RailTel Corporation of India

There is something people do not talk about enough in caregiving. The importance of stepping away for a moment, not because you love less, but because you need enough strength to continue loving well. Over the past 7 months, my family and I have walked through one of the hardest seasons of our lives as we care for my mom during end of life dementia and heart failure. Caregiving is physically exhausting, emotionally draining, spiritually heavy, and mentally consuming. Many caregivers quietly carry guilt anytime they do something for themselves. Recently, I had someone question why I would leave my mom for a couple of days. The truth is, I am not leaving her. I am making sure that when I am present, I can be the best version of myself for her. Caregivers cannot pour endlessly from an empty cup. We need moments to breathe, reflect, reset, and reconnect with ourselves so we can continue showing up for the people we love most. This week I am headed to a Scaling Joy Retreat with 18 incredible women who each understand hard seasons from their own life experiences. I know this time away will not erase the pain or challenges waiting for me at home. But I also know it will help restore clarity, perspective, strength, and joy that have been buried beneath months of caregiving responsibilities and grief. And to those who questioned my love for my mother because I chose to take a couple of days for mental and emotional restoration, I truly hope you never have to experience what my family has endured this past year. But if you ever do, I hope you are surrounded by the same kind of love, support system, grace, and understanding that I have been blessed with. Sometimes the strongest thing a caregiver can do is admit they need care too. Also #shadesup4kids Acumen Financial Advantage Samantha Paxson Judah Musick Jonathan Taylor, MBA Nancy Johns, ICUDE Phillip Senn CU Spotlight #Caregiving #MentalHealth #ScalingJoy #CaregiverSupport #EndOfLifeCare #DementiaCare #SelfCare #FamilyCaregiving #Grace #Healing

The Leadership Skill No One Talks About: Emotional Endurance Leadership can look powerful from the outside. Vision. Decision-making. Influence. Momentum. But what often goes unseen is the emotional weight leaders carry quietly. The pressure to stay steady during uncertainty. The responsibility of making difficult decisions. The expectation to continue showing up for others even when personally exhausted. And over time, if leaders are not intentional, emotional fatigue turns into emotional detachment. That’s why one of the most important leadership skills today isn’t just resilience. It’s emotional endurance. The ability to continue leading with empathy, clarity, and humanity—even in difficult seasons. Because leadership is not simply about managing outcomes. It’s about managing energy. Your own and the energy of the people around you. And people feel leadership energy immediately. They feel: Whether a leader is present or distracted Whether they are grounded or reactive Whether they create stability or anxiety Emotional endurance requires something many leaders struggle to prioritize: Space. Space to reflect. Space to recalibrate. Space to reconnect to purpose. Without it, leadership becomes survival instead of impact. The strongest leaders are not the ones who never feel pressure. They are the ones who learn how to carry responsibility without losing compassion, perspective, or themselves along the way. Because sustainable leadership is not about pushing endlessly. It’s about learning how to remain human while carrying the weight of leadership well. Reflection: What helps you stay grounded during difficult leadership seasons? Phillip Senn Jonathan Taylor, MBA Michael Cyr Kimberly Plant, MBA, PMP, CUDE, CCUE Ashley Beach Reid, CCUFC, CUDE Cristian C. Hardy, M.Ed. Andy Manthei Michael Beall, ICUDE James C. Hunter, MPA CU Spotlight #leadership #ShirleyontheStreet #leadership

How Great Leaders Build Trust Without Saying a Word Some leaders command attention the moment they walk into a room. Not because they’re the loudest. Not because of their title. But because people feel something around them: Trust. And trust is rarely built through speeches or strategy decks. It’s built in smaller moments. The way someone listens without rushing to respond. The consistency between what they say and what they actually do. The ability to create calm in moments of uncertainty. Great leaders understand that people don’t just remember decisions. They remember experiences. They remember how leadership made them feel during difficult seasons. Did leadership create fear—or clarity? Did people feel valued—or managed? Did they feel like another number—or like someone who mattered? The truth is, leadership presence is often communicated long before words are spoken. People notice: ✔️ Whether you genuinely listen ✔️ How you respond under pressure ✔️ Whether your actions align with your values ✔️ How you treat people who have nothing to offer you Because leadership is not built through authority. It’s built through credibility. And credibility is earned in consistency. Especially today, people are craving something deeper from leadership: Authenticity, Transparency, Humanity, Emotional intelligence Not perfection. Humanity. The leaders who will create the greatest long-term impact are not the ones trying to appear flawless. They’re the ones willing to lead with empathy, accountability, and purpose. Because at the end of the day, people may forget the presentation… But they never forget how leadership made them feel. Reflection: What’s one leadership quality that instantly builds trust for you? #leadership #thoughtleadership Michael Cyr Jonathan Taylor, MBA Tamra Gaines, CMM, CPC, ELI-MP, CUDE Tobi Weingart Juli Lewis, CMPFinCap, CCUFC, CUDE, CCUE Julie Ferguson, CUDE Anthony R. Hernandez Richard Mohr, CUDE Nick Wodogaza, CUDE Katia M. Phillip Senn CU Spotlight Loriann Mancuso, CUDE Sarah Cooke, MBA (she/her)

Thanks Ronaldo Hardy for reminding us all about the importance of community and collaboration. I personally appreciate you sharing this story from your time as CEO at Southwest Louisiana Credit Union . When you hired me and the company I worked for to collaborate on building a vision of empowerment for the community, I had no idea where that journey would lead. One of the greatest lessons I learned through CDFI work is that truly serving a community means understanding the barriers behind the statistics. As we researched the Lake Charles area, I was stunned to discover thousands of jobs sitting unfilled, not because opportunity didn’t exist, but because access did not. The education required for many of these careers often took six months or less to complete, yet families living paycheck to paycheck faced impossible barriers. Pell grants and federal aid often did not cover these short-term programs. Childcare costs, high-interest debt, and predatory auto loans made advancement feel out of reach. The solution was not building flashy new products. It was reimagining how existing products could be aligned to real community needs. 💠 A Technical Skills Loan was created as an unsecured personal loan with deferred payments until education was completed. Risk was mitigated through partnerships with local community colleges and technical schools that maintained placement rates above 90%, with repayment simplified through payroll deduction. 💠 A Student Retention Loan helped consolidate high-interest debt, lowering monthly payments and freeing up cash flow for families while they attended school. 💠 An Auto Loan Refinance program used higher LTV limits to help participants escape predatory auto loans and refinance negative equity situations. 💠 Childcare vouchers and wraparound financial education completed the ecosystem of support. This was not just product development. This was mission-driven purpose and community impact in action. When credit unions, educators, nonprofits, and community leaders align around a shared vision, solutions are found, lives are changed, and communities move forward together. Chad Miller Jessica Larocca, CUDE, CCUFC, CDCFC Joe Brancucci Michael Beall, ICUDE Pablo DeFilippi Andy Manthei Judy DeLucca CCUE,CCUP,CUERME, CCUFC, NCCO James C. Hunter, MPA Michael Cyr Blake Allison Renee Sattiewhite Chelsia N. Shreenath R. Inclusiv #ShirleyontheStreet CU Spotlight

Institution of Railway Signal Engineers Indian Section (IRSE) and IRSTE (India) under the aegis of Railways shall be organising next International Convention fom 10th to 13th June 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It is a major international platform focused on railway signalling, telecommunications, and train control technologies. The vent brings together railway operators, engineers, policymakers, OEMs, and tech firms. Focuses on digital transformation, safety, and advanced control systems. It Includes technical sessions, exhibitions, and innovation challenges This year the theme is " Desigining, Developing & Manufacturing AI Driven Next Generation Railway Control & Command Signalling Systems for a Viksit Bharat and shall cover Transition from conventional signalling → intelligent, AI -driven systems, Integration of AI, IoT, Big Data, and cloud computing, Movement toward cyber-physical railway systems, However, major focus area shall be (1) AI-based Command, Control & Signalling, including Development of AI-powered centralized traffic control (CTC) systems, (2) Optimsation of routing, scheduling, and conflict resolution with a goal to move toward autonomous / semi-autonomous train operations (3) Predictive Maintenance using AI/ML for Asset failure prediction, rolling stock health monitoring and Integration with IoT sensors and (4) condition-based Digital twins for simulation and system design validation , (5) OT - Cybersecurity & Safety Assurance, which shall include Secure AI systems for mission-critical railway operations and design and development of Cyber-resilient signalling & Safe AI deployment frameworks in Alignment with IRSE’s emphasis on high safety standards in signalling systems. It is expected that the convention shall result in Strategic Outcomes to Acceleration of autonomous and intelligent railway systems, Improved safety, capacity, and efficiency, Creation of a data-driven, AI-enabled railway ecosystem, Strong push toward Make in India + global competitiveness

#ShirleyontheStreet Wow what a beautiful night for the 1st annual Boots and Bowties Gala at the Grand Ole Opry hosted by the @Tennessee Credit Union League and MISSISSIPPI CREDIT UNION LEAGUE, INC. Kim Buchanan Sarah Waters, CUDE Fred Robinson Ron S. Jonathan Taylor, MBA CU Spotlight