From the start of this coaching blog I have planned on regularly spotlighting individuals who wake up every morning excited to start their day. A person who started doing one thing and then woke up to the possibility of doing something totally different and thrived. I am thrilled to be writing today about a woman I first read about in the April edition of MoneyMagazine. Her name is Susan E. Bukacek, Chef /Owner of The Soup Restaurant in Racine, Wisconsin. (www.thesouprestaurant.com)
WUM: So Susan, give the readers of Wake-up Momma a little background on you and how you started The Soup.
SB: When my former company was bought out by a larger company, I immediately looked for another job. Little did I know that I would embark upon a new career. Having worked for decades in Corporate Communications, I immediately assumed that field would be my next job, too. The Midwest economy in 2009 was in the tubes and I felt fortunate to have found another company where I would serve as its Director of Media Communications.
My children were less than enthused. To them, it meant continued nannies, a long commute for their mother with little flexibility, and all the stressors that had invaded our daily lives. When I told them the news, that mommy was starting a new job, the dinner table went silent. I was a hands-on single mother and in my mind at the time I was elated that our mortgage would continue to get paid, health insurance wouldn’t lapse, and food would be on our table. I really couldn’t grasp that my children were not thinking of those things—they were only worried that their mother would again be away from them from early morning until dinner time.
The very next morning, my daughter Helena, age 5 at the time, looked me in the eye as I was braiding her hair. “Mama,” she asked, “Can’t you just stay home and make soup?” For whatever reason, I listened. Her question seemed so plausible though to this day I’m not sure what made me listen. It was a spiritual chiropractic moment. “Yes,” I responded, “I suppose that I could.”
The rest of the week was a blur. I looked for properties in our local downtown that might serve as an adequate space. I contacted every person I knew in my 44 years on this planet and queried as to whether some one could connect me with a high-end restaurant owner. Sure enough, friends of friends put me in touch with people they knew who actually succeeded in what I wanted to launch—a healthful, wholesome restaurant that inspired, educated and connected customers with global food that was made fresh, by me. I interviewed these restaurant owners and quickly knew that I could pursue my dream, too. For me, the secret to The Soup’s success was to create a focused business plan and execute it. At the time, that meant taking my passion for fresh food and soup and serving it to the public. I would serve 5 specialty soups each day, based upon market ingredients that were readily available. It meant not being beholden to a menu, but rather a concept, an idea of freshness.
Since then, and only when I mastered the 5 soups, did I expand our daily offerings to include specialty salads, sandwiches, and unique market-to-table selections inspired by product availability and my own creativity.
WUM: What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow her passion?
SB: I believe that there is an internal compass in each of us—a guidepost if you will that speaks and it is our job to listen. My daughter was the instrument through which I was able to channel my inner compass. There has not been one moment, not one, where I questioned the integrity of the internal messages of this guidepost—particularly as it pertains to The Soup. When something is right, you know it. That is not to say “rightness” will come easily or without hard work and unexpected hurdles. But there is a difference in working toward something that inherently feels good for you versus working toward something that is and feels fruitless.
I certainly have encountered fear and uncertainty with regard to my choices, but I have processed those and not succumbed to them. When you know something is right for you—whatever that might be—a career move, a choice in partners, a parenting decision—then that inner compass directs you. When I’ve embraced that centeredness for lack of a better term, I have been successful. I would encourage everyone to seek that feeling out and act upon it.
WUM: “What books or individuals inspire you?”
SB: I am inspired daily by people who take the time to work through their issues so that they don’t bring those issues to the table—the home table, the work table, the life table. We are such imperfect souls and our goal should be to understand our imperfections so that we grow and learn. Life is hard! They don’t call it “growing pains” for nothing!!
I believe that when we know better, we do better. Georgia O’Keeffe is a woman who has moved me since I first discovered her work 3 decades ago. She is so much more than just flowers, or just paint. She was a renegade who lived her truth and inspired others to do the same. Her fluidity of self, her fierce independence and her willingness to follow her own path has continued to fuel me as I daily embark upon my personal journey.
Another woman I’ve recently become impassioned with is Gabrielle Hamilton, owner and chef at Prune restaurant in New York. Her book Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef is a magnificent memoir. She seems to embody the grit and soul that it takes to carve out an individual niche and to settle for nothing less than what is best for you. She’s an imperfect perfection that spurs me to create better, cook better, and stick to what I know as opposed to following trends or others’ ideas of what is right for me or for The Soup.
WUM: “Being a single mom with a young thriving business can take a lot out of anyone! How do you recharge?”
SB: Recharging is integral, yet often can find a seat on the back burner. It’s a constant challenge for me to sit still, in the calm of life, when so much about the restaurant reality is to put out fires! My balance comes from consciously looking my children in the eye. Children miraculously live in the moment at most times, and that’s a great skill that we can learn from as adults with our chaotic lives.
When I am feeling totally overwhelmed or sad or hectic, I seek my children out. Giving them a hug, listening to their stories of their days is quite soothing. They also are my anchor…when I feel caught up in choppy waters, I look into their eyes and am reminded of my true mission, which is to serve them and their potential in the best way that I know and am able. It’s an ongoing life lesson and one that I would not trade for anything!
I’ve also a wonderful partner…he is a calming center and I’m often recharged just by sitting next to him, still, quiet, and secure in the knowledge that we are forging a continually new and vibrant life together. This is not a life without stress or upset, but a life wherein we are both committed to inspiring each other and creating a net positive. We’ve defined from the onset that our intent—as in to daily act with intention—is to enhance each other’s lives and passions. Committing to that daily act is both grounding and recharging! It requires a mindfulness and a willingness to act with a selflessness that is not grounded in martyrdom, but in inspiration.
I know it sounds silly, but I also will just hug and smell my dogs. Their sweet souls are a bit of nectar when I feel the crazies of the day hounding me. Additionally, getting out to walk, breathe, stretch and just “be” alone is imperative. My business is all about serving the public, so sometimes it’s critical to sit with my own thoughts and feelings and acknowledge their power. As I embark upon this next chapter of my life, I’ve learned the difference between being alone and being lonely—the former is not a bad thing, the latter is a choice.
WUM: What is your ultimate dream for yourself and for your business?
SB: I am a firm believer in not limiting one’s self, or one’s life. Life is as large and as open and positive as we choose to make it. It can also be as narrow and as finite as we choose to make it. As such, I dream big and I do not choose to put parameters around those dreams. I’ve learned the intent for me is to continue to create, as a mother, a chef, a partner, a woman. My goal is to stretch and grow even when I don’t want to. I intend to continue to live a life with intent. The ultimate dream is to have followed my inner compass and to know when I am acting in truth as opposed to just acting. When I do that, success follows.
I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Susan! Please visit her on Facebook, the Web at www.thesouprestaurant.com or if you find yourself in Racine, Wisconsin visit her restaurant. The Soup is located at 309 Main Street. Wake up Momma!….this is your life!
Robin is a life coach living in the Columbus, Ohio area. She specializes in coaching and inspiring woman to rediscover who they really are and live the life they were intended. Robin studied life coaching with Martha Beck the bestselling author and O Magazine contributor. If you would like to reach Robin
