You are the Editor and Publisher of Tucker Publishing.  Tell us a little about your education, professional background, and how you got into publishing.

When I was 10 years old I “published” a neighborhood newsletter called the Greencove Acres Blab, along with my next-door neighbor.  I made myself editor and we reported on the talent show we were staging, what neighbors were in the hospital, and a neighbor who was a state representative.  We drew comics, as well.  My mom, a schoolteacher at neighboring Caze Elementary, copied it for us on the mimeograph machine.  I can still smell that purple ink!

I always wanted to write and edit.  At Western Kentucky University I majored in public relations and English.  The PR program was housed in the journalism school.  I served as editor of the yearbook, The Talisman.

My first job out of school was at Keller Crescent Co., then the 40th largest advertising agency in the world.  I had served an internship there in college.  My title was public relations jr. writer!  That’s very much an entry level position!  I worked at KC for five years, then began a career in financial services marketing, eventually working as an investment advisor at Hilliard Lyons and then a trust officer at Old National Trust.

A huge fan of magazines, my husband, Todd, and I thought Evansville needed a good city magazine, and, naively at the time, we thought I could put one together.  How different could it be than a neighborhood newsletter or a college yearbook?  We formed the company in 1999 and published our first issue of Evansville Living in 2000, with 1.5 employees.  Soon my husband, too, left his corporate medical sales job, and 12 years later, we employ a dozen people and publish 14 magazine issues each year, plus numerous custom publishing projects for clients.

What were the biggest challenges?

The greatest challenges are not what many people predicted when we began our company. We have plenty of content ideas, month after month, issue after issue.  Quality is not a challenge for us, either – we are completely committed to producing the high quality city magazines that our city deserves.

Owning a small company and deriving our family’s financial resources from this small company, while providing the top level creative talent that makes up our staff a good living, can be, from time to time, challenging.  Tucker Publishing Group did not experience large drops in advertising as many of our peer city magazines did in the great recession of 2008-2010, still we were challenged and are grateful that Evansville continues to support city magazines here.

What are the biggest rewards?

I am blessed and fortunate.  The biggest reward is getting to do something I’m passionate about and the community cares.  We’re just producing magazines and related materials, but I believe we are helping to improve life in our community, and improve lives, by shining the spotlight on our wonderful citizens.

You’ve got a lot of women executives within your business.  Do you have any programs in place for networking and promoting your women in business?

I have been a member of ANEW since we began our magazine.  I have encouraged our female employees to take advantage of ANEW.  I am a founding member of the Vanderburgh County Women’s Fund, and through it, I have encouraged women in our office to become aware of organizations in Evansville working to serve women and children.

Additionally, TPG has employed dozens of interns over the years. While the majority of our interns have been female college students, we’ve been supremely pleased with all of our interns through the years.  In fact, several years ago we were recognized by the State of Indiana Indiana INTERNet program as being the best company for interns!  Our entire staff works hard to mentor our interns, many of whom have been hired as full time employees.

You work with your husband, Todd Tucker, who serves as President of Tucker Publishing…  How do you make that work?

We are often asked that question.  Working with your spouse is both an opportunity and a challenge, a risk and a reward.  We have never looked back!

I wish I could say that we have established effective boundaries – that we do not discuss work at dinner or when one of us is showering, but that really is not the case.  We are conscious of this invasion of family and private time and do gauge that.

From a work perspective, we both have clear duties, separated duties, and yet still are jointly charged with making many, many decisions. Mutual respect is very important.

You’re an expert in communications.  Do you really think men and women communicate from different planets?

The older I get and longer I work, the more I believe men and women ARE from different planets. I’m a thinker – I am thinking and formulating ideas constantly, especially when it comes to problem solving. Working with my husband, I realize, does give me a unique perspective, but I tend to think men, in general, are more likely to retreat from their problems, rather than actively think about solutions.  However, this example highlights the difference between thinking and doing.  I believe men can strike problems from their minds until they are ready to take action.  Forgive me guys, for the generalization.

You’ve got two teenage sons, and a busy life outside of the work hours.  How do you manage to juggle it all? 

Like most women, I often think I barely manage.  These days, it seems, something must go, so to speak, and that has been a perfectionist attitude about my home.

As for family management, my husband and I share duties of hauling around our active children (age 10 and 13), and we have an established network of friends who all pitch in to help all of our children.  We share several carpools.

In recent years my husband and I have limited, to some degree, our after hours commitment, insisting that we are guided by the priorities of family life.  Additionally, our excellent staff members can represent the company at many affairs and on organizational boards.

Do you have any timesaving tips for busy female professionals?

When I turned 40 I thought it was short hair!  So I cut off all my hair, nearly quite literally. Hair doesn’t buy too much time, though, and today I have a lot more – more hair but not more time!  I’m an early riser. I can get my workouts done, some housework, and a jump on my day workday on the computer before my kids are up.

Do you have a favorite indulgence after a long work day? 

If I were no longer able to practice Bikram-style hot yoga here, I would be in rough shape.  I have practiced yoga for 10 years, and it is part of my life.  A morning weight training and walking routine is also important to me.

Music is a big part of my life, so I might put on a CD I enjoy and I do drink wine a bit.  I’m also fortunate to get to travel for work to some pretty unique destinations, so of course, that is an indulgence.

What books are on your bed stand right now?

I have a horrible habit of multi-tasking and browsing books.  Perhaps I read books as I do magazines.  So, I have lots of books going, in print and on my iPad.  I am working on “The Help” (the movie was great), as well as Oscar Wilde’s only novel, “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” and a fun yoga book called, “Slim, Sexy Yoga.”  (Wowee!)

Your favorite place to shop?

I don’t shop enough, and as a result, I don’t have the ideal wardrobe. Stein Mart always serves me well.  I love our locally owned shops, Carolyn’s, Wildflower, and Excursions.  I recently modeled in a style show for Gilda’s Club with fashions by Graceful Lady and I bought the really fun holiday pants outfit I wore.  The women sales associates there are fabulous at putting together outfits.  Flutter in Newburgh is also a really nice, fun store.

I do shop online, mostly Banana Republic with their great sales and good quality.

As for gifts, I have relied on Nance Galleries for years.  A present from Nance comes with a nice little card explaining the province of the item and it feels really special.

Do you have a female mentor?  Or do you have a female that you serve as a mentor for?  What is that process like?

I have been fortunate to have many great mentors, and several female mentors through the years.  Growing up in the PR business career-wise, I have been mentored by many talented women whose advice I think about today.

Though I would not call it a formal mentoring process, I do hope the women (mostly younger) in our office consider me their mentor.

My mother who died three years ago was a great mentor to me.  My father died when I was 14, and my mother, a single school teacher, raised three girls with strength and courage.

Final words…  Do you have any parting advice for young females wanting to find success in their area of business?

The best advice I can give about achieving success is to have passion, energy, and commitment.  Of course, to try to always do the right thing.  You must love what you do.  That doesn’t mean you’ll love every minute of it.  Who would be excited about our magazines if we were not super enthusiastic and energetic about them ourselves?  Work hard.  There’s no substitute for that.  Hard work does make you feel good!  It’s proven time and again that women are empowered by work.  Don’t be afraid to fail!  Take action!  If my husband and I had not adopted a “just do it” mentality, we might have seen someone else’s city magazine on newsstands here – or no magazines at all.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story!