123 episodes

Award-winning communication professionals, Arianne Shipley and Stephanie Corso, aka The H2duO, chat with thought-leaders from both inside and outside of the water industry to serve as a resource for both personal and professional growth. Water in Real Life was created for water professionals who believe that if you desire to build the right relationships with your community, and thereby overcome many of the challenges you face, then your ability to connect with them through storytelling is essential.

Water In Real Life The H2duO

    • Government
    • 4.8 • 52 Ratings

Award-winning communication professionals, Arianne Shipley and Stephanie Corso, aka The H2duO, chat with thought-leaders from both inside and outside of the water industry to serve as a resource for both personal and professional growth. Water in Real Life was created for water professionals who believe that if you desire to build the right relationships with your community, and thereby overcome many of the challenges you face, then your ability to connect with them through storytelling is essential.

    EP114: Communication in Water: Mastering the Marathon

    EP114: Communication in Water: Mastering the Marathon

    "What you don't do with us, you do to us." This is a truth Trina shared with us about how our customers feel when we don't communicate with them the purpose, intention, and value of the work we do. 
    Top Takeaways:
    Tips on how to use the infrastructure bill as a conversation starter with the community.Humanizing how we communicate.Communication metrics.Tips on how to make the most of outsourcing communication work.and of course BRANDING!!
    Meet Trina
    Trina is an award-winning public relations and marketing expert with nearly 30 years of experience developing and managing comprehensive communication campaigns across public and private sectors. Prior to joining HDR’s Strategic Communications practice in June 2018, she was Denver Water’s Director of Public Affairs – Communications & Marketing, where she led the agency’s renown traditional and social media, marketing, advertising, content journalism, organizational communications, and youth education programs.
    HDR brought her onboard to help their water clients across the country identify unique opportunities to inform and engage audiences, and spot potential social and political risks associated with their projects. Having spent 25 years in the trenches, Trina typically serves as a senior advisor to utilities’ communications teams.

    • 55 min
    EP115: State Revolving Funds: A Key to Unlocking Community Transformation

    EP115: State Revolving Funds: A Key to Unlocking Community Transformation

    Top Takeaways:
    The top three issues concerning state revolving funds.Data and its role in shaping policy around affordability and equity. Communication and how it can be a tool to ensure no one is left behind in infrastructure planning.Ways that the state revolving fund conversation is initiating change in other areas of the water sector. Resources for small to mid size communities to get assistance for funding.
    Resources:
    Katy Hansen, katy@policyinnovation.org
    Tee Thomas, thomas@quantifiedventures.com 
    For residents and community groups to discuss and take action on water, climate, and infrastructure: The Water Equity and Climate Resilience Caucus co-convened by PolicyLink and the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy.Anthropocene Alliance  For advocates and water utilities that want to know more about SRF programs SRF Advocates Forum co-convened by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, EPIC, PolicyLink, and the River Network.  Resource pages from River Network, including the Equitable Water Infrastructure Toolkit and State Revolving Fund ResourcesSouthwest Environmental Finance Center's SRF switchboardFor towns, cities, water utilities, and others interested in applying for SRF, reach out to technical assistance providers:EPIC's Funding NavigatorRCAP
    The Drinking Water SRF report is here.
    Sign up for the SRF Forum here.
    Meet Katy and Tee!
    Dr. Katy Hansen works to improve equity in local public service provision. As a Senior Advisor for Water at EPIC, she focuses on the allocation of federal financial assistance for water infrastructure. Prior to EPIC, Katy worked at the Environmental Finance Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, Association for Water and Rural Development in South Africa, and Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in the Middle East.
    She led projects to digitize over 500 maps of

    • 49 min
    EP116: Communication and Outreach as a Tool to Break Down Silos

    EP116: Communication and Outreach as a Tool to Break Down Silos

    Karyn A. Riley, Esq. first splashed into the water sector 7 years ago after landing on the government relations team at WSSC Water. Since then, she has emerged as a key voice on the sector’s role in leveraging its widespread impact in community engagement and equitable economic development.
    Join us in this conversation that demonstrates the value communication and outreach brings to ALL utility staff and operations—not just communicators and communication initiatives.
    Top takeaways:
    How government often silos itself and the value of breaking down the barriers to collaboration.The balance required to operate with both a product-minded and service-minded business model as a water utility.Lessons learned from WSSC Water's public outreach efforts about their rates and affordability initiatives.Diversity, equity, and inclusion—what is the water industry doing well and where can it improve?
    Meet Karyn
    Karyn A. Riley, Esq. had absolutely no clue about the water sector before landing with WSSC Water almost 7 years ago and has emerged as a key voice on the sector’s role in community engagement and equitable economic development.
    As a member of WSSC Water’s senior and executive leadership teams, Karyn develops and leads organizational strategy for stakeholder engagement and manages relationships with 200+ elected and government officials at the federal, state, and local levels. She guides the organization’s legislative and policy agenda, and as been responsible for legislation that expands affordability and transparency. WSSC Water’s “chief advocate”, Karyn represents the state’s largest water utility before industry, community, and business stakeholders and is recognized for her expertise in organizational leadership, engagement, strategic planning, and policy development.
    With her extensive background in economic, policy and program development, Karyn believes that water utilities are anchor institutions with widespread impact on public health, the economy, the environment, and social justice. With the unprecedented infusion of investment in the country’s infrastructure, Karyn knows that now is the time for all players in the sector to commit to using the funding to build not only the physical infrastructure of communities, but commit to building an equitable economic infrastructure as well - especially in underserved and underrepresented ones.
    A native Marylander, Karyn is a proud alumna of Hampton University, an HBCU, and holds a law degree from Syracuse University. Outside of her professional career, she is passionate about serving her community as a mentor and volunteer, and she loves dance.

    • 50 min
    EP117: Customer Service Reps - Your Greatest Untapped Resource and Ambassadors

    EP117: Customer Service Reps - Your Greatest Untapped Resource and Ambassadors

    Kathy made a post on LinkedIn that reminded us how absolutely necessary it is for the water sector to recognize the customer service staff in our utilities that have been walking side by side with our customers throughout a global pandemic. This episode is shout out to them and their stories.
    We all need a regular reminder of how important customer service reps are to utility work. Most importantly, we can learn from Kathy about how to support customer service reps while they take care of our customers. 
    Check out her first appearance on the Water in Real Life podcast in EP046, "Innovating the Water Conservation Conversation."
    Meet Kathy:
    Kathy Nguyen graduated from Berry College with a BA in Speech/Communications and a Graduate Certification in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland. She has been with Cobb County Water System for since 2001. In 2004 she became the Water Efficiency Manager, where she developed, implemented and managed the Nationally recognized, award winning Water Efficiency Program until 2018. In 2009 she became the Senior Project Manager for Water Resources. She is currently the Customer Service Division Manager. Some of the most meaningful recognitions she has been fortunate enough to receive during her career are: the George Warren Fuller Award from the American Water Works Association for lifetime contribution to the Drinking Water Industry in Georgia, The Alliance for Water Efficiency’s Water Star Award for Career contribution to the field of water conservation, and Communicator of the Year for the Georgia Green Industry. She is a member of numerous professional organizations including AWWA, and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, where she currently serves as Vice-President for the association. She is an active community volunteer with Good Mews a Non-profit no-kill cage free cat shelter. She lives with her patient husband and 5 demanding feline "children."

    • 50 min
    EP119: Reimagining Collaboration and the Conference Experience

    EP119: Reimagining Collaboration and the Conference Experience

    When was the last time you left a water conference session feeling moved by the dialogue and perspectives presented? Stephanie was fortunate to experience that rare conference high during both iterations of the Young Professional (YP) panel at UMC2021 in Atlanta and UMC2022 in Orlando.
    You can catch the summary in the April 2022 AWWA Journal article here. Stephanie was most impressed by the panel's ability to create a safe space where people felt comfortable enough to engage and have a genuine dialogue, even when there was disagreement.
    Join us in this discussion about rethinking the way we conference and the ways we have conversations around difficult issues. We also dive into the very real discomfort of stepping outside of your comfort zone. We talk about why its' important to do so and ways to lean into the discomfort.
    Meet Chelsea:
    Chelsea Boozer is the Government Affairs Manager at Central Arkansas Water and serves on AWWA’s Young Professionals Committee. She was named to Arkansas Business’s 2020 list of 20 in Their 20s and Arkansas Money and Politics included her on its 2021 Power Women list. She holds an Executive Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University, an undergraduate journalism degree from the University of Memphis, and a reporting certificate from the Johannes Gutenberg Universitat in Germany. Chelsea has been published in Opflow and Journal AWWA, and regularly speaks at national and regional water conferences about public engagement and workforce development as it relates to young professionals. As government affairs manager, Chelsea works with government, community, and wholesale partners and stakeholders on policy, economic development, and regionalism efforts.

    • 52 min
    The Last Episode, The Next Episode

    The Last Episode, The Next Episode

    Thank you to each and every one of you for joining us on this incredible podcast journey. This is not the end, just a branch in a new direction. Please stay tuned. There's more to come!

    • 14 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
52 Ratings

52 Ratings

malfoxley ,

Great show!

Arianne and Stephanie, hosts of the Water in Real Life podcast, highlights all aspects of the water industry and more in this can’t miss podcast! The hosts and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!

Mae.Stevens ,

One of my favorite podcasts!

This is one of my favorite podcasts! Fascinating to everyone—in the water sector or not. It’s a must-listen every week!

Bill Senft EJWT ,

Always fun and thought provoking

Love the way that Stephanie and Arianne engage with guests. Playful, light hearted, joyful and also at the same time really smart and thoughtful. Always on the cutting edge of ideas and allowing guests to share their stories and be stars while Stephanie and Arianne add, encourage and comment on this background channel that makes the podcast seem very natural and easy to listen to. Thank you for this great resource for our industry!

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