Jodi Mansbach is an alumna of the Wexner Heritage Program. When she is not volunteering, Jodi is a wife, mother and now student. Leaving the working world after 18 years, she is working for her Master’s in urban planning at Georgia Tech.  She can be reached at jodi.mansbach@gmail.com

Endless meetings. Excessive email. Too much time away from the family.  I was reaching leadership burn out, something I’m sure readers of this column are familiar with. I tried to remind myself of the importance of Jewish education, continuity, identity. But it wasn’t working. Until I met Russell.

Russell is the twenty something that our Federations and so many foundations are trying to reach.  He wants to start a Jewish Music Festival in Atlanta. Atlanta, a community of 100,000+ Jews has a book festival and a film festival but no music festival. Russell is passionate and excited. But he doesn’t know where to start, how to form a 501c3 or who to talk to about funding. And he can’t find anyone to get him started.

Suddenly, over bowls of noodles, I re-found my passion for this work. I realized that there was a new way for me to contribute to the community. I could help Russell attempt to achieve his dream just as others had done before for me.  Somehow I always saw myself as the one doing the learning. I still have a lot to learn. But it’s not too soon for me to start giving back by mentoring the next group of Jewish entrepreneurs. With that thought, I got my leadership groove back. All it took was a bowl of noodles. And a good idea.