brought me up. That’s what I would want people to remember me for.
Toni: People get tripped up on this question because they think it’s when you’re gone, but it’s really your living legacy. You are living your legacy. The way that you spoke about inspiration and expanding your thoughts and having people move you to think differently, to have different perceptions, and the fact that you’re giving that inspiration back to others – what a cool thing.
Margaret: Reading these questions was such an eye-opening thing. You don’t think about these questions every day. It was interesting to sit down and think about what a simple word meant to you.
Toni: And how you’re putting it into play for others.
Margaret: Exactly.
Toni: So congratulations.
Margaret: Thank you.
Toni: Thank you for showing up to the Get Inspired! Project.
Margaret: Thanks for having me.
Toni: You’re welcome.
Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living magazine. Today I have Margaret Morgan with me. How are you, Margaret?
Margaret Morgan: I’m well. How are you?
Toni: I’m great. So, Margaret, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Margaret: I grew up in Berks County. I went to Exeter High School and then went to Temple University for my undergrad. I studied tourism and hospitality management with a business minor. Then, I worked in Philly for about two years after that. I opened the Hotel Monaco in the housekeeping department, and then ran somebody else’s Segway touring company, but was on my own while she moved to North Carolina. Unfortunately I lost my job there and came back to Berks County. I started at the Museum, and now I’m at the Doubletree doing all their social catering sales.
Toni: Wow. That’s quite a journey!
Margaret: Yes.
Toni: Let’s get into the Project. What does inspiration mean to you?
Margaret: Inspiration to me means somebody or something that’s very passionate about what they’re doing, believing in what they’re doing is going to make a difference either in the community or in their lives or somebody else’s life. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in their own life.
Toni: Do you know what that feels like? Do you know when that happens?
Margaret: I don’t think you know it right away. I think it maybe comes as an afterthought or maybe completely after the person has left either for the day or left your life or something like that. I don’t think it’s necessarily something that you know happening that instant it’s happening. I think it’s an afterthought.
Toni: And what happens when that happens?
Margaret: Something chemical I think in your brain that kind of triggers almost an adrenaline-like feeling. You just get a whole new feeling of happiness or ready to go on and take on a new challenge. A very positive feeling.
Toni: So it’s a visceral reaction that when you see it. You know it, you’re inspired, and it makes you want to do something.
Margaret: Yes.
Toni: Okay. Do you remember the last time you were inspired?
Margaret: I’m trying to think. My sister, who is older than me, she went back to school and I thought that was really great for her. Probably not the most recent experience of inspiration, but she went into nursing. There are so many other things that she does on a daily basis. She took it and went back to school and didn’t really care that she was probably one of the older people in the class, and just really ran with it. Now there’s so many things in her life on a daily basis – she’s pregnant, so all this nursing stuff comes into her life daily that is really helpful for her.
Toni: So you can take bits and pieces from other people’s journeys and be inspired by that and put all of that into practice for yourself, correct?
Margaret: For sure. Yes.
Toni: So tell me how you’ve done that. How have you taken times when you’ve been inspired and put them into practice here in Berks County?
Margaret: Moving back … I never thought I’d ever move back to Berks County. I never wanted to and it kind of fell in my lap. I really was very involved when I was at Temple within my school. I was really trying to do that in Philly and just didn’t find my niche there.
When I came back here I made it a goal for myself to get involved in anything I could find. I started with GRYP. I got heavily involved with Kristi. She put me in touch with the right people to get involved there. She was very inspiring to me. She kind of threw me right in and trusted me to help with planning G!G! and help with the events. Now I’m their Secretary and their Marketing Chair. There was a lot of trust going on there. I got involved with that. I’m also a member of Berkshire and I’m on their events committee, so I’m using my knowledge there. That’s how I think I’ve put my inspiration into practice is helping the community and trying to get involved in networking with a lot of young professionals in the area.
Toni: Are you finding yourself paying back the networking that was provided to you when you came back?
Margaret: Yes, I do. I’ve met so many people that do so many things, and everybody somehow is connected. It’s so much fun to see how we can find that connection with people you’re just walking down the street with.
Toni: Do you think it takes courage in order to follow through with something you’re inspired by?
Margaret: I think so. I think if you’re inspired it’s probably something that you’re not used to doing. If it was something on your daily basis, it’s just the norm for you then. I think it takes a lot of courage to step out of your comfort zone and do something different. Hopefully then you’re inspiring somebody else to do something that’s out of their comfort zone.
Toni: That’s what I’m finding so interesting about how you’re answering the questions is that there isn't a specific, “Ah-ha! That’s what I want to do!”, but it’s like, “Okay, they did it. I’m so inspired by what they did,” that it gave you the courage to do the same.
Margaret: Exactly.
Toni: So It’s almost like it fueled your courage.
Margaret: Yes, because I was very shy. I didn’t love talking to people. It’s a very nerve-wracking thing for me, which is odd for the job I’m in, because that’s all I do is talk to people. But the more I did it and the more I watch people, and I’m a very hands-on learner, that’s what fuels me to help increase my network and push myself in the right career path and all of that stuff. I see my inspiration more in people than other things, I guess, throughout my day.
Toni: They move you, don’t they?
Margaret: Yes.
Toni: That’s what I’m hearing is that you’re moved.
Margaret: Yes, for sure.
Toni: So who in Berks County inspires you?
Margaret: There’s a lot of people that I’ve recently met, but two of the people who have been there the longest are my parents. My dad worked very, very hard to support all of us in his family and opened up his own branch of the business he was working for. He pushed very hard for that. That was very inspirational to see him go through that journey, but he also did it so my mom could stay home with us and she didn’t have to work, or she worked and had a very flexible job; an either/or kind of thing. She was inspirational in that we could all go on trips and we didn’t all need to be together. We could do our own things throughout the day. She goes on trips by herself and doesn’t need anybody else with her.
It was showing that you needed to push and work really hard to get a great career, but that you should enjoy what you get out of it, too, and be able to be with your family and be a strong, independent person even when you have a family.
Toni: Wow, that’s great. So she really inspired you as well to not just get lost in the whole work thing, but to enjoy it. Why the heck are we working?
Margaret: Exactly. You’re working for something. It’s not just to go to work and come home and do it all over.
Toni: That’s right – and show that you can do it. Anyone else in Berks County that inspires you?
Margaret: Craig Poole at the hotel is an inspiration for many people around here I’m sure, but his acts of kindness and how he employs people who other people just don’t even give a look at is a really great way to go to work every day.
Not everybody looks the same. Not everybody has the same background. We’re not all from upper middle class or middle class families. Some of these people that I work with are lower income people who are second chances, and it’s great to hear their side of the story, too. That’s an inspiration to see where they were and how they’re bettering themselves to be a better person.
Toni: Did it change your perception?
Margaret: It did. I never really spent that much time in Downtown Reading, but the more I come here – obviously I’m down here every day – but the more I talk to people; it’s not that bad, and it’s getting better. It’s all in people’s perception down here, and the more you can get people down to Downtown Reading, they’ll all learn. It’s not what people make it out to be.
Toni: That’s absolutely right. What would you like your legacy to be, Margaret?
Margaret: When I was reading that question I thought, “I don’t know.” I’m still young. I haven’t thought that far in advance yet, but I would want people to think of me as a hard worker, that I treated everybody fairly and gave everybody a chance at what they were at least trying to do or helping them, trying to make themselves better. That’s what my parents did for me, and how they brought me up. That’s what I would want people to remember me for.
Toni: People get tripped up on this question because they think it’s when you’re gone, but it’s really your living legacy. You are living your legacy. The way that you spoke about inspiration and expanding your thoughts and having people move you to think differently, to have different perceptions, and the fact that you’re giving that inspiration back to others – what a cool thing.
Margaret: Reading these questions was such an eye-opening thing. You don’t think about these questions every day. It was interesting to sit down and think about what a simple word meant to you.
Toni: And how you’re putting it into play for others.
Margaret: Exactly.
Toni: So congratulations.
Margaret: Thank you.
Toni: Thank you for showing up to the Get Inspired! Project.
Margaret: Thanks for having me.
Toni: You’re welcome.
