Self-Care for the Safety-Savvy Woman: Why Taking Care of You Protects the World

The professional landscape for women in food safety is one of intensity, high stakes, and constant motion. Between managing complex global supply chains, navigating regulatory changes, and often balancing a demanding personal life, it is easy to feel "stressed, tired, and overwhelmed". This is the reality Joan Menke-Schaenzer, Chief Quality Officer at Van Drunen Farms and a newly appointed board member for Women in Food Safety, addressed in her recent powerful webinar.

Her message was a vital call-to-action for every woman in our industry: in a world full of noise, we must find our own quiet by prioritizing self-care and making it a deliberate, non-negotiable habit. Often mistaken as a luxury, self-care is truly a fundamental resource that can enable you to stay passionate about your work and effectively protect public health as a warrior of food safety.
The Vicious Cycle of Imposter Syndrome and Exhaustion
One of the most insidious challenges Joan addressed is imposter syndrome, which is a sinking feeling that you don't belong or are not good enough or qualified enough for your role. While this negative self-talk feels like a professional challenge, Joan suggests that it is often a critical sign that you are not instituting proper self-care.
“When you are running ragged, and you're tired, and you haven't eaten or you haven't slept, the negative voice in your head becomes much louder.”
To combat this, Joan recommends a two-pronged approach. First, label and compartmentalize the negative self-talk, acknowledging it as simply what you are telling yourself (not the truth), and put it aside. Focus on being nothing other than yourself, knowing that you are strong, smart, and that you bring value. Second, develop a feasible self-care routine to minimize factors that amplify your inner critic, such as sleep deprivation, dehydration, and lack of exercise.
Imposter syndrome tends to rear its ugly head when you are making a major career transition or stepping into a new role. Joan was faced with this when she decided to make the pivot from working on the quality side of food manufacturing to becoming the Operations Business Manager for the snacks division at Kraft. 
“Suddenly, I had product P&L responsibility and I had to pivot my focus from quality to being responsible for both cost and quality. I moved into what I would call a business-focused mindset, which is a really important mindset to have as a quality professional as well.”
Joan enjoyed her time working at Kraft for 19 years until she started noticing signs that her work/life balance was shifting. Between having faxes sent to her hotel while on family vacation, and her daughter recognizing the voice of Kraft’s VP of Quality when answering the phone, Joan knew it was time for a change.
This challenge of balancing work, family, while still making time for yourself, is structural and a more common burden for women to bear as the natural caretakers. 
“Women are often programmed to take care of others first, forgetting to take care of themselves in the process.”

Read more on our WIFS column on Food Safety Tech, LINK to the article. 

Author

Kim Ring
Director of Communication & Marketing at Kiwa ASI
​Chief PR & Communication Officer at Women In Food Safety