357: Elizabeth Rosenberg—Can An Extraordinary Coach Bring Out The Unseen Beauty In Your Strengths?

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Andi Simon: Welcome to On the Brink With Andi Simon. I’m Andi Simon, your host and your guide. And as you know, my job is to help you get off the brink and soar again. I go looking for people who are going to help you see, feel and think in new ways so that you can step back like an anthropologist, observe what’s going on and really begin to think about who am I, where am I going, what’s my company all about and how do I fit. There are really deep questions that give you some awareness, reflection, resilience, but unless you can be a little anthropological and look at it through a fresh lens, you get so caught up in it, you’re not quite sure what’s going on.

So today, I have a wonderful woman with me. Her name is Elizabeth Rosenberg. Now, Elizabeth is going to tell you her own life’s journey more than I can tell you in her bio. But she is on a real quest to help others begin to see themselves. I’ll call it their personal brand as she does, but it’s deeper than that. It’s not casual. It’s not in their dress code, it is in who am I and how am I really living the life I want to live? And if I’m not, how do I find that life?

Remember, during the pandemic, you heard a lot about “you only live once.” Well, this has been the case forever. And every day is a gift. So how are we going to make it easier for you to live the best life you have, knowing better who you are, what you’re looking for, and how to get there. Elizabeth is shaking her head. I’m going to turn it back to her. Elizabeth, thank you for joining me today.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: Thank you for having me. That was one of the most, I think, beautiful and perfect intros that I’ve ever had. So I very much appreciate you having me on the show.

Andi Simon: I mean, you don’t want me to ask you three questions and then we’ll be done. That’s not our style. For our listeners and our viewers, Elizabeth came to me by chance. And I wasn’t really quite sure why. And as we talked, I know there’s good reason for you to listen carefully because she’s got a message that you’re going to want to know more about. And so I’m going to let her talk about her own journey because it has some catalytic moments in it. And I must tell you, everyone I’m bringing on has a crisis of some kind, some catalytic moment where their brain goes, whoosh, there’s something going on here. Please, Elizabeth, who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: My name is Elizabeth Rosenberg, and I’m the founder of The Good Advice Company. To many, I am a marketing and communications consultant and a personal branding expert. But I think to my friends and my clients and my family, I’m much more than that. I really love to dive into exactly what you were talking about: the who and the why. What is our legacy? What are we meant to be? Why are we meant to be here? What are we meant to do?

My story is fairly simple, and I think is probably very relatable to most. I’ve had a 25-year career in public relations and marketing. A few years ago, I experienced severe corporate burnout. While I was the Global Head of Communications for a large ad agency, I landed myself in the emergency room with a migraine where I lost all of my motor skills.

And I know we talked about that moment where we all have crises, and we all kind of hit our rock bottom. The thing that’s fascinating about that is, everyone’s rock bottom is different. For some it can be a moment where you land in the emergency room. For others, it can be an emotional moment. For others, it can be a spiritual moment. For others, it can be a mental moment. We all have to kind of take agency of what that moment means to us, and then what we choose to do with it next.

From there, I went on a very deep health and wellness journey, in addition to switching my job, which I thought would save everything and help everything. I was sure that I had a brain tumor, and I was dying and all of the things, and after months of testing and finally taking some time to really reflect, I realized that I had just burned out from corporate America. I went to another job and alas, the pandemic hit. So I actually quit that job on March of 2020, literally days before the world closed down, and ventured out on my own with a new company.

And from there I have kind of followed the path as it’s led me, versus I think doing what most of us do as futurists, we forecast the future forecast, and we try to figure out where the path is leading us. So I’ve definitely had a lesson in the last few years of being present and kind of seeing what the world is offering me versus trying to make it happen. And from there, I’ve uncovered a new process that I’ve been working on that’s been really exciting in terms of branding, and uncovering our purpose.

Andi Simon: It’s so interesting. I have a good friend who was over for dinner, and she’s a psychotherapist. And she said, “I’ve been reading Gouda again and I’m wondering about how we can get into the present.” You just said that. And then the importance of being in the moment, and not moving. The past is past. The future is unknown. But what are we doing now to really gain perspective on both?

You gave us your history, we’re not quite sure where you’re going, but we do know that you’re beginning to discover new value in what you know, and how you do it. And it’s not just the PR and communication stuff, it’s in how you’re transforming people’s lives. So talk about your new company, and the new process that you have, and what you’re discovering both about yourself and about the people who that you’re helping, because it’s very powerful.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: Thank you. Through my own health and wellness journey, I really started to uncover different forms of healing. I did everything from Eastern medicine, to Western medicine, to spiritual medicine, New Age, everything in between. And through that, I really tapped into mindfulness and uncovered that I was quite intuitive. And through training, and again, listening with different ears, and really trying to remain present, and focused on the day to day, I uncovered that I’m a medium.

It took me about two years to feel comfortable enough to tell that story externally. I think my friends and my family knew I’ve always had this intuition. Every job I’ve ever been to, my boss has always said in my review, “Oh, you’re so intuitive.” So I think they probably knew something I didn’t. And I really started to tap into that practice.

I think a lot of people think that meditating is the way to get there. For me, it was a lot of breath work. I did a past life regression. I have done Chinese medicine. I’ve done energy work. So I’ve really tried to look at all the modalities I could to get me to where I needed to go. And through this process, I really wanted to kind of tie in my side hustle, as you could say, or my hobby, with my job. And it just really naturally presented itself.

I was working with one client on her personal brand. Her guides came through in the middle. I was mortified, like, “Oh my god, what is happening and why? Why is this happening?” And then I realized the strength that it had in it. And if I could do an intuitive reading of which I tap into the Akashic records, and then really pair that with behavioral analytics about who you are and then the PR part of what I do, really uncovering that story within the story.

We all have impostor syndrome, and we all feel unworthy at times. And a lot of what I do is listening to what makes somebody amazing and what makes someone themselves and bring that to the forefront, tied in together with the data that I’ve gotten in the first few sessions. And from that, I uncovered this beautiful, authentic version of yourself. And then a lot of it is coaching to help you feel comfortable enough to put that person out in the world.

Andi Simon: Interesting. People have asked me about impostor syndrome. And, in fact, we did a panel on it with a bunch of women and they said, “Well, when did you discover the imposter syndrome?” I said, “I think when I grew up, I never was anywhere where I felt I was well-prepared for it. And I always just sort of rolled up my sleeves.” My nature is to be an explorer. And I’ve been defined by the culture index as a philosopher, and I was always quite willing to be under-skilled, under-qualified and curious and it allowed me to improve myself in jobs.

I was SVP of one bank and EVP of another bank. Did I know banking? No, I was an anthropologist! and they imposed on me for their help and their expectations, what I could bring, but I had no idea what I was doing, and it was okay. But I look back on it and I’m sort of fascinated by this whole word “imposter” that makes it seem as if everybody should be knowing, when most of the time we’re not quite sure what the environment is unless you take a job that’s so well defined, and you know exactly how to do it.

Most of the time, you’re a bit betwixt and between. And then when I got into healthcare, I had no idea what I was really doing. They had no idea what I was going to be doing. But they loved me. And I said, Okay, I’ll take it. Let’s try and figure out how to help. And when I launched my business, my PR guy said, “You’re a corporate anthropologist who helps companies change.” And I went bingo, even though I was an imposter.

Did I have a business? What was I doing, but I loved his brand. And his one sentence was enough to create mine. And so to your point, as you’re talking, I’m saying, Yeah, that’s me. That’s me.

Well, we got to know some more about now that you’ve come to the aha moment where you know yourself better. You intuit, you can feel. My hunch is that there’s a sixth sense that you pick up on and you’re smiling at me. I want to get a little bit more of your wisdom for the listener or the viewer so that it is tangible for them, they can see how it might help them. If you could have helped me for years trying to figure out who I really was until John Rasika said, “That’s who you are.” I said, “Okay, you’re right.” Talk to us, Elizabeth, a little bit more.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: A little bit about the imposter syndrome. I learned a lot about it through a program called #IAmRemarkable, which was actually created through Google. And anybody, any of your listeners can take it, you just sign up. And it is a beautiful way for everyone to acknowledge their impostor syndrome and how to work through it. I do believe that your imposter syndrome, as exactly we’re talking about, can actually be your strength.

There’s something so beautiful about going into a job where you don’t know everything. What a boring life that would be if you’re in something where you’re not learning something new every day. And also, I think we forget that we are bringing something new into a field, into an organization, into a team. If we don’t know everything, there’s always something that you were bringing in that’s new.

It’s fascinating because every executive I worked with has had impostor syndrome. Men, women, any ethnicity, it’s just we all suffer from it. So I think if we can all kind of collectively decide that we are imposters and that might be our strength, there’s something actually quite beautiful in it.

In terms of how I help my clients, I help them see what they can’t themselves. Just like the coach that you worked with who gave you that line of who you are. But more importantly, I think it’s very important that we, as a society, especially in corporate America, really start defining ourselves by who we are, not necessarily what we do. We all work. It’s just that it is what we do. Whether you define yourself as a mother, or you define yourself as a stay-at-home parent or corporate executive. We all have that brand of what it is that we do for a living.

But the beauty is lost, and actually talking about what kind of people we are. When you die, your legacy is not going to be like, Well she did this, he did this. Do we want to be known for being kind? Are we thoughtful? Are we compassionate? Are we funny? Do we bring strength to others? Do we bring others joy? I just think that there’s something so lost in that.

And that was also an A-ha pandemic moment for me. As people were dying, and obituaries were starting to read like resumes, I was like, Oh, God, if I die tomorrow, and my resume says that I work for this brand and I did this and I did this and nothing says anything about who I actually am as a person, what life am I living? How awful!

Andi Simon: As you work with your clients, because I can tell my audience is smiling, as you work with them, you’re helping them identify not just are they in the right career or job, but also are they living the life that gives them the most purpose, that sense of meaning. We’re meaning makers, as humans we have to have a context, we don’t just exist. So in some ways, we’re trying to find our meaning in the context of what we’re doing. And what you’re saying is that it shouldn’t be just about what you did, but who you are, and how you brought meaning to others so they too could prosper. Am I right?

Elizabeth Rosenberg: Yes, that is exactly right. And attitude.

Andi Simon: How do you do this?

Elizabeth Rosenberg: I tap into the Akashic records, which for your audience, is an intuitive place to go, is the best way to describe it. That is, like your soul. As a library, it is a journey from the past to the present to the future. As I tap into that place, I can steer a conversation knowing that I’m talking to the universal light, whatever it is that you want to refer to it as, and I truly ask the client, what is your soul’s purpose? And I believe that we have many, by the way, but what is your soul’s purpose? And then what is your life’s purpose? So how are you actualizing that purpose in this lifetime?

The funny thing is, we’re already living our purposes. We just need to be reminded that we’re doing it. In a way, I think that’s quite beautiful. I also think in ways that are much more simple than we’re thinking. But I don’t just work with clients who are in a place of inflection in their lives or are struggling. I work with a lot of clients who are actually quite successful, who are just missing that purpose or missing that part of their life that’s missing, and feeling like they just aren’t living up to, I think, the greater good. They feel they are just stuck in a hamster wheel. And you’re just doing your everyday life, whether it’s your personal life, your professional life, and I believe that when you can tap into your purpose, how you life changes drastically.

Andi Simon: It’s so interesting listening. I was at a conference last week, and I was talking to a woman who had during the conference the epiphany that what she was doing was more important than what she thought she was doing. And it was very interesting listening because all of a sudden, she realized that the role she did, the things she did, were very good. And her business was a very good business. But it wasn’t the purpose, a sufficient amount of purpose for her to feel purposeful. You know, it was practical and tactical. And as she was going through this, it was an International Women’s Day event in DC. As she was going through it, she had that epiphany where her brain took it to the next stage.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: How lovely to witness that.

Andi Simon: Well, it was interesting because she was talking about it, and me being who I am, said, “So you’ve just been elevated to the next level.” And she looked at me. I said, “Think about what you just said. And they said that you have a good business and you do good work. It has a bigger meaning, more purpose and power for others than just what you’re thinking.”

Elizabeth Rosenberg: Lovely to facilitate that. I think that’s so amazing.

Andi Simon: Well, my challenge in life is that that’s what I do. I listen more, try to hear what people are saying instead in a context. Like you and me, I learned that when I discovered anthropology, it wasn’t tactical and practical. It was who I was as a person, not a job I was going to do. And I listen, I’m trying to figure out stuff. It’s a weird world. But as you’re talking, I’m excited because it is hard to find others who can do really something. I’ve stopped bringing coaches onto the platform as much as I can. But, there are so many women coaches, even men, who are trying to do coaching in a way that isn’t tapping into the inner soul. That’s just sort of on the tactical, practical side. There’s nothing wrong with it, but you are really transformational.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: Thank you. As you’re talking, I’m like, “Oh, do I start calling myself a soul anthropologist?” I’m kind of liking that phrase, that thought. But on a coaching front, there’s something very different that I do than coaching. I think there are people that need coaching at a certain time in their life. I think there are people who need personal development and therapy at a certain time in their lives. I think there are people who need what I offer at a certain time in their life.

We are all at different places in our own personal development journey. And you have to recognize where you are. There are so many clients that come to me that say, I got your name from someone and I can’t wait to work with you. And you know, this is where I am and this is what I want to do. And I say to them, “I am not the right person for you. You need unique coaching right now. Here are three or four amazing coaches. Talk to them.”

It’s a lot like dating. You really have to, when you’re looking for a therapist or looking for a coach or looking for somebody to guide you through different parts of your life, you really need to make sure that you are working with someone who is going to hold you accountable and also get you to that next place. Somebody that you can manipulate and somebody that you can be quite complacent with is not going to get you anywhere. You’re just throwing money away. So know what you need when you need it.

Andi Simon: But that’s very important for us to echo. Now, no one size fits everyone. You need to know who you are, which often requires a little bit of assessment before you start, and what it is you’re trying to fix. Because often I find as I coach, I’m a John Mattoon-trained executive coach, and thank you, John Mattoon, but I often find that the issues that come with bringing out my consulting job more than my coaching job, they need ideas on how to fix a business or even on personal problems.

But if you go through the coaching methodology, and try to get them to elicit solutions, they don’t know what to do that you’ve had in their toolkit. There’s nothing there that comes through. So you have to be willing to provide that consultative idea that might generate some “Oh, that’s what I should do.” And off they go. But people are complicated and you found a way to help them in a particular fashion.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: Oh, it is, it is very specific. Because I also do tap into obviously the marketing and PR aspect. And I loved marketing and PR. It is still the thing that is just my adrenaline hit. And what I really want to do is help. Again, executives, leaders, business owners, and the media optimize their brands. The PR landscape has changed so drastically in the last few years. Everything’s behind a paywall.

There’s actual news that journalists need to be writing about being able to optimize your own brand, talk about thought leadership in a way that is interesting, that has a relatable story to tell, will not only, I believe, impact other people with your story, but it always grows your business. I mean, I’ve had clients who’ve had op-eds in Fast Company who’ve had six figure salary raises, just because they’ve changed their narrative as to, is this the impact that I want to make on the world. This is the purpose that I’m living. And this is the type of business that I want to be doing. So we only have, as you said, we only have one life to live. You might as well be happy when you’re doing it.

Andi Simon: But you know, what you just said was very powerful. All of a sudden, the next stage in their journey opened up to them because they had time to sit with you and really dig into who they were and what was of great value. What’s the brand anyhow? It answers the question Why you? and it does it in such a fashion so that when you begin to tell that, people learn something from it or gain something from it, or you give and share something with it. The only reason to have a brand is to do something with it. You know, what is the purpose? So it’s very exciting. And as you do that, you get further affirmation that what you’re doing has real value.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: Always, and you always make more money doing it too once you’re actually doing something that you really love to do. I just believe it’s like the power of the law of attraction. You’re actually inviting a very different level of energy. You’re inviting in different people as well. I think you’re inviting in people who elevate you energetically, who are excited about what it is that you’re building. And that also, I believe, brings you more abundance and more joy in your life every day.

Andi Simon: Sounds like you’ve found the joyful way not to burn out.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: You know, I have to be reminded sometimes to still not burn out. I genuinely believe that your body moves much faster than your mind, and your body burns out much faster than your mind. So listen to what it is that your body’s saying to you and burnout is different for everyone. What might look like a series of migraines for one could be an eye twitching for another, could be lack of sleep for somebody else. Everyone has different ways of manifesting stress in their lives. So it really comes down to if you’re listening to your body and not. But it’s hard to do that, just like it’s hard to be present. We move too quickly as a society and as a race, so we need to be more cognizant of the little messages and the little things that we’re getting on a regular basis.

Andi Simon: I always tell my clients, you need an hour of self-love. You know, start your day with a workout, with a walk in the woods. You know, have a cup of coffee and sit quietly and meditate. If you want to listen to some mindfulness music, do something to quiet the body and get it going. Or end the day with some notes of gratitude and a little bit of kindness. It creates wonderful oxytocin in your brain. But if you don’t do self-care, how can you care for anybody else.

Elizabeth Rosenberg: And I believe with a lot of my clients, finding that hour can be difficult. So even if you can’t find that hour, find five minutes, a couple times a day. I always tell everybody, if you can’t find that time, build in five minutes with breakfast, lunch and dinner of just sitting, breathing, being quiet, staying off of your phone. There’s little things that you can do, and everyone’s meditation, I do believe, looks different.

Even though I’m intuitive, and I can do 90-minute readings and sit there completely focused. I am a terrible meditator. Terrible. Your mind walking is my meditation. Your mind is mine too fast. But I can go on a five-mile walk, listening to music and just really connected to the world around me. And that is what brings me a lot, it grounds me and brings me a lot of just kind of like calmness in my day as well.

Andi Simon: You know, it’s interesting, I live in a rural area north of Manhattan. We found an old farm here. And it’s right next to a nature walk and so my puppy, who’s no longer a puppy, and I go for two miles, three mile walks. And I talk to her and there’s nobody else out there. And it’s sort of like my park. And by the time I come back, I feel ready for the day. And exactly, it’s just a little self-care is okay. You can enjoy that. It’s okay. This is such fun. If the folks want to reach you, where should they reach you?

Elizabeth Rosenberg: The best place to reach me is thegoodadvicecompany.com. And I have a little toggle on there about personal branding. And then a lot of my own thought leadership and thoughts and hot takes on life can be found on LinkedIn as well.

Andi Simon: So it’s Elizabeth Rosenberg, and for our listeners and our viewers, wasn’t it fun today. You know, I have a hunch as you’re sitting there, you’re saying to yourself, “Let’s just sit still, be mindful, quiet down, take a little time for me. It’s okay, everything that has to get done will get done. It’s okay.” And besides, whoever cares for you, and about you, will be happy to do that with you. And so don’t kill yourself. It’s unnecessary.

Anyway, I’m happy to always share great people. Elizabeth, this has been wonderful. And I thank all of you who send me at info@Andisimon.com your ideas, people you want me to pick up and talk to today. I was in the UK and I had a great talk with someone in Kansas City. And now I have Elizabeth. I don’t know where she is but she is such fun. And the world is flat. Maybe not.

But I am really watching our podcast. It’s in the top 5% of global podcasts. I can’t thank our listeners enough for coming and joining and sharing. It’s great fun. And my books are available at Amazon: Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business (Meet Elizabeth. She smashed it.) and On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights. And On the Brink is about how you can smash your company and turn it into something great using a little anthropology, take it in, think of it as a little bit of your personal branding at the same time. Step out, look out and see what’s inside. And I’m always glad to share with you. Please stay well. Remember, turn your observations into innovations and enjoy safe travels. Thanks, Elizabeth. Bye now.