Workplace Nudity

We considered calling this post “Jennifer Vidbel Nude,” yet we’re starting a new feature focusing on guests of our talk show “Career Talk Live,” and this is the kick-off. The irony of course is that she was one of our most revealing stars to date!

We’re quite proud of ourselves — following our visit to the circus, we reached out to the director of communications at the Big Apple Circus and asked if we could interview Vidbel on the show. His response was yes, and we taped two segments two nights ago.

Through the whole ordeal we laughed, and then we cried. During the taping we giggled at unexpected turns in Jenny’s story, and then we cried when we were dubbing the master tapes to DVD and realized we hadn’t eliminated the tone from the beginning of the second tape. So you can see and hear the interview, along with a deafening ringing from beginning to end. Boo! A transcript of the second show will follow soon.

What did we discuss on air? In the first show Vidbel talked about the elephant who lay on top of her during childhood circus performances; hiking up mountains and going to the beach with her entourage of horses, dogs and goats; and how to run away with the circus, natch. Plus plenty more — her candor was engaging and charming, and she was fearless in answering our prodding questions.

Catch the first segment when it airs Tuesday, January 4th at 6:00pm ET (GMT-5) at mnn.org on MNN2. Just press play.

Have you ever dreamed of joining the circus?

Photo of Vidbel via. Video footage of Big Apple Circus used with permission.

Two weekends ago we went to the Big Apple Circus, which turned out to be a highly enjoyable spectacle. When they carted out the animals, something pretty special happened:  Jenny Vidbel, the animal trainer, appeared. She was fully in charge as she directed the performances of the dogs, ponies, horses and goats that pranced around the ring so delightfully. And we thought we were jaded New Yorkers!

Vidbel seemed overjoyed to be interacting with the furry beasts, smiling broadly and sometimes giggling. Once the formal program concluded, we had the rare opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet with the performers, and Vidbel was the star attraction.

She introduced her favorite horse, who bowed to the audience elegantly, and she talked about her work.  When the floor opened for questions, we jumped at the chance to inquire about the zeal she exudes in working with the animals.

“You seem overjoyed to be training these circus animals. How did you come into your work?” we asked.

Vidbel related how she’s a third-generation circus performer and animal trainer who grew up traveling with her grandparents and their animals on various circuses throughout the country. As she grew, so did her love of ponies. Over the years her herd has grown to twelve, including a beautiful Arabian stallion.

So the job was basically handed to her? Not so much.

A small reception followed the meet-and-greet, and we approached her to continue the thread about her career. She talked about how she wakes up thinking about the animals, and how her role in the Big Apple Circus doesn’t feel like a job. All her siblings, in fact, were introduced to circus animals at a tender age, yet she was the only one to feel an affinity to the animals.

We started thinking about the skills of the circus animal trainer. Among the characteristics of the successful trainer, we noted:

• full presence in the moment, since she must be attuned to each one of the animals
• relaxed demeanor, to facilitate improvised interactions with the furry creatures as needed
• bundles of energy, for endurance in performing in front of large audiences.

It takes so much more, to be sure, and when you love what you’re doing, these requirements come naturally. In Vidbel’s case, it shows.

Video of Jennifer Vidbel in action, plus photo via

The New York Times recently missed an opportunity to talk about workplace nudity, as writer Michael R. Gordon wrote a piece about the work life of David Richardson, yet didn’t challenge the subject’s assertions that his two professions are mutually exclusive. Here’s the story.

Lt. Col. David Richardson in his own words is a ”painter who fights.”  He’s an artist showing his colorful Expressionist paintings in a Georgetown gallery through the end of January, and in February he’ll be deployed to work with Afghan security forces. Unfortunately, he doesn’t view his disparate occupations–artist and Marine–as integrable, even though they’re both extensions of himself.

Directly from “Faithful to Two Worlds: The Marines and the Artistic Life”:
Colonel Richardson does acknowledge the considerable influence of his tours of duty in Asia on his painting. During a tour in South Korea, for example, he had small canvases made for him by a local carpenter, hauled them back to his studio on his bicycle, painted symbols on the individual squares and then clamped them together to form larger works, which comprise part of his “R Series” on display in Washington DC. The faint arrows, similar to the directional markings on a tactical map, are one of the rare carry-overs from his military world.

Interestingly, his mother is an artist who paints landscapes and flowers, and his father had been a Navy diver in World War II.

Now, the catalog for the show mentions his travels to Japan and Korea, but at his request never suggests that his military service took him there. As well, during the long lulls between patrols when he and his Marines were holed up with Iraqi troops in a dilapidated soap factory in Fallujah, he never hinted that he had a passion for art.

By his own account he has long led a double existence. “It’s been pretty compartmentalized,” he said about his two lives.”  “My father taught me to talk the talk. You don’t talk about art with the Marines, and you don’t talk about the Marines with artists.”

So it sure would be tidy to blame his father for limiting his worldview. Yet as an adult, he bears some responsibility to challenge what he’s been taught. At the same time, his gestalt smacks of the restrictions imposed by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Clearly, these two distinct areas of work are related — within Colonel Richardson. Yet it’s difficult for him to work openly as a Marine and a painter. While we acknowledge that the stress of war impacts each troops’ state of mind in complicated ways, we have a hypothesis that if Col. Richardson were to come out in both worlds, his openness and mindfulness would make him a better artist and a better Marine.

Do you lead two or more distinct professional lives? What are the challenges you face in integrating them?

Image via

We wanted to call this ”Coming Out at Work: as an Alcoholic,” but which headline are you more likely to click among the Internet hoards?  Exactly.

Back in February 2007–nudity is nudity whenever it takes place–the host of The Late Late Show came out as an alcoholic. In a heartfelt monologue, he described the plan he had to end his life by jumping off the Tower Bridge after a night of binge-drinking in London. A few months later, he entered rehab and at this point has been sober for nearly 19 years.

We love that Ferguson accesses a part of him self that could seem irrelevant to late night television, and uses it to comedic and humanitarian effect. He no longer wants to make fun of celebrities and others having a tough time in life. For example, early in 2007 Britney Spears made big news by shaving her head, and he vows not to poke fun at her circumstances because he’s been there himself. He candidly explores the way his alcoholism informs how he relates to people, a significant component of his work as a talk show host.

His revelation brings him out as strong, grounded and more handsome.

Do you identify as an alcoholic? How does this part of you influence your work?

We’d like to unlearn what we’ve been taught about attending office holiday parties.  Holding on to so many “dos and don’ts” can produce untold tension, exactly what we’d like to avoid when celebrating.

Holiday gatherings in the office are tough partly because of the cognitive dissonance they bring. Is it work? Is it a party? Is it possible to engage in real revelry at work?  Yes, yes and yes. Since these get-togethers come only once a year, let’s think about some new ways to have a relaxed and fruitful experience.

1. Look closely at how you’re feeling as the party approaches. Are you nervous? Feeling dread? Think about what may be causing these feelings, which may be related to a particular person or people who will be at the shindig. What can you do or say before or during the party to help you feel better?

2. Identify your roadblocks to merrymaking. Depending on your manager’s perception of your performance this year, end-of-year reviews may bring you down. While we’ll examine this phenomenon in more detail in a future post, pinpoint how you’re feeling about your work this year. Fact is, you got through it, which in itself is cause for celebration.

A more poignant roadblock occurs when organizational heads party alongside you, kicking your coworkers’ competitive spirit into high gear as they vie for the honchos’ affections.  This may engage your own competitive nature — why shouldn’t the big bosses acknowledge you, too? — or your tendency to withdraw. Know yourself, so you won’t be surprised by your reactions during the festivities.

3. Speak to your discomfort. Because you won’t be alone if you have the holiday blues, sharing your feelings with trusted colleagues can bring relief. You may even provide comfort to those with whom you’re speaking, as they witness your candor and confidence in opening up. You exhibit leadership by revealing your personal, and very common, feelings, and you give permission to those around you to open up, too. Talk about holiday giving!

Should you find that you don’t share similar sentiments about the holidays as your office-mate(s), dig deeper within yourself to find something inside you with which you can join in the conversation — a past experience or a passing emotion, for example.

4. Listen while you’re conversing. Holiday parties are about connecting with your colleagues, and the foremost way to do so is by listening to them. What you’ll derive from listening has no limit. You may be heartened to hear about your teammates’ similar self-consciousness at parties, you might identify certain talents in a colleague that you didn’t know existed–and possibly feed your pipeline of talent for next year–and you might learn about trends in the organization or industry that could lead to professional advancement in the coming months.

5. Leverage the occasion to come out Read more »

This past spring (lately we’re playing catch-up) saw the debut of the British reality television program the “Naked Office.” It was right as we were launching this blog, and it was a fun coincidence.

Our patient readers know we do not promote actual disrobing on the job, yet a literal interpretation of workplace nudity is mildly interesting. We can appreciate that seeing your colleagues unclothed–fully exposing everyone’s physical vulnerabilities–might yield team cohesion. The communal experience of humiliation can be bonding. Still, clothes serve many functions, including keeping us warm when the air conditioner is on full-blast, and of course maintaining civility in society.

When we talk about nudity at work, we’re advocating working consciously with the full-spectrum of our internal experience, beyond simply exposing our epidermis.

So while taking off your clothes and hoping for the best feels well-intentioned, ultimately it seems misdirected. Unless it’s for television ratings, then clearly all bets are off.

Have you seen the show on Virgin 1? What did you think of it?

What do you have available, concretely, to use in service of your work?

Earlier this year we went to see the Broadway production of “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” which prompted us to think about the essentials that nearly everybody is able to access on the job.

In the middle of Act I, Claude sings “I Got Life,” a stirring song of affirmation. Naturally the song’s sentiments translate to work-life, too. He sings:

I got my hair
I got my head
I got my brains
I got my ears
I got my eyes
I got my nose
I got my mouth
I got my teeth
I got my tongue
I got my chin
I got my neck

Later he continues,

I got my arms
I got my hands
I got my fingers
Got my legs
I got my feet
I got my toes
I got my liver
Got my blood
I got my guts (I got my guts)
I got my muscles (muscles)
I got life (life)

We love how James Rado and Gerome Ragni, writers of the book and lyrics, pinpoint the fundamental parts of our bodies that facilitate our life, and thus, our work. In expressing this idea, Claude is grounded in his corporeal existence, affirming that so much of what we have extends from our physical selves.

Among the 23+ body parts Claude lists, he references our resources to think, to see, to listen, to sense, to create and to build. Our human potential when using these faculties in concert with one another is pretty staggering!

In the career counseling arena, to be well-attuned to the people with whom we work, our ears are arguably the most important faculty for us to engage. Our brain, tongue and hands come in a close second. In standing in front of the classroom, for example, or sitting one-on-one with a client, we necessarily need to engage every single internal resource we have.

Look at how much we learn from Broadway musicals.

What are the most critical faculties you use in your work?