I'm Shivani Gupta, and welcome to the Ask Shivani podcast. I believe that one of the best presents that you can give yourself is time to be able to sit down and ask yourself some questions. I believe that the quality of the question that you ask yourself will determine the quality of your life.

Shivani Gupta

Hello everybody and welcome to the AskShivani podcast. I am so excited it has taken us a couple of months to get this amazing guest Elizabeth Rosenberg on today it is AM my time and PM her time she joins us all the way in the US. And she is the founder of The Good Advice Company, which is a marketing and communications consultancy, that coaches agencies and brands and C suite leaders on the global messaging strategy, something that is becoming more and more relevant on their brand positioning and also their thought leadership. She is the embodiment of a true New Era global PR and marketing executive, standing for resourcefulness, creativity and effectiveness. And that's really fueled and fueled by heightened social and cultural awareness. She is an entrepreneur at its core. So, I'm really looking to finding out more about that. And her true passion lies in working with new or reimagined cutting-edge brands that are bringing consumer products and tools that make life more enjoyable and accessible and healthy. She's based in LA. And she's also currently working on a book that we also look forward to finding out more about and where she's going to be speaking about a health and wellness journey, while also maintaining this high-profile position. And helping with some of the most innovative and working with some of the most innovative brands in the world. She believes that the future is wellness, intuition and corporate world and how those things collide. Welcome, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

Thank you for having me. It's always I'm, I don't know if everyone else feels this way. But when you hear your own bio read back to you, no matter how confident you are in the work that you've done, it always feels a little imposter. So, thank you for that very, very sweet and lovely intro.

Shivani Gupta

Thank you, you have achieved so many different things, Elizabeth. And so, one of the things on this podcast that I'm always curious about is, you know, tell us a bit about your journey, both your personal and your business life. But I guess more and more about those highlights and lowlights, those transformational moments that have happened, good, bad and ugly, that have really got you to where you are today, take us through some of that.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

Yeah, um, I have been so fortunate to have worked in a variety of industries. I think a lot of people, especially when it comes to communications and marketing are very niche, we do beauty, we do pharmaceuticals, we do consumer products, I have been in music, I have worked in nonprofits, I've been in sports, it's kind of like if you can sell something, you can sell anything. So, I've had the highest highs and the lowest lows, I think I have been laid off, I have been fired, I have quit, I've started a company, I have left that company, I have started a new company. So, I think the beauty is along the way you learned so much about yourself, you always you also learn what you love to do and what you don't like to do. And then you kind of pick up the tricks of the trade in terms of where you really shine and what your superpowers are, and where you really need expertise and help from outside.

So, I've been fortunate enough to have launched Hollywood and Highland, which is where the Academy Awards are held. I want shot on iPhone, along with 1000s of other people who've worked on that campaign. But I was at I worked with Apple, which was a huge highlight. I've traveled the world. I've worked with some amazing brands. And I've also worked with really incredible people. My biggest takeaway is just the relationships that you build along the way are your network, and that network is your IP. And that is what kind of I think fuels you into the future of whatever it is that is next. So, but my biggest low, well, my hands down my biggest low, which is what I am fortunate enough to talk about, and have been brave enough to talk about was my severe corporate burnout. I was the Global Head of Communications at a very large ad agency. And I burned out to the point where I had a migraine where I lost all of my motor skills and ended up in the emergency room. So, from there it was life took a whole different trajectory of what is important and what's not important. And again, what you love to do and what you kind of want to do less of. So, I've had lots of highs, lots of lows, but I think they've all led me to the right place.

Shivani Gupta

Yeah, that's really interesting the way that you said that it's, you know, when I'm speaking to different guests, and I know that in my life having gone through corporate burnout as well. It's interesting, isn't it some of those low points to define in terms of how you ended up living now and obviously, you know, you're writing about that. We're going to find out about that a little bit later. My next question, Elizabeth, and probably leads into it really nicely. But you know, you've had this challenge of burnout, you've obviously had challenges and startups and leaving and starting and stopping and all the different journey that an entrepreneur has, when you look at when challenges come your way, is there a way that you tackle them? Like some people have processes? Some people have, you know, systems, some people, they just tackle things differently. And sometimes they're small or the medium or the large? Like, do you have a way when challenges come your way, which I'm sure happens all the time in your own business, particularly in the industry that you're in as well? How do you go about dealing with them?

Elizabeth Rosenberg

That's a great question that no one has ever asked me. So, thank you for asking that. And I think my answer has probably changed 15 times in the last year. In PR, and in marketing, we work very fast, you have to work at the speed of culture, and especially in PR and crisis, which we've had so much crisis in terms of communication and how people are responding to things. And the last two years, you work so fast. My biggest takeaway from everything, and how I kind of have been approaching any kind of problem this year, is to really stop, read the room, look and figure out really what the issue is, and to respond versus react. I think, in general, people in my industry are very reactionary, which is what makes us great at what we do. But once you can learn how to actually respond versus react, it's a, it's a different level, because you're coming at something so strategically, so smart. And I'm really trying to take that practice into my personal life as well with kind of with everything that I'm doing. So, I have that literally written down on a post it on my computer to respond and not react. It takes practice, a lot of practice. But once you can really figure out how to do it, it makes a huge difference. And then I also work with a coach. And I think I'm very fortunate to have worked with my coach for the last six years. And once you find a coach, I would say it's like dating, you really have to make sure that you find the right one for you. But once you find the coach that really gets to know you, but also challenges you and pushes you and helps you see things differently. It really allows you to open up your mind to different possibilities, but also different ways of working through things.

Shivani Gupta

Yeah, thank you for saying that. Because I know you've worked with a lot of coaches as well. But the fact that you have one, and that's somebody that challenges you are not just support you, I think you just said that beautifully. Because I know I've come across people where they say, you know, look, I really need more people that are supportive of me. And yes, the coach is there to support you. And you're obviously paying them to do so. But they're also there to challenge you to really think differently and do that. Now, I know that you're working on a book, I know you've got other aspirations. And there's other things you want to do. So, some people think in one year ahead, especially with the pandemic, some people go look, I've got actually I've got clear about how I want to live the next five or 10 or 30 years of my life. So whatever time span that you look at Elizabeth, talk us through some of your future aspirations. And again, some might be personal, some might be in business or in entrepreneurship. What are some of the things that you go? Yeah, these are some of the things I really want to do over the next few years.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

I stopped future forecasting completely. So, I do not actually look at where I want to be in a year where I want to be in five years where I want to be in 10. It's funny, because in my own coaching as people are trying to figure out their own brand strategy, I asked them that question. But the reality is, is I don't have an answer for that question myself. I'd say three years ago, I had very clear answers for those questions and the pandemic through everything that I was planning out the window, I had planned to travel the world I had planned, you know, again, I plan to write a book. Even the journey of my book, my book has gone from a book to a blog to a TED talk. So, or whatever talk that I'm working on right now. And the focus of that is really overcoming bias, spiritual bias in the corporate community. I have loved the last and this is gonna sound very LA and I kind of makes me giggle when I say that too. But I have loved over the last few years that the pandemic has really driven even the most successful leaders to really hone in on what their purpose is, are they finding joy in their everyday life? And what is kind of getting them to find that if they have not found it? And also, I think we have all we are leaning towards different forms of healing. So, I have found after my corporate burnout that I did Eastern medicine, Western medicine, literally everything in between I did allergy shots twice a week for three years. I did past life regressions; I did Reiki, I did therapy. I mean I live did everything that you possibly could have. And I've loved seeing so many people really exploring different forms of healing whatever that might look like for them. Is it acupuncture? Is it Chinese medicine, is it a traditional therapist? Is it psilocybin? I, you know, it's like whatever works for you works for you. And I think that that's great. And I think it's a really healthy reminder to remember that what works for me is not necessarily going to work for you. So, whatever that journey looks like, for you, who knows what the next five years will, will bring? I hope I'm still doing what I love, and it's making me happy while I'm doing it.

Shivani Gupta

Yeah. And do you think and this wasn't one of my questions that I planned to ask but do you think it's that you know, a lot of teachers, a lot of people that are enlightened, a lot of really great, even some of the great mentors and coaches I've had talk about living in the moment, do you think this whole thing about not planning so much more in the future, it is really about, you know, if I decide to do this now, right, if I decide to change my mind, whether it's going from a book to a talk to a TED talk, or some sort of talk, as you spoke about, it's that following kind of your garden, your intuition, but not having to pre plan it? Do you think it's more about that living in that moment? Or is it something else for you?

Elizabeth Rosenberg

For me, it's about living in the moment, but it's also about letting go of control. Um, I had 2 kinds of like big, big aha moments this year, which was a control nothing, except for myself, and how I feel, and then also that I'm solely responsible for my own happiness and my own joy in life. I can't put that on someone else. So, once I kind of like, accepted that those two things were truth for me. It completely changed how I, I think, even communicate with people, the expectations I have for people, the expectations I have for myself. And it was just a game changer. And you know, I think, because of the society we live in, there's so much fear around following your passion and your joy, is that going to make me money? Is my superpower actually my superpower? Did I kind of make that up? Do I have the financial means in order to follow my passion and to really do what I want to do? And those are questions that no one else can really answer for you. You have to figure out what it is that you're willing to sacrifice, in order to kind of make that leap and make that jump. And for some people, they just never have the bravery to do it. And that's also okay. We need to have a lot of grace for ourselves and grace for others, as no one is on the same path at the same time.

Shivani Gupta

Yeah, amazing. That's great. Now it sounds like you almost forced, if I can use that word into the situation from corporate burnout, that you had to do some things around your wellness, right? I mean, some people get into that where they kind of cornered and they're like, oh, my goodness, this isn't working. The system's falling down. My body's not working well. But it sounds like you've tried a lot of different modalities over the years, Elizabeth to really get your health back in. So now that where it's at what are some of the rituals that you have for your wellness out there? There are some things that you do daily, or do you go on a yearly retreat? Or what are the some of the things that you do around your own wellness and wellness obviously, it doesn't have to just be physical, you know, your emotional, mental and spiritual? What are some of the practices and rituals that you do have to manage your wellness?

Elizabeth Rosenberg

My burnout, and I like to say this all the time, it's like I actually didn't even know that it was happening. I loved my job so much. And people think that you can only burn out if you hate your job. Like I actually like really loved my job I loved where I was, I loved what I was doing. I love the people I was surrounded by. And I had had migraines since I was four and still suffer for them today. So, this was just a next level situation that like I never wanted to experience again, because it was truly frightening. In terms of the rituals that I have for today, I think of wellness as mental, spiritual, physical and emotional. And they really tried to make sure that all of those things are integrated and are some find some kind of balance. There's always one that's a little more needy than the other. During the pandemic, I stress walked a lot. I mean, I gotten got to know my neighborhood in a way that I had never known my neighborhood before in Los Angeles. We drive everywhere I walk all the time everywhere now. In terms of my mental health, I journaled a lot, I don't recommend meditation for everyone because I don't think it's a solid for everybody. But I do meditate in very short spurts and five minutes spurts versus hour long spurts. I work out with a trainer I really eat healthy and I also get my bloodwork done once a year and make sure that I'm actually like you know that I'm that I'm living this health that I need to be living. I also learned how to say no. And I have to tell you like that was one of the most healthy things ever for me like, no is a full sentence. If you are being kind, you can say thank you afterwards. But people have got to be empowered to not want to do that. It's okay for you not to want to do things and to not do them if you don't want to.

Shivani Gupta

Yeah, I love the fact that you've just gone no is a full sentence to letters. But it's a full sentence. And you don't actually have to have an explanation behind it. And I know that I have struggled with that. And I know that a lot of the women I've mentored over the years and men too, but predominantly women have also suffered from that from that No. And so, was it something some work that you did around with your coach, or, you know, through your journaling or other practices that you went? Yeah, I have to say no to these sorts of things. And, you know, say more to these sorts of things.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

As an entrepreneur, I realized that out of fear of scarcity, I was filling up my dance card, as my coach says, with a bunch of no’s instead of yeses. And he goes, if your dance card is full of no’s, there's no room for the yeses. And I was like, that's very Bridgeton of you, Greg, thank you for bringing that into pop culture. But it was so true. Because I was saying yes to people that innately I felt like were not the best match for me. But that I knew would keep me financially secure through the pandemic. What I realized is, once I started saying, no, the yeses were lining up at a much higher rate. It is always hilarious. And I think most entrepreneurs know this, the $5,000 clients, $500 clients are the ones that like, want all of your time and all of your energy and your deliverables and never on time and everything is just a nightmare with them. And nothing is ever right. Your $50,000 clients love everything you do say thank you, and pay on time. And it continues to blow my mind on a regular basis that we all just can't get on board with that because that's, that is an undeniable truth.

Shivani Gupta

It is so true, isn't it? I remember the first time I increased my my rates and my work for mentoring. But also speaking, I was so scared that nobody would book me. And then you kind of do that. And I remember a really good mentor of mine said to me, Elizabeth, he said, when you raise yourself worth, others will believe what you're worth, but if you don't believe it, then people question what your worth is all the time. And I've really noticed that over the years. So yeah, no, that's really interesting. And I've had the same challenge the ones that don't pay you a lot expect a lot in terms of what you need to do. So, yeah.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

And in terms of fee, this is another thing that I really love that my coach said he said if everyone is saying, yes, your prices are too low.

Shivani Gupta

Yeah. Yeah.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

You're like and a light bulb goes off, you're like, oh, da? Yes, that makes so much sense. Why I didn’t think about that before? It's crazy.

Shivani Gupta

Yeah, no, I love that. That's fantastic. And, and so as you're doing this work, as you're managing your own wellness. If people want to find you or follow you, or look at the kind of work you do, can you tell us a little bit more about your work and the type of I know, I did that a bit in the intro, but to sort of hear it from your view, what some of the work that you really love doing with people, and then also how people kind of contact with you and how they find you or how they might be able to follow you and your work.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

Of course, thank you for asking. I actually it's interesting listening to my bio, because I was like even that has changed a little bit. Everything has just modified over the last few months for me and really become very crystal clear as to what I'm good at and what I love to do. So, I've really honed in on the kind of executive senior level of thought leadership, personal branding, I work with leaders to really figure out what their authentic story is, and what their plan of attack is, especially in the US in the last two years as people were dying of COVID and or other things. Obituaries were reading like resumes, because they were finding them on LinkedIn. And we are so clearly defined in our society by what we do versus who we are. And I had a real problem with that. So, I am really working to modernize what today's bios look like. And today's kind of just your personal brand looks like to really hone in on who you are as a person and what you have to offer versus what you do for a job. And it's fascinating working with these executives and these leaders to really uncover what their authentic story is.

If somebody had said to me, five years ago, we're gonna have a huge pandemic and then after that you're going to be a spokesperson for corporate burnout. I would have told everyone they were crazy. Because even the morning that I put out that story, I threw up, I was almost in tears. And I was like, oh my god, what am I doing, I cannot believe that I put the story out on the internet for all of the world to read. And sharing something as vulnerable as that and thinking that people would think that I was weak. And that like I, that I wasn't able to perform and do my job properly, was terrifying. But I also knew that it was unbelievably relatable, and that other people needed to see my story in order for them to not feel so alone. And I put it out almost a year ago, and even today, I'm still getting emails every week from people just saying, like, I showed this to my boss, thank you for telling your story, because now I have somebody else that can back up how I'm feeling on a regular basis. So, I just my biggest advice to everyone out there is if you have a story to tell, that will help others not feel so alone, I really encourage you to share it. Because even if it helps one person, it's worth sharing in general. So, what I do is I just help people tell that story in the most beautiful, eloquent, safe space possible. And the stories that have come out of it have just been, for me have been so rewarding, that being able to do this work has just has been a joy. It's totally changed my life.

Shivani Gupta

Amazing. I love that. And what about you, Elizabeth, if we want to follow your work, look at some of the stories that you're helping people with the branding, tell us about how to contact you, whether it's websites or LinkedIn. Tell us a little bit about that.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

The best way to reach me is on LinkedIn. I feel like that's where I'm my most authentic self. So, you can just go ahead and follow me. It's Elizabeth Rosenberg. Again, I'm the founder of The Good Advice Company. And my website is https://www.thegoodadvicecompany.com/.Trying to keep it real easy.

Shivani Gupta

That's awesome. I love that, l’ve taken half a page of notes here while I've been speaking to you. So, thank you. Thank you for your authenticity. Thank you for the work that you do. And thank you for joining me all the way from LA to be able to share some of the wisdom that you've acquired. Thank you.

Elizabeth Rosenberg

Thank you. 

Shivani Gupta

I'm Shivani Gupta. And you've been listening to the Ask Shivani podcast where I'd like to ask some questions. Thank you so much for listening. Please follow Ask Shivani on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. And if you haven't done so, please go to the Apple podcasts and subscribe rate and review this podcast. It would mean a lot. Thank you.