Author: Dr. Stephanie Eubank (AKA Dr. Bear)

Hi there! My name is Stephanie Diana Eubank and I am a doctoral student at Concordia University Chicago in their online program for Doctorate of Business Administration. My Masters' degree was completed also online at Southern New Hampshire University in Operations Management with an emphasis in Project Management. Prior to my dissertation completion, I will be getting married and once completing my DBA program I will become Dr. Mrs. Stephanie Diana Eubank (Dr. Bear). All the while working full time as one of the country’s experts in Condo Mortgage Underwriting Compliance. The focus broad topic of my dissertation is remote employment which has never been timelier with the recent lockdowns of quarantine during the COVID-19 crisis.

Mother’s Day is A Day to Promote Remote Work

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By Stephanie Diana Eubank

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, we take time to thank the women who brought us into this world. However, just getting Mom a card isn’t enough anymore.  We need to start doing more to help support women in the workforce.  It is not a secret that women are statistically more often the caregivers in their families.  Be it caregiving for children, a disabled spouse, or a family member, etc., many roadblocks, including finances, are put up to hold these hard-working and caring women back.  This also means we must do more to support families in the workplace, as it takes a village to raise a child. Yet, unconscious bias holds working parents back and hurts the economy.

This is evident by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Press Release of April of 2023 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm, which detailed how families where a single mother is the head of the household is currently 78.5% likely to be unemployed compared to Male lead and duel income households.  The press release went on to detail how women who were mothers of children under the age of 18 years old 72.9% of them were in the workforce or actively looking for work.  This statistic is only up from 2022 by 1.7% compared to men who were in the workforce or actively looking to be in the workforce, which is at 92.5%, and that is down from 2019 at 93.3%.

The press release from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics went on to say:

“Mothers of younger children remained less likely to participate in the labor force than mothers with older children. In 2022, 67.9 percent of mothers with children under age 6 participated in the labor force compared with 76.7 percent of mothers whose youngest child was age 6 to 17. By contrast, fathers with children under age 6 were more likely to participate in the labor force than those whose youngest child was age 6 to 17 (94.4 percent versus 91.8 percent).”   (Employment Characteristics of Families Summary 2023)

This is further stressed for those who are caregivers of children, a disabled spouse, or a family member.  According to an article on A Place for Mom.com, by Samuels (2022), over 75% of caregivers who are caring for a child or a disabled family member are women.  The article further details that approximately 23.7 hours a week is spent caring for a loved one outside of their home and 37.4 hours caring for loved ones that they live with.  The same article details that 62% of those providing unpaid caregiving are employed.

So, the question becomes, now that we know these statistics, what can we do to help working caregivers and working parents?  Well, from the business perspective, one big thing can be done.  Promote remote work.  Speaking from experience as a mom and a caregiver, remote work and the flexibility in remote and hybrid work allows for a work and life balance that is not afforded to all.  It also allows me to afford to take care of my family.  Which gives me a level of pride and security that not every working parent or caregiver has.

I have several friends who have been parents working remotely or caregivers working remotely who found not only an ability to balance life and work in remote work while addressing these responsibilities but were able to lower their stress levels about the care of their loved ones. Personally, when I had my oldest son when I went back to work, childcare was so expensive, and I had to commute so far for work that I found myself crying in the bathroom at work a lot, longing to just be near my baby. So, when one of my mentors offered me a remote job, I jumped, and even when I needed to get any level of childcare and when they started school, my stress levels were lower because I was nearby and often, I could get home help for a cheaper rate.  Knowing if an emergency happened, I was able to be right there for my kids lowered my stress so much. It has also saved me money and allowed me to have lunches and doctor’s appointments with my kids or with friends.  This sort of self-care level is not easily afforded in onsite work. A workforce with lower stress is statistically more productive and better able to creatively solve problems than a stressed and depressed one.

To support working moms, I ask everyone who reads this to share this article, add the hashtag #remoteworkformom and say how remote work has helped you as a parent or caregiver or helped someone you know.

Remember, sharing is caring, and remote is here to stay. If you are interested in additional content on remote work and remote leadership and how it helps our economy, subscribe.  You can also follow me on my other social media sites:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest

Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/

Twitter: @SDEubank

Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/

Work Cited

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, April 19). Employment Characteristics of Families Summary. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm.

Samuels, C. (2022, December 2). Caregiver Statistics 2022: Total Unpaid & Demographic Data. Caregiver Statistics 2022: Total Unpaid & Demographic Data. https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/caregiver-statistics

As Important as Mentorship Is for Remote Work, are You Picking The Right People?

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By Stephanie Diana Eubank

Even in remote work and remote leadership, mentorship is still needed to advance in business. Networking can be more difficult post-COVID. Soft communication skills are sorely needed in today’s marketplace, and mentors do more than help open doors.

But are you picking the right people? There is the concept of finding your tribe, and the same idea is the case for mentorship. It would be best to have mentors with goals aligned with yours who want to see you succeed. Also, most of us are good at giving criticism but forget to provide actionable, constructive comments. Mentors blaming others are not helpful and can lower your vibe as you work towards bigger and better things, especially in business. This is true in person and in work-from-home modalities. Please watch the attached video for tips on picking the right mentors that work well for you and are the type of council you want and need.

If you want more information on #leadershipdevelopment & #remoteleadership, like and subscribe. Also, check out my consulting firm and other social media at

Stephanie Eubank

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest

Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/

Twitter: @SDEubank

Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/

Remote Networking Isn’t as Hard As It May Seem

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This a question I often get from students and people new to #remotework and #remoteleadership “How do I network remotely”? Social networking is a necessary skill and is often the learned skill that is the biggest key to success. But those who think it must be a new dark witchcraft to develop robust remote social and business networking is a bogus notion. In truth, many of us have been cultivating these skills since social media started. Initially, we didn’t consider how it could help or hinder our careers.

With this said, I have a video on how you can work on your social and business networking in a remote workplace. And for those still in skill, these skills are excellent for helping to learn how to reach out to network with teachers. Mentorship is an easily forgotten tool we all need to develop our individual council or, as I call mine, my coven of business specialists. (I refer to my personal mentors as a group as my coven because the root word of which is in the word weird. All mine are unique and, to the untrained eye, abnormal. They embody the concept of why blend in when you are born to shine. They also have the communication style of all being aligned and collectively speaking to each other as equals to be genuinely supportive has always made me so grateful for their presence in my life and respectful of their differences. Their differences are part of the core of their authentic leadership and have taught me so much in work and life. One of which gave me the inspiration to name my consulting firm Wicked B of the West because of an insult a sales rep gave me on the job. My mentor within my Coven told me, “When people reach for cheap insults and seek to discredit and remove you from your seat, you know you have arrived. Cause you are making those people actually work so they want to get rid of you. Not everyone can handle the magic in you. Her words have always rung true, and I greatly appreciate her guidance.)

With this in mind all business professionals should be developing their network and their mentorship council to help get to that next level. And this concept is not impossible in remote work. Watch my video and comment on ways you have found for enhancing your network remotely.

If you want to seek out my consulting services or learn more about remote work and remote leadership as part of the future of business, check me out at:

Stephanie Eubank

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest

Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/

Twitter: @SDEubank

Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/

Six Ideas On How At Local Levels From The Business Perspective We Can Help Address School Shootings.

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By: Stephanie Diana Eubank

There is a hot-button topic within the political arena in the US regarding the rise in school shootings.  Now my specialty is Business Strategy and Organizational Leadership, emphasizing Remote Work and Remote Leadership. I am also a college Professor and a mother of two boys.  This makes the topic of school shootings hit close to home regarding my safety as a teacher and my son’s safety as a student. The recent events have made this no longer a public school vs. private schools debate but an overall educational safety issue.  With schools being both a business and a tool to train future economic development, I have ideas on how we can use Remote Work, Business Emergency Management, and Workplace Violence Prevention to help ease school shootings.

I want to emphasize that I am not saying we can cure the issue or that legislation is unnecessary.  However, school shootings and workplace violence are such hot-button and controversial topics these days.  We may end up waiting an eternity for policy to address the issue.  No matter what you believe, policy should be done to address the issue. We can all agree it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

With this in mind, I suggest using some already-used business practices to address workplace violence at the town, school district, and local college levels.  Such as the following six ideas that can be implemented to help schools reduce shootings:

  1. Put cameras up around the schools.

Having cameras in the classroom is also considered controversial. To be fair, it helps build normalcy around the fact that most companies have cameras in the office to monitor and protect workers.  This is especially the case for those who work in manufacturing, STEM science fields, and Research and Development or R&D.  Even in remote work, there is the use of “Bossware,” turning on cameras and spying on employees.

However, cameras on campus with a feed that can be tapped by local authorities would help for better planning of emergency services to stop an active shooter with less risk to teachers and students.

  • Develop a panic button for schools.

We see this in Banking, jewelry stores, high-value retail, and personal protection/ security having a silent alarm or “panic button.”  This can help signal to authorities that there is an issue in real-time. There can even be settings to use the panic buttons to track an active shooter or other crimes on campus.

  • Have more access to therapy services not just for students but for faculty.

I was alarmed when reading the research from Nowicki (2020); as seen in the citations below, over 50% of the assailants who commit these acts of violence are former students or faculty/ staff. Showing even more that school shoots have more in joint with workplace violence than we have been led to believe.   And speaking from my own experience of being a student in high school when teachers were on guard post the Columbine Massacre seeing how friends that were just a bit more EMO, Goth, or just loved the style of a nice trench coat were treated as if they were suspects for the next act of school violence I believe a new view is needed for school therapy and councilors. 

In my personal experience, many (not all) counselors can feel judged by students, which is why many gravitate to teachers who have obviously lived more and lived through traumatic stuff. So, I propose training all faculty in “Trauma Informed Care.”  ( You can find more information on the topic at this link https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs.org/what-is-trauma-informed-care/).  From there, set up programs where teachers who feel comfortable are willing to (be paid) have time to listen to students as a drop in time.  If the sessions become more than the faculty member can handle, they can involve school psychologists and work with the students in a judgment-free way to help. 

This plan must also be coupled with additional insurance benefits to cover mental health and therapy to address the extra stress faculty may take or have already been dealing with just by being humans. More should be put in place for faculty to have similar peer-created programs with Human Resources tied in for conflict resolution.  Students are not the only ones committing these crimes. Faculty and staff with grudges also commit these acts of violence. Having more of an outlet and access to therapy without stigma is a great way for us to all work together to heal workplace PTSD or other trauma before they become workplace violence on the news.

These are all standard Human Resource methods for de-escalating workplace conflicts in high-stress jobs. You especially see these tactics used in the nonprofit sector.  They work there and can be implemented to help address the growing issues of school shootings internally.

  • Fund more after school, in school, and in summer programs in the arts. 

I know it sounds like a typical mom ask but hear me out.  My own mom, who worked in education for many years, had the attitude, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.”  And she and my father paid through the nose, shuttled us to all sorts of after-school sports (cause they had a lot of competitive kids), and got us involved in music.  This also included all of us serving in the community as volunteers.  This made it so I had a community outside my family and more in my life than just school/ work.

Now, I understand not every parent can do all that.  So, I propose to have school districts fund to help with that by having programs and bussing to each program after school.  This will give students more creative outlets and boost the economy by needing more creative arts teachers and staff to address these roles. Also, creating programs to give back to the community through acts of service for the students will help grow empathy and connection with the community. This will also take a load off parents who may not have the luxury or ability to follow through. (You never know what others are dealing with, and having resources like this can be a powerful lifeline for students and faculty).

These concepts are used in several ways in business, such as; many companies use in-service days as a hiring perk that makes the company look good and encourages employees to have a life outside of work.  Many companies also sponsor activities that are non-service based to help employees connect with each other and a team building and trust building activity.

Bussing is a concept many companies use to have manufacturing or locations where many workers don’t live (or in the bay area can’t afford to live) and bus these employees in to help accommodate in-person working with lower commutes.

  • Audit, Remove, and Replace Toxic Leadership

Toxic leaders do more damage than just hurting workplace morale and creating an employee retention issue.  The issue with Toxic Leaders regarding workplace violence and workplace PTSD is they may be the most significant contributor.  And often, in education, we teach teachers how to teach and the subject matter but not enough about business leadership.  School is a business, no matter what anyone says, and business needs a culling of toxic leaders.  When leadership gets the attitude that no one wants to be perfectionists or work anymore, this is immediately reflected by your employees.  This can make an already stressful workplace, like in the educational field, even less manageable and contribute to workplace violence.  Worse yet, when this behavior from toxic leaders is ongoing or systemic, it can create workplace PTSD.  Without proper resources and training for management on how to lead in an organizational leadership methodology with our authentic and empathetic selves, we make disastrous situations.

This is why many organizations hire consulting specialists like me to audit behaviors in the workplace and see where more training or workplace reorganization is needed. Also, many organizations have emergency management specialists but not ones that specialize in business leadership development which can also be a beneficial tool to help prevent workplace violence and create a more productive workplace. These specialists can also help develop training on what to do in a workplace shooting or other violence. Specialists are a vital tool.

  • Remote/ Hybrid Learning.

I want to clarify I mean for middle school and high school students when I suggest Remote/ Hybrid learning.  Some students are too focused on campus life or need more emotional healing and growth space.  When I was growing up, there was a program for students to do hybrid programs. They took a few classes at the high school and either trade school-type courses at the local community college or higher education courses at the community college to take to college when they were done.  The vibe of a college campus is more set up around a person’s individual motivations, not as ridged as a traditional high school as far as schedule, and is more in line with how a project management workspace is set up.  This allows students to gain a different perspective on education and feel more engaged. Not all students fit in with the organizational culture of high school.  Remote and hybrid classes allow students to learn at their pace and still contribute to the dynamics of a school while pursuing their passions through additional resource programs. As a student, I preferred to do online classes because it left more room for creativity and to balance my life with school.

Remote and hybrid work is used in business to help give employees breathing room to be creative and collaborative while letting them balance life or, in some cases, work out issues they are dealing with privately.  (Again, you never know what others are going through, so lack of judgment and systems that give room for healing are helpful to prevent workplace violence).  Remote is here to stay, so we might as well find creative ways to embrace it.

I have written several articles on remote work, emergency management, workplace violence, and workplace PTSD.  After all that research, these six ideas are what I have to offer the world to help do my part in reducing workplace violence, especially workplace violence happening at schools.  I know my advice from the business perspective will not cure the issue of school shootings.  That is a more significant systemic issue that politicians need to take a long hard look at by going to the Gemba, as known in Lean Operations Methodology, to get to the root cause analysis of the problem.  But that is a conversation that, as a nation, we will probably have for years to come.

If you liked this article, like, subscribe, and share. To learn more about workplace violence and PTSD prevention, you can look into my consulting services at wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com.  Also, feel free to check out my videos on overall remote organizational strategic leadership on YouTube @Wickedbofthewest or check me out on my other social media at:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest

Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/

Twitter: @SDEubank

Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/

Remote Work Is A Tool To Support Mothers and Family

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By: Stephanie Diana Eubank

I speak from my Doctorate level research and personal experience when I say #remotework is a helpful tool for upward mobility, especially for #workingmom. The research shows women are progressively starting to make more money & economically, we can’t afford to live in one-provider households anymore. We live in a society where having a dual income is critical to afford to have a family in the first place.

Where I was lucky when I had my boys, I could convert to #workfromhome I still had to suffer backlash for it. I had men & women I worked with accuse that taking my vacation was to look for a new job. When I told them it was to have my baby because maternity leave would hurt my family’s finances too much (yeah, no one tells you maternity leave when you are the breadwinner is next to nothing), I was met with more backlash. I had those in upper management, and those at the same level called me a bad mom for not quitting my career and being a stay-at-home mom. Working from home allowed me to develop #worklifebalance & invest in myself through remote education or #distancelearning while being there for my sons and providing for them. Someday I hope mom shaming goes out of style. So, as my family and I celebrate my youngest son’s birthday, I reflect on how my research can help other moms be able to be supported while we wait for more policies to be put in place to help support us.

Remote Work & Vacations: How Work From Home Supports Family Bonding

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Look it is not a secret that #remotework and #vacations are topics that I enjoy. A #workfromhome workplace and lifestyle gives room for working parents like myself to have #worklifebalance & be better parents.

My husband and I were able because of #remotework to go out and have a fun time with our children and still meet all my deadlines and additional projects. It decreases #burnout #workplaceptsd & #workplaceviolence when we give employees room to enjoy life. It also has the added benefit of helping the #economy as a whole. There is also the fact #remotework encourages #diversityinclusion in the workplace when we support working families and their ability to be there for their #family .

If you are interested in any of the gear we ordered from Amazon for this spur-the-moment trip to the snow check these links out.

https://amzn.to/40Bu2wH

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And an extra thanks to the friendly people at #shaverlake for all their kindness and hospitality to our family on this trip.

Let’s also not forget an extra thanks and an I love you to my husband being from Washington and used to handling snow trips more than I and just being a present and loving partner.

Businesses Are Neglecting to Rebuild Trust with Workforce & Preach False Narrative

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By Stephanie Diana Eubank

There is a consistent leadership-focused narrative being repeated falsely in the media.  The false narrative is that “People don’t want to work anymore”.  To those who keep repeating this narrative and truly believe it the answer is, “no they just don’t want to work for you”.

In the past concepts like quiet quitting would have been viewed in a leadership paradigm as what is called disengagement.  However, post-COVID that’s not what is truly happening.  There is a quote in the Disney movie, “Remember the Titans”, that always comes to mind when talking about leadership in business. “Attitudes Reflect Leadership”.  So, when employees rage quit or quiet quit these are reflections of a hostile work environment as COVID has taught the workforce that works should not become a person’s whole life.

Unfortunately, the media narrative has been that management is tightening the ropes and trying to force everyone back to the office to keep the abusive behavior going.  This has caused a lot of companies to feel like there is a talent shortage.  Which is just not true. The issue is that companies need to work on their goodwill or their reputation within the workforce.  No one wants to work for companies that are continuing to do the following remotely or in person.  So, let’s stop doing the following four things.

  1. Stop promoting abusive people into leadership!
    1. Unfortunately, there is a type that is consistently promoted in leadership as people who can push employees to do more.  This recruiting method gives upfront success with long-term failure.  We need to develop leaders who lead with empathy and have more of the teacher personality, not a bulldozer. This is even more the case in remote workplaces.
  2. Stop hiring leadership that thinks their job is just to lead.
    1. Especially in remote work the phenomenon of shared leadership develops.  So, if companies want to keep to a traditional ladder method of design having managers that just manage is not doable anymore.  We need leaders that are willing to roll up their sleeves and be in the trenches.
  3. Stop hiring Leadership that doesn’t understand business and leadership is a science.
    1. I have had my fill of colleagues, students, and managers who don’t understand developing quotes involves math and project management methodologies. Also, leadership that does not understand leadership science people are only statistically productive for 3-4 hours in an 8-hour business workday.  The rest of the time is administrative and collaborative. So, when people take breaks that are part of work.  People in the workforce cannot reasonably be expected to do the productive side of labor all day long.  Having this attitude stifles creative problem-solving and increases burnout in the workforce.
  4. Stop perpetuating the attitude of overtime being a good thing.
    1. Wanting employees to want and do overtime work all the time is a bad thing.  Let’s ignore the glaring fact that overtime consistently or as if it is expected is a big contributor to burnout.  Baring that constant over time needed says two things to employees.  One the company doesn’t value you enough to hire enough people to get the job done during normal hours. Two it tells employees that you see them as cheap labor and do not respect their time. Three it tells them that the company expects that the employee has got to give up having a life for the company.  The days when the concept of workplace families and overall hustle culture is gone past COVID.  They have been proven through research and experience to foster toxic work environments and kill company culture both in-person and remotely.

Now that we have talked about what businesses need to stop doing.  Let’s talk about what they need to start doing. Aside from my usual advice on issuing a remote first workplace methodology to help promote a work-life balance the following 4 things we need to be started by companies to repair their brand with the workforce.

  1. Start developing more comprehensive leadership and followership training programs.
    1. This will help make the whole workforce feel supported and when there is layoffs or redistribution of talent companies and hire more from within. This also allows companies to not make it so only leadership gets salary bumps and feels appreciated.
  2. Start hiring leadership with a teacher/coordinator personality instead of bulldozers.
    1. Again subject matter experts and those who are more of coordinators or prefer support roles are the new type of leaders that the post-COVID world is demanding.  Leaders let their team shine rather than use their team to reflect how they are as leaders. Teams are not power objects.
  3. Start developing a positive corporate culture of work/ life balance.
    1. Investing in an organizational culture that supports work/ life balance helps cultivate a happy workforce that doesn’t make a revolving door for new hires.  It helps keep your organization together and have a more complex team. It also helps prevent burnout, workplace PTSD, and workplace violence.
  4. Star is upfront and honest with employees and helps cultivate the workforce.
    1. Often in businesses if someone complains about leadership companies try to find ways to get that person out of the company.  Rather than asking why this person is complaining and looking at the behavior companies try to protect leadership.  Instead, companies need to work to cultivate both leadership and workforce and investigate additional training needed.  Otherwise bad work culture keeps being spread and the trust the workforce has for companies will continue to erode.

As business leaders, we need to remember that our teams are our greatest resource.  And if we don’t work to strengthen the trust employees have in the companies they work at we will have no workforce.  Trust needs to be earned and focusing on rebuilding workforce trust will help re-energize the workforce in this post-COVID world.