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Episode 6 of Leading Through Adversity Series. Drew Demery and David Sherry sit down with Julia Mannes, Camp Director for Camp Tanglefoot, a Girl Scout camp in northern Iowa. Julia shares some great insight into the challenges and successes of working and living year-round at camp. 

Welcome to the podcast, Julia Mannes. It’s great to have you joining us. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your camp journey.

Thanks for having me on. I’ve been with Camp Tanglefoot my entire life. I was a camper here as well as Counselor-In-Training. Then I worked 6 summers as a counselor and after college I was able to land a full-time job here. We are located on Clear Lake in northern Iowa. We have a lot of great camp programs and waterfront activities.

My wife and I both loved camp but were a bit nervous about introducing children into that environment full time. It can be challenging to balance normal life with a camp career. Please tell us a bit about your family dynamic.

I have a husband, 2 young daughters and two older step daughters. It definitely has been challenging trying to navigate a marriage, becoming a mother and becoming a stepmother all while being a full-time Camp Director.

You have young children and they come with a lot of energy.

Yes, and it’s interesting because of Covid we haven’t experienced a full summer of camp with both of my young daughters. We will be this year though. It will be kind of strange because no one has met my 1.5 year old yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

All of my kids loved growing up at camp, I think it’s a great place to raise kids. It was not always easy but it’s really rewarding. Having children between summers can be really interesting because it changes your life/work dynamic. What have been some of your challenges so far, Julia?

My work and life schedules have changed drastically. Before children and a husband, I could work all day and night if I wanted, but now I need to work around their schedules. It has provided more structure to my life and I find myself more protective of the opportunities I have set aside strictly as family time. My perspective has really changed since having children.

Could you please tell us a bit about that journey? What have been some roadblocks and how have you worked through those tough moments?

I was able to ease into it because I was already a Camp Director when I met my husband and my two future step daughters. It was however difficult to see exactly what life would be like raising my own babies at camp. At first when I had a child I felt conflicted internally because I wanted to keep up my old Camp Director schedule but that just wasn’t possible with an infant.

Did your husband, Mike have any experience with camp life?

He had a history of Boy Scouting, and an appreciation for it but didn’t really know exactly what it meant to be a Camp Director or have a camp life full-time. That first summer of dating was eye opening for him, but he was very respectful and supportive.

What has Mike’s role been in recent years?

At this point, I couldn’t do it without his support. At the end of every summer we re-evaluate whether this career is a good fit for all of us. Our family is the most important part of my life. Mike is very supportive and sometimes we have conflicts and challenges like every marriage. In the summer he takes on a lot of the parenting responsibilities while I am pulled into camp life pretty far.

What other tools or boundaries do you rely on?

I try to incorporate my family into camp as much as possible. It’s pretty convenient having 4 girls at a Girl Scout camp. When my children participate in activities they always let the other campers go first. Another thing we like to do is have dinner together every night. So my family always joins me and the rest of camp for dinner in the Dining Lodge. It’s become a really good ritual for all of us. Sometimes introducing my family into the camp schedule felt strange because I didn’t want to be making exceptions, but it truly was the only time during the summer that I could see my family on a regular basis.

How have you incorporated the summer staff into this fold? How do you share this information with them so that it doesn’t seem awkward or strange?

I’ve tried to be as open as possible with them, I’m very candid with them. One situation arose that sticks with me, trying to get to flags on time in the morning is difficult when you’re also managing infants during that same time. I would be late sometimes and that felt strange because I wanted my staff to be on time but I myself couldn’t always be. Now I’m more comfortable with those kids of situations and communicating them to summer staff.

That takes an incredible amount of grace. What do your kids do during the day when you’re working?

When my girls were born, I had 12 weeks of leave with them. Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa also has an awesome “infants at work” program for the following 3 months after maternity leave. It’s an amazing program, and my organization is so incredibly supportive. Because of that “Infants at Work” program, I was able to hear my daughter’s laugh for the first time. I would have missed that moment had it not been for that program.

What impact has living at camp full-time had on your daughters?

My 13 year old stepdaughter has grown up the last 7 years at camp and it’s been amazing to watch her grow to love camp and make lifelong friends here. I hope that my younger daughters also love camp. I will do my hardest to teach them that camp is a great thing.

We spoke about “Grace” as being a quality that you’ve needed to rely on as a Camp Director. What other leadership qualities have you needed to rely on to make your situation a success?

Communication is paramount to success, not just establishing good protocols but also having making sure it happens at camp and at home. It’s just as important to communicate about tough subjects at home as it is at camp, because otherwise they might not get addressed. I’ve become a more inclusive person because of my career. Camp has really impacted the way that I parent. I’m learning a lot about managing children on a daily basis as a parent that will connect me better with my camp parents and kids. Because of camping I’ve also learned to front load ideas and schedules, which has made a huge impact on my parenting style and success.

What advice would you give someone who is new to this situation?

Having grace is incredibly important. Everything is about to change so allowing yourself some flexibility and gratitude will really go a long way. Be happy for what you have and live in the moment.

Thank you for joining us, Julia. You’re a great Camp Director and we really appreciate all that you’re doing for children through your camping efforts.