Senior Director of External Communications, Zebra Technologies
Therese Van Ryne - Author Zippy's Special Gift, a Readers' Favorite 5-star, Creative Children's Book
Our guest today on the Success InSight Podcast is Therese Van Ryne
Therese is the author of Zippy's Special Gift, a Readers' Favorite 5-star, creative children's book.
Zippy's Special Gift honors and appreciates our own uniqueness, and invites us on a mission to create a more inclusive culture, and spreading kindness while helping to improve children’s literacy
Therese is the Head of Global Public Relations, Thought Leadership and Advocacy
Zebra Technologies
Profits from the sales of Zippy's Special Gift will be donated to one of Zebra Technologies strategic charitable partners, Bernie's B...
About Therese Van ryne
Therese Van Ryne, Senior Director of External Communications at Zebra Technologies, has discussed the company’s philanthropic initiatives and her own children’s book in podcast appearances. In a February 2024 interview, Van Ryne stated that Zebra “really believe[s] in the notion of doing well by doing good.” She described the company’s employee volunteer program, saying, “We consider it an employee benefit that we each have four days of paid time off each year that we can volunteer.” She also mentioned a “donations for doers” program in which Zebra makes a monetary donation to an organization when employees volunteer a certain number of hours. Van Ryne is the author of the children’s book *Zippy’s Special Gift*, which she said was inspired by her role leading Zebra’s philanthropy efforts and the company’s partnership with Bernie’s Book Bank, a nonprofit that provides books to children in underprivileged situations. She stated that “all of the proceeds from the sales of this book have been donated to Bernie’s Book Bank.” Van Ryne described writing a book as a personal goal, adding, “I believe that we all have these special things inside of us that are necessary… and getting it out is really critical.”
Transcript (33 segments)
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Howard Fox0:03
Success Insight shares the stories of the people with passion and drive who make things happen in the world. Here's your host, Howard Fox. Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Success Insight podcast. Our guest today is Therese Van Ryne. Therese is the author of the creative children's book, Zippy's Special Gift. Zippy's Special Gift honors and appreciates our own uniqueness and invites us on a mission to create a more inclusive culture and spreading kindness while helping to improve children's literacy. Now, Therese is the head of global public relations, thought leadership, and advocacy for Zebra Technologies, and I am so happy to have Therese on the show. This is our first children's book for 2021, so Therese, thank you so much for joining us today.
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Therese Van Ryne0:56
Thank you so much for having me, Howard. I'm really looking forward to our conversation.
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Howard Fox1:01
Fantastic. Now, I know there's a lot going on regarding this book and some really cool initiatives that are underway, and so we're going to have a lot of great information to share. But first thing I'd love to have my listeners, you know, become aware of, tell us a little bit about your background and what kind of led you to want to write a book. I know you and I chatted a few minutes ago talking about the proverbial bucket list, so I get that. But tell us a little bit about your backstory.
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Therese Van Ryne1:33
Sure. Well, I grew up always loving to write and always looked for opportunities to do creative writing. And so I pursued a career in public relations, and like you said, I'm very pleased to lead that function at Zebra Technologies today. And it was on my bucket list, like you said, to write a book. And it just so happened that when I took on the role of leading philanthropy at Zebra as well as PR, we began a relationship with Bernie's Book Bank, which is a great organization in the Chicago area that really helps children change their story through reading and to help them promote literacy. I thought, what better way to write our own book about Zippy the Zebra. Zippy is the mascot of Zebra Technologies, and so we're bringing Zippy to life in this wonderful book. And I'm pleased to share with you that all of the proceeds from the sales of this book actually benefit Bernie's Book Bank.
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Howard Fox2:31
Very good. Well, that is true philanthropy, and it also marries up very nicely to this desire to want to write a book. Tell us a little bit about the story around Zippy's Special Gift. What will children take away from this book, or even adults for that matter? I mean, you've been in this business long enough to know that children's books sometimes are really good for adults when it comes to learning and development and all those cool things that happen inside corporations.
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Therese Van Ryne2:58
Absolutely, I couldn't agree more. And you know, I think it's a benefit when the parent who's reading it to their child is enjoying it as well, right? And I've had a lot of feedback that it really is a very nice book for all ages. I had a colleague ask me, 'Did you conduct some focus groups around this?' because my daughter wakes up every morning reciting part of the book to me. So it's just been absolutely wonderful to have that feedback. And I would describe the book as one of those that rhymes, right? It has kind of a cadence to it, which I always enjoyed reading those types of materials as I was growing up. It's a very colorful book full of a lot of animals and bright imagery. It really tells the story about how we each have a special gift, and especially if you're down a little bit, I'll even pick it up myself and read through it and say, you know, this does serve as a good reminder that we're each unique in our own way and we have special characteristics about each of us that we should celebrate every day.
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Howard Fox3:56
Fantastic. Now, with the name of the corporation that you work for, Zebra Technologies, and for our listeners, this is kind of an obvious, there is a zebra who is a focal point of the book. How did you begin to move beyond this idea of the book and start to craft the story? You know, typically children's books are in the 35 to 45 page range and, you know, short pieces of text accompanied by some very nice illustrations. And by the way, we should give a call out to your illustrator, Walter Palace, I believe, I think that's how you pronounce it. And yeah, so how did you begin to construct this story? What kind of went into it for you? What was your kind of your guiding light there?
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Therese Van Ryne4:44
I would say the guiding light was it came to me actually in April when I actually sat down and put fingertips to the PC, if you will. And I knew I wanted it to rhyme, like I mentioned earlier. And I knew that in addition to Zippy the Zebra, it should showcase other animals as well, because everyone loves animals, right? And so I thought that would make for a great plot line, that Zippy actually goes on a journey. She starts off with talking with her mother and says, 'I really don't like my stripes.' And so I followed the character through her journey as she runs into animals and realizes what each of their special gifts were. And in the end, I think it's a very touching realization that Zippy has about how her stripes are actually a special gift to her. And it's interesting, Howard, just this morning I received an email from a colleague who sent me a picture of her young daughter reading the book, and she said, 'What a wonderful gift you've given us. After reading the book last night with my daughter, she and I talked about what her special gifts are, and we had a great discussion around that.' And what a blessing that is as a children's book author. You don't think of that as an outcome to the production of a book, but to hear children and their parents talking about the special gifts that they have and realizing that together, that's been a very nice outcome of this book.
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Howard Fox6:10
Very good. And can you perhaps share just a couple—we don't want to give the entire gift away here—but you know, speaking of Zippy's Special Gift, what are some of the uniquenesses that the characters in the book have that you can share with us?
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Therese Van Ryne6:26
Sure, sure. If I may, I'll read a quick excerpt for you. Zippy runs into Owl, one of her friends, and the book goes: 'When Zippy asked Owl about his gift, he replied, I can hoot. I don't always like the sound I make, but it's better than toot-toot.' And that's actually the phrase that one of the young girls that read the book with her father wakes up every morning and says, 'Dad, Owl doesn't say toot-toot.' So it's nice to know that she has that memory and hopefully reads it very often.
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Howard Fox6:57
Very good. Now, with the book, it is scheduled to be officially published in March of this year. You're in the technology field, even though you are in public relations and the thought leadership advocacy. You know, we know we beta test stuff, you know, as an old technology guy. How did you beta test this book? Who did you go to? Did you kind of say, 'What do you think of the story? You know, what do you like? What would you like to change?' How did you go about doing that?
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Therese Van Ryne7:30
Yeah, that's a great question too, Howard. I would say my initial focus group was my family. I have two teenage daughters and a teenage son as well, so they're not quite in the target age for this children's book. However, you know, we're all children at heart, right? And so first I shared the story with them and my husband as well, and they may have made a few tweaks with me along the way. If I pointed out certain characters' special gifts, they might say, 'Have you thought about this unique characteristic of the animal?' And so it was a fun process engaging with them. And then, as you say, Walter did an amazing job on the illustrations as well, and I shared some of the early illustrations with my family as well, and they gave me a little bit of feedback here and there. So that was the initial group, and then I widened it out to some of my colleagues and shared it with them as well. And you know, Zebra is known for giving a performance edge to the front line of business. So a lot of what we do is, like you say, providing technology to front line workers to help them improve their performance, give them better operational visibility into what they do. So by engaging with my colleagues, I really felt like I was given a performance edge in publishing this book.
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Howard Fox8:44
Very good. Now, I'm curious, your work with Mascot Books and with Walter, how was that experience for you? Were you introduced to Walter from Mascot, or did you go off and, as many children's book authors do, go off and find an illustrator and kind of get into a discovery process with them to see can they turn your ideas into actual works of art? How did that work out for you?
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Therese Van Ryne9:13
Yeah, you know, it's been a very wonderful learning experience, I must say. It was actually Bernie's Book Bank that introduced me to Mascot Books, and then meeting the individual at Mascot who kind of walked me through the process. She had given me a number of different illustrators to select from, so I had that group plus I had a couple of those that I was introduced to through various colleagues and things. And I knew when I saw the sample that would fit with the storyline, I would know it right on the spot. And that was the case with Walter's work. I just felt like he had the flair, he had the design, and just the vision that matched very well with these animal characters. And so it was fun to see it come to life through his eyes.
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Howard Fox9:57
Fantastic. Now, let's shift a little bit to the book, Zippy's Special Gift, and how your company, you know, Zebra Technologies, began to kind of advocate for it, because it has a prominent place on your website. There's a whole blog that you wrote about it. And I should say, in the past, I have worked with another children's book author who, it was supported by a non-profit community and also a marketing agency, and it dealt with—I wanted—it's been a while, so my memory might be slipping a little bit—it, I believe, dealt with, you know, the cancer in young kids, and the—actually, I take that back, it was suicide prevention. And so I'm curious how, you know, this work with the book and how the organization, you know, Zebra Technologies, then began to kind of coordinate, collaborate together, perhaps with Bernie's Books, to turn this from just a simple bucket list to—I mean, there's a vision and a process or a path that we'd like to see this book take. So, you know, you have some very specific goals: honor and appreciate our own uniqueness, and a mission to create an inclusive culture, spreading kindness. Those are very important missions. I'm curious how this has all come together to basically put that mission into practice.
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Therese Van Ryne11:36
Sure. So I would say on the philanthropic side, Zebra has really done a nice job of embedding philanthropy into our culture. We have employees around the world who are giving back every day. A lot of them take paid time off to volunteer. In fact, in many countries, we give employees four days to go ahead and volunteer in their local communities. And we have another program called Donations for Doers, where if employees give back a certain number of hours to an organization, Zebra will make a monetary donation to that organization as well. And these are just a couple examples of how Zebra gives back. And so, as part of that philanthropic approach, we have three key pillars, which are STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math—education, and healthcare. Healthcare being one of the fastest growing vertical markets that we serve. We also serve retail, manufacturing, and transportation logistics, as well as public sector. And so this book fits very, very well into that education pillar. And so we knew that by, you know, raising money for Bernie's Book Bank, which I mentioned earlier, this was a great approach for us to take, kind of an innovative way to carry forward our philanthropic activities. And when you mention inclusion and diversity, this is another key component of Zebra Technologies' culture. So the theme that is woven throughout this book about the sense of belonging that Zippy has in realizing the special gifts of her friends, the animals, you know, it's just a nice reflection of Zebra's culture of being inclusive and diverse as well.
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Howard Fox13:19
Okay. And now that the book is very close to its official release, where do you see yourself further engaging out into the community? I mean, we're still with COVID-19, still tied back to virtual meetings like you and I are recording this podcast today. Many authors go off on speaking tours or read, you know, readings from bookstores, etc. How do you see your role now, now that the book is going to be published, continuing to kind of spread the love of, you know, Zippy's Special Gift?
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Therese Van Ryne13:53
That's a great question, Howard, and that's why I jumped at the opportunity at your invitation to join you on this conversation. I'm hoping to do more of these and engaging more via Instagram. I know I've listened to some of your other podcasts where you've had guests like the women from Forward Publicity, Lori and Ali. They've been amazing at giving me advice on how to promote the book and get the word out there to benefit Bernie's Book Bank. I'm pleased to say that it just received five stars from the Reader's Favorite book review. So I'm hoping, yeah, so I'm hoping through opportunities like this one that will lead to others. And as you say, it does launch officially March 2nd. It's available on Amazon now, so we're hoping to continue to spread the word, talking with local media and others to get the word out there, because it truly is all about raising funds for Bernie's Book Bank.
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Howard Fox14:48
Fantastic. And you know, by the way, now that you are a Reader's Favorite five-star, my introduction should have said award-winning author, so just, you know, so we'll acknowledge that right now. Uh, yeah, so with, you know, Bernie's Book Bank, and is this particular organization, have they been affiliated with Zebra for a while now?
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Therese Van Ryne15:10
We have. We have been affiliated with Bernie's Book Bank for a number of years. It's just an innovative organization that is such a pleasure to work with. Since its founding, they've had a bright impact on the children in the Chicago area, and I know they have a goal to spread further beyond Chicago and the books that they give to the young children. I was able to attend about a year ago now, before the pandemic hit, I was able to attend a book distribution at one of the local schools, and it just brings a tear to your eye to see the impact that it makes. So many children today take books for granted, and there are many homes without books. So to see a package of six books being given to each child, and they know that that's their very own book, it's like gold. And it can really change the course of their lives being able to learn how to read and taking that home and sharing it with their families. So to see the difference that Bernie's Book Bank is making, we're super proud as a company. Zebra Technologies has not only donated cash through this creative way plus other ways, but we've also donated technology to help them streamline their book processing and distribution. So we're proud to be a partner with them.
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Howard Fox16:27
Wow, it's definitely a win-win. Now, I have to ask this question. You know, you don't decide to name a company Zebra Technologies without asking, and you probably know a question I'm going to ask: is there a stuffed animal anywhere in this mix with Zebra Technologies?
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Therese Van Ryne16:45
There sure is. Yeah, Zippy the Zebra exists in a stuffed animal form. And I actually, Howard, I thought you were going to ask me how did the name, where was the name derived? And it was back in 1969 actually that the company was founded as Data Specialties Corporation, but then a few years later it was incorporated as Zebra Technologies because of the barcode printing. If you look at a barcode on any product, it has stripes, right? So that's the source of the name.
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Howard Fox17:13
Okay. Yeah, I wasn't going to go that technical. I thought we'll just kind of—there's got to be a stuffed animal in here somewhere, you know, in my old IT days where, you know, you had the trinkets and tchotchkes sitting on your shelves and your cubes and all that good stuff. So I imagine—absolutely. All right, so what is next for you? You've checked this off the bucket list. Has your book writing gene kind of evolved a bit that I think maybe there's another gift, a book, and what do you think?
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Therese Van Ryne17:43
It's another great question, Howard, and I have been asked if there is another book in store. In fact, I had one colleague who told me, 'My grandson has asked if you have other books because he wants all of them.' So we'll see, we'll see what the future has in store. But it certainly has been fun launching this one and learning about the process. I have so much respect for authors because I now know all of the different phases that a book goes through to be published. And you know, just to even start this process in April and have it published here a year later in the midst of a pandemic, it's just been a bright spot in my life. And like I said, to be able to involve my family and to have such wonderful feedback coming in from friends and colleagues and those who are already able to read the book, it's just been a true pleasure.
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Howard Fox18:37
Fantastic. Now, before we head out today, Therese, one thing I'd love if you wouldn't mind indulge me with is we have a feature on our podcast we call it Insight to Go. This was my partner that helped create the original model for the show, and our show is called Success Insight. And so I'd love if there is an Insight to Go that you could share with our listeners. Perhaps it's a quote, a saying, piece of advice, whatever you'd like to share with our listeners that, you know, will add value to how they think of themselves and the world around them.
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Therese Van Ryne19:15
Sure. There was a piece of advice a mentor of mine shared with me that I think applies to both your professional and personal life. And the advice is to always aim for progressive performance versus postponed perfection. So if you think about it, so many of us, we wait to do things because we're perfectionists, right? And we just want it to be just right before we launch a product or we write a book or so many different things, right? But if you keep things moving, aim for progressive performance versus postponed perfection, I think you'll be much happier and you'll feel much more accomplished.
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Howard Fox19:54
I love that, I love that, and I can appreciate it. And we'll certainly let that Insight to Go—it definitely stands on its own, so I appreciate that. If our listeners would like to learn more about you and your work, where are the best places for them to go?
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Therese Van Ryne20:09
Well, there are many places, thank you for asking, Howard. I would say, first of all, please check us out, www.zebra.com. That's the website for Zebra Technologies, and as you mentioned, we have a couple of blog posts featuring the book, so you'll find those there. Also on LinkedIn, you can look me up, Therese Van Ryne. I'm also on Facebook and Instagram, you'll find us, Zippy in Print. And would love to leave you with a quote from that five-star Reader's Favorite book review, if I may.
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Howard Fox20:42
Oh, most definitely.
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Therese Van Ryne20:43
It says, 'This is a positive, compassionate telling of differences and why each difference is so important. It will help youngsters realize that they are each unique and perfect in their own way. An important message that we all need to remember and sometimes relearn. Beautifully told.'
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Howard Fox21:02
Very good, very good. Well, Therese, it's been an absolute pleasure to have you on the podcast, and I really wish you good fortune and wishes for having launched this book, checking it off your bucket list, and love to hear the impact that Zippy's Special Gift and embracing our own uniqueness has in our society, because heaven knows we need a lot of it in this day and age. So really, again, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to join us on Success Insight podcast.
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Therese Van Ryne21:33
It's been my pleasure, Howard. Thank you for all you do. Appreciate you having me on.
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Howard Fox21:38
Fantastic. All right, folks, we have just been chatting with Therese Van Ryne. She's the award-winning author of the creative children's book, Zippy's Special Gift. And once again, Zippy's Special Gift honors and appreciates our own uniqueness and, you know, the uniqueness of every child out there, and invites us and them to go on a mission to create a more inclusive culture, spread kindness while helping to improve children's literacy. So this is a win-win for everybody and just a wonderful story. Also, how Zebra Technologies has really fully embraced the idea of kindness and giving and inclusivity and just philanthropy and the work that they're doing, and also the work that they're doing with Bernie's Book Bank. And of course, we'll provide links back to Bernie's Book Bank, zebra.com, as well as the social sites that Therese had mentioned on Facebook, Instagram, and her profile URL on LinkedIn. Okay, folks, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out, have a fantastic day. Let us know also how you felt about today's podcast. We'd love to hear from you. You can visit us on successinsightpodcast.com, on Facebook and LinkedIn as well on our Success Insight podcast pages. And we're also on the major podcasting platforms: Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Pandora, and we also have our Success Insight podcast YouTube page. Okay, so again, everyone, go out there, have a phenomenal day. Take care of yourselves, take care of your family, wear your mask, and practice social distancing. And we hope that your 2021 is off to hopefully a much better start than 2020. But you know, with books like Zippy's Special Gift, we can't help but have a phenomenal year. Okay, folks, we'll see you on the next episode of the Success Insight podcast. Take care now. Success Insight is a production of Fox Coaching and First Story Strategies. Find us online, successinsightpodcast.com.