I remember the day I finally quit my job to go out on my own. It was a job I loved, but also one I had outgrown. The pull of going to work for myself had gotten too strong.
With freedom in sight, I blasted Florence + The Machine’s The Dog Days are Over on my walk to the office as though it was my personal anthem.
I had taken the lead in my life and it was exhilarating. I could almost taste freedom.
But, several years into entrepreneurship, rather than feeling free, I felt enslaved to the company I had created. I was successful on the outside, but lacking any deeper sense of fulfillment. What I had really created was a pressure cooker.
Something I’ve come to learn about success is that people often postpone their enjoyment in the pursuit of it— that’s what I did.
I remember when my son was born. I would work incessantly with him on my lap or laying in his rocker. I can remember feeling frustrated when he would cry because it was an interruption and I always had so. much. to. do. I am not proud of this. Just thinking about it I feel a dull, deep ache, but this is what the pressure cooker does— it robs us of our quality of presence for the things that truly matter to us.
Until we learn how to do it differently…
As an entrepreneur and new mama in New York, I began to feel called to something different, something new. I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but I was craving was to be somewhere I didn’t know anything. Somewhere I didn’t have all the answers, all the directions for how to do “this” or get “there”. I needed to be in the unknown. We packed up our New York lives and moved across the country to Los Angeles. Not for a job, or because we had to, but because we wanted to.
The beautiful thing about the unknown is that it is where everything is possible.
I meditated on paddle boards in the Pacific. I worked with rescued animals. I traveled up the coast to the redwoods for workshops. I took a seaplane to the remote Salt Spring Island and stayed in yurts on retreat. I yelled and threw my fist in the air at Tony Robbins. I hired coaches and joined masterminds. I was determined to feel more connected to myself and learn how to infuse that connection into my work. All in all I invested the equivalent of a Harvard MBA in my own self-directed education.
What I uncovered was invaluable. I discovered how to excel in business, not at the expense of my personal life, but WHILE creating a life I loved. One key lesson: it is vital for businesses that the people who run them be connected, whole humans.
This learning has transformed not only my life and business but the lives of countless people I have worked with since.
What I learned along the way completely upgraded my operating system. Leadership may be something we are all born with, but it gets conditioned out of us in the truest sense. Being a powerful, confident and enlightened leader is actually a learned skill in our modern world. Building a company, a team, and a life that aligns with your values and that actually feels good is not something that happens automatically by constantly climbing to the next rung on the ladder, it is something that requires active, intentional stewardship. These things are never taught in business school, but are vital parts of a successful, sustainable, prosperous business. Plus, this skillset is something we absolutely have the capacity to learn… and when we do, it can change our entire lives.
My clients have included leaders at some of the most illustrious and iconic companies, Olympic athletes, world-renowned doctors, healers, biotech founders, media moguls, mamapreneurs, consultants, coaches, fashion executives, fine jewelry designers, photographers, runway models, content creators, activists, filmmakers, hatmakers, cultural ambassadors, CEOs, store owners, and the list goes on.
Really, it is my honor to work with anyone who has a burning desire to continue to succeed—in even bigger ways— and who is finally ready for success to feel different. People who want to start feeling more alive in their decisions, their work, and their lives. People who are ready to truly take the lead.
Professional Bio
Elizabeth is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker and the creator of the Age of E platform. Through a global membership, an elite mastermind, and high-level coaching, Elizabeth is committed to helping more women thrive in entrepreneurship.
Prior to Age of E, Elizabeth started and grew her own innovation consulting company for over twelve years, working with some of the world’s most iconic companies and visionary leaders. Her client list includes CHANEL, Google. American Express, LVMH, Gucci, Converse, Popsugar, Facebook, amongst others.
Elizabeth has lead speaking engagements both large-scale and intimate, on stages including SXSW, TEDx, and SoHo House; and at academic institutions including NYU Stern, FIT, Wharton, Columbia and Casa della Creativita. Speaking and workshop facilitation has brought Elizabeth around the globe, from Hong Kong and Shanghai to Florence, Milan, Austin, Ubud, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Paris, and Frankfurt.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Elizabeth worked in sales and business development at award-winning creative agency, Squeaky Wheel Media, in New York City. Her contributions generated unprecedented growth for the firm and awarded her the role of partner.
Elizabeth obtained an honors degree in psychology at the University of Maryland, and studied internationally at the American University of Rome.
Elizabeth lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, Oliver and Valentina. You can find her at elizabethcanon.com.