When English major K.C. Danzansky decided to try out the consumer packaged goods world with General Mills, she thought she could put up with sales trips in pant suits for a few years. What she came to realize was that the scope and size of the organization allowed for her to try on a number of roles. Find out how taking one path doesn't always mean doing the same thing.
Guest K.C. Danzansky could barely believe that one could make a major by reading classic literature, analyzing it, and writing about it. She considered her English major not only fun but a good grounding in the liberal arts that would prove useful in a career. But because she loved the literary world, she figured she would remain in it, working at a publishing house or something similar. The famously low salaries and the prospect of living in the publishing mecca of New York City did not appeal, however. So she took a look at the companies that defended on campus for corporate recruiting. Consumer packaged goods giant General Mills seemed open to her liberal arts background and she thought she could put up with sales trips in pant suits for a few years. What she came to realize was that the scope and size of the organization allowed for her to try on a number of roles.
While she has remained at the company for 25 years, her husband was the casualty of a round of layoffs. But even that had a silver lining, as both of their time in CPG helped them launch a beverage company that provides the spice in her life. In this episode, find out from KC how taking one path doesn't always mean doing the same thing. In this episode, find out from K.C. how taking one path doesn't always mean doing the same thing…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.
About This Episode's Guest
K.C. Danzansky, currently Director of Sales Communications, Analytics, Trade and Ecommerce within Convenience and Foodservice at General Mills, has held a variety of roles within the consumer packaged goods giant during her 25-year career there. She also plays CMO and general support staff to her husband Scott's beverage company that features apple-cider-vinegar-based cocktail mixers and health shots. Find out more and see K.C. playing the role of harried bartender in their brand video at TheTwistedShrub.com.
Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley
Music: Brian Burrows
Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com
Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com
K.C. Danzansky: Those of us who have been with the same organization for a while. Sometimes think we don't have anything to offer outside the org or, you know, maybe that's all we can do. And I think it's, you know, it was a great reminder for me, honestly, at first, Hey, you know, we'll all land on our feet. We'll figure it out. We're all skilled we've got gifts to give.
Leslie Jennings Rowley: When English major K.C. Danzansky decided to try out the consumer packaged goods world with General Mills, she thought she could put up with sales trips and pantsuits for a few years. What she came to realize was that the scope and size of the organization allowed her to try on a number of roles. Find out how taking one path doesn't always mean doing the same thing…on today's Roads Taken with me, Leslie Jennings Rowley.
Today I am here with my friend and possibly one of the first people I met at Dartmouth, K.C. Danzansky, and we're going to talk about what feeds our soul and feeds life. So thank you so much, K.C., for being here.
KCD: No pressure, Leslie, that's a really, really big ask. Thank you so much for having me. I was delighted to see you pop in on my LinkedIn profile. As you said, I do think you were one of the first people I met at Dartmouth. So..
LJR: We were on the same outing club trip. [KCD: Right.] We wrote a song together. We had bad tabouleh together.
KCD: I mean, these are deep experiences. That's exactly right. We danced. It’s all good.
LJR: It’s all good. All right. So I start these the same way though, KC, with the same two questions and the questions are: when we were at Dartmouth, who were you? [KCD: Oh gosh.] And when we were getting ready to leave, who did you think you would become?
KCD: Oh man. You know, gosh, that's, that's a great question of who, what, who I was at Dartmouth, you know. Hopefully curious, trying, and trying to figure out what the heck I wanted to do with the rest of my life, enjoying the experience as much as I can you know, great friends, great experience, all of those good things as I was getting ready to leave, you know, English major.
And so the path I saw for myself was very different than where I, where I wound up. And so there were a couple of spaces in my brain. You know, I really enjoyed, you know, my experience as an English major at Dartmouth. It's you know, the most fun major I could possibly imagine where you read great works of literature and then analyze it. You know, forever and then like, that's your schoolwork? Like, that's pretty remarkable. And so I think, you know, there's a couple paths I was thinking, you know, it is, you know, kind of a generic major. And so in my brain I was thinking, Hey, you know, maybe I'll go to like a publishing house in New York or do something along those lines, academia was maybe in the back of my brain as a possibility, but not terribly strong. And then I probably don't have the patience for it. And then, you know, the other thought was, and you know, if that doesn't work out, you know, my dad was a lawyer. I could always go to law school, you know, in a couple of years. Right.
Like, that's kind of like that major, even though it's not terribly. You know, specific it could be a foray into that. And so that's kind of where I thought I was headed and that didn't happen.
LJR: No, no, because corporate recruiting happened.
KCD: Yeah, that's exactly right. And so, as I was looking at, you know, editing houses and things in New York. I finally realized a couple things. Number one, I didn't love the paycheck and I wasn't sure I wanted to live in New York, which is kind of the center of the publishing universe. And so, you know, I grew up in Washington, DC. I have no issues with big east coast cities, but that just wasn't, you know, kind of where I thought I'd be.
And so I remember going around. You know, the, the recruiting office I saw, I literally saw it on the wall that General Mills was coming to recruit. And I was like, well, I don't really know about a sales career, but I really liked Cheerios. And I had, like, I made a lot of Betty cCocker brownies, and I really loved food. I had had a fairly unsuccessful cookie delivery on campus. My, yes, junior summer as I was hanging out with like Sarah McAllister and toreally to fill my time. And as I said, it was fairly unsuccessful, but I did have a little bit of a foray into food and to sales. And so I just figured I'd go check it out and really appreciated the people kind of the things that I thought were important, you know, going into the job because I kind of had a little, a change of heart. They talked a lot about, you know, work-life balance and people development and, you know, experiencing different careers within the organization. And so that was really appealing to me. And then what was also appealing was the job was in Boston where a lot of really awesome Dartmouth people like Heather Morein, now Heather Morein French. Like Lauren Curry/Uppington. Chris McGee. The you know, Andrew Obenshein and Greg. Hi, guys. You know, there was just a really fun group of people that were there. And so that sounded really appealing. And I thought, okay, I will go do that. They offered me a company car. That's sounded great, and I figured, you know, I'll do that. I can work out of my house part of the time. I'll do that for a couple of years. And then I'll probably just go to LA. Twenty-five years later, I did not go to law school.
LJR: No, cause there was a lure of the careers within the organization. Yeah. So it's kind of funny because no one at Dartmouth teaches us how to sell or be in business or all of those things. And then these giant companies kind of appear. And so you thought it was a short term. [KCD: Yeah. Short timer.] So what was the evolution? When did you start thinking, oh, there are all these other opportunities within the organization; I need to pursue those or I'm drawn to them. What was, what was the feeling of that?
KCD: Yeah, that's a great question. I think you know, part of it to me was I'd always thought. Sales or was like polyester pants and cold calling. And, you know, I, I think I didn't have the right perspective of what that looked like. And what I assume found out is it's more about business management and client management, and frankly, what linked in really well with. What I loved about being an English major was, you know, there's a lot of both analysis, and storytelling and a lot of data that you need to analyze. You know, human empathy is really important, pulling out kind of less obvious meaning or solutions like that. Creative problem solving was very much a part of it. And so as I recognized that I could pull more skills than pantsuit wearing out of the career, that got more and more interesting to me. And, you know, I think the other thing. You know, General Mills is a very family friendly company. I mean, for God’s sake they sell like Lucky Charms and Cherrios you have to be, so there was always a recognition of who I was as a person and being able to bring myself to work with all the goofiness that that entails was always really encouraged and, and humor and curiosity was always really encouraged. So I didn't feel like I had to be someone else in the role and, you know, in fact, You know, a lot of appreciation for what I brought as an English major, not being a business major you know, to the table. So I realized my talents that I didn't think were a fit actually could differentiate, differentiate being the organization.
LJR: Right. Right. So where was it that you ultimately kind of got drawn to and then got developed from.
KCD: So I was in Boston for two and a half years, had an amazing experience, you know, mostly with my Dartmouth posse there and, you know, renting houses on the Cape and living our best lives. So that was great. And then was transferred to Atlanta and I remember kind of going, oh gosh, now that. They're asking me to do things like now, now it's like is now when I go to law school, like when does that happen? You know, and you know, more and more, my role got more analytical and it was clear that they saw me on kind of a leadership path within the organization. And so I think my next move, which was to Minneapolis, which again, like, you know, and I'm sure we all do this in our early career where we're like, yeah, it's just, it's only for like a year or so or whatever. And you know 20 years later, I'm still in Minneapolis at headquarters. You know, it became very clear that there's, you know, different paths that I could take. And the role that I had when I moved to Minneapolis was one that was kind of a hub of the organization, super stressful job, but you were kind of the liaison between headquarters and field communication on really any issue that came up. And so it was a great way to get to understand, again, kind of, you know, how the organization works and how business. So you learned about supply chain, you learned about marketing. I learned, I didn't want to be a marketer, which I thought very briefly I did because I, you know, the job, the sales job actually was where the action and the fun was at, which was an interesting insight for me as I worked with my marketing counterparts on that role.
So that was one where I thought, oh gosh, you know, maybe, maybe I don't need to go, you know, to get additional education. And I, believe me, the idea of going to business school and just being in academia for a couple of years, was super appealing to just as a means to kind of get off the track, but wound up meeting my husband through General Mills. And so that was also a pull, as you know, I didn't really want to, you know, go off to Hanover, Michigan or something for a couple of years as well. And so my priorities started to, to shift.
LJR: Yeah, but they were able to the supported by the organization.
KCD: Yeah, that's exactly right. Well, and I say, like, as I said, I've been with General Mills almost 25 years now, which is crazy, but you know, it feels like I've had multiple jobs in different organizations because I've been able to move around. I'm currently actually in our convenience and food service segment, which is, you know, schools and hospitals and restaurants. And so that's very different than the grocery experience I had on the other side. And so every time I start to get bored, they'd be like, here's something new. I've done cross-functional roles in finance, which again, as an English major. I never thought would happen. And so I think that just kind of continued development and, you know, interest has kept me.
Right. Definitely. And I mean, there, I think that's, that's the key when we think about, oh, I too have been fairly monogamous in my [KCD: I love that word] work life. And, and yet you do that because you're always changing, but the organization is changing just like a marriage, you know, and [KCD: Right.] And so I think if it, if it allows, if it's the kind of relationship or institution that allows that flexibility and change, and even really desires that of its people, it can make for a really varied life.
And yeah, for those of us who—I know you are a free spirit and have that, I just, I think you even said goofy, like, you know, you need that kind of, oh, let's, let's try this and who knows what's going to happen. Right. So I will say I've done a little research and I know that you and your husband to have a little bit of goofy on the side. [KCD: Yeah] So tell me more.
KCD: You know, as you think about like adding, adding spice to your work marriage and beyond has been huge. So my, my husband, as I mentioned, I met him through General Mills. And General Mills, as lots of large organizations, you know, happen has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs. And unfortunately my husband—or I should say fortunately, actually—my husband was a casualty of one of those layoffs. Wrong place, wrong time. He was also a director in the organization, so we kind of grew up together.
Part of the reason I married my husband is because he is like, just remarkable and the most positive human being you'll ever meet. And so, as he said, he's like, I had one bad day and then, and then I moved on because, you know, he's kind of an Alchemist in his life. You know, he's able to kind of make lemonade out of all the things, which is great. And also makes me feel really like, I'm like the Negative Nelly inthe relationship sometimes. But it's great. He's wonderful.
LJR: Yeah. And it's not just lemonade actually, that he makes.
KCD: Right. Well, great segue. So, you know, he had a very nice severance cause we'd been with the organization for a long time. And what we talked about, I said, you know, you've got time, like don't rush into anything. Go, go do the things that are of interest to you and then decide what you want to do. Like what a gift we've been given. And so, you know, we, we joke his name is Scott and we joke that it was the SOS: The summer of Scott And it was like the most benign midlife crisis you could possibly have, you know, instead of like, you know, blondes and cars, like he got his, you know, entry-level sommelier tests done and all these sort of, you know, he was just doing whatever thing was kind of interesting to him, spending a ton of time with the kids, which was awesome.
And so he actually, we, we took a cocktail class as part of the SOS and the class name was syrups and shrubs. Now, most people haven't heard of shrubs. We had not. It stems from colonial times or apple cider vinegar-based cocktail mixers. And it started in colonial times as a way for people to preserve fruits, you would put apple cider vinegar with fruit, and then you would use the kind of runoff from that to cover up the taste of like bad alcohol that had fallen into the harbor, you know. Like, so you can cover up a lot of things, but there's..
LJR: We needed that in Hanover.
KCD: Oh my God. We were, I was laughing with someone about Boone's Farm the other day, by the way. So I was like, that's been a while. But he was like, Hey, you know, it was literally one of those moments where like sun was shining in through the window. We looked at each other and he's like, [LJR: (singing) AHHH] totally like, angels were singing. He's like, this is what I want to do. Like I want to make shrubs. And so he just went out. It literally was within two weeks he had debuted at the farmer's market. And so he, it was a family affair. Like the whole family had like the side hustle. His product is called the twisted shrub.
And so we did tons of farmer markets. It's available on Amazon if anyone wants it. But the even more exciting part, I mean, speaking of continuing to evolve…So we had a lot of people coming in and saying, Hey, I really like your shrubs, but I'm using them as my daily dose of apple cider vinegar in a day, which is a health benefit, right? So he actually, out of that consumer insight has created a health shot called the twisted shot, go figure. Also available on Amazon and actually the bulk of the business COVID and all of the fear of that instilled has actually helped that business explode on Amazon. So if you are looking for a health shot yeah. It’s Apple cider vinegar, which is hard to handle, but it has a lot of things that both make it taste good and are also better for you health wise. So like, you know, raw honey and cinnamon and cayenne and the anti-inflammatories and all that good stuff. So anyway, so that side hustle has turned into full-time and that's been really fun for us and just to, you know, I'm kind of like CMO and VP, but he does all the work. And so it's been really good for us as a family.
LJR: Yeah. But very fun because not only is it something that you would have supported anyway, if he had chosen basket weaving.
KCD: Maybe I wouldn’t have with that one. Profit margins.
LJR: I don’t know. This one relates to, you know, your life in CPG. And so I feel like, you know, I'm sure there are, yes, he does all the work, but I'm sure there are insights that are so valuable to that enterprise that come from you and your experience. And it's a nice way to kind of see, look back and be like, oh yeah, I can do this, even without the big General Mills.
KCD: Totally, Leslie. I think that's a great point. And that was, you know, this business for him. He was also in CPG for like 18 years. And I think that's, you know, it is a great exit. Like he, he took what he knew. He knew how to get into retail. He knew how to build a successful P&L and he took that, you know, and now helps other entrepreneurs with that too. All of that business experience. And so, you know, none of that time at general mills was wasted. Right. Right. And I think, you know, those of us who have been with the same organization for awhile, sometimes think we don't have anything to offer outside the org or, you know, maybe that's all we can do. And I think it's you know, it was a great reminder for me, honestly, at first. Hey. You know, we'll all land on our feet. We'll figure it out. We're all skilled. We've got gifts to give whether it's our own company or working for another org. And so taking that fear out of like, okay, I could be a casualty of the next layoff or whatever, you know, building that confidence was, it was really helpful for me personally, to watch him go through that journey and, you know, see what he had to bring to the table. So…
LJR: Yeah, definitely, definitely. If you could go back to that 20, some year old K.C., who was like, oh, this will be a part, you know, short time thing or I don't know, like what would she be most surprised by in how this has turned out for you?
KCD: Yeah, as we all do. Right? Our expectations of what we think are going to happen very rarely happen, but that doesn't mean the path isn't the right one, you know?
And so I think, you know, the twenty-something maybe disappointed cause they'd be like, I thought you would have written three books by now, or I thought you would have done. Right? You know, and where you are? You know, as I think about the things that are now important to me, like, I wouldn't choose a different path. I mean, I wouldn't have met my husband. I wouldn't have the work-life balance. I wouldn't be living in Minneapolis for sure. And you know, we've really appreciated our time in the city and I love raising my kids here. And that's the other surprise of like, I didn't know, I'd be a mom of boys. And that has been a huge gift for me.
And like, I mean, anyone who knew me in college, like I, you know, I think I went to one football game. I mean, I really like, not at all, because being married to someone who is very sporty and children that are various for me, like, that's like, that is a whole new, like, talk about learning new things or new interests. Right. You know, it's like, it's a great reminder of like, you're interested in what the people you love are interested in too, rgiht? You know, so there's just a lot like each, each journey, I think you know, even if it's not what you expect at the end of the day, you can make it the right one. Cause what, what you think is important may not be the case. And I would also just say like, you know, there's a benefit to a liberal arts education, right? Like that's, that's really real. Like I didn't pigeonhole myself into, I can only do one thing or I've only majored in X, Right? Like that, that flexibility, that that's a gift, you know, from, from Dartmouth and, and other liberal arts colleges, too, yeah.
LJR: Yeah, exactly. And I mean, one of these days you're going to have an SOKC, like the summer where you get to write your book. Right. Yeah. And so maybe all that stuff will happen and you know, or maybe you'll figure out that it's—your husband didn't know what shrubs were before that summer. So who knows what?
KCDL Yeah. Gotta be open to the universe. I think that's right. Well, Leslie, I'm excited for your SOL, you know, your summer of Leslie. Maybe we can coordinate the SOKC and the SOL together.
LJR: I love it. Okay. Let's do it. Everyone needs their own summer. All right. Well, K.C., thank you so much for sharing this path with us. I think it's a good reminder that even one direction on a road can meander and can still bring joy. And you are definitely full of joy and life, and it's so good to see you again.
KCD: So good to see you, Leslie. Thanks for pinging me. This is really a treat and a highlight of my day. Thank you for that.
LJR: That was K.C. Danzansky who has held a variety of roles in consumer packaged goods during her 25-year career at General Mills. She also plays CMO and general support staff to her husband Scott's beverage company that features apple-cider-vinegar-based cocktail mixers and health shots. Find out more and see K.C. playing the role of harried bartender in their brand video at TheTwistedShrub.com. We're glad you keep coming back to our show for your healthy shot of inspiration and reflection. Please continue to follow, rate, and review our show wherever you find your podcasts. It helps us spread the word and bring new ears to the stories people share with me, Leslie Jennings Rowley, on each episode of Roads Taken.
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