A little bit about Liz Nead.
The easy part of the story…
I have wanted to start a podcast for years. It was an easy transition out of speaking and coaching, to offer another way you can tap into the inspiration and unique way of thinking that is characteristic of the Nead Inspiration thing.
It was on my annual list of “things to do” in 2020 through 2023. Obviously I had a few barriers that served as speedbumps in the next-step-of-my business and I just wasn’t able to juggle the healing and figuring out what it took to start a podcast.
I felt the need and the public want for something like this and so here I am. No more excuses and no guarantees this is going to be worth the wait. BUT I can promise that whomever decides to play with me won’t be disappointed. My podcast is simple. Little tips to make your life better. To make YOU better. I know that you will be pleased with the results.
When I’m not coaching or delighting audiences from the stage, you can find me learning how to master pickle ball (still so bad) and working to heal my brain. I’m so lucky I have 7 children who stay in the mix and a devoted husband all of whom will do whatever they can to see me progress. I thank their belief for helping me take the steps you see here. I literally could not do it without them.
So this podcast then.
The short version is I’m a professional speaker and a life/ business coach. The shorter version is I LOVE WHAT I DO. I cannot wait to get on a stage and give you a new way to think about something and to make you laugh. I have no stage fright, just a drive to be a voice in your head. I worked in the insurance industry in a variety of roles (manager, project manager, business analyst). I did well - lots of raises and good end-of-year reviews- but I didn’t love what I did. I didn’t look forward to going to the office.
I moved from insurance into mortgage technology and the newness of that job replaced the need to love what I did. I did what I could to master the role but I could tell it just wasn’t for me. It was a fairly young company and in light of the mortgage implosion of 2008, it was hard for this company to keep up. I found out I was going to be let go and an odd thought came to me. A strange desire to start my own speaking business. It wasn’t a new thought, something I wanted to do since I can remember (like early, early- age 3) but the tricky thing was starting this business at a time when the country was in real trouble. I had a now-or-never sort of feeling and decided it was never going to get any easier to start this venture so I did it.
It was the best decision I ever made, becoming self-employed. I had my first speaking engagement in 4 months, my first coaching client in about the same time. There have been many things that could have kept me from continuing but so far my story is that nothing will stop me!
The story behind the story.
Everything went swimmingly for about 16 years. The speaking engagements rolled in as well as many chances to get close to coaching clients. The craziest thing happened to me. Something I never could have predicted and even two years later, I’m working to overcome.
I’ve always been a fitness enthusiast. I ran my first mile with my cousin Joe when I was ten and I never looked back. I was a standout in high school and college in track when I became “too old” to compete formally, I still went to the gym regularly, lifting heavy weights three times a week and running as hard as I could five days a week. In short, I believed I could live a healthy enough life I could avoid some of the problems I saw my parents face as they aged. I was militant in my commitment to getting to the gym. I felt invincible!
I even took a life-changing adventure, going so far as to traveling Tanzania, Africa and climbing 19,341 feet and sumitting Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was not easy with my issues with altitude but I made it to the top. That should tell you a little bit about my determination and fitness. But an unexpected incident was about to change everything.
I was on my way home from cheering Kendall (daughter) on in a basketball game at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee when I started to feel strange. The strangeness didn’t dissipate and eventually provoked me to ask my husband to take me to the hospital. I’m abbreviating this (listen to Episode 1) but it ended up with me suffering an ascending aortic dissection and having heart surgery. My heart stopped for fifteen minutes and event though against all odds I was resuscitated, I suffered multiple strokes and a significant brain injury. I was in active rehab for seven months. If you talked to me now, if you listen to my podcast, there is little to no trace of what I went through in my voice. I was able to walk away from the incident with little obvious damage. There is damage, though and every day I surrender to the rest and routine that brings healing. I have thankfully been able to speak and coach but I continue to build stamina and energy into my daily life. It’s been a challenge!