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Hi! My name is Cami, and my personal why is to explore micro-level truths in order to be a catalyst for macro-level change. How? I push systems to be more accountable, and I challenge people to think more critically about their decisions and impact. I call this “interrupting.” My style of “interruption” is affirming and constructive, and I interrupt through writing, advocacy, public speaking, and individual coaching. While I’ve done that all for over two decades in paid and volunteer capacities, I’m now merging them under this one roof: candy broth.
Umm…what is “candy broth”? Is it a person, place, or thing?
candy broth is the brand under which I offer services and tools that individuals and groups can use to learn how to interrupt the patriarchy and why that’s important as leaders or just as human beings. I also publish fiction (anti-patriarchy themes, natch) under the pseudonym “candy broth.” So, you could say that candy broth is a person, place, and thing.
But, like, how are you qualified to interrupt the patriarchy?
Firstly, no one needs to be “qualified” to stand up for what’s right and interrupt the patriarchy. You don’t even need a diploma. All you need to do is use your head, your gut, and your voice in the way that makes the most sense for you. (For me, my “voice” is my literal voice in public speaking and my writing.)
That said, I have a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Lourdes University, a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies, and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Owens-Illinois, Inc. The first half of my career was in international market research in the private sector, and the second half was in policy development and performance measurement in the public sector. I’ve also had the privilege of serving on and helping to start up several nonprofit Boards that served historically excluded folks. In 2017, I was awarded the “20 Under 40” award for my community work in policy, public health, and quality improvement.
In short, my entire career has been driven by these two actions: accountability and improvement. (And data, because I’m a geek like that.)
That said, I have a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Lourdes University, a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies, and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Owens-Illinois, Inc. The first half of my career was in international market research in the private sector, and the second half was in policy development and performance measurement in the public sector. I’ve also had the privilege of serving on and helping to start up several nonprofit Boards that served historically excluded folks. In 2017, I was awarded the “20 Under 40” award for my community work in policy, public health, and quality improvement.
In short, my entire career has been driven by these two actions: accountability and improvement. (And data, because I’m a geek like that.)
What does the “candy broth” mean, though?
The name “candy broth” started as a joke long before it was a brand. When considering publishing fiction on the side, I assumed that my name was too long and too complex for my work to be considered. (Hell, most of my family still doesn’t know how to spell or pronounce my name.) I thought about how my name had been butchered over the years. “Cami” was often pronounced as “candy,” and “Roth” somehow ended up as “broth.” I couldn’t say “candy broth” as my name without laughing, so I set it aside and opted for a more formal-sounding penname.
Then, one weekend in late 2020, I got pissed off. Like, life-changing, mind-blown, this-shit-can’t-happen-any-damn-more pissed off. It involved a series of implicitly racist and sexist discussions with people who share my maiden name. The following Monday, I started working on the details for my anti-racist tool, “Dinner With Racists,” and six months after that, I began collaborating with a woman on “On Drowning Rats” to get a sexual harasser removed from power. Between all this work, I continued writing fiction and prose centered on historically-excluded identities and the harms inflicted by patriarchal power structures. (Catching on to the theme yet?)
I recalled my intersectional-feminist beliefs that people aren’t “just racist” or “just sexist” or “just [insert another -ism].” Reenter “candy broth.” This came to represent not only who I was becoming in my own journey, but also a warehouse of ideas and tools for others to do so for themselves too.
TL;DR (too long, didn’t read)
“candy broth” is like glitter in a cauldron: a sustainable brew of whimsy blended with a heavy pour of down-with-the-f*cking-patriarchy-already. Your choice of organic garnish.
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