As a mom, it’s natural I put out a lot of motherhood and marriage content on the podcast.
But, for all you single girlies in the LWL community, building your life while finding your person, today’s episode is for YOU.
To cover all the things from building a business to dating in a new city, I’m bringing on my podcast producer, fellow entrepreneur, and sweet friend - Elizabeth Evans.
While Elizabeth is here to share all things business and podcast-related, we are also having a girlfriend talk on:
- Her heart behind not settling for the wrong relationship,
- Becoming the best version of yourself + finding your community when moving to a new city, and
- Sharing her girlfriend’s guide to exploring hotspots like Nashville and Austin.
Like most of us, Elizabeth did not start out in her dream career. With a background as a Business Analyst, and a deep desire to find fulfillment through her creative talents, Elizabeth began exploring other avenues of work such as social media and email marketing. Then, through a ‘divine appointment,’ Elizabeth stumbled into the podcasting industry, almost by accident (but not by accident at all).
That’s when Elizabeth saw a need in the podcast industry: a one-stop shop for all things podcast production. So she took a leap of faith, and in 2018, Elizabeth Evans Media (EE Co) was born.
EE Co is a full-service podcast production agency that specializes in helping influencers, businesses, and storytellers build their brand, expand their reach, and amplify their voice, all through the power of storytelling; because YOU have a story that deserves to be told.
And that’s where we land today - Elizabeth produces the Life with Loverly podcast, bringing it to your ears each week. Last year I decided I wanted to dig deeper into this platform to connect with you guys on a more personal level, and share parts of my story that I only hope can help at least one of you. And that’s when my path crossed with Elizabeth’s. And here we are today!
How to Build Community In Your City
Elizabeth recently moved to Austin, TX, andif you’ve ever had to move to a new city before - you know how intimidating it can be. Elizabeth puts it this way, “there will be obstacles even if you’re following the call of the Lord”(maybe even bugs.. ick!).
So I wanted to ask her if she had any tips on integrating yourself into a new community, and boy did she!
Here are some of Elizabeth’s Practical Tips to build community in a new city, or right where you currently are:
- Become a Regular at a Coffee Shop: Order the same thing, show up at the same spot, and you’ll feel known in a new place when the barista asks "Want the regular?" :)
- Visit Restaurants / Coffee Shops Between 3-5 PM: Places are usually less busy at this time, so it allows you to work remotely without worrying about the line, and then learn what’s special on the menu for when friends are in town.
- Join Community Events: So many businesses host community events. For Elizabeth - that’s a run club through Fleet Feet. Find an interest, and then find a way to do it with others!
- Get Plugged Into A Church: Put yourself out there, volunteer, talk to new people - and you might just be surprised who you meet.
And since Elizabeth lived in Nashville for 6 years, I wanted to know what her round up would be for a Girl’s Weekend in Nashville!
Girl’s Guide to a Nashville Weekend
Area to stay: 12 South Area (great for shopping and coffee!)
Dinner recommendation: The Optimist (get the bread!)
Experience Idea: Go to a writer’s round! She explains what this is in the episode, but be sure to check out: The Listening Room, BlueBird Cafe, and where a lot of locals go (and a little bit of a ‘wilder’ scene), check out Whiskey Jam.
Cute areas to visit outside of the city:
- Franklin, TN (~25 minutes outside of the city) - It feels like a Hallmark Movie Town!
- Herban Market for lunch and a frose! Say hi to the owners: Matt + Ashley!
- Frothy Monkey for coffee
- Iron Gate for home decor
- Leiper’s Fork, TN (~45 minutes outside of the city)
- Fox & Locke for food and music
- Wines in the Fork for wine by the creek and live music
- David Arms for beautiful artwork
For the Ultimate Nashville Girl’s Weekend outline, check out her blog on this HERE.
Okay, now that we know how to build community and where to go in Nashville for a girl’s trip, let’s say you’re feeling a little behind because you haven’t found ‘your person’ yet - What to do? I wanted to hear Elizabeth’s perspective on this as a single girlie who is running a successful business and loving her life as it is.
How to Not Feel Behind During Your Single Season
One of her biggest tips that stood out to me was that “it’s a mindset thing”. You can’t change your relationship status overnight, so you have to work on creating a life you love before adding someone else to the mix.“Make sure you are finding your person based on your purpose, not based on your pain.”
When she dove into focusing on your ‘seasonal assignment’ vs. what the life of those around you look like - I really resonated with that. She reiterated that we always have purpose in Jesus, and also - we can have seasonal assignments that change over our lives. Focusing on your current assignment (whether that’s a friendship, your career, a specific location, etc.) helps to keep us focused on falling in love with our current moments, rather than wishing away for a future we can’t control.
Be sure to tune in to hear more of the details around that if that resonates with you.
Okay, now let’s wrap this up with some business + podcast talk.
Advice for New Brand/Business Owners
Elizabeth started her agency in 2018, went full time in 2019, and started expanding in 2020. Her biggest advice after starting her business?
Document, document, document. Document what you’re doing each day, so you can ultimately turn that into a Standard Operating Procedure. She tells in the episode how hiring her sister helped her do this, and how that allowed her to hire others and be confident in her training process.
You can repeat what you document. And in business, having a system you can repeat is *everything.*
Tune in to hear the rest of the advice she gives to new business owners!
How to Start a Podcast
And lastly, if you want to start a podcast, she is obviously giving us the steps to make that happen! Here’s an overview of what she laid out for us:
- Get your mic! She suggests the Shure MV7 since it plugs right into your computer
- Figure out your messaging angle - What do you like to talk about/are an expert in?
- Set a deadline! This will keep you on track and keep your word to yourself.
- Choose your format: Solo or interview - (best case in a mix of both!)
- Set a goal of 12-15 episodes for Season 1. Then assign a topic to each episode.
Then of course, hit record!
If starting a podcast has been on your goal list for too long (it took me almost 2 years to actually make it happen!), she let us know on the episode that she’ll be releasing a How to Start a Podcast COURSE shortly! With a specific track in there if you want to be hired as a podcast *manager* - so keep your eyes peeled and get on the list HERE.
Alright friends, here’s your overview of the episode:
14:40: 4 Ways to Build Community In A New City
21:12: How to Not Compare Your Timeline/Relationship Status to Others
25:50: The Best and Hardest Part of Being Single
32:31: Your GoTo Guide to Plan a Girl’s Trip to Nashville + Austin
39:25: Backstory of Creating Her Business
43:55: Benefits of Having a Podcast For Your Brand
45:32: Advice on Hiring for Your Business
50:41: Building a Business Being A Single Girlie
54:46: 5 Steps to Start Your Podcast
Now go hit play on this episode!
Follow Elizabeth on Instagram HERE
Follow Elizabeth Evans Media on Instagram HERE
Watch today's episode!