Episode 94: Visiting with Linda Huck of Decatur, IL and her story, “There’s No Just About It”

                                    SSPP ep. 94 LINDA HUCK

Today on The She Said Project Podcast Studio, co-hosts Jenette Jurczyk and Kerry Rossow are joined by Linda Huck, who shared her story, "There's No Just About It," at the very first That’s What She Said Macon County in April 2024. Linda’s story will  resonate with many women who feel undervalued in their roles and despite her initial self-doubt, her  journey of self-discovery and empowerment will serve as an inspiration to all.

ANNOUNCER  00:00  Raising women's voices one story at a time. Welcome to The She Said Project Podcast.
 [Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]

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JENETTE JURCZYK  00:25  Rise and shine. It's another great day here on The She Said Project Podcast. Okay, that was the cheesiest, worst opening ever.
 
KERRY ROSSOW  00:34  Oh  my gosh. Too much coffee, sis.
 
JENETTE  00:35  Okay, we're in season 10. We've been doing this for a long time, a couple years. You know, we have to open every episode. I've run out of ideas.
 
KERRY  00:43  Yeah, I feel like we're having marriage counseling, like we gotta, we gotta find, we gotta really stretch ourselves to find some new spark.
 
JENETTE  00:50  You know what we don't have to stretch ourselves to find? Amazing women who have shared their stories on a That's What She Said stage. Because in 2024, we've had shows in over 10 cities. Dozens of women have shared stories, and we get the opportunity here on the podcast to chat with them, talk about their experience and share their stories with a greater audience. And so if you're listening today, welcome, thank you for being here. I'm Jenette Jurczyk, one of your lovely hosts, and you know, I like to, I like to, what do I like?
 
KERRY  01:22  Where are we going with this?
 
JENETTE  01:23  My mind went like, I am the National Director of That's What She Said. And I was really trying to say that I love what I get to do, and I'm really grateful
 
KERRY  01:31  Well, I love that you do it. You do all the heavy lifting. One of the things that is so fantastic is I usually have an inkling of what, whatever city we're in, I've seen, I have an inkling of what's coming. And our guest today was in a show that I hadn't read a single thing. Hadn't seen a single thing. Sadly, I was unable to go to the show, so watching this clip today, it was the first time I'd seen it, and you had told me before you would love this person. This person is says things that have come out of your mouth before
 
JENETTE  02:01  100%
 
KERRY  02:01  And so your voice was in my head, like, yes, yes. I was nodding my head so hard I thought it was going to fall off my shoulders, like, I love this woman, and
 
JENETTE  02:09  I knew you would. I knew you would. Absolutely.

KERRY  02:12  She just doesn't know it yet.
 
JENETTE  02:12  She's about to. So this year, we launched a new show in a new city, and it was in the city of Decatur, Illinois, but the show was That's What She Said Macon County, because it was produced by the Community Foundation of Macon County. Their very first year, I wasn't even involved in the casting. I walked into the show. They introduced me to the women that were going to be and that's what she said. And I had the honor of directing, and one of those women who I was introduced to was none other than Linda Huck, who's on the line with us.
 
 
KERRY  02:42  What the Huck! (laughing) Hi Linda.
 
LINDA HUCK  02:46  That is what people say.
 
JENETTE  02:47  Do they?
 
KERRY  02:48  I'm not so original. Heck.
 
JENETTE  02:51  It's such a great name, though. Oh my goodness,
 
KERRY  02:52  It really is.
 
JENETTE  02:53  Okay. So I went, I'm going to share when the day Linda and I met, the day we met in the Community Foundation offices, our very first, you know, in person rehearsal, and we were going around the table talking about, you know, what's your idea, and what are you thinking about, and what's your story going to be. And I don't know if you remember, Linda, but you shared this. I'm going to let you say it. Do you remember how you worded it? That you were like, Why was I asked to be in the show? Yes, what did you say after that?
 
LINDA  03:22  I said, I'm just a mom and I'm just a dental hygienist and I'm just a wife. I'm nothing special.
 
JENETTE  03:30  Do you remember my reaction when you said that?
 
LINDA  03:32  Yes.
 
JENETTE  03:32  That phrase, you got me all fired up, because we hear that all the time, and you were able to articulate what so many women think when they're asked to share and when they're asked to stand in a spotlight.
 
KERRY  03:44  And that's the whole we've how many times I've said the second I hear someone say, I'm just fill in the blank. That's it.  Come hell or high water they're going to be on the stage. Because something we feel really passionately about is, I don't want to have a stage of professional speakers. There are plenty of opportunities to see that kind of, have that kind of experience. We want the people who, because seriously, like, who ruled the world. It's the people who are saying, I'm just I'm I'm just a teacher, I'm just a doctor. Like, whatever it is that they're in their mind is a just and so if we can start to shift the narrative of for ourselves the way we see ourselves, because I promise you, you would not say that to a girlfriend. You're just a mom, you're just a wife. So why are we saying that to ourselves?
 
LINDA  04:31  Exactly, I mean, my my kids both said, you know, you would never say that. I have two daughters, 29 and 22 and they're like you would never say that to us, and you would never, as you said, Say that to any of your friends. And when Natalie came up to me, we were at an event, and she asked me, and I said, Natalie, I mean, there's, there's plenty of other people in make accounting, you should ask someone else. I'm, I'm just these things. And she said, I want you. And then I saw her two nights later, and she goes, I'm not, I'm not going away. I want you. And I said, Well, I. Okay, let me think about it, because I had terrible stage fright, so that was also part of it. And I went home and I was like, How can I tell my kids, my girls to always go for it, to always be that person, that people can say, hey, you know, put yourself out there. And how could I not do this? And I'm so thankful many times over that I did, and I'm also a big caregiver. I mean, that's part of, you know, my job as a hygienist, on a caregiver, and I just feel very strongly about that. And as a story unfolded in my head that night, after I talked to Natalie, I was like, you know, if I can just help one woman, one woman in that audience, feel like she can walk away and say, You know what? You're right? I'm not just whatever that is. I'm more than that, and I should stop saying that. And I have had such an outpouring since the story. Six months later, I just saw a lady I hadn't seen, and she said, I was there, Linda, and you're so right. We're not just moms or wives or whatever occupation is. She said, your story touched me and that, I mean, I just walked away that even six months later, I was like, oh my goodness, that is so special to me.
 
KERRY  06:08  You gave permission to women to really own and celebrate and to sort of check ourselves on the way we think sometimes we have a narrative in our head that we aren't even aware of until someone heard you say the power of just and like strike that word, because the power of the ordinary is beautiful. You know, ask anybody at the tail end of their life, and no one, it's all those wonderful, awesome, beautiful things, or the people who orchestrated it and made it, which, you know, it's often the moms. Those are beautiful things that have great value for generations.
 
LINDA  06:40  Yes, and I want the future generation. You know, my girls are moving forward. I I want people coming forward, or women coming forward, to not feel that way. I guess this is the way we just keep saying we're not just,
 
JENETTE  06:53  There's no just about it. There it is, right? So when you laid that on the table, I'm gonna, I'm gonna steal this phrase from Kerry, because she uses it. It was like waving a red flag before a bull. I was so excited to dig into your story because it really was the epitome of what Kerry and I talk about behind the scenes all the time, what we hear from women all the time, and you literally put it out there in the exact words that we talk about. And therefore we had an opportunity to put your story in front of our audiences and showcase them, showcase your journey from just to, you know, discovering the beauty of it all. I couldn't have imagined it being more perfectly said than how you said it on stage that night. So let's take a moment and share the original performance from the stage with our listeners, and then we'll come back and check in. But Linda, I'm telling you, there is nothing just about you, and I'm so glad you shared. So here's Linda's story on stage in the very first That's What She Said Macon County2024. Here's her story. "There's No Just About It." 

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 (Originally recorded April 6, 2024 at the Lincoln Square Theatre.)
LINDA HUCK  07:55  It was a hot day in the summer of 1985 when my life was about to change forever. I was standing out at Hickory Point Mall, talking on the pay phone, and in walks this handsome man, which I had dated briefly a little over a year before. He was a great guy. He was kind and respectful. He was unlike anyone I had ever dated. But I told him after two weeks that I couldn't see him anymore. I could tell he was someone who I could really develop feelings for, and I simply didn't want that. In my life, I grew up in a middle income family full of alcoholism and abuse. I wasn't like other kids. I didn't think about where I wanted to go to college, what I wanted to be when I grew up. Honestly, there was many days I was just trying to get from one day to the next. As I got older, I told myself three things. I said, I'm never getting married, I'm never having any children, and I will make sure that I always have a career where I can take care of myself, because in my eyes, if you couldn't take care of yourself, then you might have to be forced to stay in a situation that just wasn't good or healthy for you. So the handsome man comes up. He gives me a big kiss hug. He says, wow, it's great to see you. Let's get together. As he walked away, I thought, damn it, not going to be able to walk away from this great guy twice. So we started dating again. I'm working as an orthodontic assistant, and in the back of my mind, I know this is not a job where I can take care of myself if I need to. I love the dental field, so I decide to go back to school and start my career as a dental hygienist. I'm about two years into a three year program him and I've been dating about four years, roughly, and he has the audacity to ask me to marry him. Now, let me just say that we've been married for almost 34 years. He's sitting right over here. That is a feat, absolutely this year, he. Sitting right up front here. I don't even have to be able to see him to know he is thinking. I cannot believe she just told that story like that. So let me be completely honest and tell you how it really went down. He was everything I had feared he would be. He was loving, he was supportive of me always. He got along great with my sometimes or oftentimes crazy family. By the time he proposed, I was so ready and excited to marry him and start our life together. He took that ring out of his pocket. I yanked it out of his hand, I stuck it on my finger, and I shot it yes. He said, I didn't even ask you anything. Yet, I feel kind of bad. I know I ruined a great proposal speech that he had all prepared so we get married. I graduate from hygiene school. I'm working in a dental office in town, and he's the CPA, working in the trust department of a bank. He comes to me and he says, This is not what I want to do with my life. I want to become an investment broker. I said, Okay. He said, Yeah, but here's the deal, you're going to have to support us for a little while, while I get my business going. I said, Okay. I never hesitated for a second or thought he couldn't do whatever he set his mind to do. I mean, after all, in my eyes, he had won my heart, and I never thought that anyone would do that. So things are going well, and as I've worked as a hygienist, I've quickly figured out that I am a nurturer by nature. I love helping people. I love being part of the health field. For about two seconds I thought, I'm going to go back to school and become a nurse, and then I thought, no, wait, I do not want to wipe people's butts and I do not want to clean up vomit. I thought, You know what? Instead, what I really want to do is be a mom.
 
11:55 I love being a mom. We've been blessed with two incredible daughters, 29 and soon to be, 22 they are strong, independent women. They stand up for what they believe in. They are fierce when they fight for a goal, and they are determined when they chase a dream. And I couldn't be prouder of both of them. When Natalie asked me to be a part of this event, I said, you don't want me. I'm just a mom. I'm just a wife and hygienist, nobody special, I haven't achieved anything. I went home that night and I said to my husband and youngest daughter that I'd been asked to speak at a program about empowering women. And while I was so honored, I was baffled as to why she would ask me, they both said, Are you kidding us? My husband said, You are the nucleus of this family. He said, Without you, things just do not run smoothly. He reminded me of something he's told me before. He said, you know, without your support and encouragement, I probably wouldn't even have become an investment broker, and without your continued support and faith, I wouldn't be the success I am today. Wow. Told you all I messed up by not hearing that proposal speech, right? I had always thought I was just being a good wife and partner. Never occurred to me that my actions were worthy of recognition. My daughter said, Do you not think Courtney and I are strong, independent women? I said, Of course, I do. She said, Why do you think we're like that, mom, it's because of you. It's from watching you. It's from all of your help and guidance through the years. It was always my goal that my girls would never think they were less than I was so intentional about building a strong relationship with each of them so we could talk about anything. I was always very open with them, and I wanted them to know how much they were loved and always supported. I thought all of that came with just being a mom, listening to my husband and daughter, I realized I had some reflecting to do. I was an only child, and my mom worked second shift at a factory, so I was often Home Alone to take care of myself her and I didn't have the same conversations that I've had with my daughters, but I watched my mom work her butt off to provide for us. From her, I learned the strength and perseverance that I would need to be the mom that I wanted to be. I would never think that what she had to do to raise me was nothing special, and it certainly would never occur to me to say she was just a mom. Now I'm going to guess most of you would not describe your mothers in that way, either. Here's what I figured out upon reflecting and writing my story. When we're living our lives day to day, we're in the trenches, doing our thing, living moment to moment. We don't think about how all of those moments add up into achievements, right? I'll never say again that I'm just a mom or just I.
 
15:02 We're just a wife or a friend or daughter, because the bottom line is, is that I'm all those things and so much more within them. Those roles are so much more than we give them credit for, and there is no just about it. 

(applause)

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KERRY  15:23  There's no just about it.
 
LINDA  15:25  No, just about it
 
KERRY  15:27  like standing ovation, I promise you that has resonated with so many women that were framing their worth up in that way of just and
 
JENETTE  15:38  so beautifully spoken and you were nervous, and you know, you spent a lot of time practicing and building your confidence. And it was like this evolution of you, kind of like your physical being evolved with the story. There was like this growth, and you grew, and you know, in your confidence as you were talking through the story. I mean, it was beautiful to watch.
 
LINDA  16:02  Thank you. I do feel that. And you know, since that, I had gotten up and spoken, I unfortunately have had two people very close to me pass in my family, and I've gotten up and spoken at both of their funerals. And I thought to myself after the second one, I was like, you know, I would have never, ever done that before I did, that's what she said. And it just, it really has, it really was a growth experience. And I'm so, I'm so jealous of the girls that are getting ready to do it all now, like, oh my gosh, what a journey they're getting ready to travel and walk on. And you know, it's really a beautiful journey that you get to do
 
KERRY  16:40  And how fun it's going to be for you to be in the audience this time.
 
LINDA  16:44 Yes, I am. I'm very excited about it. And I do know one of the ladies. I don't know her, but she is part of the Ronald McDonald House, and our oldest daughter spent the first 12 days in ICU, and we lived in the Ronald McDonald House in Springfield. So that is so near and dear to my heart. So I'm really excited to watch the show next year.
 
JENETTE  17:08  Wow. That is amazing. And for you two to connect over something as important as that, I'm going to call Linda out here too. Here's the beginning of her journey. Why am I in the show? I'm just a mom. I'm just a dental hygienist, and we start this process, and we write out the story. And Kerry, you and I both know that we rarely let a speaker play that opening while when I was asked to be in the show and thought about what my story was going to be, and I even told Linda, you get a pass, because it was important to get her to the end of her story to figure out that there is no just about it. And about halfway through the process, we started talking about the full show, what the vision was for the full show. And as our audience and our listeners know, many shows, we love to end with a musical number, and we hadn't figured out what that was going to be yet, or what talents we were dealing with. And Linda stepped up and said, You know, I'm a singer, wow. And that woman who was almost too nervous to tell her story, not only told her story, was the final storyteller, final speaker, because she led us right into a rendition of Lean On Me.
 
KERRY  18:13  Oh my gosh. The crowd goes wild.
 
JENETTE  18:15  The crowd did go wild. That's true. That's true.
 
LINDA  18:18 That song! I had heard it, you know, probably a month or two after, now, he had asked me, and I just kept thinking, Man, that's what we're talking about, you know. And I would sit in those meetings with everyone, I was like, the song just resonates. That's what we're talking about, you know, being able to lean on each other and being there for each other. And it's so important that, you know, we drive that message home, that women need to be there for each other. So yes, I mean, thank you for letting me have that opportunity, and I don't know that I'll ever sing again, but you know, I did it, and honestly, I'm really, I'm proud of myself. I kept saying to myself, you know, you can do this, and you are going to be disappointed if you don't do it.
 
KERRY  18:58  Okay, so I loved how you opened, and I love the story of your engagement. And I love, I always love, because people say, like, Are there any dudes there? And it's like, well, think about your own life, like there are dudes that support women all over the place. Of course, there are men in the audience. And I loved the way you spoke about your husband and that he was there and so supportive. What was his reaction afterward?
 
LINDA  19:20  Oh, my goodness, I came down the stairs and he looked at me, I mean, almost his tears in his eyes, and he was like, I am so proud of you. I just, I can't say I love this story, because I had not let him listen to the story. And he was like, Yes, I mean, you know, I said, Hey, it's about our life, you know, there are some things. And he's like, you know, great. I said, I want you to just hear it that night. He's like, okay, you know, that sounds good, because he is a public speaker, and I wanted to do it on my own, and I wanted my own influences, because he could have completely, you know, helped me right from the beginning. But I was like, No, I want the ladies, and I want it to be, you know, my. My time and me to find my own way, I guess, is the best way to put it. And so he just was, he was just like, I'm I'm so proud of you. That was amazing. And, you know, our girls could not be there, unfortunately, but they both watch it, and they're like, Mom, we're so we're so proud of you doing this well,
 
KERRY  20:18  and it's nice sometimes. I think what struck me about it was thinking, you know, if we have that in our head, I'm just a fill in the blank your spouse or your kids. They might not, because they see the value and the awesomeness in what you did and what you do. And so it was probably just a little glimpse into like, gosh, I never realized that that was even on the table, right?
 
LINDA  20:39  I mean, that's again, that's what both my girls said. And probably one of my favorite parts of the speech, you know, for me, was when I kind of said none of us would ever say that about our own mother, yep, you know. And kind of said to the audience, like, would you, you know, as no one in that audience would say that their mother was just a mom, I kind of felt that was an important part to, you know, kind of have people think about that, you know, you're right. I would never say that.
 
JENETTE  21:10  All right. I'm going to propose right here now to me, yes, Kerry, I do. Will you sorry, start a movement with me. I just had this vision. And you know what happens when I have visions, but like when, when there is an important movement or message that we want to get out there, we create a hashtag and we create some momentum. What if? What if we stand up right here, right now, and we create the hashtag, there's just, there's no, just about it. And what if we can start this message to women everywhere, stop saying you're just whatever own it, be it, it has value. Whatever that word is, you put in the the blank, that just takes away your value and and we're here to tell you, look in the mirror. You're freaking awesome, you know, and you can do anything you set your mind to. We all know women. Women get it done. Women are amazing and brilliant and phenomenal, and I just can't say enough good things, but I'm thinking like, like, a hashtag movement here, launching right now. We're gonna change the world. Okay, I'm in. We're gonna change the world.
 
LINDA  22:11  I'm in. I very much, as I said, I want the women coming much younger than me, of course, to say I am a mom and I am whatever your occupation is, or I am, a daughter, a wife, you know, the just is gone, gone from the language.
 
JENETTE  22:28  I think the timing of this was perfect, because it's been years and years and years that Kerry and I have witnessed women who have this mindset. And Linda, you were the one. You faced it, you took it, you changed it, and we're gonna launch a movement in your honor. Huck, yeah. Huck, yeah.
 
KERRY  22:51  This is great. We could just, that's it: hashtag huckyeah.
 
LINDA  22:55  Best day ever. And congratulations to you ladies. What a great thing, I mean. 100th episode and coming up your 10th year. I mean, that's amazing.
 
KERRY  23:06  It's been quite a ride. But really, like, we just put a microphone in front of women. There is no shortage of amazing women. We just walk around with a microphone.
 
JENETTE  23:15  Here you go. Here you go. Here you tell me awesome. Tell me how great you are. Here you go. The truth is the gratitude goes out to you and the women in your cast, and every woman who says yes to and I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you there are women who've been asked to me, and that's what she said, and have declined the offer. I take offense for a moment, no, but it's you know, the right person at the right time. It works out every time, but you said yes, and I'm so grateful to every woman who says yes to go through this, because it's a process. It's vulnerable, it's growth, it's outside your comfort zone. But then we have moments like this right here, right now, where you go, this is so much bigger than just this story. This is an opportunity.
 
LINDA  23:56  Oh absolutely. And the bond you create with the women you're with. I mean, I actually said some things in there. It has changed how I speak to other women since I've done it and and I guess I should explain how I open up. It has changed how open I have become with other women since that because I have always been more closed off and more reserved and kind of kept whatever's happening or whatever it's been in my past to myself and close to the cuff and and since that I I would walk out of those meetings and I would think, Boy, I I've never talked about that with other women, you know. And again, I'm so thankful that I said yes.
 
JENETTE  24:38  that's amazing. That's amazing that you took that with you. What a gift. My goodness, I'm constantly learning about myself, and, you know, from the the stories that I hear and the women I get to meet, it's, I mean, I'm going to do this till the day I, you know, croak, I think, I think, I hope, I'm being directed to show and all right, team.
 
KERRY  25:01  red ball, yellow ball.
 
JENETTE  25:02  There's no just about
 
LINDA  25:03  tells you to go,
 
JENETTE  25:07  yeah, you stand there. It's going to be amazing, but Linda, I can't thank you enough for even taking some time to spend with us today. I know you're traveling, and you know you're a super mom and you're supporting your girls, and I'm so grateful that they supported you in this endeavor, because, you know, you almost said no, but she mentioned Natalie. Natalie is the producer and in charge over there at the Community Foundation. And I mean, I can see how that woman does not take it away for an answer. It's true. It's true.
 
LINDA  25:38 I'm glad I didn't. I'm still coming back. Yeah.
 
JENETTE  25:42  So we get to do this again. We get to go and hear more stories from the women from Decatur and Macon County and the Heart of Illinois, because the word is out, That’s What She Said Is growing. We are in so many communities. And what I love about the podcast is we get to check in with women, you know, in different cities across the Midwest and soon, across the globe, if you know, I have anything to say about it so. But we can't do what we do without women like Linda, without our partners in crime, Illinois, public media and our sponsors, Sterling wealth management, Carl and Health Alliance. I mean, I'm just I'm grateful. I'm just grateful. I'm just gonna sit here and just thank everybody all day long. It's amazing. I'm surrounded by amazing people, and it's a blessing here.
 
KERRY  26:24  So I almost said blessings all around, and it just sounded so weird, high fives all around. How about that? That's more my style, butt slaps and high fives all around.
 
LINDA  26:35 Well, it's a blessing to be a part of like I say, if any anyone out there listening, if you know you're asked, I would definitely say, don't hesitate, because whatever you think that you don’t have a story. You know your life is important, and you do have a story, and there's just no just about it.
 
JENETTE  26:56  Well said, I don't think I could have ended the episode any better. So that's it from us here at The She Said Project Podcast.
 
KERRY  27:03 Thank you, Linda. Over and out.
 
LINDA  27:05  Thank you.

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