Dreamers and Doers with Liz Sumner | LAYC15

Isabel: 00:00:52

What a happy day this is.

Isabel: 00:00:56

Here I am sitting in Arizona, in the United States, and I have the pleasure

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to have a almost next door feeling with my new friend, Liz Sumner.

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Who is sitting in central Italy in an absolutely beautiful

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historic town, almost medieval.

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I believe you've described it.

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Liz is an ex-pat from the US, now living the life in Italy.

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And she has been a recent guest, an expert speaker, on the Global

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Serial Entrepreneurs Summit.

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And I'm thrilled to have her to be one of the very first of my guests

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on the Lift As You Climb podcast.

Isabel: 00:01:39

Hello, Liz!

Liz: 00:01:42

Hi, Isabel.

Liz: 00:01:43

Thank you so much for having me.

Liz: 00:01:45

I love the work that you do, and I'm really happy to be a part of it.

Isabel: 00:01:48

It has been such a joyful experience in these few short months

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of testing my Lift As You Climb Movement and discovering that there

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are so many other women around the world that share that same philosophy.

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Well, and more than a philosophy, it's a way of living, and showing

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up every day in the world.

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You certainly typify this new circle that I love being part of, as we make

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a difference in the world together.

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I have become a great fan of yours also, I'm in that sort of groupie category,

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because when people read your Bio, they're going to discover, that not only are you a

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traveler and a learner of other languages, but you're an accomplished jazz singer.

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And you have your own podcast, which that's what really hooked me in the

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beginning to pay attention to...

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Who is this woman?...

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The podcast title...

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I Always Wanted To...

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Just speaks to my whole soul about it's time in my 60s...

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Not to keep going...

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I don't like to do that.

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I want to be able to look in the rear view mirror and say,

Isabel: 00:03:11

I always wanted to, so I did.

Liz: 00:03:14

Yes.

Liz: 00:03:15

That's who I'm talking to those people.

Liz: 00:03:17

that's wonderful.

Isabel: 00:03:18

Yay.

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So for all of you that are out there in the audience, listening, hurry

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up, grab a pen and paper or journal.

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and replay this after and start making a list of all of

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the things that you wanted to.

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We'll get together.

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Liz and I, will come up with a strategy for you to execute

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and be able to say I did.

Liz: 00:03:43

I love it.

Liz: 00:03:44

And I want to know what's on the list too, so that I can bring in

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guests that address those things.

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So, I want to know...

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Because what I do is I interview people who are doing the things that

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other people have always longed to do.

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And so I want your ideas, so please, communicate with me.

Isabel: 00:04:01

Okay.

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There is an absolute fabulous challenge.

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So in the show notes, you'll find the email address...

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Hello@TheEncoreCatalyst.com Please flood our inbox with suggestions on

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things that you've always wanted to...

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Liz is going to help you.

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She's going to be your guide by bringing in guests that have done

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this and interview so that you will have a strategy, a map, an

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inspiration, to go forward and do.

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And then maybe, if I'm not overstepping my bounds, Liz, you might interview

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some of our listeners in the future, after they have a "Fait Accompli"...

Isabel: 00:04:41

Right?

Liz: 00:04:42

Ohh, please, Yes!

Liz: 00:04:44

If there are people who are doing things, I want to be pitched.

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So please write and tell Isabel what the topic would

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be, and fill in the blank of...

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I always wanted to...

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blank.

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and let us know that story.

Liz: 00:04:57

I want to, I want to hear that story.

Isabel: 00:04:59

Oh my gosh.

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That's going to add such momentum to the Lift As You Climb Movement,

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because we're going to have all of you articulating it, speaking it

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out loud so that we can support you.

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You will have an accountability group that will lift you as you do this.

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So there's the challenge, Liz's contact information is going to

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be in the show notes as well.

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So again, listen to her podcast, reach out to her, give her some

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suggestions for inspiring speakers.

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So Liz, let's circle back a little bit to, how did this all come about?

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How did you end up living in Italy?

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What was the inspiration for your podcast?

Isabel: 00:05:40

I'm dying to know.

Liz: 00:05:42

Let me see...

Liz: 00:05:42

well, the podcast is a little different...

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but let me start in on Italy first...

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My husband and I, had visited Italy and loved it, and kept talking

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about coming back regularly.

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But you know, life gets in the way, and you don't get

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back as often as you want to.

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I think it was 2010.

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My husband surprised me, right around my birthday, with tickets to

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Venice And he had found this area South of Venice, called Le Marche.

Liz: 00:06:13

It's a region next to Tuscany and Umbria, but it is not as well known.

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He had been doing research, and discovered that Le Marche was just

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as beautiful as Tuscany and Umbria.

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But lots less expensive and way less touristed.

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And so, we got these tickets to Venice and then rented a car and came down

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to just explore, just to see what's going on, see what it looks like.

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And we're going to spend a week, just driving around, check it

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out for the very first time.

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We're driving to a place called the Frasassi caves, which is the largest

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cave system in Western Europe...

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it happens to be on the cover of National Geographic this month, so people can

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go look and see how beautiful it is.

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So we're on our way...

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Stopped for coffee in this little town called Perdella????

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I decided, we must speak to a Real Estate Agent, just, to get it over

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with, then we can get on with our trip.

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Just see what's possible.

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See if it even is possible to buy something.

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So we stopped in this town called Pergola, which is absolutely

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medieval, it was founded in 1234.

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And it's one of those medieval Hilltowns where the Nobles would

Liz: 00:07:25

defend their Hilltown from the Noble on the other Hilltown...

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So cobblestone streets...

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Really beautiful.

Liz: 00:07:31

So we stopped for coffees, and found a little real estate place called CasaMania,

Liz: 00:07:36

uh, which I love the name of it.

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So we, stopped in, asked the woman there...

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though in those days, our Italian was a little limited.

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She didn't speak any English.

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But we just managed to get across...

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Is there anything in the central historic district?

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Is it possible to get an apartment?

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And she said, Oh, sure!

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And starts reaching for her keys, grabs a set of keys, and starts

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to take us out to show us the apartments that were available.

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We had never, in our wildest dreams imagined that we'd actually go see places,

Liz: 00:08:09

but we walked around the corner, and came up in this Palazzo built sometime after

Liz: 00:08:15

1300, and walked up the grand staircase with the huge arching ceilings, and looked

Liz: 00:08:23

at this apartment, which had been...

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actually all of the ones that we saw that day looked like...

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Grandma and Grandpa had just left to go off to church or something like that...

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They all were fully furnished, had little note cards on the table,

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and doilies on the furniture.

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They were right out of central casting for old Italian apartment.

Liz: 00:08:44

So we looked at three and ended up buying the first one we saw.

Liz: 00:08:49

Both of us, agreed at the same time.

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That this was the special place.

Liz: 00:08:54

We talked a little further with Paola, the Real Estate

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Agent, about what was possible.

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What we'd have to do.

Liz: 00:09:00

We didn't tell her at that point that we were ready to buy, but we

Liz: 00:09:04

thought we were eager, but reserved.

Liz: 00:09:07

The Italian system of customer service is quite different from

Liz: 00:09:12

American, and the salesmanship is a very different animal here.

Liz: 00:09:17

So we went back to the US at the end of our trip and kept thinking

Liz: 00:09:21

that she'd get in touch with us and that we wanted to play it cool...

Liz: 00:09:26

And we never heard.

Liz: 00:09:27

So we having to write to her, and saying, Hello, We're interested!

Liz: 00:09:31

And she never in her wildest dreams, thought that we were serious.

Liz: 00:09:35

She thought she'd never hear from us again.

Isabel: 00:09:37

You were playing hard to get,

Liz: 00:09:41

It was foolish, but that was November, and we came

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back in the beginning of May, and closed at the end of May.

Isabel: 00:09:50

Amazing!

Isabel: 00:09:51

So your going to be our go-to our resource now for those of us who always wanted to.

Isabel: 00:09:59

And will do so.

Isabel: 00:10:01

And it's interesting to also think about how culturally the process is different.

Isabel: 00:10:06

Right from that initial sales, it's not the aggressive pursued model.

Liz: 00:10:12

It's possible that people who want a country property, something

Liz: 00:10:17

that would be more expensive than what we ended up purchasing.

Liz: 00:10:20

Somebody might have a different experience, there might be people who

Liz: 00:10:24

speak English for one thing, because it's a bigger expense, They might

Liz: 00:10:29

have, a different style of salesmanship.

Liz: 00:10:32

Because ours was really affordable.

Liz: 00:10:35

One of the things is that the Italians are very used to people having

Liz: 00:10:39

second homes, or third, or fourth, because they inherit from family.

Liz: 00:10:43

They're used to people having places, where they don't actually

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live, that's not their primary home.

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So they have good systems for having all of your bills, go to the bank to get paid.

Liz: 00:10:54

That made it very easy for us to manage things from afar, when we

Liz: 00:11:00

only had our tourist visa, and could only come back for 90 days at a time.

Isabel: 00:11:05

Now you've got me tingling from head to toe at the

Isabel: 00:11:09

prospect that this is doable.

Liz: 00:11:13

It really is.

Liz: 00:11:14

It really is

Isabel: 00:11:15

Make that first step.

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And of course, I've shared with you before, I've had a, lifelong uncommitted

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to goal of speaking multiple languages and what better way to do so than

Isabel: 00:11:29

immerse myself in the local culture, and just be Italian, not speak Italian.

Liz: 00:11:36

It's wonderful.

Liz: 00:11:37

But let me give you a piece of advice that I wish I had followed

Liz: 00:11:40

myself, is that, when you do it...

Liz: 00:11:43

Don't spend too much time with English speaking friends.

Liz: 00:11:46

I have not learned Italian as quickly as I wish, because I have

Liz: 00:11:51

too many English speaking friends.

Liz: 00:11:52

Don't make the same mistake I did.

Isabel: 00:11:54

So they're enabling you to still lean on your first language.

Liz: 00:11:59

It's true, it was hard for me, because I'm not the same

Liz: 00:12:03

person when I'm speaking Italian.

Liz: 00:12:05

I can't be funny, at least not on purpose, in Italian.

Liz: 00:12:10

I'm much more limited in my personality.

Liz: 00:12:12

I don't get to shine.

Liz: 00:12:14

It made me sad to, be quiet and only speak the sentences that I knew how to say.

Isabel: 00:12:20

Has there ever been a time that you've said in your life I've

Isabel: 00:12:24

always wanted to be a standup comedian?

Liz: 00:12:31

Nope.

Liz: 00:12:31

No.

Liz: 00:12:32

Don't think so.

Isabel: 00:12:34

Right then I have another question.

Isabel: 00:12:35

Can you sing in Italian?

Liz: 00:12:38

Yes.

Liz: 00:12:39

As long as there aren't Italians listening.

Liz: 00:12:42

One of the things That works for me is, that I happened upon this

Liz: 00:12:47

wonderful jazz community, and they play the great American songbook.

Liz: 00:12:51

So I am the go-to person for how to pronounce American.

Liz: 00:12:56

That's a great joy.

Liz: 00:12:57

but occasionally I will sing in a Napoletano song, or something like that.

Liz: 00:13:02

There is a major singer, who is not known in the US, her name is Mina and she was

Liz: 00:13:10

in the sixties and seventies enormous.

Liz: 00:13:12

She was like Sinatra and Barbra Streisand put together.

Liz: 00:13:16

She's huge.

Liz: 00:13:17

She's beloved.

Liz: 00:13:18

And she's a wonderful singer, but I had never heard of her before I came here.

Liz: 00:13:23

Have you ever heard of Mina?

Isabel: 00:13:25

No, but I'm going to check her out after...

Liz: 00:13:28

Do, she's fabulous, everybody sings Mina songs...

Liz: 00:13:32

and they're great songs, but I tried one time, singing Mina songs at a concert...

Liz: 00:13:38

I also tried at karaoke as well, but because these people have

Liz: 00:13:42

grown up with Mina songs...

Liz: 00:13:44

Having an American, sing Mina songs, is just wrong.

Liz: 00:13:48

So I'm a little shy about singing in Italian.

Isabel: 00:13:51

Perhaps you could help me for the benefit of our listeners,

Isabel: 00:13:55

give me a couple of YouTube links to her songs, your favorite ones, and

Isabel: 00:13:59

we'll share those in the show notes.

Isabel: 00:14:02

Okay, that was the accidental tourist became the on-purpose resident.

Isabel: 00:14:08

About how many years did it take you to go full time in Italy?

Liz: 00:14:13

Five.

Liz: 00:14:14

It took me a while because the kind of visa that I wanted, which

Liz: 00:14:20

is called a Lavoro Autonomo.

Liz: 00:14:22

I work for myself.

Liz: 00:14:23

That is little known...

Liz: 00:14:25

When I went to the Consulate in Boston, I was living in New Hampshire at the time...

Liz: 00:14:31

They were familiar with the kind of Visas that retired people get, but they didn't

Liz: 00:14:36

really know the workings of how to...

Liz: 00:14:39

You could do student Visas or retired people Visas.

Liz: 00:14:43

But they didn't understand the others...

Liz: 00:14:46

and of course, that branch of the government, doesn't talk to the

Liz: 00:14:49

branch of the government here.

Liz: 00:14:51

It took me a while to find someone to navigate the serpentine process,

Liz: 00:14:58

of how to get the right visa.

Liz: 00:14:59

And it really, that actually was quite complicated.

Liz: 00:15:03

So it took a total of five years to both find, figure it out, and actually

Liz: 00:15:08

get the kind of Visa to stay here.

Liz: 00:15:10

One of the things that your listeners should know, is that it's very easy

Liz: 00:15:14

to buy an apartment or a house.

Liz: 00:15:16

It is not easy to buy a car, you cannot own a car, until

Liz: 00:15:20

you are a permanent resident.

Isabel: 00:15:22

Interesting.

Liz: 00:15:23

Unless you're an American, British or Dutch.

Liz: 00:15:26

You must be a permanent resident.

Isabel: 00:15:27

That's interesting.

Isabel: 00:15:28

Can you have a scooter?

Liz: 00:15:30

I don't think so.

Liz: 00:15:32

I think that anything that's on the road.

Isabel: 00:15:35

What has been one of the surprises for you in becoming a

Isabel: 00:15:40

resident in Italy, that you just wouldn't have thought of that?

Liz: 00:15:44

I was surprised by how welcoming the people were.

Liz: 00:15:48

I had a belief, back in like 2002, when my husband and I considered,

Liz: 00:15:54

maybe living here someday.

Liz: 00:15:56

I got this thing in my head, because I am not Italian, I

Liz: 00:16:00

don't have family roots here...

Liz: 00:16:02

I will never belong.

Liz: 00:16:04

I will never feel the warmth that somebody who was actually Italian, would feel...

Liz: 00:16:09

and I was so wrong.

Liz: 00:16:11

The people here have embraced us so much.

Liz: 00:16:15

Particularly because we moved to a small town in a place

Liz: 00:16:19

that isn't full of tourists.

Liz: 00:16:21

So they feel honored.

Liz: 00:16:23

They feel like we chose them, and we did, the people in Pergola are the

Liz: 00:16:28

friendliest people I have ever met.

Isabel: 00:16:31

That's such a beautiful testament to the people, and your

Isabel: 00:16:35

decision, to belong to the community.

Isabel: 00:16:39

I appreciate that.

Isabel: 00:16:41

That's an important thing...

Isabel: 00:16:43

That you can't just decide that you're going to be above it all.

Isabel: 00:16:46

You really need to be part of the community.

Isabel: 00:16:49

I think it's quite interesting as well, that your husband and you

Isabel: 00:16:53

both agreed, on this big move.

Isabel: 00:16:57

That must have been, an unusual occurrence to make such a major life transition,

Isabel: 00:17:02

and you're both on board for it.

Liz: 00:17:04

We agree on big things, and we both like adventure.

Liz: 00:17:08

He had lived in the South of France when he was in his twenties.

Liz: 00:17:12

He knew what he was getting into.

Liz: 00:17:14

I was definitely ready for a change.

Liz: 00:17:16

But because we live in the, historic center, we aren't on the

Liz: 00:17:20

outskirts, it's not like we have to come to town periodically.

Liz: 00:17:25

We are here, in the center of town.

Liz: 00:17:27

So some people, who moved to the area, but don't get involved in things,

Liz: 00:17:33

might not feel as welcomed as we do.

Liz: 00:17:36

I joined the choir, and I volunteered at a local cat shelter.

Liz: 00:17:41

We were invited to be guest speakers at the local high school to speak about

Liz: 00:17:47

the American Civil Rights Movement.

Liz: 00:17:49

Which was something that we were not knowledgeable about, but we did a

Liz: 00:17:53

bunch of research, and then became yearly speaker at the high school.

Isabel: 00:17:57

How wonderful!

Isabel: 00:17:58

So you were also making a contribution, to the community, in ways that you

Isabel: 00:18:03

wouldn't have thought of necessarily.

Liz: 00:18:06

Yes.

Liz: 00:18:06

And it gave us the opportunity to meet all kinds of wonderful people

Liz: 00:18:10

that we wouldn't have met otherwise.

Isabel: 00:18:11

I love that!

Isabel: 00:18:13

Do you find, the young people come to you and ask you...

Isabel: 00:18:16

How can we move to the United States?

Liz: 00:18:19

Yes, everybody wants to go to New York.

Liz: 00:18:21

I'm not a city girl, so the idea of New York is...

Liz: 00:18:24

Oh dear...

Liz: 00:18:25

and also I lived in the Northeast and...

Liz: 00:18:28

I'm a Red Sox fan and I'd see all these people with Yankees hats on...

Liz: 00:18:31

and Ughh...Ohhhh...

Liz: 00:18:33

I don't like seeing that

Isabel: 00:18:35

Ah, if they only knew...

Isabel: 00:18:37

right.

Isabel: 00:18:39

All right.

Isabel: 00:18:39

Is there anything that comes to mind, that you miss, about the United States.

Isabel: 00:18:45

That you haven't found something equal or better in your new home country?

Liz: 00:18:50

I have now found just about everything.

Liz: 00:18:54

Sometimes I have to order it online, and it might be a little expensive.

Liz: 00:18:57

But there is some products that I missed, particularly blueberries.

Liz: 00:19:02

When I lived in New Hampshire, you'd get blueberries from April to November,

Liz: 00:19:08

and they were huge and delicious.

Liz: 00:19:12

I spend a fortune on little, half pint containers, of not as tasty blueberries,

Liz: 00:19:18

but they're better than nothing.

Isabel: 00:19:20

So climate wise is just not conducive to growing juicy blueberries

Isabel: 00:19:25

like we have in the Northeast.

Liz: 00:19:27

Or else, the people just don't care for it.

Liz: 00:19:30

I also miss Mexican food, because Italians have delicious food, but they

Liz: 00:19:35

only eat their own delicious food.

Liz: 00:19:37

They don't like other cultures' restaurants.

Liz: 00:19:40

So, I'm in a small town.

Liz: 00:19:42

I'm sure in Rome or Milan they could find other kinds of cuisine, but

Liz: 00:19:46

I do miss some good Mexican food.

Isabel: 00:19:48

We'll be sending a care package along.

Isabel: 00:19:53

Let me restate that.

Isabel: 00:19:54

I shall deliver.

Liz: 00:19:57

Oh, I would welcome you with open arms.

Liz: 00:20:00

I will, even if you don't bring me some tacos.

Isabel: 00:20:03

Well, we'll work on that, most definitely.

Isabel: 00:20:06

I love this adventurous spirit.

Isabel: 00:20:09

I love the global perspective that this conversation gives...

Isabel: 00:20:14

To get outside of what's comfortable and familiar, and has become in

Isabel: 00:20:19

many respects for me anyway...

Isabel: 00:20:22

Taking for granted what I have, and being open to experience

Isabel: 00:20:27

something new and fresh...

Isabel: 00:20:30

even if it's the taste of something different.

Isabel: 00:20:33

How wonderful.

Isabel: 00:20:34

How did that transformation of your entire lives...

Isabel: 00:20:39

Lead to the podcast...

Isabel: 00:20:41

or where did the podcast come in?

Isabel: 00:20:43

Because just so curious.

Isabel: 00:20:45

These are two huge events in a woman's life.

Liz: 00:20:50

I was wanting to collaborate with a colleague that I knew from New Hampshire.

Liz: 00:20:55

She's on my mailing list for my coaching business.

Liz: 00:20:58

We were just chatting back and forth one day in emails.

Liz: 00:21:02

I was trying to imagine, how might I collaborate with Nancy?

Liz: 00:21:06

she's a Vocal Coach.

Liz: 00:21:08

I was thinking...

Liz: 00:21:09

What is something that we could do together?

Liz: 00:21:11

I was batting around ideas and the idea that .. I've always

Liz: 00:21:15

wanted to learn to sing.

Liz: 00:21:17

And then I thought ...I always wanted to...

Liz: 00:21:19

then I started popping with all these other things that

Liz: 00:21:22

people might always want to do.

Liz: 00:21:24

I just loved the idea!

Liz: 00:21:26

I could think of so many people, just in my acquaintance...

Liz: 00:21:30

Who did things that other people would be excited about.

Liz: 00:21:34

I thought...

Liz: 00:21:35

I could do a podcast...

Liz: 00:21:36

It has just evolved since then.

Liz: 00:21:38

I keep coming up with really cool people to interview who are doing cool stuff.

Isabel: 00:21:44

You certainly do.

Isabel: 00:21:46

I can attest to that I have been fascinated by the diversity of the

Isabel: 00:21:52

activities, the pursuits of your guests.

Isabel: 00:21:56

I've also been thinking...

Isabel: 00:21:57

How did you get connected to that person?

Liz: 00:22:02

I'm very fortunate now to have a bunch of sources of people

Liz: 00:22:07

who want to be on podcasts.

Liz: 00:22:10

For those of you out there who are wanting to be guests on

Liz: 00:22:13

podcasts or who have podcasts...

Liz: 00:22:16

and you're looking for guests...

Liz: 00:22:17

I recommend a service called there's also another one called PodIt, another

Liz: 00:22:23

one called MatchMaker, and another one called Audry A U D R Y, and all of them...

Liz: 00:22:30

They reached out to me...

Liz: 00:22:31

I think because I have an RSS feed...

Liz: 00:22:34

People who are in the business of connecting people, find the RSS feed,

Liz: 00:22:39

then get in touch with the podcasters...

Liz: 00:22:41

And say...

Liz: 00:22:41

Hey, we have this service for you.

Liz: 00:22:44

So I tried them out, and all of them have given me wonderful people.

Liz: 00:22:49

There's a lot of people who pitch me that have obviously not listened

Liz: 00:22:53

to my podcast, or read my profile, or know a thing about my podcast...

Liz: 00:22:58

, they pitch themselves without even reviewing that.

Liz: 00:23:01

I find that annoying but...

Liz: 00:23:03

There are wonderful services now where you can find all kinds of wonderful people.

Liz: 00:23:08

The other great tool that I have found is...

Liz: 00:23:11

the app ClubHouse...

Liz: 00:23:13

You and I have spoken about this before...

Liz: 00:23:15

that the app ClubHouse, which is an audio social chat app...

Liz: 00:23:19

, You go into these rooms with people from all over the world,

Liz: 00:23:24

talking about the topic that the room is set up to talk about.

Liz: 00:23:27

I found wonderful people I never would have connected with otherwise.

Liz: 00:23:33

Just before we started talking tonight, I was interviewing a

Liz: 00:23:37

woman that I met on Clubhouse because I had been searching for...

Liz: 00:23:42

Somebody to tell me the story of finding her birth mother.

Liz: 00:23:45

I couldn't find that on any of my sources, but I found her own

Liz: 00:23:49

Clubhouse, I was in a room...

Liz: 00:23:51

We were talking about podcast topics, and they have places, where you pitch a

Liz: 00:23:56

show , or pitch yourself to be a guest.

Liz: 00:23:59

I said I'm looking for somebody who can tell me the story

Liz: 00:24:02

of finding her birth mother.

Liz: 00:24:03

And she said, I'll do it.

Liz: 00:24:05

I didn't know what the story was going to be about.

Liz: 00:24:08

Oh my goodness.

Liz: 00:24:08

It was so beautiful.

Liz: 00:24:10

I was sobbing.

Liz: 00:24:12

Her story is so great.

Liz: 00:24:13

She'll be on the show...

Liz: 00:24:15

Season seven, begins Monday, the 3rd of May...

Liz: 00:24:19

I think it's going to be at the end of June.

Liz: 00:24:21

I am thrilled now.

Liz: 00:24:23

I have wonderful sources for great guests.

Isabel: 00:24:27

Thank you for that.

Isabel: 00:24:28

That's a lot of lifting.

Isabel: 00:24:30

Thank you.

Isabel: 00:24:33

I love the fact that.

Isabel: 00:24:35

We as podcasters have this opportunity to make connections and discover

Isabel: 00:24:41

really fascinating stories...

Isabel: 00:24:44

From people all around the world, completely different backgrounds.

Isabel: 00:24:49

I hope.

Isabel: 00:24:49

And I believe that certainly the case with what you're doing Liz...

Isabel: 00:24:53

Is that story, that we reveal, or you share, inspires

Isabel: 00:24:58

someone else to do something.

Isabel: 00:25:01

Fabulous example of lifting and climbing!

Isabel: 00:25:04

What else would you say you have learned, to become a very successful Podcaster?

Isabel: 00:25:10

What were the other tips that you would give to somebody who's thinking?

Isabel: 00:25:13

I always wanted to have a podcast.

Liz: 00:25:17

I'm learning an enormous amount, particularly from experts on Clubhouse.

Liz: 00:25:23

There are resources there that I never knew before.

Liz: 00:25:27

There are a lot of tips on the steps to take to get yourself both

Liz: 00:25:31

recorded, and then distributed.

Liz: 00:25:33

It's easy to do.

Liz: 00:25:34

It's not very expensive.

Liz: 00:25:36

The part that I wasn't aware of is that it isn't as simple to get your podcast out

Liz: 00:25:43

into the world, to build your audience.

Liz: 00:25:45

One of the things...

Liz: 00:25:46

a lot of people start a podcast, but don't keep it up.

Liz: 00:25:50

The commitment to doing regular episodes is important.

Liz: 00:25:55

Have a fairly clear focus, It's easier to build your audience when

Liz: 00:26:00

you know who they are, and you know precisely what they want to hear.

Liz: 00:26:04

If there's a niche...

Liz: 00:26:06

It's like with any entrepreneurial business...

Liz: 00:26:09

You need to know your audience, and you need to be filling a need for them.

Liz: 00:26:13

You need to know where to reach them.

Liz: 00:26:16

That's true for podcasting as well, to build the audience, to

Liz: 00:26:19

keep your episodes consistent.

Liz: 00:26:21

That's the tough part.

Isabel: 00:26:23

Because I'm an ingenue in this area...

Isabel: 00:26:25

I'm just starting to learn a few of these terms.

Isabel: 00:26:28

I have recently learned the term...

Isabel: 00:26:30

pod fade...

Isabel: 00:26:32

What you were referring to, is that those of us who start out with

Isabel: 00:26:36

great enthusiasm about creating a regular podcast and then lose that

Isabel: 00:26:42

commitment along the way and fade away.

Liz: 00:26:46

It's a lot of work.

Liz: 00:26:47

It's very rewarding.

Liz: 00:26:49

You get to have really great conversations with people...

Liz: 00:26:53

But there's a fair amount of work before and after.

Isabel: 00:26:55

Absolutely.

Isabel: 00:26:57

I am learning.

Isabel: 00:26:58

I'm studying at your feet now.

Liz: 00:27:02

Oh, there are people that know a great deal more than I do, I appreciate

Liz: 00:27:06

your support, But there's a room and a newsletter, called Podcasting Seriously.

Liz: 00:27:12

Everybody who's interested in podcasting should sign up for this newsletter.

Liz: 00:27:17

I will put the link to that in the show notes as well, because the

Liz: 00:27:20

people that I'm learning from...

Liz: 00:27:22

They give away such valuable material.

Liz: 00:27:26

I highly recommend them.

Isabel: 00:27:27

Do you remember when you first became aware of podcasts and

Isabel: 00:27:31

started listening to them yourself?

Liz: 00:27:34

My husband has been listening to them for probably 10 years.

Liz: 00:27:38

I think I began listening maybe five years ago...

Liz: 00:27:42

it was when the first season of Serial...

Liz: 00:27:46

Do you know the, show Serial?

Liz: 00:27:48

Sarah Koenig is the Creator.

Liz: 00:27:50

It was a story of a young man who had been accused of murdering his girlfriend.

Liz: 00:27:56

She did this 10 part series that was absolutely fascinating.

Liz: 00:28:00

It was a style of both interview, and storytelling, and sound design.

Liz: 00:28:07

It was gorgeously produced, and the twists in the story were amazing!

Liz: 00:28:14

Luckily, I came to it, when most of the episodes had already been released.

Liz: 00:28:19

So that I could binge it!!!

Liz: 00:28:21

I hated the idea of having to wait a week, for the next episode.

Liz: 00:28:25

I wouldn't have been able to stand that, but that was, my first introduction.

Liz: 00:28:31

Since then I have fallen in love with a number of others.

Isabel: 00:28:34

Excellent.

Isabel: 00:28:35

I asked because I'm pretty new to podcast Many of my entrepreneurial

Isabel: 00:28:41

friends have been consuming pod content for a number of years...

Isabel: 00:28:46

but for me, it's probably only in the last two, three years, that it's become

Isabel: 00:28:50

part of my life and even more so since the pandemic, where I seem to slow my

Isabel: 00:28:56

routine down a bit more, and I have more time to walk and listen to audio.

Isabel: 00:29:01

I love, I love.

Isabel: 00:29:03

The opportunity to feel like I'm almost part of a conversation

Isabel: 00:29:07

like you and I are having.

Isabel: 00:29:09

I listen in and learn something that I otherwise would not have been exposed to.

Isabel: 00:29:14

I like that it's manageable time segments as well.

Isabel: 00:29:18

So that's good.

Isabel: 00:29:19

(Yeah) Alrighty...

Isabel: 00:29:20

I really appreciate you sharing sort of the...

Isabel: 00:29:23

Inside the candor of...

Isabel: 00:29:25

What it's like to be a podcaster...

Isabel: 00:29:28

and make that commitment.

Isabel: 00:29:30

I know there's a great deal more.

Isabel: 00:29:32

you would come back again maybe we'll talk specifically about that.

Isabel: 00:29:36

For any of our listeners who are thinking (meh) kind of like to, but I'm

Isabel: 00:29:42

a little afraid of what I don't know.

Liz: 00:29:45

Wouldn't it be interesting to have the conversation with

Liz: 00:29:49

your podcast teacher too?

Liz: 00:29:50

Have the three of us talk about it.

Isabel: 00:29:52

Yeah, absolutely.

Isabel: 00:29:54

I recently interviewed Loubna Zarrou...

Liz: 00:29:58

Ohhh, I just met her through your group and she is very interesting.

Liz: 00:30:03

Ooh,

Isabel: 00:30:04

Totally, in fact her episode was launched today, we're recording

Isabel: 00:30:09

this interview with Liz today on April the 28th, and Loubna's story is equally

Isabel: 00:30:16

fascinating on how she came to have a podcast, which I just loved the name...

Isabel: 00:30:22

That's what hooked me...

Isabel: 00:30:23

The Entrepreneurs Sushi Club podcast.

Isabel: 00:30:28

How can you not check out?

Isabel: 00:30:29

What is that about?

Isabel: 00:30:31

I love that style that she has.

Isabel: 00:30:34

This is great...

Isabel: 00:30:35

It's a way that we are becoming connected with each other all around the world.

Isabel: 00:30:40

Part of my great passion with Lift As You Climb is...

Isabel: 00:30:44

The more you understand about someone else, the more that creates

Isabel: 00:30:49

this community, of wanting to help each other and to climb together.

Liz: 00:30:55

I want to say how well you model that, you asked me, what my thoughts

Liz: 00:31:00

about Lift As You Climb were...

Liz: 00:31:02

You are the picture of that..

Liz: 00:31:04

You are always putting other people first and giving them opportunities...

Liz: 00:31:09

Sharing things to your community about your community.

Liz: 00:31:14

You model it brilliantly.

Liz: 00:31:15

And I really admire that.

Isabel: 00:31:17

Well, thank you very much for saying that.

Isabel: 00:31:20

It's very easy for me because I've had so many experiences in my own life where

Isabel: 00:31:27

others have reached back, giving me a hand up and one of my super powers that goes

Isabel: 00:31:34

along well with that is I'm fascinated by the unique qualities of people that I

Isabel: 00:31:40

meet and what makes them distinct and what their gifts are and their super powers.

Isabel: 00:31:47

This is a great platform for me in looking for other...

Isabel: 00:31:52

I'm going to say women because that's mostly who my message is directed to.

Isabel: 00:31:57

But it is not exclusive of anybody.

Isabel: 00:32:01

To find other people that embrace that whole philosophy that...

Isabel: 00:32:06

we do better.

Isabel: 00:32:08

, We do well, when we are doing good, with others.

Isabel: 00:32:11

And how, just joyful is that, to discover what other people do and

Isabel: 00:32:16

what's their gift to the world.

Liz: 00:32:19

The idea of having a conversation with somebody who

Liz: 00:32:21

thinks you're fascinating, is a pretty wonderful experience.

Liz: 00:32:26

I mean, you can easily bring out the best in someone, when they

Liz: 00:32:30

feel like you're fascinated.

Liz: 00:32:32

I like that feeling.

Isabel: 00:32:34

Good, then I'm coming back to talk to you often.

Isabel: 00:32:40

I have barely, barely glimpsed...

Isabel: 00:32:43

At all of the excitement, and the adventure of your life, and how...

Isabel: 00:32:48

when I first met you I thought, Oh, she is very introverted, very quiet.

Isabel: 00:32:55

Maybe I'm a little too out there.

Isabel: 00:32:58

But as days went by, or the minutes went by, I thought...

Isabel: 00:33:01

ooh, there's another little facet of this personality that didn't show right away.

Isabel: 00:33:09

Glad I stuck around here for a little while.

Liz: 00:33:12

Glad you did too.

Isabel: 00:33:13

Yes, Yes.

Isabel: 00:33:14

Yes.

Isabel: 00:33:14

It's so cool.

Isabel: 00:33:16

thank you for that.

Isabel: 00:33:17

What I haven't talked to you about, and I'm really curious now.

Isabel: 00:33:22

You mentioned your coaching business how does that all tie into...

Isabel: 00:33:28

Who Liz is, and how she shows up in the world?

Isabel: 00:33:32

Tell me a little bit about that.

Liz: 00:33:34

I call myself a productive life coach, and what I mean by a productive

Liz: 00:33:39

life, is one where you are fulfilling your dreams, your reaching your goals.

Liz: 00:33:46

You're at your own pace, by your own definition.

Liz: 00:33:49

And you may hesitate now and then, you may get a little bogged down, but you pick

Liz: 00:33:55

yourself back up and you move forward, at the end of the day, you feel accomplished.

Liz: 00:34:01

My ideal clients are probably not driving type A personalities.

Liz: 00:34:07

They are women who might struggle with motivation, but they still

Liz: 00:34:12

want to live productive lives.

Liz: 00:34:13

They still feel like they want to reach their goals.

Liz: 00:34:17

basically I'm coaching myself.

Liz: 00:34:19

That's my sweet spot.

Liz: 00:34:21

I have achieved a version of success, that is really comfortable to me.

Liz: 00:34:26

I haven't always felt this good about myself.

Liz: 00:34:29

I feel like I have some things that I can guide people, who are like me...

Liz: 00:34:35

so they don't necessarily have to go through what I went through.

Liz: 00:34:39

, I really like coaching older women around productivity,

Liz: 00:34:43

your own style of productivity.

Isabel: 00:34:46

I so appreciate that.

Isabel: 00:34:47

And, I'm recalling now an article I read that you had written about

Isabel: 00:34:52

finding the right productivity style.

Isabel: 00:34:55

And I thought, you're absolutely right.

Isabel: 00:34:57

Not everybody's Type A.

Isabel: 00:35:00

Not everybody has a fire burning under the soles of their feet to do

Isabel: 00:35:05

something That in societal standards, a measure of success or accomplishment.

Isabel: 00:35:12

We are all very, very different.

Isabel: 00:35:15

My deceased ex-mother-in-law, I loved her dearly for her very

Isabel: 00:35:21

clear perspective on the world.

Isabel: 00:35:23

She was a little like four and a half foot tall English woman from Coventry, England.

Isabel: 00:35:27

And she said, I don't want people to be like wallpaper, that

Isabel: 00:35:32

can't all be the same and match.

Isabel: 00:35:40

So there we are...

Isabel: 00:35:41

To be able to offer up a supportive system for...

Isabel: 00:35:47

Who you are.

Isabel: 00:35:48

And you know, my favorite topic...

Isabel: 00:35:49

Who am I now?

Isabel: 00:35:51

And what feels good for me?

Liz: 00:35:54

Well you were saying, Loubna also works with people on

Liz: 00:35:57

productivity, but she coaches in much different way from the way I do.

Liz: 00:36:02

Her ideal clients are different and her approach is different.

Liz: 00:36:06

The world is big, and there's room for lots of us out there.

Isabel: 00:36:10

Absolutely true.

Isabel: 00:36:12

Absolutely true.

Isabel: 00:36:13

That's why I've never understood why people get all hung up on competition

Isabel: 00:36:17

and being proprietary about everything the world is huge, it's vast, and the

Isabel: 00:36:22

opportunities, and the needs are vast.

Isabel: 00:36:25

If you feel like somebody is copying exactly what you're doing, then

Isabel: 00:36:29

it's time that you up-leveled and maybe improved what you are doing

Isabel: 00:36:34

for the people that it matters to.

Isabel: 00:36:35

Right.

Isabel: 00:36:36

This is so cool, to have this conversation and to affirm, that there are women

Isabel: 00:36:43

like us, in our sixties, out there...

Isabel: 00:36:46

going...

Isabel: 00:36:46

Yeah, there's a better way to do this for me now.

Liz: 00:36:50

I'm nowhere near dead and there's a lot more life left and one

Liz: 00:36:55

of the great joys of menopause is that I don't care the way I used to.

Liz: 00:37:00

There's a whole lot of self doubt that I left behind.

Isabel: 00:37:03

Oh, okay.

Isabel: 00:37:05

Now that is definitely a place holder.

Isabel: 00:37:09

That's a pin in what I want to bring you back to talk about with me.

Isabel: 00:37:14

How differently we feel about ourselves now and what were the

Isabel: 00:37:21

significant changes or milestones?

Isabel: 00:37:25

So before I let you go, we've hinted at a lot of very interesting facts about you.

Isabel: 00:37:32

I certainly will be providing in the show notes where people will be able to connect

Isabel: 00:37:37

and get more involved in your orbit.

Isabel: 00:37:40

Would you share something that we might not be able to find

Isabel: 00:37:44

on Google about Liz Sumner?

Liz: 00:37:46

The first thing that comes to my mind is that in 1987, I

Liz: 00:37:50

went to the miss America pageant.

Liz: 00:37:53

I had been a pageant junkie for most of my life, my best friend was even

Liz: 00:37:59

a stronger pageant junkie than I.

Liz: 00:38:01

We went to Atlantic city for a week and we watched the way they set

Liz: 00:38:06

it up every night of the week is like a mini pageant because they do

Liz: 00:38:10

all of the talent competition and the gowns and the bathing suits.

Liz: 00:38:14

Every night of the week then only the, semifinalists, do

Liz: 00:38:18

it on the Saturday night.

Liz: 00:38:19

The woman who ran the choreography for the group numbers was my dancing

Liz: 00:38:24

school teacher when I was nine.

Liz: 00:38:26

so I got to see Ms.

Liz: 00:38:27

Marsha again, it was a really silly experience.

Liz: 00:38:32

That was a lot of fun.

Liz: 00:38:33

Of course, I picked the winner...

Liz: 00:38:34

I had no doubt, it was Kaye Lani Rae Rafko.

Liz: 00:38:37

There was a press conference afterwards, and I got to ask her a

Liz: 00:38:40

question in the press conference.

Liz: 00:38:42

That was a major moment.

Isabel: 00:38:43

See Ms.

Isabel: 00:38:43

Marsha again, like Wow!

Isabel: 00:38:48

I would not have ever guessed, that is what you were going

Isabel: 00:38:51

to tell me, so love that.

Isabel: 00:38:55

I'm going to share my Rockette story with you.

Isabel: 00:38:58

Thank you again.

Isabel: 00:39:00

Absolutely.

Isabel: 00:39:01

A joy to speak with you.

Isabel: 00:39:04

I look forward to our next opportunity, in audio in video,

Isabel: 00:39:09

but especially in real life.

Liz: 00:39:12

Isabel, it has been such a pleasure.

Liz: 00:39:14

I really enjoy talking with you.

Isabel: 00:39:17

Ciao!!!