Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today I have Latisha Bernard Schuenemann with me. How are you today?
Latisha Bernard Schuenemann: Hi. Thank you, Toni, for having me.
Toni: Thank goodness we finally have a beautiful day outside.
Latisha: Yes.
Toni: It’s only going to go up from here, from what I understand.
Latisha: I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Toni: Absolutely. Welcome to the Project. Take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Latisha: Thank you, Toni. I am a mother of two, and I’m a practicing attorney in Berks County at Leisawitz Heller, which is a 16-member attorney firm. We practice in a number of different areas. We do litigation. We do business work. In my practice, I do a lot of estate planning, estate administration, trust planning, trust administration. That’s a little bit about me. I have two kids. One is going to be 8 next week; the other one is going to be 21 in June, so I’ve got a big spread there. That’s about it.
Toni: Thank you for taking the time today. Let’s go into the Project.
Latisha: Sure.
Toni: What does inspiration mean to you?
Latisha: Inspiration means to me…it could be a number of different things. I think it depends on where you are in your life. Sometimes inspiration just hits you when you need it. Or, it could be something as simple as looking at a magazine, reading an article, and seeing what another person experienced to inspire you to do things. It could be a thought. It could be a number of different things. I think it depends on just where you are in life, and where you are in your thoughts. If you need some inspiration, I think it kicks you when you need it.
Toni: Do you know what it feels like?
Latisha: That’s a good question. You’re kind of stumping me, Toni, a little bit.
Toni: Do you know when you’re inspired? Does it hit you and you’re like, “Ooh…that is pretty cool?”
Latisha: I think so. Maybe you don’t go…it may lead you off in a different direction or a different idea. I think we all have those moments. Maybe it’s as simple as, “Oh, that outfit that I’m going to wear tomorrow.” A picture in a magazine can inspire you to wear something a little bit different the next day, or even just go out of your comfort zone. I think going out of your comfort zone can be something that’s been inspired from something as well.
Toni: So, it could be really tiny to be inspired, whether it’s looking at an outfit in a magazine, or it could be life-changing.
Latisha: Correct. I believe so.
Toni: That’s awesome. How do you take that thought process, whether you’re inspired in a big way or a small way, and how have you put that into practice here in Berks County?
Latisha: I think that can come through your work, through your community activities, and I guess me, personally, I try to practice what I preach and I try to give back to the community when I can, obviously, being busy with work and children, but I do volunteer, and I do serve on boards. I try to go to events and support local organizations and people in the community.
Toni: When you serve on boards and take the very precious time that we all have to do volunteer work like that, are you inspired by the work? Is that how you pick and choose a board to work with, because their impact inspires you?
Latisha: Oh, of course. Of course. I currently serve on the Berks County Community Foundation, which does a lot of positive things in the community and is helping a lot of individuals. I think the organization is an inspiration every day for some of the things that they do with people in the community.
Toni: Do you do a lot of community volunteer work?
Latisha: I used to. I actually just was having a conversation with someone. I used to, but when you have kids and babies, you pull away, and you have to pick and choose where you put your time for that. I have. I’ve taken a little bit of a step back after I had my youngest child to focus on that a little bit, and the family, but I am still involved with what I can do, yes.
Toni: I would imagine with children and the gap in ages that you have though, you have been most likely very inspired at how an older child reacts to a younger child, and the dynamics of a family, and so maybe that inspiration that occurred on the outside happens on the inside now.
Latisha: Yes. Yes, it does.
Toni: Do you get to talk about that at all?
Latisha: Well, I always talk about my children. I always love how my two boys — they’re 13 years apart — but my little one will be texting my oldest son in college, and they text back and forth without mom. I’m an only child, so to see that sibling relationship and whatnot is very inspiring to see that. I appreciate the relationship that they have.
Toni: Even though it’s a little thing, it’s such a big inspired moment, isn't it, from a parental point of view?
Latisha: Yes, yes.
Toni: I understand. Who in Berks County inspires you?
Latisha: Just generally speaking, children inspire me in Berks County. I mean, I think their resilience, their passion — I think a lot of adults lose that. When you get older, you kind of get wrapped up into life and when I see children just love something, if it’s a sport or school or reading, children in general in the community I think inspire me. Even some of their ideas or thoughts are incredible. I think that’s inspiration.
If we’re talking about people, one of my favorite people is Frankie Aitken of the Community Foundation. I think she’s just fabulous. She has a great relationship with everybody. She’s kind to everybody. She will help you if you need help. She’s very smart, intelligent. She knows what she’s doing. One day, I hope to mirror that. She’s one of my favorite people.
Toni: Fantastic. So, what would you like your legacy to be?
Latisha: I would like my legacy to be I would want somebody to look at me and say, “She was an honest, hardworking woman who stuck to what she said she was going to do.” I try to give my time. “She helped out in the community.” I was always helpful. That’s kind of what I was hoping my legacy would be.
Toni: I say this many, many times. It’s not so much the legacy you leave when you’re no longer with us — it’s the legacy you live now, and the way you’ve described it is that you’re brilliantly living your legacy now. Thank you for that.
Latisha: Thank you very much, Toni.
Toni: Thank you for showing up to the Project.
Latisha: Thank you.
