Peter:
[28:12] And welcome back. So it is, we're finishing part and we're coming back here. So I will stop here for a second so Jens can cut this out because I didn't do a quite smooth introduction there for part two. So we'll give a good couple of seconds, Paul, and I'll do the introduction for it.
Liz:
[28:29] I'll take a goblet of water as well.
Peter:
[28:31] Yeah, it's a good time to do it. Okay, welcome back. I am joined once again here with the lovely Liz Melville, who has just been sharing a absolute heartfelt story about her journey of finding herself as an absolute meta ads guru, helping so many online entrepreneurs help their business, but finding in her journey about how the business almost owned her more than she owned her business. And unfortunately, through the passing of her mom, she learned this the hard way and now is on a mission. And I mean it. This woman is on a mission to really make this scene heard and felt and help other entrepreneurs reach this. So, Liz, thanks for joining me again and finishing off this episode. Oh, my God. So much to talk about here. Now, it's really interesting. Just before in the previous episode, you mentioned there about building the foundations of a business as an entrepreneur. I resonated so much with that because you were mentioning about how at the time you didn't realize what you thought the foundations of your business were stronger than what they were, yeah?
Liz:
[29:52] Yeah.
Peter:
[29:52] Yeah. And you said like until the wind tests and the wind blew, obviously at the time that you're going through such emotional grief, emotional loss, and it's pretty much you had to stop. And did you find that your business just kind of stopped with it?
Liz:
[30:09] Not entirely so this I mean it was like the perfect storm it really really was so I was in the middle of my biggest clients biggest signature launch of the year when mum went into hospital now that the management of those ads was on me and when someone's spending tens of thousands of a day on meta ads you can't just let that go you've got to find the time to do it if it's on you to be doing that doing and it was so it and i'm not telling this stories in any kind of pity party because i just want to paint the picture because a lot of people will be in the same situation it was literally the day would start getting up with my dad absolutely confused about what was going on and with his shoes on waiting to leave and not understanding why we couldn't go to the hospital yet to see mum.
Liz:
[31:06] And it was kind of helping him with his emotional needs. I couldn't work. And then we would get in the car and we would drive an hour and a half to the hospital, spend a few hours with mum and then we'd drive home. And then it was looking after him, doing the family meals. And then once all that was done and people had gone to bed, that's when I would be doing my work. And any minute in between where I could snatch times to check in on ads and manage it. So I pride myself in being very professional that I was not going to let my client down regardless of what was happening in my personal life. So I was squeezing that in to do as good a job as I always would do with everything else on top of it. And I think there's so many of us just do that. We shoulder it all and we just carry on. Off we go, put the bigger backpack on and keep on going.
Liz:
[31:53] But that all takes its toll. And after weeks of that, I was going under. I was going under so close to burnout and with a very supportive family around to kind of prop me up. But you keep doing it. And then...
Liz:
[32:10] But there were other sides of my business which were absolutely taken care of. So customer support was no problem at all. Clients were getting their questions answered in my Facebook groups. Students were supported in the programs that I run. The bits that weren't supported were me. The bits that were lying on me. There was no one else to support me in that. It was on me and I had to add it into the daily workload. I had no option because for me it was just non-negotiable that I was going to let that go so that just all adds to the pressure and and what that does I think to your health your mental, capacity your mental well-being your mental health and physical health is is immeasurable and you don't realize until you're in it and I had to take a long coming out the other side of it was the only time where I could go wait a minute that that cannot happen again I cannot do that to myself I can't do that to everyone around me because I can't imagine I was very pleasant to live with at that time but you know it and it was all down to the structure of my business it was all down to how I built it so that's all my choice that's all that's all on me I thought right well I I almost stripped it bare and took a long hard look at what does the ideal structure look like that when this happens again and it will because as inevitable happened to my dad.
Liz:
[33:36] What needs to be in place for me to be able to step aside and deal with the life event, deal with my own grief and whatever happens and know that the business is sustaining me and it's still bringing an income even without me in it. And I really scrutinized that it was almost like forensic science back to me solve the problem I'm going to find a way metrics I need numbers and I just kept coming back to those three key things every single thing that I needed in place almost to retire myself from the business came down to three core pillars and I didn't have them all in place prior to my going to hospital So I do now. And now it's really about showing people that why these are so fundamentally important to every single entrepreneur. If you want to life proof your business, I guess is the best way to say it. And quite often we don't know we've got a problem until we've got problem.
Peter:
[34:35] Until we're in it. Yeah.
Liz:
[34:37] We're in it and then it's too late. So let's look at that now.
Peter:
[34:41] We need a fire truck and we haven't got one handy.
Liz:
[34:44] Absolutely. And I don't think it needs to be something as dramatic as a parent passing away. It could just be you're going through a relationship difficulty, that you're not emotionally available for your business because you're just trying to deal with all this stuff that's going on. Or it could be as dramatic as someone passing away that you just can't function. And I think you hear so much advice, and I'll just compartmentalize it, put it in a box and put it away while you do your work. And for most of us, that's not necessarily feasible or doable.
Peter:
[35:21] Well, I think if you look at any kind of example around the world, there's heaps of different examples where that clearly doesn't work. I live in a country where it has one of the highest rates of suicide because you're not able to speak about it. You are meant to compartmentalize. And I'm talking about Japan here. And that's why it just leads to massive more problems and whatever else. So it's amazing because, you've really it sounds like you've come like almost 180 on this because like okay all in business doing this business and you just it's great you're following your intuition you're building all this but life events happen and now you've just kind of you know every time you talk about it honestly you're so energized you're so passionate about going it need to and it's interesting like i when i did hear you say you got a life proof your business and i kind of like that but at the same time i don't like that i'm just being honest because i'm like no no it's like you need to prepare your business so life can just happen absolutely and that's.
Liz:
[36:20] That's really you know a much more eloquent summary of what i.
Peter:
[36:23] Really mean by that i know i'm like good because i'm like no because i knew this but i just couldn't help myself like i'm like oh but it's so bad but you are so passionate because you've seen this experience and like like you said you looked for the lesson here you're going this is going to happen somewhere at a point you could almost see that like going back what you're talking about in part one, you're determined to be a mother. And even back then, even as you were kind of building, would you say that your business or the pillars were in place to prepare you to go, hey, I want to start a family. I want the time, space, and emotional bandwidth to go through that. You look back on all that and going- do I probably not and like I know like hearing you go through the experiences and talk about oh my god guilty guilty guilty like doing doing doing doing and you're so busy doing the business that sometimes you forget you need to be you and it's.
Liz:
[37:20] Like absolutely 100% I think we and it's so easy to get caught up in it because we most of us start a business because we want more freedom in our lifestyle and we want to have choices about where we spend time who we spend it with and all that amazing stuff but then we look for the kind of how do we get the revenue coming in how do we get money how do we build a client base how do we get an audience and all the all the strategic stuff and it's almost like you just run helter skelter towards something that you think it's going to work yeah and sometimes it does but it's it's all about what we see other people doing that we think will work for us and we try it and we we add on the layers like we talked about before and before we know it we've piled all these layers on and we never stop to go is this actually what i want to be doing and is this working yeah you know is it working for me and am i building the life I actually want? Or have I just trapped myself in a gilded cage of my own making?
Peter:
[38:22] Well, and it's interesting, I made it under the instructions of how many other different people advising me on this? And then you're like, is it what I wanted? I don't know. And I know I've lost vision of my original, what I originally started out with, because like you said, it evolves, which is completely fine, but then something comes along and it tests that foundation like you were talking about. And so now, like, this is your drive, like, through all of this. It has awoken this part of you where you're like, it's time for me to move. I need to make people aware of this. And so, like, even to a point where you set up and you're like, you had a vision, if I'm correct, you had a vision of like, I want to bring some people together and we're going to have this little retreat.
Liz:
[39:13] Yes.
Peter:
[39:14] And then you're like, but I haven't got the perfect place. I haven't found the right place. Very typical words of, it's not right yet.
Liz:
[39:21] It's got to be perfect. It's got to be perfect. Covering perfectionist here guilty.
Peter:
[39:26] Yeah. And then all of a sudden, lo and behold, you found the perfect place. Run us through this.
Liz:
[39:33] And again i think this is very firmly down to the mindset thing that when you put out from the right energy you will attract in what you want if you're closing your mind to something you won't see it so i for years had said i would just love to run a retreat for female entrepreneurs i'd love to do it in scotland near my home which is surrounded by scottish mountains lakes lochs jealous green nine monster everywhere but i was also telling myself oh no one's going to want to come to scotland in the rain um and it's it's drich as we say here in other words wet grain miserable and people saying.
Peter:
[40:15] Are you kidding me right now are you kidding me no one wants.
Liz:
[40:17] To come to scotland in my mind i was like no people want to go to spain to to bally for you know an amazing retreat and and the warms and chill by the pool in between times and i i told myself this story for so long and of course I also told myself the story that the reason I wasn't running it was because I couldn't find the perfect venue and environment for this retreat so of course I never did, because all these stories were playing in my mind so I put myself right, so let's validate my own.
Peter:
[40:48] Hypotheses there is.
Liz:
[40:49] No perfect place in Scotland so therefore look So I validated that.
Peter:
[40:53] Yeah, 100%.
Liz:
[40:54] So it took me to be on a retreat with another entrepreneur that I absolutely respect to sit and go, what is the reason I couldn't do this? I could do this. I could, you know, I've got something I can offer to people. Why not? And she set me the challenge to write book a date, book a date to run that retreat. So of course immediately well i can't book a date until i've got the perfect venue.
Peter:
[41:25] It's amazing how quickly that comes out of.
Liz:
[41:27] Course it does it's like playing cards.
Peter:
[41:30] And it's like but.
Liz:
[41:31] I thought no do you know what i am i'm going i would love to run one in october this is last year run it not this year gosh i'm losing time warp and it was october i wanted to run it in October and I said right okay and I went went to my bed that night on this retreat and I thought I'll just get the phone out and I'll do a little search for you know exclusive use venues in Scotland within a radius of my home and straight away up popped this place, that I had never seen before. It was 30 minutes from where I live. It was absolutely perfect, stunning, overlooking a lot. Locationally, it was everything I had wanted. But any time I'd done a search previously, I'd never found it. But it was coming up now because I was ready. I fully believe that. And it came straight away up. And of course, the dates I wanted were available. So I did book it. And then the next day, I went back onto the retreat session. And I was like, right. I've booked the venue and these are the dates. And it was like, okay, there's no going back now. And I think it is just that shift to stop telling yourself the stories that are holding you back. And when you tell yourself a different story, it's amazing what you suddenly see that was there under your nose all along.
Peter:
[42:53] Oh, I remember the day that you posted that. And I was like, how could you not know this place existed? Because look at the location. it is and i'm talking guys when i saw it is stunning oh my god i was like that's why i was like how many people i'm coming when is this i want to be there it is absolutely gorgeous but the way you described of like it wasn't there before lo and behold here it comes it pops.
Liz:
[43:20] Up it was always there it's been there for hundreds of years it was.
Peter:
[43:24] Well it's it's scottish through and through it's been there for years.
Liz:
[43:26] It's like you know it's a genuine place.
Peter:
[43:29] I love that it's been there for years.
Liz:
[43:31] So and i think that was really almost the first step it wasn't the first step into me stepping into my real purpose that came out of everything that happened in 2023 but to get six women together and explore the themes that i'd been exploring after mum passed away and to realize that yeah i was on the right path because they were all experiencing something similar and that we could all come together and help each other and add value was so powerful for me. And I think that's just given me even more impetus and motivation to keep going.
Peter:
[44:11] I love that. And just out of curiosity, so you said you had that vision. So how long was it in terms of vision to actual execution of that retreat.
Liz:
[44:22] Oh well vision to hold a retreat i've held within me for years i mean literally we're probably talking five six years i've wanted to hold a retreat and i firmly believe that it only happened this year because that's when it was meant to happen because if i'd if i'd done it in, I didn't have the lessons to teach others. I didn't have that to bring to people that I want to get out into the world now. I'd have been, how do you run ads? It would have been a Facebook ads workshop. And I think what I absolutely realized is while I'm amazing at that and I'm good at that and I'll own that, it's not what I absolutely love to do. I've now found what I love to do and that's what's opened everything up. So I think from the actual retreat that I ran in October, The vision for that and what that was going to look like was May this year. So that was literally five months. Five months from idea, saw the venue, booked it to marketing it, getting it out there and doing it.
Peter:
[45:24] It's amazing.
Liz:
[45:24] It's amazing how things happen faster when you're coming from your true purpose and what you really believe in and love to do. Everything just opens up and unfolds.
Peter:
[45:35] And would you also, because it's interesting, we did discuss and you mentioned about how like we can see and we get told different strategies or we try to get the lead or we try to get the client and we go real hectic at it. Like it's a real, we can get scrappy, we can get busy and sometimes just hectic energy. But would you say then, like you're saying, even though this like five months, it happened fast, it's coming from a place of energetic alignment. It's coming from a place of passion something that you love would you say like even though it's happened fast was it a similar energy or was it completely different.
Liz:
[46:11] Oh completely different i i would say it it's it was almost a letting go i think it was just it's back to that deep knowing and intuition that this was the right thing and where previously i'd always been afraid to even book a retreat because what if i don't fill it and i can't pay it back pay back i can't cover the cost of the accommodation what if i can't afford the food what if i can't do this and it was always what if i can't um liz that's not that's.
Peter:
[46:43] Not problem solving.
Liz:
[46:43] I i know i know but it's all the fears that we have isn't it and it's amazing even though we.
Peter:
[46:49] Conquer a lot of them but there's still some there that we still have yet to work through.
Liz:
[46:52] Yeah and and the but the minute that shifted to that knowing and intuition and the gift that my mom gave me of what i really wanted to bring out the world, And that is my lesson. That is the gift she gave me in her passing. I love that.
Peter:
[47:10] I'm actually getting teary hearing you say that because I feel that. I genuinely, as you say that, you said, oh, my God, like here, right here in the heart going, you know it's a gift. You see it. You know it. And you just want to give that back to the world. Oh, amazing. Sorry.
Liz:
[47:27] I'm just like, oh.
Peter:
[47:28] Look at the feels.
Liz:
[47:28] I need to honor that. I need to honor that to get that out there. And I think that partly is, you know.
Liz:
[47:35] If you can't say you've learned this lesson, Liz, and that your mum gave you this gift of realisation of what your purpose was and then not do something with it, that would be, for me, totally dishonouring her memory and what she would want me to do. So i just had this knowing that i had to had to do this retreat and i wanted to do it and that the right people would book and they did i mean i had six most beautiful souls exactly the right people and even even the retreat experience i wasn't doing my usual of this is the structure minute by minute how this is going to run yeah um i'm in control this is how it's going to be it was it was basically this is going to unfold as it unfolds I knew what I wanted to cover and get across and that would form the the core of the retreat but outside of that I just wanted to let it flow and that those ladies would get what they needed out of it and they did and things happened that were not part of the plan and you know we ended up with cold water therapy taking a cold water swim in Loch Lomond which was not at all part of the plan and but now that may well be a regular thing because even the mindset shifts on that and i i do not see myself as in any way a mindset coach but seeing the switch in people's minds of realizing that they were absolutely scared to.
Liz:
[49:01] Step into that cold water but they did it and the the look in their faces that oh god when when you put your mind to something just what's possible to overcome fear was phenomenal.
Peter:
[49:14] And so, I love this. So, just so like your purpose here is now helping entrepreneurs and female entrepreneurs to really kind of go, almost give that space going, right, get your life back, have space for your life and have your business as well. What's, tell us, what's the vision now that you're really leaning into, like, I love it. You've gone from, like, a beautiful gift from your mum, setting up this retreat, vision for six years, but finally all just came together like, oh my God, there's a place right around the corner from my house. Right. Okay.
Liz:
[49:51] I know.
Peter:
[49:51] Five months, booked date. Here it is, six beautiful souls, all kind of happening. And that's, I mean, yes, Liz, that's only happened in October. That's only a couple of months ago it does years.
Liz:
[50:07] To get started.
Peter:
[50:08] But it's six years in your mind you're like oh i had that i did that six years ago you know but it's like now in.
Liz:
[50:15] Five months to execute.
Peter:
[50:18] So but now that you've done that and you've had that experience with souls where are you where are you taking this what's now the vision for you your business and with this passion this purpose and the gift that your mother gave you?
Liz:
[50:30] So I'm still teaching Facebook ads and I still run high-level ads management as well for some clients, but that's almost now the side hustle. It's not what I want to be known for. I really want to start a movement for midlife women because I'm a midlife woman. I know it's hard to tell with my youthful good looks, but I am.
Peter:
[50:54] What are you talking about? Not a day over 35.
Liz:
[50:56] No, I think that as you do get older, women are 90% more likely to pick up the emotional pain burden of things happening to other people and the emotional responsibilities for other people as well and that can really get in the way of your business and the vision that you want to create for that and I think what I've really learned is that your business doesn't just need to have the right foundation to be successful it needs to be able to adapt to whatever season of life you're in, because that changes and that's something I've really come to appreciate in the last few years that even when things like menopause creep up on you we don't talk about it we don't talk about what really happens to you yeah when you when you lose your memory and you can't remember why you went into the fridge let alone what your vision is for your business it's kind of like oh my god.
Liz:
[51:58] And and and your business needs to be able to adapt to that so it's not so much about what you're selling it's how are you selling it and are you doing that in a way that is going to allow you to adapt to losing your mind and losing your faculties and your body going completely awry as well as all the life stuff that happens which is inevitable but I don't want that to be a doom and gloom. I almost want it to be, well, that's not going to be a problem if you've really set your business up to go with the flow. And I think that's what I really want to start talking about. I want us to open up this conversation with women that they don't have to just shoulder it all and go through the pain and they don't have to follow other strategies that are perhaps not working for them in the stage of life they're in and what they're finding that they're facing in life that there is another way and we need to start we need to start talking about this more.
Peter:
[53:00] I love it and it's such a beautiful conversation and i know we've had very you know kind of in-depth conversations about where is it coming from how we energetically connecting and showing up for our people and you know i know for myself because it's interesting how you're saying like oh yeah still do these things but that's becoming the side hustle now and i'm almost in that similar you know transition of like yes i'm very good at this but like you know and channeling and being there and connecting people which is beautiful but it's like it's like but there's a deeper purpose, and like i know that's also coming so and but it's like i'm asking myself rethinking and re-evaluating how i wish to show up for people how i wish to or conversations i want to be having with people and kind of getting it out there because it's just so important because if it's not sitting right with us, as we know... It doesn't matter what you're doing you you can be running on that treadmill or that little hamster wheel and you can go as fast as you like but it's not going to produce any different amount of results because as soon as you hop off it stops and it's not absolutely and.
Liz:
[54:11] That that was exactly my experience last year is that you know some of the some of the wheel kept turning but there was there.
Peter:
[54:17] Was quite it certainly wasn't going as fast because my.
Liz:
[54:20] Little feet weren't on it keeping.
Peter:
[54:22] It going.
Liz:
[54:22] So it just naturally started to slow down because there was.
Peter:
[54:26] No it's almost like going from the flintstones car where you're using your feet to now turning into it coming up rocking up in a tesla are we.
Liz:
[54:34] Showing our age by talking about.
Peter:
[54:35] The flintstones and remembering it'll be fine it's like but it's.
Liz:
[54:41] So true it's like let's all jump in and.
Peter:
[54:43] Off we go.
Liz:
[54:43] But we're no clue where we're headed and what we're doing it's just i've got i've got to keep going.
Peter:
[54:51] And i'm gonna say something here i'm like i'm like i'm not sure whether i should say it but it's kind of come up but i'm like just because i've talked about that just because of the beautiful necklace that you all like the random top there and the way your hair's sitting i'm thinking i could keep thinking wilma now i'll.
Liz:
[55:07] Change my name this could.
Peter:
[55:08] Be a whole new look for me i'll start wearing the loincloth as long as they start calling me fred flinstein i'll be fine that will get.
Liz:
[55:17] Noticed online that's for.
Peter:
[55:18] Sure, no but i love it but it's like such a powerful and purposeful vision and like i have no doubt that you know i know that you're you are a woman who is absolutely dedicated now that you've got this. It's going to happen. You're going to start these conversations. I know for a fact that it's not just online. I know you're going to be helping people obviously in groups and retreats, yes, but I can still totally see you on stage really talking to people, having these big conversations with people. You're going to have an impact on the world. So you wanted a movement. I think you're going to get one. So you're ready for it. I know that your energy is aligned for it now and look how quickly you've managed to collapse that time line in terms of six years vision, got the purpose, retreat, booked, done, five months, boom, here we are. And now you've got a movement on your hands. Talk about stepping onto your path.
Liz:
[56:20] Yeah. And I truly hope it does. And I think what's really interesting as well for me, Peter, is that it's so easy as an entrepreneur to be chasing the money, and we need to earn an income whatever it is and to start comparing ourselves to others that we're not making as much as they are therefore we're not successful and we're less than and that when we're not making money that, pit of your stomach feeling like oh god panic panic and fear to look at the bank account.
Liz:
[56:49] And I would say in 2023 and the beginning of this year were probably my business took enough of a hit that there there were some of the lowest income months I've had for a while because I was clearing the decks and because I was I mean I think we joked about it it was almost giving your business a colonic and clearing out this stuff the business spa the business spa but you know it totally but through that I've never once felt a panic about that um whereas previously I would when it was just about earning the money and because I wasn't in full alignment of living my purpose and doing what i absolutely love to do i i i don't have didn't i don't have that panic now and i don't know why but i would want to say that to your listeners that i think that's a barometer for whether you are on the right path or not is when you stop worrying about the money and you stop panicking about that and you are ready to allow what will unfold to unfold in the true knowing that you're doing the right thing and you're on the right path it will happen and it's not until we've had this conversation that I am reflecting that it is only five months in five months I have got that retreat.
Liz:
[58:12] Out there but what I'm very good at doing is like but Liz you've been in business for 14 years and you're only now getting on you know the right path and oh my god that's taken too long and you're not where you should be it doesn't matter I'm in the right place where I should be right now.
Liz:
[58:27] And I think you will know when you are on it too, And that fear will, it won't ever disappear, but it will dissipate.
Peter:
[58:37] Beautifully said. I almost want to just kind of say, amen, sister. Like that is, could not have summed it up better myself because it's such a powerful thing. I like, again, hearing what you're saying, totally relate to where you're at.
Peter:
[58:52] Same feelings of like, yeah, can have low income, go back a year ago, panic. No kidding. like i'm thinking just stress panic whatever else and it was quite unusual it was it was foreign for me to be honest in terms of not so much income but it's like just to be in that space of like that stress of like what's kind of happening here and i feel like it was a very necessary time because it was forcing a re-evaluation of where things are at you know it was that business clinic we were talking about which is like it had to happen you know so and now that i've stripped back simplified and as i'm not stressing even though like cool i'm like income will find its way i it's i cannot describe it it is a beautiful inner knowing of it's going to be okay and i feel like as you said it's a testament to where we are and where we're going and i think it's a beautiful journey that awaits us i can't wait to see the magic that you're going to offer this world It's going to be amazing.
Peter:
[59:54] Now, of course, if anyone's listening, you're resonating with Liz, you want to jump on her movement or be a part of her movement or learn from her and her movement, check her out, LizMelville.com. And, of course, I know because I'm going to say it because I can hear the voices already, they're going to say, so when's the next Scottish retreat.
Liz:
[1:00:14] Liz? So there will be two in 2025. 25 there is one in may and there will be one in october as well so.
Peter:
[1:00:23] Yeah we'll.
Liz:
[1:00:24] Be starting to talk about that really soon over on instagram so come and say hello over there.
Peter:
[1:00:29] All right if you want to find liz on the socials it's the liz melville by the way the okay so make sure it is the one and only this is it but liz i cannot thank you enough it has been an absolute honor privilege to have this chat with you you're just full of passion and honestly i wish you the best of luck and i know it's not gonna be our last chat but for now i just really want to wish you the best year moving forward and really moving into this passion and new love for yourself thank.
Liz:
[1:00:59] You peter and thank you for having me on and also the part that you have played over the last 18 months or so which is has been immeasurable so thank.
Peter:
[1:01:08] You same back to you darlin same back to you so i appreciate it so Thank you so much again.
