Podcasts about so liz

After Liz's very disappointing date, she's made a decision: men just don't deserve her. So Liz and Nic have been distracting themselves with Love Island - Liz thinks we can all learn a lesson or two from the carefree contestants while Nic just likes looking at the ‘crumpet'. Plus, Liz looks back at the time her husband made her cry over coffee beans and Nic discovers Liz has gone viral on TikTok. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

hi guys and welcome back to the mystery and comedy old time radio podcast. please welcome to the show this morning back by popular demand Ms Lucille ball and Mr Richard Denning in the CBS comedy show my favorite husband. in this first episode we find Liz and George at the table eating breakfast when all of the sudden there loving conversation is interrupted by a noise in the kitchen. when their maid Katy comes through the kitchen door tell George and Liz to run because the dishwasher is going crazy. so Liz ask George about getting a new dishwasher when George said no they can't get one. So Liz as an idea about getting a new dishwasher without George knowing about it. because appearing on a quiz show. so there friend Cory setting them up on a game show. the title of that episode is called the quiz show. and in the second episode it is called knitting baby booties. in this episode we find Georgian Liz once again at The breakfast table. well George is reading the paper Liz finds out that one of her friends is having a baby so she starts knitting a pair of baby booties. when all the sudden their friend Corey comes over and See's Liz knitting baby booties. so Corey tells everyone that lives in George know and it goes all the way up to George's boss and friend Mr adaberry. so George is so excited that he goes out and buys all kinds of stuff for the new baby. but unfortunately for George the baby is not there it is another friends baby. I hope you guys enjoyable and Mr Richard Denning in the CBS comedy show my favorite husband if you like the show please comment and subscribe. join me later on this afternoon as I bring back to the show to celebrate our one year anniversary actor,producer and director Mr Orson Welles. and stay tuned for tonight as I bring to the show Mr Jack Benny. and stay tuned for this coming Tuesday as I bring to the show the first ever performer of old time radio that I personally heard Miss elsbeth Eric. and join me in the coming weeks as it bring such stars as Bob Hope Mr Joseph Kearns, Abbott and Costello and many others. and once again guys always to remember enjoy the show thanks.

As we begin a new era with Kabletown in charge of 30 Rock, Jack meets his new boss Hank Hooper (Ken Howard) who's demeanor and changes to Jack's day-to-day may be the end of Jack's time with the company he's long adored. Elsewhere, Avery is under the watchful, driven eyes of her competition Carmen Chao (Vanessa Lachey) who wants her job, and is out to prove Avery's pregnant and unfit for the promotion. So Liz becomes the hero and fakes being pregnant to save Avery and Jack, but is she ready for the newfound rumors and attention? Finally, in a brief C-plot, Tracy and Jenna, two people who never get what they want, are torn between a sweater, and just as they've become good friend, it stands to unravel itself over its possession. ¡Qué Sorpresa! was a surprise for us and is continuing the solid run of season 5 episodes, and we at Go To There appreciate your help in getting us this far, whether you're pretending or not! As always, if you'd like to donate for production costs, website hosting, etc, hit up our Ko-Fi link to do so. And, subscribe and rate/review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow even further!

Zach sits down with Alicia Wade, a results-driven leader who works as a district manager at Banana Republic, to speak about black female leadership. Alicia shares her career journey with us and offers some advice for young black and brown women entering the professional space. She and Zach also discuss the concept of proactive feedback and how to effectively solicit it at work.Alicia is the CEO of The HR Source - check it out!Connect with Alicia on LinkedIn and Twitter!TRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? It's Zach with Living Corporate. Now, listen, you know what we do. We come to y'all and we bring to y'all, you know, some type of, you know, fire for your head top, right? We have some type of creative, executive leader, public servant, you know, public speaker, educator, entrepreneur, artist. You know, we have somebody, typically of the, you know, melanated variety, but sometimes not. Sometimes we've got some Winter Soldiers, or some Buckys, if you will. Some aspirational allies. But we're having real conversations that center black and brown experiences, and today is no different. Today we have the Alicia Wade. [air horns sfx] Now, listen here, for those who don't know, Alicia Wade actually was one of my first bosses. I'ma say bosses 'cause she is a boss, but she was one of the first people at my first job, when I worked at Target, that was in a leadership position that I had ever seen a black person in a leadership position--actually, the first time I had ever seen a black woman in a leadership position. But I don't want to go ahead and take away from her thunder, so I'ma go ahead and introduce her right now. Alicia, welcome to the show. How are you doing?Alicia: I am amazing. How are you doing today?Zach: I'm doing really, really well. Now, look, I gave a very, like, non-intro intro for you, so why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself?Alicia: Okay. Where do you want me to start? 1980? [laughs]Zach: You know what? 1980 would not be that bad. Was it the day time or was it late at night?Alicia: It was the morning in the spring.Zach: Okay, okay.Alicia: Yes, for sure. [laughs] But no, I was--you know, I started--you know, to your point around starting as a boss, I really wasn't always a boss. Maybe bossy, but for sure. You know, I--kind of just giving a background of education and then really where I started my career, but, you know, I went to the University of Oklahoma, so I have to shout that out because, you know, the amazing Boomer Sooner, and I actually did--Zach: Okay, okay.Alicia: Yeah, my undergrad degree there, political science, communication, and then went straight to grad school. So for me I share that background because I just really, you know, was one of those black girls that had a list. I knew what I was gonna be. If you asked me when I was growing up, I just knew I was gonna be a lawyer, and then all that changed when I went to school and I was like, "I don't really wanna go to school for, like, three more years and, like, read and do all of that." So I went to grad school at Baldwin-Wallace. It's actually a university now. It was a college then. It is in Berea, Ohio. Do you know where Berea is?Zach: No, where is that?Alicia: So it is actually, you know, the campgrounds for the Cleveland Browns. So it is right outside of Cleveland in Ohio.Zach: Oh, okay, okay.Alicia: Yes, so if you fly into Cleveland, you're technically in Berea. So I was there, I did my MBA there, and I think through that journey I really realized that I had just a knack for wanting to be on teams, obviously being a student athlete and an athlete my whole life. I think that's really where I kind of moved into HR. So starting to your point around being one of your first bosses, I actually started with Target in their training program and did several roles there. So I had an opportunity to be at the store level, district and regional level in HR, and then actually--I was actually there for about 9 years and then moved onto Ross Dress for Less in an HR capacity and did that and then moved over to operations and did that for probably--well, how long when I was in operations there? For two years. So the total time I was there for 5 years, if you're following, and then now--Zach: I am.Alicia: Yeah. And then now currently I'm actually with Gap, Inc., with the Banana Republic division ["ow" sfx] as a district manager. So yeah, that's kind of where I am now.Zach: So that's incredible, and it's interesting. So today we're really talking about black female leadership, right? So you talked about this path that you went on, and then there were points in time where you kind of had to pivot, right? 'Cause you had this very clear plan. Can we talk about, like, what was the cause--what was the cause, like, for you to say, "Look, I don't want to do this particularly." 'Cause you said that you were drawn to being on teams, but, you know, you can be a team and still be a lawyer. So, like, what was the moment that made you say, "You know what? I need to do something different."?Alicia: Well, you know what? I think what I realized in being on teams is that, you know, kind of--I mean, I probably wouldn't say I had the words for it then or the language or even had done the discovery for my own, like, strength and [?] of what that really was, but I did realize that I was really good at making other people better. So to your point, being a track athlete. It could be, like, individual, right? You could do your thing and then also [?] relays, but I felt like at that point I did know that I was really good around motivating other people and that I had an energy that other people fed off of, and I don't know if that was necessarily--would have been [conveyed?] for me. Some people would have through a book or through research. So I just felt like, you know, that leadership role, I was always pushed in those roles. So, like, even when I was at OU, I was a black student president. I was in leadership roles through my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. If you have sound effects, it would be a good time to add that right there.Zach: You want, like, a skee-wee or something? I don't have anything like that. Aren't y'all--wait, y'all be suing people. I'm not messing with you on this. [both laugh]Alicia: It could just be an amazing, like, "Alpha! Kappa! Alpha!" So anyway--[both laugh]--you heard that? Like, that little echo? It was amazing.Zach: I did.Alicia: Yes, and you had a picture in your mind of it being magnified, right? [Zach laughing] But we digress. So, you know, through those experiences in college, I think that's where that discovery came for me.Zach: Okay. Okay, cool. No, no, no. Listen, I'ma tell you something, 'cause y'all do be suing people, 'cause I saw somebody was making a joke--somebody made a joke about Kamala Harris and they put that AKA symbol on there, and it was on Twitter, and all the reactions on Twitter was [Law and Order sfx]. I said, "Wait a second. Relax, everybody." [Alicia laughing]Alicia: Well, you know what? Well, at least that sound effects knows--I think all of us through our childhood know that something epic was about to happen. So at the very least it's like, "Wait a minute," and we got their attention, right? And we're compliant. We're compliant, so we're good.Zach: [ow sfx, laughing] All right, so let's talk about this, because you're--when you talk about the roles that you've had and kind of going through the leader--you went through a training program, right? So you went through, like, an actual development program when you started at Target. Can we talk a little bit about what are some of the core things you learned through that program and what are some pieces that you feel like you picked up through that program that you wouldn't have otherwise?Alicia: Oh, my gosh. You know, it was so interesting. I talked--it's funny, you know, looking at what you do now, right, and where I am, and how that all started there, right? And I see that a lot. So I talk to a lot of peers that are in so many different capacities now in their career, and we all talk about the commonality with this, right? So I think for me--the good part is when you work for a company that has very structured development, or I should say an expectation that a supervisor shows up a certain way. Even if somebody doesn't have the capability or even the want to do it, it happens. So with that being said, I didn't always have supervisors that were able to show up in that way for me, but I would say the biggest thing I've learned, and it's a life lesson, is how I manage my expectations of other people, right? And I share that because I hear that a lot, especially as I even mentor, you know, younger, to your point, black and brown people today. If they're entering to the workforce and they have this expectation because of someone's title or their age or, you know, maybe their past experiences, and when they don't get that they are very discouraged. So that was a big lesson for me because I just came in and--you know, being from Houston, I think, you know, when you think about, like, a Southern culture, you really, you know, have a lot of respect, you know, for people. So I was like, "Yes, ma'am," "No, sir," and then when I realized people didn't show up very professional in some cases, I had to--to your point through this program--really position myself to not let that be a distraction, and I share that background because I think one of the biggest things that I had to learn, particularly around communication, is I showed up very rigid in a lot of those environments, whether it was, you know, day-to-day, whether it was in a mixer or things--and there was a lot of promotional opportunities that passed me because people just didn't know who I was, you know? It was just kind of like--you know, it was--I showed up in the workplace thinking, "You just don't share those kind of things," right? Like, they don't need to know what I do at home. And people wanted to, and it was important. So it's interesting, even as you do the intro today to say I was the first person that you saw, right? A person of color that related to you. That was a journey for me to get there, to realize that, and that was a big learning. And even today, you know? Like, obviously with Coco, you know, in the tennis championships now and seeing her and all this conversation about how animated she is, and, you know, just--it's so raw. Like, that is kind of how I showed up, you know what I mean? And being an athlete, being an aggressive, being this--and that didn't always translate into positive for me. [laughs]Zach: No, no, I hear you. But this is the thing about that though, right? I think that we've also been--so I'ma speak for myself, and I've also seen, like, my peers, is black folks, you know, it's--there's a certain level of guardedness that we're taught to have just because, like, you know, "Look, there's only a few of us. Don't mess anything up. Don't put yourself out there too far." And I also think culturally we just have this thing around, like, sharing our personal business in ways that, like--there are things we just don't talk about at work, you know what I'm saying? And so there's this--but to your point though, there's this challenge of, like, "Okay, well, what's the line? How vulnerable can you make yourself?" Because people aren't gonna want to promote or work with somebody that they don't know. Like, most people anyway. I don't--I don't care. Listen, I just want to do the job. It's fine. But I'm learning, and I've learned, that, you know, people just feel more comfortable if they know you a little bit. And so my question is how did you create that cocktail for yourself? Like, how did you come into--you know, what is it that I really want to share? What will I still kind of hold back? Like, how did you kind of give yourself permission to be a bit more vulnerable at your job?Alicia: Yeah, for sure. So I can think of a couple of things. So I can think of an experience where I was actually interviewing, and I was pregnant at the time, and we were doing, like, a Skype, like, interview, because, you know, the actual people that were doing the mock interviews were in other locations, and it was an African-American female. She was in a supervisor position. And we're going through, and I'm thinking--and I share this story often--like, you know, I'm prepared. I've got all my notes. And the message I was trying to convey was someone who was reliable, right, and qualified. So I had all of that to the--you know, bringing that to the table, and I just remember her, like, cutting me off mid-sentence. Like, ugh. Who are you? I'm not feeling you right now, and you need to get it together. And, like, inside--you know, like, we all--we've done so much, particularly as African-American females, to pull it all together and present this package, and when someone is unraveling that it's like, "Wait a minute," right? And that's what happened in that moment for me. But to your point around creating that cocktail, that, like, having her say it's okay and seeing her show up as herself and still be professional, you know, and great at her job, like it wasn't this caricature, right? She was herself. She was professional. She was someone I looked up to, and she was still herself. She didn't become anybody else. It helped give me that courage. But I think for me, like, the steps towards that was me finding things that I was okay to share, right? Like, so to kind of, like, put a little, like, pinky toe in the water. So it's like, "Okay, I like to work out," you know? "So let me talk about that, and then maybe I'll build a connection," and then I just continued to build upon that, about things that, you know, I feel comfortable with, but then I think I learned in that is that that's what motivates people. And then I thought about--I made it personal. Like, I want to know what's important to my boss, right? Like, I want to know them as a person, and then when I started to meet with people and I started to, you know, move up in my career in multi-unit positions and interacted, to your point, at so many different levels with people, I was able to meet people at their level and then also connect at that level.Zach: So then what advice would you have, right, for the young black woman, young brown woman, coming into the professional space who does have it all together? 'Cause you're absolutely right, like, there is--and I believe this translates to black men as well. Like, you know, we try to come with, like, "Look, I got this, I got this. I'm tight. Like, I've got all of these different things. If they ask me this, I'ma say that. If they ask me this, I'ma say that." When you don't have someone who is gonna kind of give you the assurance that it's okay to be yourself and who isn't maybe, you know, guiding you along, what advice would you give to someone who is trying to break out of their shell a little bit?Alicia: Yeah. You know what? I would share--I guess this is where, like, the academic in me comes out, because I also teach at the University of Houston. So it's a great opportunity [ow sfx] as an adjunct professor--aye, let's go. I [?] from OU to our great Cougars here. Zach: To UH. Uh.Alicia: Yes, there we go. H-Town in the house. [both laugh] But one of the things that I share there with the students all of the time is around, like, the dialogue, right? And you have internal dialogue in yourself that you're having, and you can get distracted about maybe, you know, cues that you're not getting from people, right? So even in this conversation, there's things that you're doing that are affirming me that we're on track, right? And vice versa, and sometimes we don't get that, not because we're wrong--it's because you may be the first person that this, you know, particular person has interacted with like you, if that makes sense, right? So just because you may be sharing, right, about whatever that may be that's very personal or maybe you think is cultural and they're looking at you a certain way, that doesn't mean that that's wrong, right? Or that you shouldn't share it. It just may be a new experience, and you can't let those external things go along. Then it starts to spiral and you're not showing up as your authentic self. So I think you have to get to a place where "Hey, this is who I am," you know? And continue to show up that way, because any time I feel like you're--you feel like you are a fraud or you are trying to act like other people, you're never gonna come across as someone that other people want to be around anyway - in my opinion. So that would be my advice.Zach: No, you're absolutely right. Now, you know, you talked a little bit about your sorority, but, you know, everybody, Alicia, is not blessed to don the pink and green and wear the pearls and toss the [?] hair, right? Everybody don't have a community that they come into. So for the folks that are kind of doing [?], what does it look like--what would you suggest that they do to kind of build those networks in those kind of, like, trusted spaces?Alicia: Absolutely, and I think that is definitely something along the journey that I had to learn, even though I was in those environments, because no one in my family really has worked--like, most of--particularly the women are in education, right, and I was kind of brought up that if you weren't a teacher or a nurse, what do you do? Right? So I totally can relate to someone who maybe is not even able to go home or, especially as a new professional, being able to talk to your parents about your experiences, but I would say you have to be very intentional around finding--and not necessarily somebody that looks like you, but maybe they are--whether it's a position or they have the characteristics that you want to possess, that could be a star for you. I think the other piece is maybe somebody that's maybe struggling in the same area as you are, right? So let's say you see someone that is in a position that you want to be in, and let's say communication is your opportunity--it's, like, you're not necessarily the most articulate person, right, but you aspire to do, but you see that person is maybe in a certain role, connecting with them to ask, like, how did they work around that, right? And maybe you don't feel comfortable going straight to them. Maybe you're in an environment that that's not appropriate and you don't have that access to that person, but what events can you go to, right? Like, can you be intentional to say, "Hey, my work schedule doesn't necessarily afford me to do A, B, and C, but there is this networking opportunity at this time through my church," right? Look around you, and I think if you approach it, your development or an area of growth around the abundance as opposed to the limitations, you will find somebody that is gonna be willing to help you or even--they may not even realize they're helping you and you know you're going with that very intentional question and they can answer it for you and you get that nugget, right? [ow sfx] And then you just start believing it. Yes.Zach: No, you're absolutely right. And you know what? I just--I appreciate this because, you know, it's about being resourceful, right? Like, you've got to reach out and use and just think beyond, you know, your initial, you know, four corners or whatever and just reach out a bit, because there are resources available. You've got Google, which is, like, this huge thing where you can, like, type in things into this, like, little square, and then when you press Enter then a bunch of things pop up. You know, there's just all types of resources out there, so you gotta get busy. You gotta get out there.Alicia: Right. But I think to your exact question, even though we have so much information, people are not necessarily more informed per se about specific things when it comes to their career, and I challenge people, particularly to your point minorities a lot and people in my circle where, you know what, their Instagram is popping, their Facebook, like, you have all the great pictures, angles, but then you don't have a LinkedIn account or you don't have an updated resume or you don't have a CV. So it's like you've invested all of this time of creating and crafting this image but not necessarily the same for your professional, right?Zach: Wait a minute. [Flex bomb sfx] What you talking about? You're dropping these bombs over here talking about--so wait a second though, and I know you're church, so you're over here talking about "so you've crafted this image."Alicia: Yes, Jesus. We've got one of them anointed words right there, right? Yes, hallelujah. Zach: "But it's not real!" Then part of me, I was like ["and i oop" sfx]. You know what I'm saying? I was like, "Oh, my gosh." Like, that's real though. Alicia: Yes, wave your hands in there.Zach: No, that's true though.Alicia: Yes, it is, and it's just--recently I had a mentee that I was talking to, and she was preparing for an interview, but she'd post every day on, like, her Insta story, right? Like, videos. She looks beautiful in these videos. And I said, "Well, why don't you use something you do every day?" Like, you want to convey this message. Like, have you ever looked at yourself when you're trying to talk about your career? And she's like, "I never thought about that," and I said, "Well, you clearly like looking at yourself, right? So why don't you start there?" Like, it is around you. So that's what I would say. I think it's kind of step back, realize what you do have, and just start somewhere small, right? Like, it doesn't have to be a program that costs thousands of dollars. It doesn't have to be dropping the name of, you know, this person is my mentor or, you know, they have this title. It really may be the secretary in, you know, your particular office that is someone that is warm, that may be older than you that can give you some advice around navigating that environment that you can learn from at the level you're at right now.Zach: No, I love that. 100%. And I'm curious, you know, we talked a little bit about--again, we started off talking about leadership, and we talked about you coming into yourself. So that was self-management. Let's talk about what does it look like for you to manage others. Particularly what I'd like to talk about is, like, the art of influence, as well as really giving effective feedback. So you and I both--well, so you started at Target, I also started at Target, and I think a large part of the element of Target, the culture at the time was really about, like, you know, positive feedback, public praise, and I've seen that you've carried that forward in your positions with Gap, specifically Banana Republic, and how you give feedback. So can we talk a little bit about that and, like, your theory or your philosophy around feedback and, like, your practices on how you give it to your team?Alicia: Yeah, for sure. You know, I think feedback is something that I value, and I think it starts--you know, my brother and I talk about this all the time because he plays sports, actually football, and is currently still in the field with athletics, and we talk about how that shows up in the workplace of people that are used to being coached, right? Like, you're used to looking at a video and a group of people sitting around critiquing it, right? And really understanding that there's a moment that you have to capture right now. Like, you don't have another day or a week to wait. So I think that kind of shaped my philosophy per se, if there is one, is that you have to [?] find and be aware as a boss, right, or a manager of those coachable moments and not wait. You know, I think we've all been in situations where somebody sat us down and they had a list, and you think, like, "Wow." You know, like, all of these things that they're telling you that you need to get better at, or examples, and you're sitting there, and at a point you just look around like, "Wow, why didn't they tell me then?" Like, "I had no clue," right? So I think that's what I never want to be as a supervisor. I never want somebody to be shocked, right? And I also want them to know, like, "I'm giving you this feedback because I believe you can improve," right? 'Cause I think a lot of times, particularly--if I bring this to your point of our audience here of, like, black and brown people, particularly for black women, when I mentor them there's a lot of times the absence of feedback means that there's an absence of a problem. "Oh. Well, nobody told me that." It's like, "That does not mean that you didn't need to get better." And I think--I share that because the next part of it is, even in my self-journey and things like that or my own development, there's a lot of times I would get feedback and I would want to make it about the other person. Like, "Well, if they just got to know me, then they would know that's not really how I am." Like, "I'm not really like that," right? Or "If they gave me a chance to do it, then they would just know," opposed to thinking, "No, we're talking about this specific instance."Zach: Right now.Alicia: "Right now. Can you understand how you're showing up, how it could be--just the possibility of how it could be perceived this way?" And in that space, what can you control and move forward with? So I think with my team, I try to make sure that I create that--like, we create that as an agreed-upon communication from the beginning, right? Like, so they're not shocked, 'cause I don't want to assume that you've gotten this before, right? And I want you to also understand my intent. So we talked about in the beginning, like, "Hey, here's how I communicate. Here's what I do, and let me know if that works for you," and a lot of times I found that people don't really know how they like to get feedback until they get it. [laughs] 'Cause it's like, "Actually, I don't really want--" You know, they think that they don't like it or it's gonna be odd or it's, like, gonna be breaking them down, and then once they realize, like, this is gonna be a feedback-rich environment, then I think people buy in, but I also feel like it's a great way--I'm in a, you know, environment particularly in retail that moves very fast, right? And it is very results-driven. So if you are in an environment where productivity or--it's high-functioning, then I think it's very rewarding. I am aware that there are environments, right, like, when I go into, like, an educational space, where it's not as frequent, right? And you don't have--it's like an event when you get feedback. I think you really have to meet the person where they are, and I think you have to make sure that they understand where it's coming from, and that's my thoughts about it. Zach: No, I love that. And, you know, this is the thing, because--you know, background and upbringing is all very important, because I would just--for me, it was primarily my mom and I growing up, and my mom would just tell me all of the time, like, you know, "Hey, you need to do this better. You need to change da-da-da-da." Like, "You need to clean it up, boy. You're looking crazy out here." So it's not--it wasn't odd to me to get, like, direct feedback at work. I think it was reinforced by Target too 'cause Target was such a feedback--and I think retail is like that in general, as an industry, right? Because, like you said, it's results-driven, it's very action-oriented, and it's execution-focused and execution-oriented that you're gonna have to get this feedback 'cause we gotta get this stuff done, and so what has been a challenge for me though, Alicia, has been, like, transitioning outside of retail and just realizing, like, the--I don't know, like, just the fragility of folks. So, like, have you ever had a situation as a black person, as a black woman, giving feedback to a non-black person, and they, like, crumble like you've just destroyed them?Alicia: I have, yeah.Zach: Okay. Can we talk about it?Alicia: Yeah. You know, I can think of several. You know, there's one that's coming up, like, top of mind, but I probably would say it's pretty common, and this is how it happened. And to your point, you know, the person reacted very emotionally, and in that moment I had to pause and ask, like, "What are these tears about right now? Because what I'm saying shouldn't be causing tears," right? Like, I'm sharing an observation about something we already have--you know, sometimes you may have something that's very specific, right, that you can measure it, but I also find, particularly in being in the HR space, right, that it's very hard to coach people or for people to give feedback on something they can't measure. So to your point, you start having this very what feels like abstract conversation, like "What are we really talking about?" And then the person can become defensive if you don't have measurables to say, "Hey, look. See, this is what I mean." And in that particular conversation, that's what the person was--I would use the word argued. Maybe argued is not the right word, but they were, you know, disagreeing, right? Like, "Well, I don't see it that way," and I think we had to disagree in that space of "It is okay for you not to agree. However, what we have to agree upon is that you do have to value my opinion as your supervisor," right? "And let's also agree that we don't have to." Right? Like, we can be in this space and see this totally different--Zach: And it still be okay.Alicia: And it still be okay, you know? And I'm not asking you to change your perspective. I'm just putting you on notice, right, like, that this is the way that it looks to me and this is how I would like us to move forward, and in this particular conversation, the person was not ready to talk about the path forward. They weren't, because they were still stuck and just kind of thinking around, and I think you have to know, like, not to overbear--you know what I mean? Like, be overbearing.Zach: Yeah, overwhelming.Alicia: Yeah, overwhelming, 'cause this may be truly--regardless of their age, regardless of the position that they're in, this may be the first time that they've heard this, and you have to respect that, right? So to your point, you've grown up being told, like, "You're not all that. Okay, no, you need to go change," or, like, "Ugh," and that's not something that's crumbling for you, right? But someone that's never gotten honest feedback from someone that loves them, you don't know what that background is in the workplace, right? So somebody shows--Zach: That's real.Alicia: You know, somebody shows up, and then once again going back to that us being comfortable, right, and us being--like, you can't take that as that you did something wrong, because now you can retreat and not be operating in a space that you need to. So yeah, I've absolutely had that, and, you know, what I've done for me is that follow-up is really important. So comment back, like, "Let's agree upon a time on when it'll be good to revisit this," 'cause I find a lot of times for certain people avoidance is a tactic that they use, right, when it comes to conflict, and that's the most ineffective thing that you can do, right? Like, time does not cure all, right? In fact, it makes it worse, because we had this conversation 6 months ago and we still said nothing, right? Or that was last year during your annual review that we talked about it, or as a peer we worked on this project together, but that was--we only do that once a quarter, right? And I didn't really like working with you, and you had an attitude, or you were late, or I didn't really like the quality of your work, but we never really got to the root cause for us to move forward. So I come back to "Okay, you know, last time we spoke this is where we landed. How are you feeling today?" You know? And not let people off the hook with making it about you.Zach: You know, that's just a really good point. That last part is huge, because it is easy for me--'cause I'm a bit of a narcissist, so--[both laugh] Alicia: It's something you--right, but you can internalize it, right? Zach: Right, absolutely. Like, and so it's like, "Okay, well, then, clearly this is something I did wrong. Okay, how can I improve?" And, like, you know, a part of you thinks, like, "Oh, well, this is me being accountable." It's like, "Yeah, but you're being accountable at a toxic--at a point that's not even accurate or helpful," because you're centering yourself and internalizing to the point that we're not actually getting to a solution, you know what I mean?Alicia: Yeah. But I think too to your point around accountability, and this is something that I've, you know, from a learning--you know, to your question initially, that's an area where, like, accountability overused has gotten in the way, right, for me of, like, working too much or, you know, it could come across as aggressive, or--you know, those things, and you're really overly accountable, and I think that's where understanding what accountability and responsibility looks like, right? So you may be in that environment. You're accountable for whatever that project, and that's why you're giving this feedback, but that person is responsible as well, you know, to show up a certain way or deliver in those areas, and how do you balance that, you know, so it doesn't--like, obviously you gotta work on, maybe in that space, what you need to do, but there's also something that they needed to work on, and we can't be distracted about how it came across to them, per se.Zach: No, you're absolutely right, and you're right, like, we do overuse that word, and, you know, I think--again, like, it's an old phrase, but, like, accountability is a two-way street. Like, it's not--because if one person is always accountable and the other person is never accountable, then that's--that's toxic. Like, that doesn't make sense.Alicia: Yes, and I think if you become--like, especially when we think about giving feedback, right, and we're thinking about whether that's from a generational or we think about from a cultural standpoint, we have to make sure that that's a two-way street, and if you're the only person trying to work through this relationship, then you really aren't growing in how to manage and work with people that don't look like you.Zach: You know, I just--[straight up sfx] I mean, you're right. What can I say?Alicia: Hol' up! [both laugh]Zach: Man. Okay, so this has been a great conversation. So, you know, there are times for me where--you talked earlier about, like, people giving you feedback and, like, sitting you down with a laundry list of feedback. We also just talked about accountability and responsibility. For me, I really enjoy the idea of soliciting feedback, because I'm trying to--like, you know, in the idea of you trying to sit me down and have some laundry list of stuff, I'm just over here like ["stupid, i'm not gonna let you get the chance" sfx] You know what I'm saying? I'm just trying to, like, make sure I'm proactive, okay? Alicia: [both laughing] Right, right. Like it's above me now, right?Zach: Listen. Okay, so my question to you is what are your thoughts on proactive feedback? And what are ways that you solicit feedback from your team and from your leadership?Alicia: Yeah. So this is--oh, my gosh, this is definitely a gem for me when I think about just development for myself. I think I've been in situations where I've had supervisors that weren't able to give me feedback, right, because I was meeting goals, I was doing a really good job, and it was meeting their expectations, right? So you go and you ask and you solicit and it's like, "Oh, it's great." Like, "There's nothing you can do better," and that's never worked for me, you know? And maybe because the way that I'm wired, you know? Like, I really want to even get feedback around, like, what did you like? Like, what am I doing well so I can know what to repeat, right? Or even how I got the result, and I find often that people may achieve a goal, right, or whatever it may be, and it's kind of like, "Okay, we're so excited," but they cannot articulate how, right? And for me I feel like that's kind of--there's a silver bullet or a magic sauce, a cocktail, right, that you're creating on how to repeat success. You have to know what you did, right? Because it may be a different environment. So for me, that's really important for personal feedback for me, whether it be from a supervisor, a peer, or even my direct reports. Like, if we feel like we're in a good space, right--and I would start with direct reports--that I manage, I want to know what you like, right? So if you feel like, "Hey, communication is great," I want them to be very specific, but that's just how I'm wired, right? Like, I want to know - do you prefer this type of communication? Do you prefer this type of recognition? Okay, when we're working on a project, what level of autonomy do you like? So I ask, you know? I think there's some people that it's really easy for them and those that aren't, so I'll set it up. If we're gonna have, for instance, a touch-base, or we know we're gonna have a formal sitting down, [I] say, "Hey, when we connect, I want to give some feedback on how that went," and I'll put it out there, right, whether that's in a conversation or even written, for them to prepare their thoughts. So that's something that's worked for me. I think with peers, I have something that's helped me, particularly around communication and working on how I come across, 'cause that was something early in my career and I think still today. Like, my non-verbals. You know, like, that face? Like, okay. Like, having somebody in the room, you know, or your tone to say, "Okay, hey, you know, yeah, you did come across this way." I've always tried to solicit people that can help me in that area, and if they aren't there someone that I've seen that is an expert in the area or better than me. I go to them to say, "Hey, do you mind if I reach out to you, like, once a month just to get your ideas? It doesn't have to be long. Would it be okay if I maybe text you or shoot this over to you and you give me some feedback?" That's really helped also break down, you know, some barriers where--I don't want to say competition per se, right, but it's helped people also give [me] more feedback that maybe they wouldn't before, right? Because I've already put out there, "Hey, I'm trying to get better here. You've already got this locked down. I'm trying to learn. Do you mind if I just--you know, if I send this to you and ask questions?" Most people are gonna be very open. So that's something that I do a lot, and that's how I would say I solicit feedback or try to.Zach: No, that's--no, no, no, that's great, and I think, again, to your point around, like, "Well, no one told me anything so it must be fine," it's like the only time that I--the only time I take that attitude where "nobody told me anything, it must be fine" is if I ask you for feedback and you say, "I don't have any feedback," and then you come back later with something, then I'm like, "Hey, wait a second. You big buggin' now."Alicia: And you know what? Here's one thing. And, you know, I think we learn a lot from also bad supervisors or people we didn't like working for, and that was one. I had a supervisor that comes to mind, and that's--this is why I would say I take the approach now, because she didn't necessarily know what she wanted things to look like, but she did--she was very good at critiquing what you put forward, and that was SO demotivating for me. In fact, it was--like, it was emotional, you know what I mean? Like, I would just be, like, hurt by it, because it was like--to your point--I went to you, asked you for feedback--"Hey, here's my plan. This is what I'm thinking. This is the approach I want to take." And they would be like, "Oh, yeah. Check, check. Great." And then I [?]--you know, I felt [I?] was taking huge leaps or a risk in some cases, right, and we agreed upon this is what we were gonna do going forward, and then she would come back if maybe there were other partners that felt a certain way or it didn't resonate with them or she saw it and then would, like, kind of break me down, you know what I mean? That list would come out of "Okay, well, you could've did this, and you could've did that," and in that--at that time, I shut down. You know? So it became--I won't say angry, but the hurt became--I just took a list, and then I thought, "I'm never gonna do that again," and that didn't help anybody, particularly me. So I think that's when I--to your point, trying to get ahead of it now, like, not letting somebody that says, "Oh, I don't have anything to share," get in the way--get in the way of me moving forward.Zach: No, you're 100% right, and I think--so it's both and, right? It's you were looking for the feedback. You were soliciting it, and then you--not using that as a blocker, right? No matter what you get. So if you don't get anything, don't use it as a blocker. If you get something that doesn't really align with what you think it is, then don't use it as a blocker either. Just make sure that it's something that you're taking the time to do, but it shouldn't impede you from moving forward towards whatever goals that you have. I think--like, a mentor that I have who--she's told me this a few different times. Shout-out to you, Liz. I see you. What's up?Alicia: Hey.Zach: Hey. Come on. So Liz was like "Look--" And Liz is a mentor of mine. She's a great friend, and she was also on the show a few episodes back, actually during Pride Month, but anyway, so look. Liz said--she said, "Look, Zach, you know, the beauty of feedback is you don't have to agree with it. You don't have to take all of it." Alicia: [laughs] Right.Zach: She was like, "You know, Zach, I think you're burdening yourself with every time someone gives you feedback, you take that as, like, a mandate that you need to change something." Like, that's not--that's not what feedback is. Feedback is something for you to consider. So the best thing you can say to someone giving you feedback? "Hey, thank you for your feedback." That's it. [laughs] That's it.Alicia: For sure, and that's so important to your point. It's like, there's--if you can compartmentalize things, right, then you can do something with it later, because that feedback may be relevant at another time, and then you can see it, right? When it shows up again, but today I don't necessarily have to create a plan based on what you said. I can just put there and say, "Oh, okay. That's Zach's feedback that he gave me today. Okay. All right. Hm. I don't necessarily see it, but thank you." And it stays right there. Yeah, I think that's awesome.Zach: And that's it. But I think some of the challenge when it comes to just, like, bias in the workplace, and, like, there's also, like, this underlying and sometimes overlying expectation that women, particularly black women, are just, like, the workhorses of whatever. So, you know, sometimes I've been told--you tell me if I'm right or wrong, but, like, sometimes people give you feedback with the expectation that you're just gonna do what they say, and it's like... that's not necessarily the case. Like, I'm just gonna take this feedback, and I will--I will make a determination as to how, or if, I implement it into what I'm doing.Alicia: Yes, for sure. I think--no, I agree, I think that is true for me and what I've seen. And even more, to take it a step further--'cause I know we've talked through a lot of tips on this podcast around, you know, how--you know, interviewing tips and moving forward, right? I see this a lot in interviewing people and them not being able to explain why they haven't moved forward, right? They feel like it's someone else's--you know, someone else's... I don't know even the word. Like, it's their responsibility or their fault. We'll use the word fault, right? Of "Okay, I'm here," and they can't say why, and to me it's like, "Okay, you've never gotten any feedback or no one's ever told you or you're not able to look at this job or see someone in that role and see what they do better than you and what--maybe even the one thing they do better than you--and what's held you back?" And that's the approach I take for feedback. Like, if you can think about it in that way opposed to, to your point, something that you have to change or take on or feel like you've got to bow down or become someone different, but really as a lens for you to see things that you may not be seeing. So that's what I see often, particularly for black women.Zach: Man, this has been great. Alicia, before we let you go, any parting words or shout-outs?Alicia: Shout--I mean, when you say let you go, I feel like we've got to queue that Beyonce, and that has to be in the background that we have here, but--Zach: Again, I don't know what you don't understand about [Law and Order sfx]. We can't do that. I don't own Roc-a-Fella or whoever she--or whatever she signed that thing through, or House of Dereon, LLC. I don't know. Listen, we're gonna have that nice, you know what I'm saying, copyright-free jazz music that you hear in the background. Trying to get us in trouble. We already said AKA a few times. They're gonna be knocking on my door. Now you're talking about--Alicia: No, they're not. They're gonna be looking at this. We're gonna be--they're gonna be helping with [?] mass media, passing it out here. But no, seriously--Zach: Come on, now.Alicia: You know what I mean? But no, seriously, I want to--you know, if there's a recognition, I want to recognize you, because I think, you know, creating this space, A. to have conversation, is one thing, right? But I think you being very intentional around making sure that the conversation has different perspectives, whether that be from industry, you know, whatever, right? I think that this is just very phenomenal, and I've seen, like I've said, from the beginning when you first sent out this podcast to where you are now. So I just want to, you know, tip my hat to you, brother, and really seeing how you brought also other people in to expand--it's just fantastic. While keeping your full-time job. So round of applause. I'm super excited and just happy to be a part [kids cheering sfx]--yes. So anything, you know, that we can do in the future, any way I can continue to add to the conversation, would be the shout-out. So thank you as well. Zach: Oh, my goodness. Well, first of all, you've got me blushing. I'm turning purple. I appreciate this. And you know what? Shout-out to you, okay? 'Cause, like I said, you were one of the first people, and, you know, the thing about it--see, the thing about Alicia--now, look, I know we have this natural hair movement now and everything. Let me tell you something. Back in, like, 2011, I walked into Target doing my thing, Alicia came through edges LAID, okay?Alicia: All the time.Zach: Okay? Pearls. Pearls thick, y'all. Don't play. And she had heels on, and she was moving. She was working the floor. I was like, "Oh, my gosh. This is incredible." So shout-out to Alicia and your whole brand, everything that you do, everything that you've done. Shout-out to of course, you know what I'm saying, 1906, you know what I'm saying? I got y'all. Pink and green. I respect y'all. Please do not come for my neck. Please. I appreciate y'all. I did not put no logos on this stuff. Alicia: There will be a logo though, in the show notes.Zach: Oh, my gosh. Okay, yes, so we will put a logo in the show notes. It will show all of the legal information and that we are not indemnified by anything--[both laugh]Alicia: You are so silly, for sure.Zach: [laughs] Okay, but look, final air horns for you--[air horns sfx]--and you know what? This has been it, y'all. Thank y'all for listening to the Living Corporate podcast. Of course this has been Zach. You've been listening to Alicia Wade. Now, look, I usually say all of the little Twitter stuff, but look, we brolic now, okay? So I don't have to say "follow us on this." Just Google Living Corporate, okay? Google me. What was that--oh, yeah, Teyana Taylor I think made that song called Google Me. But no, for real, shout-out to Teyana Taylor too, but look, Google me. Just Google Living Corporate. Living--L-I-V-I-N-G--Corporate. I'm not gonna spell out corporate. I don't have the time. But check us out. We're everywhere. Appreciate y'all. We'll talk to y'all soon. Peace.

Some almost-incoherent thoughts on my way home from trick-or-treating. On today’s episode Russell talks Halloween, and about trying to look at everybody in the world the way he looks at his youngest daughter, Norah. Here are some of the insightful thing you will hear on this episode: Find out why Halloween is not longer Russell’s favorite holiday. Hear why watching Norah laugh caused Russell to change his perspective on how he sees other pepole. And find out why Liz Benney was nervous to sign on to have Russell coach her when she found out he was a religious person. Listen here to find out why Russell believes we need to serve everyone at the highest level possible without casting judgment on them first. ---Transcript--- Hey everybody, this is Russell Brunson. I want to welcome you to a late night Marketing Secrets podcast. It’s Halloween, I just got done trick or treating, and I just dropped off Blake, who has been filming behind the scenes of everything this last week, at the hotel. I’m driving home and I wanted to share with you guys some thoughts. Alright everybody, this is probably less of a marketing thing, and more of a life thing. I hope you don’t mind if I share this, but it was on my mind a little bit as I’ve been having so much fun with my kids. So we had Halloween tonight, which it’s crazy. I used to love Halloween, it used to be my favorite holiday by far. I think I’ve recently transitioned from Halloween being my favorite, to now the 4th of July. Just because the fireworks, the age of my kids now, fireworks I think are more fun. But last year, I didn’t know that was going to happen. Last year my kids started wrestling, so wrestling practice happens until 5:30 every night, we get home at 6:00. So last Halloween, that’s what was happening. We get home from wrestling practice, race home, and in my head I’m like, I’m going to wear my new Batman costume, which if you guys haven’t seen my Batman costume, it’s amazing, but it takes like an hour at least to put it on. So I’m racing home and I’m like, I don’t have time to put my Batman costume on, and I’m kind of bummed because I wanted to wear that, I was so excited for it. I get  home and the kids are eating and everything is crazy and all the sudden the doorbell rings, and I’m like, “Oh trick or treaters.” So we run to the door and it’s my daughter’s friend, and she’s all, “Can Ellie come trick or treating with me?” And I don’t even know how to explain what happened, it broke my heart. And I didn’t want to, I was like, “No, this is my holiday.” And my wife’s like, “No, this is the kids’ holiday.” And I was like, “No, no.” and it broke my heart, so we let her go with her friends. And then the boys wanted to go with their friends, so I dropped one of our twins off. So it ended up being one of the twins, Norah who fell asleep in the car as we were dropping the other kids off, and then Aiden. And we went out and I remember it was the most depressing day of my life, I’m not going to lie. I took them trick or treating and I fell asleep in the car, because me and Norah were sleeping the car while Collette took the other one’s out, and I was just like, so bummed because this is my holiday and my kids stole it from me. But alas, I finally grew up and realized that it’s their holiday. So this year I was more prepared for it, I was like this is going to be good. They went with their friends, we were okay with that. I took Norah out, it was really fun. She is still a super cute age, so at least I got one baby who still loves me. All the rest of them are out with their friends. Anyway, so that’s what just ended tonight, and I’m not going to lie, I’m beat up and worn out. And my beautiful wife is such a good sport. We had Blake come and film the whole thing and she’s not a big fan of being on camera all the time, but come one we’re doing vlogs, and we need to document us dressing up. And she even got a costume and everything just for it. So she’s amazing to put up with my, with me. I can’t imagine being married to me. Can you imagine being married to me, that would be so annoying. But I love her and I’m grateful for her. So for any of the spouses of the crazy entrepreneurs, thank you for putting up with your spouse because I know it’s not, it can’t be easy. I can’t even imagine. So I’m grateful for my wife and I’m grateful for all the wives and the spouses. I always tell people you can only be as successful as your spouse will allow you to be, and Collette’s an amazing sport for doing all that even though I know she doesn’t want to. But that’s not what I want to talk about today. I actually want to talk about yesterday. So yesterday….. Hey, sorry to jump in the middle of the podcast episode, but I’m at home and I actually finished recording this whole episode and then I got home and the rest of it just didn’t make that much sense. And then I tried to rerecord it and it didn’t make much sense. So I’m jumping on again, a third time, to try and finish out this episode because it’s something really powerful and profound that I wanted to share, but for some reason I can’t explain it. It’s one of those things where you experience something and then you try to explain it and then it doesn’t really make sense. It was like you had a moment. So I’m just going to share with you the moment and then the insights, and then again, it may not make any sense to you but hopefully it will give you guys a little glimpse of what I experienced yesterday. We went to this school carnival at the kids middle school, and we get there and all the kids run off and they’re doing a million things with all their friends, and then me, Collette and my little Norah had a chance to go and hang out. And then we went out to the field and she wanted to go run across the field and I was like, “Okay, let’s go.” So we start running, and we ran all the way to the goal posts, and we ran back and as we’re running, she’s just laughing hysterically, and she’s so cute. And I look over and I just see her face and I see her laughing. It’s just one of those moments when time just froze. I was like, this is such a cool, it’s a cool experience to see your little daughter laughing and happy. And the experience I’ve been trying to explain to you guys and I’m just struggling to get out, as I was watching her laugh for a split second, I had this really cool realization, where I realized once again that everybody in this world was once a kid, just like Norah. Even the people that drive us crazy, people I love, people I admire, people I look up to, all of them not that long ago were kids just like Norah, running around without a care in the world. On the same side, people I love and admire and look up to, but also the other side, people that drive me nuts, people I don’t agree with, people that I don’t agree with them personally, or I might not agree with their political beliefs or religious beliefs or whatever. But the gift I was given, and I don’t know how to explain this to you guys, but as I was looking at her I realized everyone once was a child like her. And it made me just look at people differently for a little bit. I started realizing that the people that drive me nuts, they’re just little kids, they were a little kid not that long ago and they may believe different than me, but it’s because of their life experience or because of the things that they experienced. It could be their parents screwed them up. Or it could be the group of people they got into, or maybe I’m the screwed up one. I don’t know. But it just made me have a different level of love and appreciation for everyone in that moment. And I wanted to just kind of share with that with you guys because I think so often we give people such a hard time, people that believe differently than us. I know the political seasons are probably coming again soon. I don’t track it close, but man, when the last political stuff happened it was like war every single day and everyone was hating each other. It’s like, oh my gosh step back and realize the reason why someone is on the left or someone is on the right, they didn’t care about that 10, 15, 20 years ago, or however long that they were little kids like Norah, but because of how they grew up, or because of their parents or situation, all sorts of things, that’s why they believe that way. You may feel that they’re wrong, or I may feel they’re wrong, but at the same time it doesn’t mean they’re bad. Same thing with religious beliefs, same thing with all aspects of our lives. I don’t know, after seeing her in my mind I was like, I want to be more tolerant of people. I want to be more loving with people. I want to respect them for who they are because they’re all children of God, just like little Norah here running around. Then I started thinking about our callings. Everyone who is listening to this podcast, if you’ve been following me for more than 5 minutes you know that I don’t believe business is just about selling stuff. I believe that we are called to these callings, what we’re doing are actual callings. Like me and our team building Clickfunnels and training entrepreneurs isn’t just because we’re trying to make money, we feel like there’s a higher calling. In fact, at the Dry Bar Comedy Club, where Andrew Warner interviewed me for two hours on the Clickfunnels startup story, he asked that. He’s like, “Do you guys believe that this is inspired by God?” and I was like, “Oh yeah, 100%. No doubt in the slightest. We definitely feel like this is a spiritual thing for us. We’re doing our best to serve the people we have at the highest level that we’re able to.” We’re by far not perfect, we screw up so many times, and we don’t always give the best service all the time. You know, sometimes we have customers that leave angry or upset or whatever, but man we try hard. If you guys knew how hard I try at every angle every direction. And I just think about this, as we’re serving we shouldn’t care about what people believe, you know what I mean. We should serve selflessly, serve without worrying about that. It’s interesting, and I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing this, but one of my close friends and someone I admire and look up to so much is Liz Benney, some of you guys know Liz. It was interesting when I first met her and she joined our coaching program, this is probably 3 or 4 years ago now, and she told me this. So Liz and she’s got a beautiful wife Christy, and you guys know that I’m a Mormon, I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and she told me when she was applying through our thing, there’s a video of me telling the story about how God changed my life, and I talked about God in this video. And she told me she was scared to apply because she’s like, “What if, Russell talked about God, what if he won’t want to work with me, or what if he looks down on me, or what if whatever?” And man, who knows there may be a time in my life, I don’t know, who knows? Hopefully not. I hope I never have been or would be that way, but you know she came in and I was like, I don’t care what you…that’s not my purpose. My job is to serve in the best of my capacity anybody who’s willing to listen to my voice. And I shouldn’t be pushing people aside because of sexual orientation or because of political beliefs or religious beliefs or anything. That’s not my choice. I have so many things that I struggle with, I should not be the one trying to fix people’s things. That’s not up to me. My job is, hey Russell, this is your sphere of influence, this is the platform you’ve been given. Everyone who comes to you, serve them at your highest level regardless of any of those things. And I almost feel like if I was to try to cast judgment or doubt or whatever on people for whatever the thing is they’re struggling with, man, I think about all the things I struggle with. What if the mentors and the people I was seeking help from didn’t want to help me because I’m a Mormon, or because I believe this way, or because I’m struggling with this addiction, or this problem, or this thing. I don’t think we have the rights or we shouldn’t be the ones who are doing any of those things because we’re not perfect ourselves right. So why should be the ones coaching everybody on all these things? I feel like we’re given these platforms to serve anyone and everyone who comes to us, at our highest level, no matter what we’re able to do. And I think yesterday in that moment with Norah, as I was looking at her and seeing her laugh, and I just got this weird love for everybody where I was like, oh my gosh, I just need to…any prejudices, anything like that that I have in my mind, I just need to get rid of them and look at everybody through this lens of oh my gosh, this is someone who is just trying to figure this out. Figure out this whole game the same way I am. And I can’t cast my preconceived notions or judgments upon them, it’s not my job, not my role. My role is to serve each person. I look back at Liz, I had a chance, it was fun…I hadn’t heard from her for a while and she Voxed me yesterday and was just telling me about everything she’s doing, the people she’s serving,  how much success she’s had and how many people’s lives she’s changing. And it was such a special moment. I’m so grateful that first off, she was willing to apply even though I know she had fear. She told me there was fear of that. I’m grateful that people on my team didn’t cast any judgment. I’m grateful I didn’t cast judgment. I’m grateful that we looked at her as we look at anybody and just said, look we’re going to do our best to serve her at our highest level because she’s special, she’s got a gift, she’s got the ability to affect other people’s lives. And I think that if we start looking at everyone around us that way, it will help us to not judge them because of their political beliefs or judge them because of their religious beliefs or judge them because they believe something or do something different than we do. Everyone’s got their own demons inside themselves and until, what’s the parable? If you read the bible there’s a parable, you know whoever is perfect among you, cast the first stone. And I’m like, I’m not perfect so I’m not casting any stones. Because I don’t want those things coming back at me. Instead it’s in your sphere of influence, serve the best you can. So anyway, I don’t know if that makes any sense or if that helps at all. I hope it does. I just know for me, I had this really rare, amazing glimpse seeing my daughter and in this instant I saw everybody as her. And I was like man, everyone here 10 years ago, 15, 20, 30 however many years back was just like Norah is now. And I love Norah so much and I was like, I need to love everybody that much because if I do I can truly have an impact on them. And if I’m not careful when I look at people through this other lens, it’s going to hold myself back. Anyway, it was really a reminder for me just to understand y mantle, my calling, my job, my profession, my career, whatever you want to call it, that I’m called to serve all people and anyone who can hear my voice and is willing to come towards me, I’m going to do my best to serve them at the highest level I can, regardless of everything else. So I’m grateful for everyone, grateful for you guys who are listening to this, I’m grateful also for your willingness to go out and get your message out there. It’s a scary thing, and as you will find, two things you will find as you start putting your message out there…It’s funny, Steven Larsen shared one of them yesterday at the telethon, he’s like, “As soon as you go hit publish, the second you go out and start doing your thing, instantly every character flaw you have is going to smack you in the face. That’s the best thing about business, as soon as you start putting yourself out there, all your character flaws come like, boom, right in front of your face.” It’s scary. That’s number one. Number two then, the critics come fast, and they want to silence you as quick as they can. But man, I’m grateful for you guys who are willing to step up every single day in spite of those things, in spite of the fact that starting a business will bring every character flaw you have to the surface and you’re going to be super,  hyper aware of it. Things that weren’t that big a deal before suddenly become a big deal because you are the leader, you are the person who’s putting yourself out there. And number two, the critics when they come, it can be scary. I will get critics from this podcast. I will get messages from people who are like, “I can’t believe you talked about God in the podcast. I came to listen to marketing, not…” I will get that, I guarantee it, I get it every single time. But it’s like, it doesn’t matter. This is my message and I’m sharing it, and I’m sharing it and I’m grateful for you guys that are willing to do those same things as well, because it’s scary, it’s rare, but man when you do it, it’s why you’re here. So know that, keep being bold, keep being brave, keep putting your message out there. Get rid of any judgments or things you have out there because that’s not your role. Your role is to serve at your highest level to all people who will hear your voice. And if you do that, you serve selflessly, you’ll be able to have the impact you really want. So there you go. For all those who I offended today, I’m so sorry. For those who heard my message and understand it, thank you and I hope that you’re able to look at people the same way I had a chance to see people yesterday when I was looking at Norah. So thanks everybody, appreciate you all. Have a great night and we will talk to you again tomorrow.

Liz Enriquez wants you to grow and learn and ask questions about money. By age 21, Liz had travelled to over 20 countries and paid for them out of pocket... By age 22, she paid off her university tuition… By age 24, she saved over $50,000 and bought a house... By age 26, her net worth grew to 6 figures... And this year, at 27, she quit her government job after making $10,000 in one month through her various income streams. Liz worked hard, kept her costs down and saved a lot to accomplish all of this by 27.. No handouts. No help from her parents. No inheritance. She realized while going through these financial milestones that there weren't many resources available millennials like her. And the resources that did exist were scattered and difficult to understand for someone who isn't a financial expert. So Liz created ambitiousadulting.com to help Canadian Millennials understand personal finances so they can save more, earn more and reduce stress about money. Liz joined me in the studio in Hamilton to tell her personal finance story. NEXT EPISODE 59 - Glen James

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. “ Maya Angelo Let's face it, ladies. Everyone is busy. So Liz and Andresa are super excited to launch today a new type of minisode on the Real Estate InvestHER Show! These minisode episodes will be 10 minutes or less and be a real life story from Liz or Andresa. For our first minisode episode, Liz shares a story about when her and her husband bought a vacant 10,000 SF commercial building right before the market crashed. Liz and her hubby decided to divide the building into 20 small office spaces, so early on, they had to work really hard and hustle to lease up the building. This story highlights one of their first tenants who tried to rent an office from their building. Today's minisode lessons include: guard closely who you decide to give 2nd chances to be careful on the timing of releasing keys to your units always keep good records of who you do and don't accept as tenants. InvestHER Community Join us on our mission to support and empower as many women as we can to live a financially free and balanced life. We invite you to join the InvestHER Community Facebook group along with other new and experienced women real estate investors! https://www.facebook.com/groups/Investhercommunity Follow us on: Facebook: @therealestateinvesther Instagram: @therealestateinvesther   Please leave a comment below!

Introducing Liz Bottner: AT Specialist, Self Advocate, Blind Hockey Player and Aira User Full Transcript Below. Jeff Thompson sits down for a conversation with Liz bottner. Liz is a dynamic individual who works for the VA as an Assistive Technology (AT) specialist, teaching blinded Veterans about computer technology. Listen as Jeff and Liz delve into her early childhood and schooling, a strong TVI who positively influenced her approach towards self-advocacy throughout her life, and her progress through college and her MBA studies. Learn how Liz actively found work and the round-about road to her current position with the Veteran’s Administration (VA). As we said, Liz is a dynamic person: a fearless goalie on a blind hockey team, a strong advocate for the blindness community and an Aira Explorer who tackles each and every opportunity in life as if it is a challenge to be overcome. Join Jeff Thompson as he engages this fascinating guest as only Jeff can, with insightful questions and inimitable style! Thanks for Listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store   Full Transcript: Pete Lane: Meet Liz Bottner. Liz Bottner: I am a computer access technology specialist, so I teach access technology to veterans who are blind or who have low vision. Pete Lane: Blind since birth, Liz learned the power of self-advocacy throughout her schooling. Liz Bottner: It's important to have good skills in terms of being able to advocate for yourself to get things done that you need done, when you're not getting what you need from the disability services offices. Pete Lane: All the way through her MBA studies. Liz Bottner: You're your own best advocate. It might be easy to have your TVI do things and help prepare materials for you, but ask about how to do that yourself, because there's most likely going to come a time when you're going to have to have those skills. Pete Lane: Fearless in so many ways. Liz Bottner: I'm not one to turn away a challenge. Pete Lane: In the workplace. Liz Bottner: Don't give up, despite employers having unrealistic expectations of what you can do as a blind person. Pete Lane: In her leisure time and athletic endeavors. Liz Bottner: I did really, and still very, very much enjoy being a goalie. The puck is made of steel. It's three times the size of a standard National Hockey League puck, and it has ball bearings inside of it. It's okay. The equipment works. We're fine. Pete Lane: Throughout her life. Liz Bottner: Drive is realizing that you have a passion for something and just keep pushing and keep doing that thing. When you put yourself out there and keep putting yourself out there, the right experience will come, and you'll be where you're supposed to be. Pete Lane: You can find more podcasts from a blindness perspective on the web at www.blindabilities.com. We're on Facebook and on Twitter, and be sure to download our free apps in the App Store and the Google Play Store. And now, without further ado, let's join Jeff Thompson and Liz Bottner. Liz Bottner: Challenge accepted. Let's do this.   Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson, and today we're talking to Liz Bottner. She is a hockey goalie in a blind league. She's been to college, master's degree, she works for the VA, she's got all sorts of technology stuff, has a lot of experience getting jobs, and she's here to share her story. Liz, welcome to Blind Abilities. Liz Bottner: Thank you, Jeff. Thank you for having me. Hello, everyone. I am Liz Bottner, originally from Delaware, currently living in Connecticut. I do work at the VA. I am a computer access technology specialist, so I teach access technology to veterans who are blind or who have low vision, and I very much enjoy my job. As Jeff said, I am a blind hockey player. I play the position of goalie for the Hartford Braillers, instead of the Hartford Whalers. They do not exist anymore as a hockey team, but Connecticut does have the Hartford Braillers.   Jeff Thompson: That's a good point. You've had quite the journey, being born blind, you've had all the education from working with probably your school district, then into vocational rehab, then into multiple disability services. Liz Bottner: Yes, and some of them were friendly, and some of them weren't. That's why it's important to have good skills, in terms of being able to advocate for yourself to get things done that you need done, when you're not getting what you need from the disability services offices.   Jeff Thompson: You found that out, probably, the hard way, right? Liz Bottner: I did. There were many a night where I would stay up and have to scan page by page books or articles and things like that, so yes.   Jeff Thompson: I've been there. I used to have a big old flatbed scanner. You spend three, four hours just trying to get to your material before you even start doing homework. Liz Bottner: Yeah, and then when you do scan it, you still have to sometimes go back and edit it, which is hard, not being able to necessarily see the printed material. So okay, what is it supposed to say? You don't even have a reference, so you kind of have to guess.   Jeff Thompson: Exactly. What do you do for your job? Liz Bottner: I teach veterans who are blind or who have low vision how to use access technology. I also am able to teach living skills, which both are important areas. My passion, though, is truly access technology. Whatever they have the goals to do, be it sending email to their friends and family or learning about how to be more portable with technology and have a way to consolidate a lot of the devices they're carrying around, be them magnifiers, talking book player, things like that, have that all in one device, which may warrant issuance and training on an iPhone or an iPad.   Jeff Thompson: That's really neat. So you're mostly working with people who are 20 and above. Liz Bottner: It's 60 and above. These are veterans, so their age is generally up there.   Jeff Thompson: Oh, wow. Liz Bottner: A lot of the younger veterans, if they're discharged or if they come back and have blindness, a lot of times it's related to combat, and that's actually their secondary injury to them, and so they're usually seen for their primary injuries, and then at their home station or at some other area of the country that can better serve their missing limb or something like that, and then they get blind rehab later.   Jeff Thompson: So when they come to you they're kind of new into the iPhone itself? Liz Bottner: Yes, many of them, not all. Some do have previous experience, but many of them don't. Many of them have no technology experience, and so it's just starting from scratch.   Jeff Thompson: You're basically iPhone 101 with voice over. Liz Bottner: Yes, or even technology 101. This is an email address. With an email address, you have to have a password.   Jeff Thompson: So you have to be ready for everything? Liz Bottner: Oh yeah, which honestly is to me a very, very positive challenge. I much rather be ready for everything than have a situation where I'm constantly doing the same thing over and over again. That way, I would get bored, and myself and bored do not mix well.   Jeff Thompson: Now, you are an Aira user. Liz Bottner: I am an Aira user, yes.   Jeff Thompson: And the veterans have just jumped on board with Aira. Liz Bottner: Yes, after a full assessment has been conducted, as long as there are goals that support issuance and training, it definitely can be issued to them.   Jeff Thompson: What is that program with Aira? How does it work with the VA? Liz Bottner: They're given an assessment. If it's determined that it's something that would be useful to them and deemed appropriate to train on, then they can receive training. With that, the VA will pay for actual glasses, and then, much like when the VA issues an iPhone, the VA provides the device, and it's up to the veteran or student at that point to then supplement that device with purchasing the plan. The plan that they can purchase is a different plan than those available to non-veteran users, so it's a different price point, but they are responsible, though, for the monthly cost of that plan.   Jeff Thompson: Do you do any of that training? Liz Bottner: I have not yet done Aira training. It's just recently been deemed that it can be issued, but I have not yet.   Jeff Thompson: Well, that's great, the opportunity for them. Liz Bottner: Absolutely. It bridges many different skill areas, from basic living skills to technology to even orientation and mobility in specific cases where it's deemed by the orientation and mobility specialist that that's an appropriate and feasible goal for them. It's all based on goals. It's not just, oh I want this or give me that, it's what are your goals? What devices, if any, can help meet those goals? And then all training, in whatever skill area, is based on that.   Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah. Just like the RSA, everything has to be based off employment goals, education, employment to the workplace and all that. It's great that they do have goals, so they're just not throwing money away on whimsical type of ideas and stuff. When you're 60 and you lose ... you know, macular degeneration or something else, age-onset blindness, I think it's a great tool at that point for different reasons than someone who might be 12. Liz Bottner: Absolutely, especially with the new equipment that Aira has now. It's even simpler to use, and you don't need your own smartphone, which is a problem for some of the students that I work with, because they may not be smartphone candidates for various reasons. But now they are still able to use it, because with the new equipment that Aira has, you don't need to have to have your own smartphone to use it.   Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). They have a blocked-up device that is ... it's a Android device, isn't it? Liz Bottner: Yes.   Jeff Thompson: Yeah, so you have the AT&T device, and it just waves to the glasses? Liz Bottner: I call it the Aira phone, myself, in summer.   Jeff Thompson: The Aira phone. Liz Bottner: Called it the Aira phones.   Jeff Thompson: There we go. Liz Bottner: Yes, the Aira phone.   Jeff Thompson: Turn it on, and you're basically connected. Liz Bottner: Yes.   Jeff Thompson: That's with the Horizon glasses. Liz Bottner: Yes.   Jeff Thompson: With a wider field of view. As a Aira explorer, tell me a little bit how you utilize that on your job or in your daily life. Liz Bottner: In my daily life, I have used Aira for many things. Most recently, and in my mind very much impressively, I was out of town at a conference and had to navigate from the hotel to an Apple Store, because my phone was just being completely ridiculous and not working.   Jeff Thompson: That's when I met you. You were at the point of taking off. Liz Bottner: Yes. When you and I met, that's when I was like, "Well, I'm going to have to go to the Apple Store." So I was able to use Aira to help navigate me from the hotel ... well, actually, I was working the Aira booth at the time. I was volunteering with them. I navigated using Aira from the Aira booth to the front of the hotel. Luckily, I had forethought to link my Lyft account to Aira, because I was getting very, very limited use of my touchscreen at that point on my phone. Before I even kind of planned out my journey, I was thinking, "Oh, great, I'm going to have to have a taxi and pay cash. That's not good." Luckily, though, I was able to use Aira. I called a Lyft. See, this is one of the only times where I will say that I was actually grateful to Siri on the iPhone. 99.9% of the time, it doesn't work, and you have to end up doing what you want to do manually. Liz Bottner: But I was able to ask Siri where the closest Apple Store was. She told me, and I was able to give that address to the Aira agent, who was able to call Lyft and track it for me. My guide dog and I hopped into the Lyft vehicle, we hopped out, I prayed to the universe that my touchscreen would work again, as I'm standing there in front of the mall, wearing my Aira-Google Glass, my guide dog and my smartphone at the entrance to this mall where I've never been before.   Jeff Thompson: Had never been to. Liz Bottner: In no time at all, I was able to, without a hitch, get into the mall and navigate to the Apple Store and do what I needed to do, just like any other person. Could I have done it without Aira? Absolutely.   Jeff Thompson: Just gave you more independence, more information that enhanced the opportunity that you had to get there. Liz Bottner: Yes.   Jeff Thompson: Plus, you were limping with a broken phone. Liz Bottner: Right.   Jeff Thompson: I mean, you came in there, barely dragging in there. I mean, I know what it's like. Hey, if you don't have your phone, what a weird feeling it is when your phone's not working. Liz Bottner: Absolutely.   Jeff Thompson: Some people talk about, you know, there's some really big things. Some people ran the Boston Marathon. Some people put something from Ikea ... Greg Stilson put together a hammock. Is it always something big, or is it the small things? Liz Bottner: It is not always something big. It could be something very small, and for me, I have had those experiences when I have needed to match an outfit for a banquet, in packing things in my suitcase. Or even identifying the temperature on my thermostat, because while adjusting the thermostat is accessible with buttons and a remote control, the display is visual. Could I use TapTapSee and take 20-some pictures potentially? Yeah, I could do that, and it might tell me, "Your thermostat's set at such-and-such a temperature," but I could use the Aira service, and in two seconds flat have my answer. Liz Bottner: Sometimes, though, it is big things. For me, I must say that my absolute 120% favorite way of getting around an airport now is using Aira. It's so much more fluid. I can get access to things, whether it be information or location of somewhere, when I want, on my schedule, and not have to wait for airport staff, which in some cases can take a very long time and cause anxiety, especially if you're potentially missing your flight.   Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, I've been corralled by assistants, and "Sit here and wait." You just wait, and time's ticking, and you just always ... And then someone comes up with a wheelchair or a cart or, you know, it's something. They have no clue, you know.   Jeff Thompson: Now, you're pretty versatile in your tools. You're not just locked into a PC? Liz Bottner: No.   Jeff Thompson: Tell us what you use on a daily basis. Liz Bottner: I personally use a Mac, and then at work, I use a PC. I like both for different reasons. I think it's imperative to know both. I prefer Mac for some things, and I also knew I had to learn it, so I just decided okay, I need to just learn this. Instead of buying a new Windows machine at the time, was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship, with which I purchased a Mac. It was during the semester, and I kind of gave myself, at the end of the semester, once I had everything done, I would really dive in and learn it when I was in grad school. But also realizing that on the employment side, where I work, it's a Windows-based environment, so I have to keep my Windows skills up. Liz Bottner: Each person is going to have different preferences for tools, but definitely as someone who is in the teaching field, I feel like it is my duty to show people as many tools as might be appropriate in certain situations, or not even in certain situations. It's here are the tools that we have on the table. Here's one that might be appropriate, but you're actually going to make that decision for yourself, as to when to use which tools, because not everyone has the same preference for tool in a certain situation.   Jeff Thompson: In the PC world, what screen reader do you utilize? Liz Bottner: JAWS mainly for work, but I also make use of Narrator in Windows 10, as well as NVDA. In some instances, Narrator does better than JAWS does, in terms of reading some aspects of the computer.   Jeff Thompson: And that's improving all the time. Liz Bottner: It is.   Jeff Thompson: And as for your smartphone device? Liz Bottner: I use an iPhone. That's my device of choice.   Jeff Thompson: Yeah, that's quite the tool. I can't believe how much I use the iPhone to kind of replace a lot of the stuff that I used to do on the computers, mostly social stuff, keeping up on your emails and calendars, everything. And it seems like it just transfers real well to the Mac, back and forth, and yeah, I feel really connected. If I miss a meeting, it's my own fault. Liz Bottner: Exactly.   Jeff Thompson: All that you do for work, all that technology and all that, how did you get there? Let's start with college. How did you transition from high school to college? Liz Bottner: I had two teachers of visually impaired growing up, one of whom I had for most of my high school career, and the other one I had for the last two years or so. But my first TVI, Neil, was truly, truly instrumental in providing me the foundation of here are the basics, and it's up to you to kind of figure out the rest, and really giving me the drive to do that and explore things on my own and advocate for myself, because no one else knew how to do that better than I did. I mean, that still holds true today. With guidance from Neil, I was able to kind of go into college feeling ready for being able to advocate for myself and even teaching a lot of other people. Even the disability services office, sometimes they might not understand how to use a certain piece of equipment or what was going on, and so I was able to help them with things. Liz Bottner: When I was at Ithaca College, my first two years of undergraduate degree, I did a work-study in the disabilities office, and so that was kind of cool. And being provided with the basics from my TVI and just having the drive to just run with it and teach myself a lot of the other things, with technology mainly. And I would teach others as well, which helped me gain more skills.   Jeff Thompson: Let's go back to a word that you used, and I really like this word: "drive". Can you explain that to the listeners? Liz Bottner: Drive is realizing that you have a passion for something, or that you're invested in something, and taking that investment and realizing that's something you need to keep doing, and just keep pushing and keep doing that thing, because it gives you great fulfillment to be able to do whatever it might be.   Jeff Thompson: And overcome any roadblock or hurdle in the way. Liz Bottner: Yes. And not let those roadblocks or hurdles stand in the way, because of that drive that you have to pursue whatever it might be.   Jeff Thompson: Poof, gone. Liz Bottner: Yep.   Jeff Thompson: Not always poof, gone, but it takes some time. Liz Bottner: It's also good, in using technology, to know when applicable or appropriate the non-tech skills for doing things. I mean, I'm also of the very strong opinion that if you're a user of Braille, that you better have a Perkins Brailler somewhere around your area, be that at a workplace or home environment, because there might be times when you're going to have to use that. Technology fails, the Perkins does not.   Jeff Thompson: Right. Liz Bottner: At least, the old metal ones. I'm not a huge fan of the plastic new ones at all, but the metal ones are tried and true, yes, I work all the time. Exactly.   Jeff Thompson: I had mine within three feet. That's why I could do that. Liz Bottner: Nice.   Jeff Thompson: Talking about basic skills and all that, how did you learn your basic skills growing up? Liz Bottner: When I was in preschool, I would say about three or so, it was when I believe I started both with the long cane, just basic cane skills, and Braille. I mean, by the time I was five, I was reading basic chapter books, I believe. Not anything major, but children's books. So from a very, very young age, and also, my mom was and still is a very, very strong advocate for myself, as well as my sisters. In my learning Braille when I was younger, she would just put Braille labels on different things around the house. I mean, when you're sighted, you have print all around you. As a child who was blind, especially as one who doesn't have any vision, as I myself do not, I did not have opportunity to look around and see things. And so she would put Braille on the toilet or the refrigerator, whatever it might be. That way, I would be able to associate the word with the object.   Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, that's pretty good of her to have done that, to label stuff and get you used to it. Liz Bottner: Yes.   Jeff Thompson: And make it purposeful. Liz Bottner: Absolutely, and give me that immersion, as Braille isn't readily available in society as print is, I otherwise do not think I would able to get as readily.   Jeff Thompson: The first time you went over for a sleepover somewhere, did you ask the parents there? There's no Braille. Liz Bottner: No, I don't know.   Jeff Thompson: When you went into college, what was your experience like for the disability services office? Liz Bottner: I think at college, this is the first college I went to in undergrad, they were great. They were more than willing to accommodate me, and they respected that I knew what I needed and was able to advocate for myself, which sometimes isn't the case. They were great people, and I was really very fortunate.   Jeff Thompson: You went to a couple different colleges, right? Liz Bottner: Yes, I ended up transferring halfway through my undergrad degree to University of Delaware. Unfortunately, while financially it was definitely a lot more feasible, academically and just every other area, it was not the experience that I wanted it to be. And I'm truly glad that I had the experience and the foundation of all the classes and the college experience in general that I got at Ithaca, because that better prepared me for being able to deal with, in my opinion, the subpar experience that was my attending the University of Delaware.   Jeff Thompson: Now, when you're talking about subpar, are you saying that the teachers didn't challenge you? Liz Bottner: Yeah, I was not challenged. Some of the professors just did not want to accommodate me, despite my attempting multiple times to say, "This needs to happen." There was a lot of pushback. Unfortunately, I ended up dropping one of my majors, because it was just too stressful for me to keep going, because of all the back and forth. I at that point just wanted to graduate. When I was in Ithaca, I was a double major in computer science and philosophy and religion, which was awesome. I was very much happy with how things were going and totally would have continued there and gotten those majors, but as I said, financially, it was more feasible for me to transfer. But in that, the computer science did not end up happening for various reasons, and so I ended up dropping it. They did not have a philosophy and religion double major, so I ended up graduating with a philosophy major and then minoring in religious studies.   Jeff Thompson: Upon graduation, you started your employment search. Liz Bottner: Yes, and that was very unfruitful, to be completely honest. In terms of working with the state vocational rehabilitation agency, I just was not having luck. They were not helpful to me, and luckily, in part I'm sure to my awesome TVI that I mentioned earlier, Neil Anzilli and me, if people aren't helping you, you need to go out and get it yourself, as long as you know what you want. I was able on my own, pretty much, to look for job leads and apply, and I had some interviews and some leads, but nothing really ever panned out. So for about two years, after about that point, I said okay, something needs to happen. I can't keep doing this. Then I decided that I really wanted to go back ... My whole reasoning for getting the computer science degree, assistive technology was and is a very big interest of mine, and so I wanted to in some way get into that, whether it was in developing things or whatever it might be. I still had that kind of in the back of my mind. Liz Bottner: When I graduated with my bachelor's, I pretty much knew that that wasn't going to get me where I wanted to go, just because of the nature of those degrees. I didn't want to become a professor or anything like that. I knew that, but at the time I just wanted to graduate and be done, just because of the experience at University of Delaware.   Jeff Thompson: How disheartening was that to realize you had the degrees, though, to go out there and look for work, and yet for two years, were getting turned down? Liz Bottner: Absolutely heartbreaking. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere.   Jeff Thompson: Do you relate it to blindness? Liz Bottner: Yes, and it's very hard in that line of experience not to think, okay, it's me, it's definitely got to be me. There's something wrong with me, because I mean, I'm going on these interviews, and they're not calling me back, or they're not getting in touch with me at all, so obviously, there's something that I'm doing or not doing. But in all actuality, I felt a lot of the times, it isn't you as the person seeking employment, it's the employer not knowing how to deal, or not wanting to deal. Liz Bottner: In my case, in wanting to go back in to do something with technology, I really felt passionate about teaching it, and so in looking at jobs, a lot of them required a master's degree. Even before then, even before I started undergrad, I had every intention of going and getting a possible master's degree, with the caveat that I wouldn't pay for it, because I didn't want to be in any more debt than I already was with my undergraduate loans. Liz Bottner: Lo and behold, I, on an email listserv one day, came across a posting for a tuition-free graduate school experience halfway across the country at Northern Illinois University, which is near Chicago. I reached out to the director of the program and took my GRE, and then I luckily was able to go to NIU and successfully earn my master's degree, which then opened up a lot more doors for me in terms of employment.   Jeff Thompson: And what was it like after you received that degree, to search for employment? Liz Bottner: Then it was a lot easier, because I had more certification, more qualifications than I did before. In fact, I had done my internship at the VA where I currently work now. In getting my degree, I spent four months there completing an internship, and they at the time did not have any positions open. And so I, again, on an email list saw the position in Atlanta, of all places, for an assistive technology instructor, and I, honest to gosh, on a whim I threw out my resume, thinking this is just going to be experience. I don't know that I really want to go there. I know no one there. But whatever, it'll be experience, and I'll at least have that interview under my belt, and that experience will be good. Liz Bottner: We did a phone interview, and then from that point on, I ended up landing a job there and was there for about a year. You never know where the next opportunity's going to come, and you just kind of have to take things as they come. And even if it's something that you're like, what? No way. Nothing's going to come of it, I'm just going to throw my resume out there, and they're not going to do anything with it, or it'll just be interview experience. I have no desire to go there, in terms of location. Be careful what you say, because you actually may end up there. And it might be, as it was for me, a very, very good experience. I was able to take away a lot of good things from it, good contacts, good networking, good experiences in terms of location. Living in a city has its perks, definitely. It was definitely bittersweet purchasing that one-way ticket when I was moving out there. I'm like, well, usually you purchase tickets, and it's like okay, round trip. I'm like, wait a minute, no, this is not round trip, I'm moving here.   Jeff Thompson: One way, wow. Liz Bottner: I think that was the most surreal thing of the whole experience for me.   Jeff Thompson: But then, after a year, you purchased a one-way ticket again. Liz Bottner: Yes, technically. A car was involved. I was not driving it, however. Since it was moving all of my stuff, I relocated then. I had several months in between jobs, actually, from when I left Atlanta and when I started in Connecticut.   Jeff Thompson: Building networks and all that stuff, that paid off, and then you landed the job at the VA, where you are today. Liz Bottner: Yes, there was a position open. They asked me if I wanted to apply. I said absolutely, and now here I am.   Jeff Thompson: Hobbies. You have a particular hobby that I don't think a lot of people have heard about, but you were telling me about blind hockey. Liz Bottner: Yes, blind hockey is a relatively new sport, but it definitely is a USA Hockey-sanctioned sport now, and there are several teams across the country. The team that I am a goalie for is the Hartford Braillers in Connecticut. Instead of the Hartford Whalers, we're the Hartford Braillers.   Jeff Thompson: I like it. What got you interested in that? Liz Bottner: A friend of mine mentioned to me that I should try blind hockey. I had skated before when I was very young. It had been some time. This is about three years ago. He said that since I had no vision, I would primarily be best suited as a goalie, and so I'm like, well, all right, sign me up. I will at least try it. I did really, and still very, very much enjoy being a goalie. I've never tried any other position and don't want to.   Jeff Thompson: Describe the puck to everybody. Liz Bottner: The puck is made of steel. It's three times the size of a standard National Hockey League puck, and it has ball bearings inside of it.   Jeff Thompson: And you are trying to put your body in front of that thing? Liz Bottner: Yes. And the nets that are used are a foot shorter than the regular NHL, National Hockey League nets, so it's easier to keep the puck lower to the ground, and you don't have to worry about high shots as much.   Jeff Thompson: As much? Liz Bottner: Yes. That has happened. I am witness to that. But that's why they make equipment, so whenever that happens, I'm like, "It's okay, the equipment works. We're fine."   Jeff Thompson: Well, that's good. That's good. So you got the chest protector, you got the shoulder guards, the waffle, the glove, the helmet, the throat protection? Liz Bottner: The leg pads. Yep.   Jeff Thompson: Everything. Liz Bottner: Everything.   Jeff Thompson: Awesome. It's a fun sport, it's really fun. Liz Bottner: It's definitely fun. I would encourage anyone, if you have the opportunity to try it, definitely do it.   Jeff Thompson: All the rules are the same? Liz Bottner: One of the rules that's different is that before a shot is attempted, you have to pass the puck. That way, the goalie can better track it. Other than that, to my knowledge, all the other rules apply.   Jeff Thompson: You mean pass the puck once you're in the blue line? Liz Bottner: Once you're in scoring range, that puck has to get passed once, and then you can shoot.   Jeff Thompson: Okay. So you can't just break away? Liz Bottner: No.   Jeff Thompson: Interesting. So how's your team do? Liz Bottner: Our team is awesome. I am of the very, very strong opinion that we have the best team in blind hockey.   Jeff Thompson: And now that they're sanctioned, they'll be able to do the Olympics, won't they? Paralympics? Liz Bottner: Not yet. We're still waiting on a few other countries for that. We do, though, have this year for the first time ever a US National Team, of which I am very, very hopeful that some of my fellow Braillers will be represented on that team. We'll find out later in August who actually makes the final team roster, but two of my fellow teammates were selected in the first round of tryouts, and so we'll find out if they make the team. But in October, at a USA Hockey event to be held in Pittsburgh, there will be a US versus Canada series that'll be played that weekend, which is the 12th through the 14th of October. That's when the USA Blind Hockey Summit takes place.   Jeff Thompson: That's awesome. Go Braillers. Liz Bottner: Yes, go Braillers, for sure.   Jeff Thompson: Now, you also like snowboarding. Liz Bottner: Yes, I for two years have attended the United States Association of Blind Athletes ski/snowboard event in Breckenridge, Colorado. I had skied once when I was very, very young, and the first year I went, I was kind of debating back and forth with myself, do I try skiing or do I do snowboarding? It had been a while since I had skied. I really didn't have the memory of what that felt like, but I ultimately decided, after being told that snowboarding was a lot more challenging, I said, "Okay, sign me up." I'm not one to turn away a challenge. I said, "Challenge accepted. Let's do this." I ultimately fell in love with it.   Jeff Thompson: I like that, "Challenge accepted." It's that drive again. Liz Bottner: Exactly.   Jeff Thompson: For someone who is transitioning from high school to college, what advice would you give that person? Liz Bottner: You're your own best advocate. It might be easy to have your TVI do things and help prepare materials for you, but ask about how to do that yourself, because there's most likely going to come a time where you're going to have to have those skills. It may not be easy, and you may not want to, but in the end it's going to be of benefit to you in the long run, not only in college, but also in your adult working life.   Jeff Thompson: What advice would you have for someone who has gone through college and is just now embarking on a career that they want? What would you tell them? Liz Bottner: Don't give up, despite employers having unrealistic expectations of what you can do as a blind person. Be true to yourself. Realize that yes, you do have these skills, and keep putting yourself out there. It might take a while, and it definitely is frustrating at times. I speak from experience, but as hard as it is to just want to give up and say forget it, don't do that, because when you put yourself out there and keep putting yourself out there, the right experience will come, and you'll be where you're supposed to be. Versus if you don't put yourself out there, it's at your disservice, because you're not going to get where you need to be.   Jeff Thompson: Excellent. We've been speaking to Liz Bottner. She's from Delaware, works at the VA, and she's heavily into tech. And she's a hockey goalie. So Liz, I really want to thank you for coming on the Blind Abilities, sharing your stories, sharing your experiences. Great advice, and good luck with that hockey career. Liz Bottner: Thank you. My pleasure.   Jeff Thompson: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. Liz Bottner: You're welcome. My pleasure.   Jeff Thompson: Bye-bye. Liz Bottner: Bye. Pete Lane: This concludes our conversation with Liz Bottner. We'd like to thank Liz for taking the time to chat with Jeff on Blind Abilities. Once again, you can find more podcasts with a blindness perspective on our website at www.blindabilities.com or on our free apps in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. We'd like to thank Chee Chau for the fantastic music. Thanks so much for listening, and have a great day.   [Music]  [Transition noise]  -   When we share, What we see, Through each other's eyes...   [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]   ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com. On Twitter @blindabilities. Download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.    

One time, Liz asked Matt if he ever would sub in if Devon was sick or unavailable. Matt was very into it and prepared an episode about Washington State's native son Mario. And how could we leave something delicious like that just sitting on the shelf? So Liz and Matt taped this episode for you, and here it is to brighten up your Tuesday with a surprise treat.    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ouijabroads Website: https://ouijabroads.com/ Shop Weird: https://ouijabroads.com/shopweird/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OuijaBroads/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theouijabroads/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theouijabroads/  

What a year it has been, right? So Liz and Ben are here to reflect on all the amazing stuff that happened in 2018, because optimism isn't dead and after the year that was 2017, it's fun to "remember" that things can get better.

Dr. Liz Lipski’s entire career has been focused on food. Dr. Lipski is a Professor and the Director of the Academic Development graduate nutrition programs at Maryland University’s Integrative Health. She holds a PhD in Clinical Nutrition with a specialization in Integrative Medicine. She teaches for the prestigious Institute for Functional Medicine, the Metabolic Medicine Institute fellowship program and for medical physician certification programs for A4M. Liz also sits on the boards for Certified International Health Coaches. So Liz trains all kinds of professionals on the ins and outs of what is healthy eating and everything surrounding nourishment. On this very dynamic and informative show, Dr. Liz explains why so many diets clash. She explains the base 80% similar core between all healthy diets. You’ll learn dietary basics so you can finally get unconfused about all things related to food. You will hear about the exact diet that a famous medical doctor used to actually get rid of her severe multiple sclerosis diagnosis, once and for all. The power of food! Berkson and Lipski discuss the differences between regular medicine and functional medicine. The example is migraine. Regular medicine treats all migraines the same, and offers similar meds. In contrast, functional nutritional experts start from the premise that there are diverse causes of migraines. So each patient needs to be explored for his or her individual root cause of his or her suffering. But the starting point is food. You will learn exactly what are GMO foods, the varietals of GMOS, and why (and how) you want to avoid them. The conversation also explores Roundup, cottonseed oil versus other oils, glyphosate, eating out at restaurants, and the “is-ness” of today’s toxic world. You will learn what is the ideal intake of daily veggies and fruits. And you will learn how Berkson and Lipski make this do-able in their daily menus, and how you can, too. Berkson and Lipski have been colleagues for over 30 years. Their conversation is illuminating, relaxed and inspiring. Dr. Lipski is published in peer reviewed journals including Nutrition in Clinical Practice and Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, and is the author of several books: Digestive Wellness, The Digestion Connection, Digestive Wellness for Children, and Leaky Gut Syndrome. She is a contributing author for Integrative Gastroenterology. Dr. Lipski has a mentoring program called Innovative Healing, where she offers webinar trainings for nutritionists, dietitians, and other clinicians. www.innovativehealing.com You can learn more about her related academic programs here: www.muih.edu

Links mentioned in today's episode: Corporate Equality Index Buying for Workplace Equality 2013 The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Human Rights Campaign Listen to the episode by clicking the play button below! Would you prefer to read the transcript rather than listen to the episode? No problem! Read the transcript below! AUDIO TITLE:  Liz Cooper Interview for “30 Days – 30 Voices – Stories from America’s LGBT Business Leaders” Jenn T Grace: Welcome to 30 Days, 30 Voices: Stories from America's LGBT business leaders. Intro: You are listening to a special edition of the Gay Business and Marketing Made Easy Podcast. Tune in for the next thirty days as we interview one business leader per day each day in June to celebrate LGBT Pride Month. That's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride month. You'll learn insights around business and marketing from those who know it best. And now, your host. She's an entrepreneur, a marketing maven, and an advocate for the LGBT business community - Jenn, with two N's, T. Grace. Jenn T Grace: Hello and welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this special Pride Month episode of the Gay Business and Marketing Made Easy Podcast. Information about today's guest and links mentioned in the show will be available on the website at www.JennTGrace.com/30days-30voices. If you like what you hear in this interview, please be sure to tell a friend. And now, without further ado, let's dive into the interview. I am delighted to be talking with Liz Cooper today, who is the manager of Corporate Programs for the Workplace Project at the Human Rights Campaign. She is the go-to gal for all things regarding the Corporate Equality Index which does come up a great deal on this podcast. So Liz, I've given the listeners just a really high-level highlight of your most recent work, but why don't you tell the audience a little bit more about yourself and what your path looked like that led you to where you are today. Liz Cooper: Absolutely, so thanks so much for having me. I'm Liz Cooper as Jenn mentioned, manager at Corporate Programs at the Human Rights Campaign. I've been here just about three years now and so for folks who are not familiar with the Human Rights Campaign, we're the organization that goes along the blue and yellow equal sign. We're the largest civil rights organization working for LGBT equality in the US and I've been with HRC just about three years. And the project that I work on, the Workplace Project, deals with how companies are ensuring the safety, inclusive policies, benefits, protections for their LGBT employees. And as Jenn mentioned, the main mechanism that we measure and evaluate, the status of LGBT equality in the workplace, is through the Corporate Equality Index. So the CEI has been around for over ten years now, and it was really- and not to be too corny but an honor to inherit such a well-established and respected project when I came along on board with the team. So the CEI is a very objective measure of LGBT equality in the workplace. It doesn't account for employee surveys or their perception of their own personal experience with the company. It really is, 'Do you have these inclusive policies in place or do you not? Do you have these benefits for your LGBT employees or do you not?' So it's a really great objective measure and while it's also reporting out on the status of LGBT equality in these major US employers, our main focus is for those employers with 500 or more full-time employees; so we're talking about the big guys. But it's not just a report out, it's also a roadmap for folks who might now be scoring that well, might not have the most inclusive policies on the books. But we're here to help folks get there. We don't want to shame companies or make them feel bad about not being the best they can be,

Today's podcast episode is meant as a pre-cursor to the next episode! Each year the Human Rights Campaign puts out their Corporate Equality Index (CEI) which is something I absolutely swear by. This index helps me understand what companies are doing good for the LGBT community and what companies are not. In episode #52 of the podcast I will be doing a recap of the 2015 HRC CEI. But before doing that I wanted to first give you an idea of who the HRC is and what they do through the eyes of one their own - Liz Cooper, manager of the Workplace Project. I hope you enjoy! Links mentioned in today's episode: Corporate Equality Index Buying for Workplace Equality 2013 The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Human Rights Campaign Listen to the episode by clicking the play button below! Would you prefer to read the transcript rather than listen to the episode? No problem! Read the transcript below! AUDIO TITLE:  Episode 51 – Who is the Human Rights Campaign, and How Does this Help your Business? Jenn T Grace: Welcome to 30 Days, 30 Voices: Stories from America's LGBT business leaders. Intro: You are listening to a special edition of the Gay Business and Marketing Made Easy Podcast. Tune in for the next thirty days as we interview one business leader per day each day in June to celebrate LGBT Pride Month. That's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride month. You'll learn insights around business and marketing from those who know it best. And now, your host. She's an entrepreneur, a marketing maven, and an advocate for the LGBT business community - Jenn, with two N's, T. Grace. Hello and welcome... Hello and welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this special Pride Month episode of the Gay Business and Marketing Made Easy Podcast. Information about today's guest and links mentioned in the show will be available on the website at www.JennTGrace.com/30days-30voices. If you like what you hear in this interview, please be sure to tell a friend. And now, without further ado, let's dive into the interview. I am delighted to be talking with Liz Cooper today, who is the manager of Corporate Programs for the Workplace Project at the Human Rights Campaign. She is the go-to gal for all things regarding the Corporate Equality Index which does come up a great deal on this podcast. So Liz, I've given the listeners just a really high-level highlight of your most recent work, but why don't you tell the audience a little bit more about yourself and what your path looked like that led you to where you are today. Liz Cooper: Absolutely, so thanks so much for having me. I'm Liz Cooper as Jenn mentioned, manager at Corporate Programs at the Human Rights Campaign. I've been here just about three years now and so for folks who are not familiar with the Human Rights Campaign, we're the organization that goes along the blue and yellow equal sign. We're the largest civil rights organization working for LGBT equality in the US and I've been with HRC just about three years. And the project that I work on, the Workplace Project, deals with how companies are ensuring the safety, inclusive policies, benefits, protections for their LGBT employees. And as Jenn mentioned, the main mechanism that we measure and evaluate, the status of LGBT equality in the workplace, is through the Corporate Equality Index. So the CEI has been around for over ten years now, and it was really- and not to be too corny but an honor to inherit such a well-established and respected project when I came along on board with the team. So the CEI is a very objective measure of LGBT equality in the workplace. It doesn't account for employee surveys or their perception of their own personal experience with the company. It really is, 'Do you have these inclusive policies in place or do you not? Do you have these benefits for your LGBT employees or do you not?