We’re looking forward to introducing you to Elizabeth Evans. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
Something I come across a lot, and have been thinking a lot about, is this concept of unconscious competence. Essentially, when something [a skill, job, knowledge, etc.] becomes so second nature to someone, they lose grasp on all the steps, hours, or even natural talent it took for them to attain that level of expertise in their area or industry – and ultimately, they undervalue that expertise. It could look like not putting your offer out there because you’re not ‘ready’. Or not pricing your services high enough, even though you know it’s worth more. Or simply asking ‘Who would even read this?’ But just because something comes ‘naturally’ to you [of course it does! It took years to get to this point!] doesn’t mean it’s not worth a lot to someone else. I like to say, confidence comes from competence, and competence comes from action. But ensuring we don’t de-value that level of competence along the way I think is the key to feeling confident in our skillset. So I would say this is a struggle that many are secretly experiencing and not saying – but not because they are afraid to, but because it takes a lot of time and self reflection and belief in yourself to even recognize the struggle is there.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Elizabeth. Owner of Elizabeth Evans Media [I certainly would have come up with a different name had I known this business would become bigger than just me!] and host of the top podcast, Napkin Notes.
EE Co is media agency that focuses on podcast production for content creators, musicians, authors, and entrepreneurs who desire long form conversation. Additionally, more often than not, we help podcast hosts parlay their podcast into a book through agent / publisher introductions. We have two production offers: 1. Creation Package [8 Week, White Glove, Podcast creation + launch] and 2. On Going Production [audio+video editing, socials management, PR, pitching, guest research, remote production].
Outside of production, we also work with hosts in a coaching relationship to uncover their best stories and interview techniques. We are also about to fully roll out the Podcast Creation Course for those who don’t have the resources to work with us one on one.
And lastly, something I’m SO excited to launch in the coming months is my Podcast Manager Training/Certification. I see a large gap in the market to pair up podcast hosts with trusted managers/producers – so I’m filling the hole in the market with top tier education on how to become a podcast manager/producer.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Despite working mostly in the digital/social world, and alongside many wonderful content creators, I’m a pretty private person in general. From a young age, I remember holding my emotions close to my chest. I can remain in my head a lot, so I used to *think* about emotions before I would actually *feel* them. And I think this has served me so, so well in many aspects of my life. It allows me to stay very much in control of my emotions during hard conversations, always valuing the fact that I rarely had to take my words back because they were never said out of a fleeting emotion. It’s allowed me to remain steadfast in an ever changing digital world upon which my business is founded.
However.
I think there comes a time when you trust yourself enough that you don’t need to remain so…regulated. It felt dichotomous to continue showing up this way in business because I so value connection. I value FUN. I value vulnerability [within safe relationships of course]. So while this aspect of my personality has served me, I find myself showing up more integrous in business meetings, sharing more about my journey digitally, and allowing myself to feel things in the moment – rather than circling back to them at a later date. And actually enjoying the process 🙂
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
This memory has come up a lot for me recently, so I’m glad this question was asked. A wound that has affected me for a long time dates back to highschool [I used to feel juvenile to share that since it was so long ago, but I’m finding more people relate than I expected]. I won’t go into too many details, but essentially, the people in authority [Principle and Vice Principle] truly failed me in a very harmful, bullying situation. They led me to believe I was at fault and lacked a level of integrity that I still can’t fathom to this day [they were fired for legal reasons the next year on a completely separate issue]. Ultimately, I decided to switch highschools my senior year. I remember this being a defining moment for me, because it was one of the first times I told myself, ‘You can’t trust everyone in a position of authority.’ And as a young teenager, left to pick up the pieces in an entirely new environment, that’s a pretty heartbreaking wound to endure. I believe this caused a level of hypervigilance – always scanning the room to make sure I was ‘safe’ – well into adulthood.
But through building trusted relationships around me, and of course therapy [huge fan of this by the way], I’ve learned to find a sense of safety within myself, so the hypervigilance piece can be put on the back burner. I’ve learned to trust my gut more, and when to act on it, so that I can remain present most of the time.
Finding this trust within myself, and trusting my gut on my reality around me, I think was the key. I know a lot of women struggle with that, but finding small, non-consequential ways to either keep your promises yourself [i.e ‘I’m going to go for a run tomorrow’], or act on a small gut feeling [ie. ‘I think I should try this xyz class’], I believe will help to bring that trust in yourself back.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
This one is a tangible piece of advice, but after 7 years of producing podcasts, I feel like a big myth [not necessarily a lie], is that the larger the following of your guest, the more downloads you’ll receive. While *sometimes*, this is true, I’ve found moreso the guest that is most willing to share about an episode, organically, is the most likely to receive more downloads. And if they have a larger following? Even better. But that’s secondary.
I also want to caveat, it is not the obligation of the guest to share. I think that’s putting too much pressure on them. But if you give the guest a wonderful experience, and a conversation they are proud of, most are willing to share the episode with their audience.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think I’ve done both for large parts of my life. My major was Econ, with a minor in Math and Statistics, so after college, I believe the path I took was what I was ‘told to do.’ Being a female that was this strong in math was unusual, so I thought of course that was the path for me.
But I found the courage to start my business, continued to work my 9-5 for an entire year while the agency was building up, and then I feel like I swapped industries in a way that feels more aligned with my purpose.
And now, I will say, I receive the compliment ‘You are doing what you were born to do’ mostly when I’m working with a coaching client, one on one, and pulling out their story to tell in a long form format. I help them navigate the story arc, the takeaways, and help to turn some painful moments into purpose for others to follow. While I love the tech-y side of the industry, storytelling has always been at the heart of it for me.
My faith is also vitally important to me. So I believe our life’s purpose, God given giftings, and seasonal assignments are all their own category of figuring out our path. I bring this up a lot in my podcast, Napkin Notes, with my guests. My episode with Mattie Jackson and Craig Cooney come to mind when I think about this.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elizabethevans.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethevans.co
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-evans-studios/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethEvansNotes
Image Credits
Laura Moll Photography
Will Hammond – Lemon Squeezy Creative Co
