Ellen Voie (Voy-a) is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation. She has been invited to speak to audiences in Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, France, Mexico, and Canada, in addition to being a popular speaker at conferences throughout the United States. Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007, and currently serves as the nonprofit organization’s President & CEO. The Women In Trucking Association was formed to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry, to remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding, and to celebrate the successes of its members. Voie also currently serves on the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) to provide recommendations and advice to the FMCSA on motor carrier safety programs and motor carrier safety regulations. Voie’s background in the trucking industry began as the assistant and later Traffic Manager for a steel fabricating plant in the upper Midwest. She then worked as a dispatcher for a grain hauling carrier before becoming co-owner of a small fleet. After starting a family, she used her background to become a freelance transportation consultant to carriers in Wisconsin, licensing and permitting trucks for more than 16 years. Voie also served as the Executive Director of Trucker Buddy International, Inc., a pen pal program between professional drivers and elementary students. Voie holds a Master’s in Communication degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where she completed her Thesis research on the complex identities of women married to professional drivers. She also hold a degree in Traffic and Transportation Management from LaSalle Extension University. Voie has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives, the leading authority in association management.

Columnists,Ellen Voie |
September 4, 2020

I never thought I could be friends with a piece of technology that is exceptionally nosey.  I’m a pretty private person, and the thought of sharing my physical data makes me pretty uncomfortable.

Sharing my sleeping patterns, my eating habits, and how often my heart rate was elevated isn’t my idea of privacy.  However, we recently partnered with Rolling Strong to do a wellness competition, and I donned a Fitbit Versa for the challenge.

I had participated in a competition in the past and discovered that I could get more points if I had a “wearable” instead of entering everything into the app myself.  Knowing that my little Fitbit was going to tattle on me for a few weeks made me anxious.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted other people to be able to check on my progress.  The Fitbit recorded everything from my steps each day to my heartbeat to how many hours (and minutes) I slept each night.

Every participant was assigned a coach to guide us through the process, and I was fortunate to be paired with Claudia.  We’d talk about what I was eating and how much water I was drinking each day, as well as the type of exercise and extent I was burning calories.

For those of you who know me, I’m a pretty healthy person.  I walk four miles a day (when I’m not traveling), and I don’t eat red meat or things like butter.  I love salads, and I could eat peas for lunch every day. I can flip off a cupcake or piece of cake easily, as I’m not into eating sweets.  (Okay, don’t give me any chips or pretzels, as I’m into the salty stuff.)

I thought I could beat everyone entered into the competition, and I set my sights on Lana, our Director of Programs.  She has three little kids and runs around all the time, and I knew this would be a challenge. (She hit 20,000 steps one day when they were moving from one house to another!  NO FAIR!!!!)

I was diligent, and I knew that Claudia was keeping track of my sleep, my steps, my carbs, and my heart rate.  I entered my healthy meals and my water intake (oh, did I forget to log those glasses of wine?). I kept thinking about the end of the competition and how I could go back to “normal.”

At the end of the competition, Claudia asked me what I had learned.  I’d like to share this with you, my readers.  I learned a lot about myself.  I challenge you to get a “wearable” and get to know yourself a little better.

First, since I usually am traveling over 125,000 miles each year and spend weeks attending conferences and trade shows, this has been a different experience for me.  I don’t usually get to sleep in my own bed for more than a few days at a time, so this was a good time to participate in the Rolling Strong competition.  I typically spend many nights in hotel rooms.

The pandemic kept me at home but allowed me to find a routine.  I went to bed each night at a pretty consistent time and woke up without an alarm shaking me from my sleep to give a presentation.  I learned that I need a lot of sleep.  No, really, a LOT of sleep.  I’m not even sure if I should admit it, but I sleep for nine to eleven hours a night.

When I was a baby, my mom would put me down after lunch, and I’d sleep until the next morning.  She complained to the doctor, and he asked her what the problem was?!  So, I learned that I sleep a lot.

I also learned that I don’t drink enough water.  I started marking all my water bottles with the ounces on them.  My favorite bottle held 38 ounces. But this wasn’t enough for Claudia.  No, she challenged me to drink over 80 ounces a day. Wait, you want me to walk four miles AND drink all that water?  I can’t imagine how professional drivers handle this challenge.

The key to winning the Rolling Strong competition is to elevate your heart rate.  Since I sit at my desk most of the day, that’s a real challenge.  I tried to hit my 10,000 steps a day, although the Fitbit wanted me to accumulate 30,000 steps a day ( Really?)

When the competition ended, I sighed in relief, but I also knew that I had changed my attitude toward fitness.  Sleeping is good, lots of water is good, and getting those steps in each day is good. I’ll keep that in mind, even though I won’t have Claudia checking on me until the next competition.  I think I’ll start asking myself WWCD (What would Claudia Do?).

And just for the record, I beat Lana, but just barely.  I came in 18th, and she was right behind me at 19th.  We both won, and now I need to get ready for bed after my glass of water.  I need my ten hours of sleep!

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Ellen Voie (Voy-a) is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation. She has been invited to speak to audiences in Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, France, Mexico, and Canada, in addition to being a popular speaker at conferences throughout the United States. Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007, and currently serves as the nonprofit organization’s President & CEO. The Women In Trucking Association was formed to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry, to remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding, and to celebrate the successes of its members. Voie also currently serves on the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) to provide recommendations and advice to the FMCSA on motor carrier safety programs and motor carrier safety regulations. Voie’s background in the trucking industry began as the assistant and later Traffic Manager for a steel fabricating plant in the upper Midwest. She then worked as a dispatcher for a grain hauling carrier before becoming co-owner of a small fleet. After starting a family, she used her background to become a freelance transportation consultant to carriers in Wisconsin, licensing and permitting trucks for more than 16 years. Voie also served as the Executive Director of Trucker Buddy International, Inc., a pen pal program between professional drivers and elementary students. Voie holds a Master’s in Communication degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where she completed her Thesis research on the complex identities of women married to professional drivers. She also hold a degree in Traffic and Transportation Management from LaSalle Extension University. Voie has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives, the leading authority in association management.