Kavita Ahuja:
Welcome, everyone, to this week's episode of the Midlife Reinvention Podcast. I'm your host, Kavita Ahuja, and my goal with this podcast is to inspire you to realize your true purpose and potential and to live this next stage of your life to the fullest. If you may be going through transitions in your career or life and are wondering what's next, I'm here to tell you that you can do this. And I want you to believe and say with confidence, it's my time now. To this end, I interview incredible women for this podcast who share their stories of reinvention and who will give you their advice on how to overcome the obstacles in your way to reach your vision for yourself in your next stage of life.
This week, I'm very pleased to have on the show Carline Bankson. Carline retired from corporate life following careers within the insurance, military, avionics and medical technology industries at Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Honeywell, and most recently, Medtronic, where she was a people and program manager. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business administration and art from Concordia University in St. Paul, a mini MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and a marketing certificate from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Executive Education program.
Carline emigrated to Minnesota from Jamaica as a child and grew up to marry a native Swede, which sealed her affinity for the culture, language, country and the American Swedish Institute community at large.
In addition to all things Swedish, Carline is a published cookbook author and an engaged community leader serving on several boards. She is described by her family and friends as a chef of enticing, inventive and Delicious Eats and recently formed the organization Dine 4 Dinners to further pursue her two passions of helping others and creating memorable meals. The Dine 4 Dinners mission is a shared vision with organizations that provide meals for those in need of daily nourishment through dependable, reliable and sustainable sources.
Such a pleasure to have you on the show, Carline. Thank you for being here.
Carline Bengtsson:
Thank you so much for having me Kavita.
Yes, it's a real pleasure. And as I was reading your bio, you just certainly seem to have a very mosaic life in that you originally from Jamaica and then you moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, and where you did your schooling and then married a Swedish man and traveled the world but also immersing yourself in Swedish language and culture and traditional music. So you did have a lengthy corporate career Carline but transitioned into this organization Dine for Dinner. So really, we talk about reinvention here a lot.
So my question is really how and why you decided to go from the corporate world that you were in for so long and to what you're doing now and kind of what triggered that whole kind of reinvention.
Well, after almost 30 years with the latter company, Medtronic, I was thinking about what the next chapters of my life was going to bring. And being part of the Medtronic community, one of the tenets of the mission is to be a good citizen. And that involved being parts of the communities in different ways through volunteering of my time, talent and treasure with various organizations that you somewhat touched upon. But this journey was present for me from the get go, which I didn't really realize. And so weeks leading up to my departure, I had a handful of recognized points.
And so I searched our internal recognized system to determine what those points could be used for. And a couple of food organizations popped up along with other areas that I could use these points for. But the food organizations really touched me because again, you spoke about my cooking and my talents in that area and the light bulb went off. I read the description of what those 19 points could be used for and the particular food organization that I was familiar with because I'd volunteered there and many times packing food. It said that the 19 points would feed a child for 19 weeks.
And this food organization is feed my starving children. I thought to myself, this is what I need to do once I leave Medtronic to use my cooking in this way to give back to those in need of daily nourishment.
And so I took the time in September of 2020 through the early part of 21 to come up with the business plan and socialize the name, which became very transparent early on, Dine 4 Dinners. It's all about having an in home, restaurant style dining experience to pay it forward for those in need. So hence the name Dine 4 Dinners, having collaboration with food organizations to pay it forward.
So clients will have in home, restaurant style dining experience. And a portion of the cost of that event goes to a food organization of the client's choice. So a quarter of the cost of that dining experience is then paid forward to a food organization of their choice.
Kavita Ahuja:
I love that. That's so beautiful. I love the way how you said a light bulb went off. And often as we go through life, sometimes with these light bulbs or these thoughts come in our way, or we have these ideas and we don't do anything about them or we kind of ignore them. But it seemed to me, well, obviously you turn the light bulb on, you listen to it, which is amazing.
Carline Bengtsson:
Yeah, you're right. We tend to ignore those light bulbs or moments in time where we stop and pause but then don't do anything. And sometimes it's a non feeling at you until you actually act upon that or someone within your circle see that and motivate you to actually move forward.
Kavita Ahuja:
Yes, absolutely. And it's being open to recognizing those moments as well. Right. So that's wonderful. And I love how you described the Dine 4 Dinners and the purpose and read it. What I read on the website and the purpose on the website is that there is a joy in giving back and in making a difference in others lives. Gathering around the dinner table to share in a meal and conversation translates to a bigger purpose, paying it forward to nourish the souls of many, which is so beautiful.
Tell me Kelly, where did this desire to really give back? Does it come from something in your past or was it something that you've always had the desire to give back?
Carline Bengtsson:
I think it's been ingrained in me from a child, right. Just being there for others and helping given a help in hand. And as I mentioned also where you choose to work also represents your innermost desires and beings and how you see the world. Right? And Medtronic was one of those places that I grew up at and involved in helping others, giving people lifelong health through medical technology, improving their lives. And as I mentioned earlier, the mission also speaks to being a good citizen. And so by me providing of my time, talent and treasure, I could see the results of that based on the various organizations that I was involved in at different levels.
And so that continued throughout my life journey and always loved the love of cooking and my family and friends would always say you should really open a restaurant or write a cookbook. And these were the furthest things thoughts in my mind that I had a career, as you mentioned. But when I knew that career was ending again was how am I going to continue this journey of giving back? And the opportunity really presented itself to me. And so, as you said, I acted on it and moved forward knowing that the second half of my life is all about giving back, leaving that legacy of contributing to the greater cause of humanity.
Kavita Ahuja:
That's beautiful. That's really nice. That's beautiful. Because I think it's interesting how you mentioned like working at Medtronic and the companies you work where there's always kind of been a through line, right, of helping others. And so not only were you fortunate to have that in your previous career, but now you've taken that forward into what you're doing now. And often what we talk about here in this podcast and many women that I've spoken to, it's about their buried passions, right? So it's like sometimes we have these passions that we have had and maybe as a child that we've kind of maybe even forgotten about and maybe haven't pursued because of differing circumstances or just life in general.
Right.
Carline Bengtsson:
I have so many different experiences that you forget about those abilities exactly effortlessly and you may find them again later in life.
Kavita Ahuja:
Yeah. And you seem to have done that with your cooking and turning it into wonderful business. So I would wonder if you maybe for the women listening on the podcast, what would you advise them people, women who are thinking I have this passion that I know that I am really good at or I would love to do, but I'm really afraid or there's these obstacles in my way. What would you kind of advise them?
Carline Bengtsson:
Funny you said that because that was my first thought really take a step back and really ask yourself what is it I'm good at? What comes effortlessly and gives you joy. Also, sometimes others really know us better than we tend to know ourselves. So don't be afraid to reach out to those friends, family, close confidants to see what they see your strengths are and what they see you do that inspires you and maybe even inspires them as well. And they reach to you for that inspiration because sometimes we give in ways that just comes natural to us and we don't see it as anything greater than ourselves.
But you'll be surprised the feedback you'll get and think about acting on those especially later in life when you have the opportunity now to give back in a different way.
Kavita Ahuja:
Yeah, I like that because actually sorry, go ahead.
Carline Bengtsson:
No, you can go ahead.
Kavita Ahuja:
I love that. So you said ask yourself what comes effortlessly. And that's interesting because in my coaching, that's what I do, some women will be like I don't really know where to start, I know I want to do something different but I don't really know where to start.
And so where you start is by asking yourself what are you really good at? What comes? What are your strengths? And then it's interesting you mentioned that about asking others what do they see are my strengths? Or what do they come to me from? For inspiration or for guidance?
Because often we don't even see what other people think about us, you know what I mean? And when they tell us that, it's like whoa, really? You think that's my strength? I didn't even realize that. So it's good to not only look at your internal what you think, but also get the opinions of others. So that's fantastic. Yeah, and then to just really go for it, right?
Carline Bengtsson:
Yeah. And also along those lines. Again, don't be afraid to even share your thoughts and ideas through those several contexts because you'll be amazed that they may be able to willing to elevate your cause and even put you in contact with others who may have that wherewithal or knowledge to help you get to that place you're seeking to come to in order to move forward in the Second Life.
Kavita Ahuja:
That's a great advice. That's really great advice. So I know that for myself. I know I faced a lot of obstacles when I went from my corporate life to entrepreneurship and starting my own business. And I know that you also, as leaving a corporate life that's kind of comfortable, right? That everything is kind of done for you and that you have kind of a steady income or whatever, but also other things that happen. I know that your husband had passed away so maybe you could just describe some of these obstacles and how did you kind of develop that courage to move forward and do what you're doing now?
Carline Bengtsson:
Yes, well, definitely I realized that obstacles come from all forms, whether large or small.
Kavita Ahuja:
Right.
Carline Bengtsson:
And everyone is unique. So just speak specifically to mine. Basically the ones that I needed to look out for were more self inflicted, I would say, because we can put walls up and obstacles for ourselves that are either imagined or real and we literally need to figure out how to get out of that quicksand and feel capable of moving forward. And so that for me was probably my biggest obstacle. Yeah. So again, I think that's why it's important to be transparent with others about your journey and to maintain a positive attitude. There were days where I was probably, for lack of a better word, feeling in the dump, but no one would know it because I really try to keep that tough upper lip and stay positive because I am typically a positive person.
But we all have our days, right, where we don't feel like we want to put a positive light or spin on things. But I try to tend not to show that to others. And that's probably part of the reason why I think people look up to me in some ways because I try to stay even keel but then when I am alone, everything just kind of comes to a head, so to speak. But then it's just picking yourself up and continuing to move forward. I chose the latter to be positive.
Kavita Ahuja:
Yeah, that's great.
Carline Bengtsson:
And two of the major obstacles I faced was regarding really when it comes to Dine 4 Dinners, was determining if I was going to go the nonprofit route or what I call profits for nonprofit with the idea of giving back. And I chose the latter because the nonprofit route really has many restrictions and challenges around it and I like to be more creative and that wouldn't have given me the wherewithal to really express my creative side when it came to Dine 4 Dinners. So that was the direction I went. The other area that I really was apprehensive about was how I was going to market myself.
And one of the major things really is having a website. Right. And I came to know someone who is on the business development side and IT and this individual stepped up and said, I want to help you. And we sat down and brainstormed. I knew how I wanted the website to look. I mean, I had my idea but I just didn't know how to bring it to life. And this person helped me bring it to life with that storyboard and to visualize it and envision it and we made it happen together.
Kavita Ahuja:
You had people come up and support you, which was wonderful.
Carline Bengtsson:
Yes. And I think that really plays into, again, sharing your story, sharing your ideas, not being afraid, because if you keep it in, you may not move forward. And literally, when you share your thoughts and ideas, that's when you're compelled to do something about it. Because now that you've told somebody, you better choice but to act upon it. Right?
Kavita Ahuja:
Yeah. Great ideas. Yeah. I love what you said about when you're going back to when you were thinking about starting, that you felt like your self-inflicted walls and then the quicksand those are great metaphors, because sometimes we feel like that like the walls are caving in or they're in quicksand, but having the positive attitude. And also, I think being vulnerable right. Is important. Right. And sharing your vision with others and then yeah, that whole marketing piece is interesting too. Right. Because we think about, oh, my God, I have to actually put myself out there. And it's like, how do I want to present myself?
And then you worry about the judgment of others and all those thoughts come in. But I think if you have a goal in mind in terms of with yours, it was giving back and using your passions to build this business, then we had to kind of put those obstacles aside and think about the greater vision. Right? Correct. Yeah. Wonderful. That's great.
So, Carline, I was reading a little bit about the type of food that you make, and it's a bit of a fusion of different cultures, Jamaica and Scandinavia and Asia. And that made me think that I'm Indian myself.
Right. And despite our cultural differences, I think there's always that bond of food that brings people together and that always brings up the love and the joy in people. And so maybe you could share a little bit of your thoughts about that and maybe some examples of some of the people that you've served and then some of the differences that you've made in their lives.
Carline Bengtsson:
Yes, definitely. Through the time so far that I've been involved with Dine 4 Dinners, I have gotten to meet so many different people from various cultural backgrounds, and they're always surprised at how I can use different ingredients to just bring forward a different taste that they would have never even envisioned or thought thought about. So using different ingredients to create what I call magical taste making you hungry as well. But I hear that all the time. When people look at my food pictures, they say, I get hungry just looking at you. But they've described it as an explosion of taste or even a party in their mouth or having happy taste buds.
Kavita Ahuja:
Nice.
Carline Bengtsson:
So part of serving my clients today really involves knowing the guests food limitations or food dislikes. And so I will craft a menu around that understanding. And I sometimes try to keep a thread throughout the menu. It's typically a five or six course meal. So, for example, with the starters, or I call the palate teasers and then the starters and the main course and then the dessert. Typically, the first 3 may have somewhat of a theme, whether it's an ingredient that I use throughout, for example, like pineapple, or if it's an Italian flip fair or Asian twist to it, or even seafood or Scandinavian twist.
I may make a typical American dish. But for example, like, if I make pork tenderloin, I may end with adding a little bit of lingon berries, which is a Scandinavian jam. And people are pleasantly surprised how well it goes together. So I try different variations, and then the feedback tends to be very positive at the end of the evening. But again, as you mentioned earlier, it's really all about bringing individuals together because we all love to eat, right? We have to eat to sustain our body.
Kavita Ahuja:
Yeah, you're in a good spot for that. Right.
Carline Bengtsson:
And why not enjoy this meal? As you sitting around the table, you're enjoying a meal and thinking about others who may not be having the same experience, right, who go they wondering where their next meal is going to come from. So again, you enjoy a meal and you're paying it forward for someone else to be able to enjoy a meal.
Kavita Ahuja:
That's beautiful. That's great. Yeah. When I was reading that, I'm like, yeah, there is a common thread there and that we just went through the different, whether it's Easter or Passover or whatever, Ramadan, we celebrate. And we usually celebrate it around food and the abundance around us, but a lot of people don't have that abundance.
So how many meals have you served to date and tell us about the funds that you've raised and some of the communities that you've served?
Carline Bengtsson:
Absolutely. Well, I'll start first with the communities I've served that's been near and far. I've traveled to Florida, to California, and the greater Twin Cities at large, traveling probably 2 hours one way. So round trip 4 hours to provide this in home, restaurant style dining experience. So in three years so actually June 13, I'll be starting my fourth year with Dine 4 Dinners.
Kavita Ahuja:
Congratulations.
Carline Bengtsson:
Thank you so much. Yeah, I think I said earlier, 2020, but it was actually 2019. September of 2019, I started a process, and when Dine 4 Dinners launched, it was the height of the pandemic. So I had a soft launch, I'll call it sent out an email to family, friends, colleagues announcing the launch of Dine 4 Dinners. And within a couple of days of sending an email out, I had one person respond right away asking for me to do a dinner the following weekend. And like you said earlier, I'm like, oh, I guess this is happening.
Kavita Ahuja:
I guess I better move forward. Yeah, that's great.
Carline Bengtsson:
But to answer your question specifically, I actually had to go back and do the math because I don't even really think about that. I do keep track of all of my dinners or the experiences that happen and the number of meals donated. And so 630 individuals so far have experienced a Dine 4 Dinners or over 80 experiences. So average of seven to eight individuals sitting around the table together.
Kavita Ahuja:
Beautiful. Yeah.
Carline Bengtsson:
And greater than 186,000 meals have been donated to date so far in counting. When it comes to and maybe I'll say this before I give you the numbers in terms of what's been raised to support to support organizations and charities at large I didn't even see that in scope in terms of what I was doing. I was so focused on the in home dining experience and paying it forward for those in need. And the Pandemic opened up other areas regarding this doing experiences virtually, having a cooking class virtually and sharing a meal virtually. It also opened up the idea to organizations reaching out and asking me to donate an experience to support their annual cause of raising money to support that organization.
And as a result of that, over $70,000 has been raised to date in supporting community and charities through a donated Dine 4 Dinners experience. So that was something I didn't even see as an opportunity to bring Dine 4 Dinners board through other means or venues. And it's been wonderful. Yeah.
Kavita Ahuja:
Wow. That's completely amazing. And congratulations for that. I mean, 70,000 raised, 186,000 meals donated. Beautiful. And it's funny that you say you didn't even realize the impact you have made and now here you are and you are opening up all different other opportunities and avenues like the online version and all these other things with the communities and with organizations. And that makes me think that we don't really know what we're capable of doing until we actually do it, right.
Carline Bengtsson:
Exactly. And I've also had the opportunity to have speaking engagements along with even meeting you. This was not something I saw coming. So it afforded me the opportunity to share my life's journey. And if I can even help one person to make their ideas become a reality, I am happy to do that.
Kavita Ahuja:
Well, I mean, obviously when you have great heart and you have a vision of giving back, then I think people generally will be attracted to you and come to you. So that's just the way I believe. And I think it's a positive energy that we give out the positive energy back. Right. And I think you're a great example of a person, a woman who has when you're contemplating what's next and actually going for it. So I think that is one of the themes here is when you are contemplating what's next in your life, in your next stage in life, whether whatever age you are, whatever you're going through, I guess.
What would you say to women who are contemplating what's next based on your experience?
Carline Bengtsson:
Again, think back on your life's journey recollect all those experiences you've had and reach out again to your circle of family, friends, confidants, colleagues, because they again may know you better than you tend to know yourself. Right. Because you're so focused on the day to day and don't think about those things that come effortlessly to you and how you can use that to help others through their life's journey, but also bring joy and success to you. And it's amazing the things that come effortlessly to you and giving back. It also comes around to provide even more benefits to you as an individual, open the door for other opportunities that you weren't even aware of or even thought there was even a possibility.
Kavita Ahuja:
And it's not necessarily just financial either. I think a lot of it is the fulfillment that we get when we fulfill our passions and we do something that aligns with our values and our passions and our strengths. Right. So when that sweet spot is reached, then we just get so much fulfillment.
Carline Bengtsson:
And, you know, internally, if it doesn't align with your values. Right. And that's when you need to make the decision and do what's best for you mental, physically, but also that it's an area that will be beneficial for others.
Kavita Ahuja:
Yes. Wonderful. So, Carline, what's next for you? And tell us what your plans are for the year and next couple of years and where we can find you and how do we get in touch with you if anybody's interested.
Carline Bengtsson:
Wonderful. Well, actually you can find me on social media. I have the website dine4dinners.org all one word dine the number four dinners.org. I'm also on Instagram. My handle is Mosaic Delish. You referred to my Mosaic lifestyle. And so hence Mosaic delish. I'm also on LinkedIn. You can find me there by my name. And Facebook, I have a Facebook page regarding the Dine 4 Dinners as well. What's next for me? Oh, my goodness. Well, there's a lot on my plate right now, but a couple of things I'm really excited about. I am co-chair for one of those wonderful organizations I've been involved with.
Co-chair on their annual gala committee for the Ordway, where we bring the Ordway has four different groups in residency there. So the St. Paul Uber Club, the Minnesota Opera, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and obviously the Ordway as well, where they bring in live performances. I'm culture for the gala this year, peter Pan is going to be coming to the Ordway. And so that's the theme of our gala, our Garden gala. Also, I am going to be heading to Sweden in about three weeks yes. With another organization I'm fully involved with when I speak of Sweden, referring to the American Swedish Institute and being on the board there.
And we are going to have the opportunity to visit the King and Queen of Sweden.
Kavita Ahuja:
Wow, are you going to cook for them?
Carline Bengtsson:
No, I don't know.
Kavita Ahuja:
That's amazing.
Carline Bengtsson:
Yes, we're coming with goodwill and bringing a gift to the king who's celebrating his 50th year on the throne. He is. And the Queen have supported the Swedish Institute in so many different ways, and we're having some transition leadership right now, and so we're going over just to make sure we keep that connection vibrant as we transition to new leadership at the Institute.
Kavita Ahuja:
That sounds amazing.
Carline Bengtsson:
And I'll take the time to see family and friends, of course.
Kavita Ahuja:
Yeah, I love that, how you've kind of taken your background and your husband's background and giving back into these different organizations. Fantastic. And you also have a cookbook, right?
Carline Bengtsson:
I do. It's called Carline's fork and cork simply delish.
Kavita Ahuja:
Okay, well, we'll have all your links in the show notes so people can check it out if they're interested in learning more and reaching out to you. Maybe if you're in your area and yeah.
Carline Bengtsson:
Or even if they're not in the area.
Kavita Ahuja:
Okay, yeah, that's true. Because it's online, too, right? 100%. That's true. Yeah. It's been such a pleasure to understand your background and how you kind of went from your corporate world to what you're doing now and how you created, how you tapped into your passions, I would say for the greater good. So it's been wonderful to learn a little bit more about you, and thank you for sharing.
Carline Bengtsson:
Thank you so much. Kavita for having me. Nice to meet you, as well. And I would love to come up to Canada and cook for you sometime.
Kavita Ahuja:
Oh, well, I'll take you up on that for sure. I love everything. I love Jamaican food, and I love I mean, I just we're foodies, so yes, I'll take you up on that next time you're in Canada. Let's have a date.
Carline Bengtsson:
Yes. Sounds wonderful.
Kavita Ahuja:
Well, thank you so much again, Carline, for being on the show, and good luck with everything.
Carline Bengtsson:
Thank you. Take care.