Power of Resilience Amidst Adversity: A Tedx speaker's journey to Business Leadership

What does it take to transform a life marked by adversity into one of remarkable success?
In this episode, our guest Lisa Zeeveld, shares her awe-inspiring journey; from growing up in an environment of limited resources to becoming a dynamic business leader, as COO and CFO of Belay Solutions ,USA.

In her early childhood and growing up days, she lacked many of the resources that others might take for granted. A chance encounter with luxury during her visit to her mom's workplace ignited her ambition. This vision became a memorable goal that fueled her determination to achieve more.

Lisa delves deep into the significance of a growth mindset and the essential elements required to achieve true success. She introduces the concept of self-efficacy, reflects on her journey, sharing the importance of surrounding oneself with positive influences and being mindful of the narrative one tells oneself. Lisa reiterates propelling forward in her journey using principles outlined by Albert Bandura, the author of Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. 

The episode emphasizes to listeners to focus on what is within their control and also highlights the importance of intentionality and hard work. It is a compelling story for anyone aspiring to overcome their circumstances and aim higher.

Throughout the episode, Lisa underscores perseverance, not losing sight of our vision, and for us to determine the path we want to carve - against all odds. Her insights are not just relevant for aspiring business leaders but for anyone looking to achieve greatness in their own lives.

Tune in to hear this phenomenal transformation, so you can step up gears and chase your own dreams !!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

Welcome to Freshly Forever, a podcast that gives you fascinating insights week after week.

Speaker 2: 0:15

Here's your host, Vaikumar. We are here today with our guest, Lisa Zeeval, popularly known as LZ, on this podcast Freshly Forever. She is the COO and CFO of one of the largest remote staffing companies in the US. Lisa adorns many feathers, and the next one being she's the co-host of a thriving podcast One. Next Step she's a TEDx speaker. She's married to her wonderful husband for 25 years now and is mother of two young adults, a son and a daughter. Lisa loves gardening, traveling and, in general, believes in sprinkling goodness all around her. Welcome, Lisa, to the show, and I am so excited to have you here with me today.

Speaker 1: 1:05

Well, thank you so much for the invitation. I'm super excited.

Speaker 2: 1:09

Awesome. We all know you're a very successful business executive. Now, however, something that transpired when you were very young kind of set the stage for what you are today. Why don't we start there? I know you have a story to share.

Speaker 1: 1:27

Yeah, absolutely Really for me. You know, I grew up in an environment with a lot of adversity, so I did not grow up with that quintessential kind of silver spoon. I grew up very poor, did not have the luxury of an education. My parents did the very best they're awesome parents, I love them greatly but they also did not have the most resources for their upbringing as well, and so when you look at the statistics, everything was kind of stacked against me that I really wouldn't accomplish much in life. I'd have a good mediocre life but probably not ever reach the pinnacle of success. But my mom happened to work for a luxury men's clothing store. She was a part-time bookkeeper for them and I would get to go.

Speaker 1: 2:16

I'm an only child and so there's some luxuries that come with being only a child. You kind of tag along with your parents wherever they go and I learned early off how to have good manners and be quiet and all those things, and so I would get to go to work with her and really started to see this whole other environment in this whole other world where people didn't live like we did. They talked about second homes and luxury vacations. You know my vacations were going to visit family members, you know, who lived a couple hours away. My vacations were going to visit family members who lived a couple hours away, and so it really gave me a perspective that there was a possibility for more and started to execute something in me that I knew that I was going to drive towards.

Speaker 2: 2:57

Wonderful. I know you also dreamt of something at that age when you were eight. Can you tell the listeners what that is? I think that's going to make it very interesting for people to hear.

Speaker 1: 3:10

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's so silly. But along with those cashmere suits and silk and fancy shoes, the owner of this luxury store had an emerald green Jaguar XJ6.

Speaker 1: 3:25

And the luxury store was actually in a local mall and so, as you can imagine, you know we, when my mom would park and we would walk in and his car was always right there at the front and I just remembered being enamored by this car and I thought this is not the kind of car we were driving. We were driving a used car and there was times that would break down down on the side of the road and we'd have to figure out what to do and I just like, wow, not only these people dress really nice and have this incredible life, but they have this beautiful car and for some reason that just resonated with me and that became really my motivation, One of my motivations to really look for success and push towards that.

Speaker 2: 4:07

Oh, who wouldn't want a Jaguar? I don't blame you there at all. So for someone to be successful in whatever they do or envision is a growth mindset enough.

Speaker 1: 4:20

I don't think so. I've spent a lot of time, you know, reflecting on how I got here, because you know people find it fascinating and is it enough to have a growth mindset? But I think sometimes where growth mindset stops is where people think differently. I want this right, I want that Jaguar, I want to have a new job, I want to have a new home. I'm going to push forward to the next thing, but something deep down inside of them they actually don't believe it's possible, and I think that's where growth mindset ends and really where what I talk about is self-efficacy begins.

Speaker 2: 4:59

So how significant is self-efficacy? When do you think you realized you needed to have that to succeed?

Speaker 1: 5:09

Yeah, of course, at eight I did not have self-efficacy as a word, but I think I was surrounded by people who told me anything was possible, and I think that's the key. You know, if you look back at my trajectory, no, I didn't have a lot, but I was surrounded by people who loved me and who believed in me and gave me the courage to go for more. So there was never a point where I stopped and thought, hmm, that car is never going to be mine. Nobody who lives in a trailer park and whose mom works part time and the car breaks down on the side of the road will ever have a Jaguar. So I'm not going to go for it.

Speaker 1: 5:48

And so I think it was one of those things that I just always had that belief. And, as with any skill set, whether it's a growth mindset or self-efficacy, it's something you have to work on over time. So during a setback, I had to stop and think wait a second. I was actually created for more. I deserve more, and I'm not going to let anybody stand in my way, because I actually think I can have that car and I think I can have the life that I wanted. So really, it started out from an early age, but as I matured I really learned how to refine my belief in myself and the self-efficacy, with a lot of the principles that Professor Bandura talks about in his theory and studies.

Speaker 2: 6:29

Yeah. So I guess it's very important for someone to not just envision but again kind of have that constantly in the back of their mind, right? Like almost like that perseverance, you know, even if you are faced with hardships, you know, just to kind of keep at it and keep working towards that. Is that right, yeah?

Speaker 1: 6:54

absolutely and be careful of what you tell yourself, the narrative that you tell yourself. We can't control the families that we were born into, but we can control who we allow to speak into our lives and the friends that we surround ourselves with. And so, as you mature and you have the opportunity to let people speak into your life, I think that you really have to change who you allow in. And so, if you are not from a family where you've had a lot of support and encouragement perhaps you've been a part of a family that talks down to you or tries to minimize your ability you really have to stay the course and so really learn and focus on what you believe your talents are we all have them and focus on making those larger, really enhance those talents and really keep that positive mindset, along with the perseverance you know, along with the dedication and the passion that goes with it, because what we tell ourselves plays a huge part in actually what we end up accomplishing.

Speaker 2: 7:54

Oh, I can totally relate to that. My own personal health journey, you know. I've certainly told myself how to stay positive and I know that matters a lot. And just to touch upon whatever you said right here yeah, it's certainly important that one focuses on what is under one's control and not just dwell on the negatives. But again, what you said there to surround oneself with the best possible company that one can and just focus on the good things is very important.

Speaker 1: 8:30

Yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah. I think we allow ourselves. I've talked to. I mentor a lot, I love mentoring individuals and they'll tell me about their background. Well, my dad said you know, my dad used to tell me I was stupid. Or my dad used to tell me, oh, you're just a girl, you'll never do much, you know. And then that carries with them all throughout their life. You know they'll say oh well, whenever I get together with my family, I'm always the one that they kind of, you know, tease and pick on and I'm like, but you know, you don't have to be a part of that, those family gatherings if that's the way that you're talked to. And so I think that you know even you know kind of flipping that if our listeners here have a family themselves really being mindful of the words that they speak into their own children or their own family members, realizing the impact that words have on each other.

Speaker 2: 9:27

Oh, absolutely. And two things that have absolutely stood out for me, based on your success story, is whatever you said intentionality, and then making yourself indispensable and putting that extra effort and working hard. That's tremendous, and I think those are like very useful insights for the younger generation. And, as a culminating fun aspect of this podcast, why don't you tell the listeners, lisa, as to what happened in 2015,? You know, with that Jaguar?

Speaker 1: 10:03

Yes, yes, I love to share that. So that first Jaguar that I saw, that XJ6, you know, um, and that kind of stayed with me all through this. As soon as I had the opportunity in 2015, I went to the Jaguar dealer Now they don't make the XJ six anymore, um, but they do make another beautiful version and so, um, I was able to get a dark blue, beautiful Jaguar, and it was really quite an emotional journey for me. I actually remember sitting in the car on the way, driving at home. I was by myself. My husband, you know, drove me there to pick it up and I cried on the way home because this is what, you know, the world would say that someone like me wouldn't be able to accomplish, and so it was a beautiful story. My story continues and it's an incredible car. So, if you ever have the opportunity to take a ride in one, it's got more power than you can imagine and the luxuries inside of it. A ride with you in that car and yeah, I mean a phenomenal story.

Speaker 2: 11:12

I think that that definitely is something very inspiring and for every youngster, or for anyone listening for that matter, that's a huge thing. You know to just dream about something but then work hard to achieve it. That was a great honor and immense pleasure to have Elsie on the show today. Look forward to many more interesting conversations in the future with you, lisa, and happy holidays, wishing you and your family the very best always.

Speaker 1: 11:42

So much, this was a pleasure and please invite me back anytime, oh definitely, thank you.

Speaker 2: 11:48

Thank you anytime. Oh, definitely Thank you, thank you. Before I sign off, folks, let me remind you to keep that feedback coming. Be sure to follow and subscribe. I'll be back again with another interesting guest and an interesting topic next week. See you then.