May 28, 2024 • 47 mins
South African podcaster and social media marketing specialist, Lizzy Hudson is the voice behind the Live to Thrive Podcast. In this episode, she shares her journey into podcasting, inspired by the tragic event of George Floyd's murder in 2020. We discuss the personal impact of this moment and how Lizzy's podcast focuses on amplifying the stories of people of color healing from racial trauma and other challenges unique to POC.
There are many vulnerable moments in this episode as we touch on Lizzy's experiences as a cross-racial adoptee, her memories from a predominantly white boarding school in post-apartheid South Africa and eventually moving to the predominantly white town of Santa Barbara in the USA. Find out how these experiences have influenced her values, career and life choices.
If you need tips on navigating the rapidly changing AI driven social media landscape while maintaining good mental; if you are curious about immigrant experience in 2020's America; or if you'd like to know the ins and outs of podcasting for impact, then join us for an intimate discussion. You will walk away reflective and inspired.
NEWSLETTER, stay in the loop and subscribe to our newsletter
SUPPORT this work so that we can keep it free. Become a MONTHLY SUPPORTER
LISTEN ON Apple and Spotify
FOLLOW US ON Instagram and Facebook
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kutloano Skosana (00:02):
Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers.
I'm your Kutloano Skosana Ricci, and today we are talking
about podcasting for healing.
This episode is also the startof a bigger series where I'll be
interviewing other podcastersaligned with the Shades and
Layers mission of amplifying thestories of black and other
women of color in business.
My guest today is fellow SouthAfrican and podcaster, Lizzy
(00:25):
Hudson.
We met in Seattle.
She works in social mediamarketing as well.
Lizzy podcast is called Live toThrive and she mostly interviews
others who, like her, arehealing from racial trauma and
other challenges unique topeople of color.
She first came to podcasting inthe 2010s, but this iteration
of her journey was sparked bythe public murder of George
(00:47):
Floyd on the 25th of May in 2020.
In our conversation, wediscussed the personal impact of
this moment and how far she hascome since then.
If you have ever consideredstarting a podcast, if you've
ever wondered how to navigatesocial media while caring for
your mental health, or you'rejust simply curious about the
immigrant experience in 2020sAmerica, then stick around.
(01:10):
So, without further ado, let'shear it from Lizzy Hudson.
So how would you describe yourwork at Live to Thrive Podcast
and what's the deeper meaningyou attach to the activities
that you engage in deepermeaning you attach to the
activities that you engage in.
Lizzy Hudson (01:32):
Yeah, so with Live to Thrive podcast, I think how
I attached, my meaning and mywork and my goals was to provide
a platform for people of colorto come onto and speak about
their stories, how they can,maybe, how their stories can
impact someone else that lookslike them.
I feel like when I was lookinginto podcasting and the podcasts
(01:55):
that we have out there, therewas not many podcasts that
really focused on POC and howthey deal with hard times in
mental health.
I think a lot of it came frommy you know after 2020 with
George Floyd and that kind ofmade like this whole whirlwind
(02:19):
of how I could help incommunities that were not
supported, and so that's mydeeper meaning to my work on
Live to Thrive podcast.
Kutloano Skosana (02:33):
All right.
So you are amplifying voices ofpeople of color and you call
your podcast Live to Thrive.
Why is that your chosen titleand how does it tie in to this
work in real life?
Lizzy Hudson (02:50):
Yeah, Live to Thrive podcast.
I think how I came up with thatname is that, no matter where
you are in life, you should betaking the steps to thrive in
what realm or industry you're in.
Before we started this podcast,I told you I'm a paid social
media strategist and I said thatyou know that's nothing that I
(03:14):
should like maybe talk about,because I don't have, you know,
a deeper meaning attached to it.
And now this has just come fullcircle.
I encourage people thatwhatever they do in life and
whatever they choose to do inlife, they should be thriving in
it.
So something like paid socialmedia, off the top of my head is
(03:37):
nothing that I feel like I likeI'm thriving in.
I'm just doing it because,first of all, I'm interested in
social media but, second of all,I do it because it pays the
bills.
Kutloano Skosana (03:51):
You need to make a living somehow, sure.
Lizzy Hudson (03:53):
Yeah, I need to.
I need to make a living somehow, but at the same time, I need
to practice what I preach andmake sure that, where I'm at in
life, I'm thriving in every areathat I touch.
And so, with Live to Thrive,this is something I'm passionate
about, and it's why I decidedto name my podcast Live to
(04:18):
Thrive, because I want to pushpeople that look like me and you
, that are minorities, to makesure that they're thriving in
every aspect of their life.
Mm, hmm.
Kutloano Skosana (04:33):
You know, the one thing you do mention is that
you have a full time job thathelps you to thrive in other
areas of your life.
Life, and you know this wholeidea of thriving has become so
linked to affluence andprivilege.
You know financial means.
(04:57):
How does it land with you?
You know me mentioning thisbecause of course, you've got to
make money to keep a roof overyour head and all the things.
But the way thriving is sold tous nowadays is like if you're
not sipping champagne in theBahamas every vacation, then
your life is less than worthy.
Lizzy Hudson (05:16):
Yeah, you're not thriving, right?
Yeah, yeah, no, this is a goodquestion, because I think this
is something that I have toreally think about, because when
I think of thriving, mydefinite, my definition is not
(05:36):
necessarily sipping champagne inthe Bahamas, making so much
money that you, you know youworld, and I think for me,
thriving is more of like aninternal feeling being mentally
stable, being okay with who I amas a person, not showing off,
(05:57):
not doing things just to getthat pat on the back or that
external validation from otherpeople.
I think for me, it's very muchlike I am okay, I have a roof
over my head, I'm successful inand also success is different,
like my success might may bedifferent to what you categorize
(06:22):
success is.
So I think that is my answer.
I think that's where I likeland about.
I just it's like such a verymuddy waters in this day and age
.
I think that everybody wants to,you know, be Instagram ready,
and if you are doing this, thenyou should have this.
(06:43):
Or if you want to be this, this, then you should have this.
Or if you want to be this, thenyou should be able to travel
here like that's not.
That's not.
What I I feel is is like my endall be all.
I just want to help and bementally aligned with myself.
Kutloano Skosana (07:05):
So why did you choose podcasting as a format
for supporting the community andalso for amplifying these
voices?
Lizzy Hudson (07:16):
I think I chose a podcast firstly because, coming
from South Africa, I came to theStates and I was super excited
about coming to America becauseI wanted to be in the
entertainment industry since Iwas a kid and I either wanted to
be on being a celebrity guestinterview interviewer, like
(07:40):
being on the red carpet andasking people who they wearing,
or I wanted to be um I wanted tobe on the radio, so that was
like my dream ever since I was akid.
And when I came to the states, Ireally wanted to run after that
.
But during that time, know,breaking into the entertainment
(08:05):
industry as a young black SouthAfrican this was 2012, I was
like a fish out of water.
I didn't know where to start.
I didn't know how to start.
And I remember a couple ofyears later when I was doing my
lifestyle modeling becausethat's how I got into my
lifestyle modeling and socialmedia and marketing and all that
(08:28):
fun stuff.
Kutloano Skosana (08:29):
Right right.
Lizzy Hudson (08:30):
I found podcasting , where I actually had a podcast
called Lizzy Straight Out ofAfrica or something like that in
2014.
And I just spoke about my storya lot and that was the closest
thing to me as a radio host.
(08:53):
And so when I was talking aboutmy story and people were really
interested in what I had to saybecause that's another story
for another day I really got.
I found a passion forpodcasting, but I got bored of
just talking to myself the wholetime and I was like where do I
(09:16):
have people come into my, intomy space and we talk about
either business?
woman in business was one seriesI did and then, and it kind of
just grew from that when Live toThrive really came to fruition
was after 2020, I went through ahuge identity crisis, for some
(09:41):
like some reason.
Well, it's not some reason.
A huge reason was because whenGeorge Floyd happened and I saw
that with my own eyes I was likeI, we are not loved in this
country yeah and I moved fromSouth Africa to get a better
life, to find thoseopportunities and really get a
(10:05):
better life, to find thoseopportunities and really thrive
states, and when that happened,it kind of was like a light bulb
went off in my head and I waslike this is something that we
need to talk about, I need tobring this out.
I need to talk to people thatlook like me.
I need to talk to minoritygroups and talk to them about
(10:27):
their experiences, how they gothrough their mental health,
their struggles, and maybe thiscould be a tool for someone that
is having a really hard daywhere they may be in an office
where they're the only blackperson, and I mean, I'm in that
situation right now.
Yeah, and I think people don'ttalk about it enough.
(10:51):
Like as a black woman, as awoman from a different country
that sounds completely differentfrom everybody within the
office.
I have so much impostersyndrome.
I feel like I'm not, I'm notsupposed to be there, I think
that I'm not worthy of beingthere and I have to like
continually tell myself that Iwas, I was picked to be here for
(11:16):
a reason.
But that little voice in myhead is like you've been given
this opportunity, you need to behappy that you're here and you
need to prove, you need to workharder to prove that you allow
to sit at the same table.
A lot of pressure, yeah, it's alot of pressure, so that's why I
started it.
Kutloano Skosana (11:35):
True.
So who are your guests?
Where are they from?
Are they all people of colorfrom America?
You know who do you speak to ingeneral.
Lizzy Hudson (11:45):
I speak to everybody within the United
States.
I mean, if I get big enough,maybe I'll branch out, but yeah,
it's everyone from the UnitedStates.
I do like a little bit of ascreening to see if that
person's story resonates with myaudience, and it's been like a
(12:05):
huge learning curve.
I mean you have your ownpodcast.
Yeah.
It's a lot of work.
Of course.
Yeah, you have to be reallydiligent.
You have to line up guests, youhave to screen them, you have
to get them on.
It's a lot of work.
So all of my guests are fromthe states and they I I
(12:29):
primarily focus on black people.
It's been mostly like blackwoman in business or.
But now I've been, Iinterviewed a Latina, I
interviewed a Korean woman, soit's been I'm kind of I'm
(12:50):
branching out and it's reallyawesome.
Kutloano Skosana (12:52):
Right.
So the podcast for you is a wayto also maintain your own
mental health.
This is what I'm hearing yousay, and what are you hearing
from your guests in terms of howthey are staying sane in a
hostile environment, so to speak?
Lizzy Hudson (13:12):
First of all, yes, this podcast is very much for
my own mental health.
I think that it's helping meget through some situations that
I kind of feel stuck in.
Yes, therapy helps as well, butit's really nice to hear
someone else's story where weresonate and we go through the
same thing.
Second of all, a lot of myguests talk about they start
(13:35):
about like where they came from,their history.
Then they tell me about howthey have overcome that.
That I've had guests on thathave written books.
So I had a woman that actuallymade a journal that takes you
through step by step on how toovercome like that imposter
(13:57):
syndrome and that really stemmedfrom her background, with her
parents, you know, not caringfor her and things like that.
And then, she wrote a book andthat's how she got through her
mental struggles I have.
Another girl came on and spokeabout how when she's having that
anxiety and and mental stressfrom work, she really, really
(14:22):
makes the point to take threedeep breaths and just stand
where she is and feel the groundand for her to kind of come
back.
So it's just everybody goesthrough the same things but not
everybody deals with it the same, which is so great for me,
because now I have tools to belike oh, I can take three deep
(14:45):
breaths and just stand here fora minute, you know, like I never
thought of those things.
So it's been great.
It's been great hearingeverybody's mental struggles and
how they overcame them, andit's helped me a lot.
Kutloano Skosana (14:58):
Yeah, so what were your impressions of the
United States when you movedhere in 2012?
Lizzy Hudson (15:10):
Oh my word! I was a fish out of water.
I thought that I was.
If I tell you the story, you'regonna laugh, but I used to
watch Basketball Wives of LA ohmy goodness yeah, I used to
watch basketball wives of la insouth africa and I was like okay
, when I go to California I'mgoing to find myself a
basketball husband.
Kutloano Skosana (15:32):
I'm laughing because I've seen your husband.
Yes, let's hear it.
You couldn't get more different, but yes.
Lizzy Hudson (15:42):
So different, so different, and so that didn't
happen guys.
I do not have a basketballhusband.
I have a husband that's in thetech industry.
So yeah, so when I came here, Iactually landed in Santa
Barbara, which is just an hourand a half out of LA, and super,
(16:03):
super small town, beautiful,beautiful town, beach town, but
so white, like so white,literally.
I was like one of the two otherblack people that lived there.
Oh, wow.
And everybody would see mewalking down the street and call
me hey, South Africa, oh, no,yeah, yeah.
Wow, yeah, so Wow.
(16:23):
Oh yeah, oh, no, yeah yeah.
Wow, yeah so.
Kutloano Skosana (16:27):
Wow, oh yeah, oh yeah, I have a name, hello.
Lizzy Hudson (16:30):
Yeah, exactly, my name's Lizzie.
But it was a huge learning curvebecause I came here out of high
school and, you know, I went toboarding school in South Africa
, so I was already very isolated.
And then I came to the Stateswhere it was just such a
different culture, differentfood, and it was.
It wasn't a huge culture shock,but it was just a lot of trying
(16:55):
to change my mindset.
Being in a town that was superwhite and having to try and
blend in was really hard for me,and then also just navigating
life as an adult.
I didn't have, you know, I'mout of high school, I don't have
my mom, I have to figure outwork, I have to figure out how
to eat, I have to socialize andand make a living for myself and
(17:18):
make a name for myself.
So it was, it was hard, but Ithink that I would obviously
would not be where I am at today, living in Seattle and, and you
know, doing the things that Ilove, that I don't really have
to think about, which mostpeople don't have the privilege
to do.
(17:39):
So I'm very, very lucky, verylucky that I landed up here.
Kutloano Skosana (17:43):
I mean, you could have ended up anywhere in
the world UK, where SouthAfricans go, australia, new
Zealand why the USA?
Lizzy Hudson (17:52):
That's a great question, because after high
school, you know, we always takea gap year as South Africans,
and we I was going to go to theUK with one of my best friends
and spend about six to eightmonths there, and I then pulled
out just because I was likeevery South African goes to the
(18:15):
UK, let me try somethingdifferent.
So I planned to come to Americafor six to eight months and I
have family that live in SantaBarbara, so I went and I stayed
with them for a while and then Istarted going to college in
Santa Barbara and that's how Iended up staying.
Kutloano Skosana (18:38):
Oh, that's great, and the rest is history.
And the rest is history.
This is Shades and Layers, andmy guest today is the creator
and host of the Live to Thrivepodcast and social media
solopreneur, lizzie Hudson toThrive podcast and social media
(18:58):
solopreneur, Lizzy Hudson.
Up next, we discuss her take onhow social media has evolved as
a business tool and howartificial intelligence is
changing the landscape.
We also get to hear about herown struggles with social media
and mental health and, mostimportantly, we zoom in on how
the contrasts between SouthAfrica and the USA have
influenced her career and lifechoices.
(19:19):
So let's talk about thefreelancing side of it.
What do you do in that spaceand who do you work with?
Lizzy Hudson (19:29):
Yeah, so I still speak to a lot of my old clients
in Santa Barbara.
Still speak to a lot of my oldclients in Santa Barbara.
I had my own social mediamarketing business in Santa
Barbara and so with myfreelancing, I help a little
boutique store with her website.
You're doing online sales.
(19:50):
It's like an old mom and popbikini store and she doesn't
know how to really be online,and so I help her with updates
with her website and I help herwith selling stuff on her
website.
I have a lady that does wigsand hair that needs help with
her website, and then I alsojust give advice on how their
(20:14):
social media is looking, how togrow their following, how to
keep their Instagram feedscohesive and clean.
For businesses, I think thatlike, but now, in 2023, I don't
think people care about howcohesive your social media is.
I think it's just how authenticyou are.
(20:35):
So doing that switch, and also,people just don't like.
You can't like.
Back in the day, it was likehow many followers do you have?
Now it's actually about areyour followers interested in the
story you're telling and arethey quality followers?
So just giving them advice onthe online presence.
Kutloano Skosana (20:54):
Right, that's pretty cool.
I mean, social media is one ofthose areas where I think a lot
of people are doing guesswork.
Most of us are doing guesswork,so you know there's talks of
algorithms changing all the timeand now with AI, things are
getting even murkier.
(21:14):
So yeah, I mean, how do you useit personally?
How do you advise people toengage socially if you know they
have a small business and such?
Lizzy Hudson (21:26):
well, yeah, if you have a small business, I think
being the number one thingnowadays because, like you said,
ai everything is about to be sofake.
I got a Instagram ad, not likea couple of days ago, of a woman
just running down a randomfield and then she used AI to
(21:49):
make it look like she wasrunning in a field where there
was a huge castle and wateraround her.
And it's this new app that canmake you appear wherever you
want in the world, and thatwasn't intriguing to me.
That actually scared me.
Now people are going to share,like not the truth, because they
(22:09):
want to.
Kutloano Skosana (22:10):
And already there's a lot of that right.
Lizzy Hudson (22:13):
A hundred percent, and AI is a good thing and a
bad thing.
I think that there's going tobe things that happen that are
just fake living, but the adviceI have for businesses is yes, a
hundred percent.
Hire your social media managerto make your stuff look
(22:34):
professional and clean andwhatever you need to do.
But I think being beingauthentically yourself is the
biggest thing that resonateswith people in general, because
we scrolling all the time and soif I feel like you're not
authentically yourself, I'm notgoing to follow you.
(22:55):
In a world where everybody'sonline all the time, I think
showing that humanness with youand your consumers will build
that brand trust and just beingtruthful, because Instagram ads
sometimes get me and I buythings off Instagram and then
(23:18):
I'm like I should not have donethat.
Kutloano Skosana (23:21):
It's so easy, it's so easy.
Lizzy Hudson (23:23):
Yeah, yeah.
You asked me about my how I usesocial for my personal.
And I think when I was living inSanta Barbara, I was aspiring
to be a influencer and I hadthousands of followers.
I was in the 15,000.
If you look at my Instagram nowI'm down to nine because I was
(23:47):
really trying to get big and Iwas doing professional photos
and I was podcasting and I wasthis brand strategist and all of
this fun, exciting stuff and Ialways had to post every single
day.
And I think that during thattime of my life I went through a
lot of difficulty as a smallbusiness owner, just a
(24:07):
freelancer.
I went through a lot of hardtimes because I had to always
keep up with the times Becauseif I didn't post content I would
lose my following.
And now I think what I usesocial media for is just to be
authentically myself.
I don't post every day.
I don't post like beautifulpictures every day of myself.
(24:32):
I look sometimes.
Look back at my old Instagram.
I was like, oh, my word cringe.
I was so self-centered, if youwant to say, I would post a
picture of myself and make surethat I had over 300 likes to
make me feel better.
Now I don't care.
I love sharing things aboutmental health.
(24:54):
I love sharing things about mypartner and I.
I love home organizing, I lovelooking after my plants, so now
I'm really trying to just bemyself and being okay with not
getting that validation, andit's been a huge learning curve
(25:16):
for me.
Kutloano Skosana (25:18):
Yeah, yeah.
So you mentioned that GeorgeFloyd was a big turning point
for you.
Was there anything else thatbrought you to this realization
that you know this whole, Iwould say aesthetic aspiration?
Was not it for you and probablynot contributing to you
(25:39):
thriving.
Lizzy Hudson (25:40):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing was George Floyd.
That was like my biggest thing.
My second biggest thing was Iam adopted into a white family.
So I think like getting reallydeep now.
I think the trigger was GeorgeFloyd and then realizing racism
(26:06):
is very much alive in thiscountry but it's been sweeped
under the rug for many, many,many, many, many years.
I think I kind of had myblinders on from 2012 to 2020.
And I shared my feelings withmy mom and she kind of didn't
(26:26):
click how bad it was and shemade a comment that kind of
triggered me.
Where, oh, we living in America?
She's a white South African.
You know we went through aparty.
You know she adopted my sister.
Now she's giving us so many, somany opportunities that I love.
(26:47):
And so she made a comment whereit was like oh you know, we in
America, now we they'll, they'llfigure it out and they'll,
they'll get justice.
And I was like, no, but like,just literally killed him, like
let's open our eyes a little bityou know, and so that was like
(27:11):
the second thing where I wasjust like, oh my gosh, like I
have no way to turn, becauseevery time I turn there's
another white person and I andI'm not discriminating, I mean
my partner's white, my family'swhite.
We talk about this all the timeand I think that, like for me,
(27:31):
it was like realizing oh, and atthe time I was living in a very
, very predominantly white town,so everywhere I was looking, I
felt like I didn't have anyoneto turn to because no one could
understand.
And that is when I actuallywent into like a depression
where I was like what am I doing?
(27:53):
Why am I firstly in this town?
Why is my mom not clicking?
That there's something verywrong here.
Why am I feeling this way?
And that's when I was like Ineed an outlet, I need to get my
feelings out.
I need to, even if it's just metalking to myself or even if
(28:16):
it's me going online andinterviewing someone that is
going through the same feelingsof exhaustion and sadness and
like an identity crisis that I'mgoing through.
And so that was kind of theturning point for me and I think
it's kind of me, it's left astain, I think I, it's like,
(28:41):
made me realize wherever I go inlife after 2020, I am very
hyper aware of who's around me.
I never really used to care.
I used to to just be likepeople are people.
I love everybody.
Like you're black, you're white, and now I walk into a room and
(29:02):
I'll be like hmm, yeah, but the.
Kutloano Skosana (29:06):
US will also make you hyper aware.
I mean, did you find a hugedifference between being in
South Africa, where most peoplelook like you and you never had
to think about being black orbeing a person of color, but
still you did have to thinkabout things like that, but it
(29:27):
was in a different context.
So what were the contrasts foryou between South Africa and the
US?
Lizzy Hudson (29:37):
Well, I mean, I freaking love South Africa.
I miss it so much, but I thinkfor me there was the flip coin
of that.
right Is I was always called acoconut growing up back on the
outside wide in the inside,growing up, black on the outside
, white in the inside, and Ialways felt like I had to prove
(30:00):
myself, that I was black enough.
And because I was surrounded byblack people left, right and
center which was amazing,because, yeah, I saw myself
everywhere, I loved it.
But then there was the flipside, where I had to feel I had
to prove that I was Africanenough to my fellow black people
(30:22):
.
That was hard for me because Ispeak white yeah, that thing
right.
Kutloano Skosana (30:30):
Yeah, you know .
Lizzy Hudson (30:32):
I, I, I even remember like a vivid memory in
in in boarding school.
We were walking down to thehall to eat breakfast or lunch,
whatever it was, and we werewalking in and all the black
kids were around a table likelaughing and making jokes and
(30:55):
stuff like that.
And my sister was there evenand I like walked up there to
see like what they were talkingabout and all my white friends
took me back and was like Lizzie, that's not for you to wife
that table, oh.
And I was like what?
And they're like you too, toowhite, come, come coconut.
(31:16):
And I kind of, at that point inmy like growing up-ness, if you
want to say I was like, oh shit, like I'm black, but I'm not
black enough, like what.
That doesn't make any sense tome.
(31:38):
You know, and that's where I gotthe idea of always just loving
whoever you are, no matter whatyou look like around me, like I
would not notice what you looklike.
Because I knew how I felt whensomeone noticed what I looked
like and said that oh, I don'tbelong.
(31:59):
So I told myself growing upthat no matter who you are white
, black, asian, latina, whateveryou are I'm going to accept you
for who you are, because Idon't.
I just don't want anyone tofeel that like the feeling that
I felt in that moment.
And then also, when I came tothe States it was like that's
(32:21):
why I was so oh, love everybody.
And then it's just like I havea lot of weird no, absolutely no
, no, no, I hear you, I hear youyeah.
Yeah, yeah, which boardingschool did you go to?
I went to treviden college okayand kwaZulu-Natal yeah, yeah,
(32:41):
yeah, yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (32:43):
No, I I went to rodin and I still have scars
oh, really I need to know, allof those, because it's for real.
It is for real.
I mean it's the thing is it'sjust so insidious.
You know it's little things,you know it's like that, what
they call the death of athousand cuts.
(33:03):
It's not necessarily just onebig incident, you know, it's
this little things that chipaway at you, but yeah, so okay.
So we're getting into that,those contrasts between South
Africa and the US.
But now you know where do youfind yourself in terms of, you
know, making peace witheverything that's happened and
(33:24):
living your best life, living mybest life, still learning.
Lizzy Hudson (33:30):
You know, I'm 31 years old and I'm still learning
.
I am really trying to bemindful of how I talk to myself
because I'm in my head all day.
So just trying to be mindful ofhow I talk to myself.
I am really not puttingexpectations on people that I
(33:55):
care and love about, because ifI do that, I know that I'm going
to be disappointed.
So I don't want to bedisappointed.
So learning to not haveexpectations but just caring
about the people that I love andreally living in the moment is
the biggest thing that I'mworking on right now.
Living in the moment is thebiggest thing that I'm working
(34:20):
on right now In terms of peaceand how I've really embraced
that and working through it.
I think that I don't have anyanimosity to any of the people
that said those things in highschool and things like that.
I don't have.
I don't.
I'm not holding on to the past.
(34:42):
I think I am really focusing onletting go and letting be.
I know that sounds so clicheand cringe, but it's making me
really become at peace withmyself, at peace with people
(35:04):
that I interact with and reallyknowing that wherever one person
is in life is completelydifferent to where you're at and
you never know what otherpeople are going through.
Different to where you're atand you never know what other
people are going through.
So just not it's thatexpectation factor again, just
(35:24):
not having expectations onpeople, because then it just
leads to disappointment.
Kutloano Skosana (35:28):
This is Shades and Layers.
It's now time to get into thenitty gritty of podcasting with
my guest, lizzie Hudson, whohosts the Live to Thrive podcast
, which can be found on thepodcast player where you are
listening to us right now.
We also get into the shades andlayers rapid fire, so stick
around and find out what Lizzieis thinking in terms of writing
(35:49):
her life story and the blackwomen she admires.
Podcasting for healing, healing.
How do you meet otherpodcasters?
I know we met online, so do youhave, do you have, fellow pod
friends?
Lizzy Hudson (36:04):
no, and I really want to have fellow pod friends.
I think it would be cool to dolike a panel or something yeah
like you know, in podcast, yeah,it's even though we hate it.
We hate to love it, but socialmedia is where I find all my
podcast shows absolutely that'show I mean.
(36:26):
That's how I met you.
I've met another woman that hasher own podcast, which is also
just an apology particularlyherself, which I've like started
following and stuff.
And social media connects me toall my pod friends.
Kutloano Skosana (36:41):
Great, great.
And you know how are youorganized there.
I know you've got this website,or rather a link tree, right
where people can book to be aguest, and all of that, but you
know how are you organized interms of you know equipment.
Have you had a rough landingand learning curve as far as
(37:01):
getting into this space goes?
Lizzy Hudson (37:05):
yeah, it was pretty rough right at the
beginning, but no, I have myequipment, I have.
You can book through link tree.
But yeah, there's a link, itwill link you to my calendar.
You choose a time for screening.
I like to screen people, just tosee the fibers, because I'm
just interviewing random people,so I just want to make sure
(37:26):
that we know each other a littlebit before the podcast, and
then I'll send you a link to theactual podcast day, and then
I'll send you a link to where wemeet, which is Zencastle, which
is for podcasters, and then,and then we record, and I have
my little recording stationright here.
(37:47):
It's a big microphone, but thisis good for zoom, so I was like
, let me use this one so I haveall my equipment.
Kutloano Skosana (37:55):
That's all good yeah.
Lizzy Hudson (37:57):
But yeah, I do have everything.
Kutloano Skosana (37:59):
Yeah, and do you do all your own editing?
Do you outsource?
What's your setup there?
Lizzy Hudson (38:06):
Maybe I should get advice from you here.
Kutloano Skosana (38:09):
Oh my gosh.
Lizzy Hudson (38:10):
I do my own editing.
I did actually outsource tosomeone to edit and I paid them
a monthly fee, but I had to gointo to the podcast and re-edit
what they had edited becausethey would miss out certain
things because, like during apodcast, not everything flows
right you want to cut somethingout, but you have to make sure
(38:33):
that it makes sense.
So so I outsourced and I had toalways do that and I'm like I'm
doing more work than justsending my podcast to someone.
So I've just come to terms tojust editing and producing it.
I mean, I still have a lot tolearn with editing and I edit on
on GarageBand, which is supersimple and it comes on the
(38:57):
laptop, and I haven't gotten anycomplaints yet, so I guess
that's a good sign.
Kutloano Skosana (39:05):
It's always a good sign.
How do?
Lizzy Hudson (39:08):
you edit yours.
Kutloano Skosana (39:10):
Yeah, so I use a platform called Hindenburg.
That's because I'm an audiofirst podcast and because I do
have a background in radio.
Editing is something that I didprofessionally for a long time,
so it's it's quite easy for meto work with the platform.
You know, listen in, chop,change etc.
(39:30):
So yeah, so that that's that'sbeen working for me, and then I
just, you know, send it out viabuzzsprout and then.
I'm out on all the yeah it's mydistribution, yeah, channels,
yeah yeah, and then you know, asyou can see, I've got my little
booth here, which is literallya cupboard that my husband and I
(39:52):
kind of kitted out with.
You know, these pads, yeah, thesoundproofing pads, and yeah,
little decoration and yeah,thank you.
It's the simplest setup underthe sun.
My table is not even big enoughfor a mug of coffee, it's just.
Lizzy Hudson (40:09):
Well, I can't see that, which is a good thing, but
yeah, I love it, I love it.
And your podcast is weekly.
Kutloano Skosana (40:19):
So I do seasons and I usually have eight
to 10 episodes per season andmore or less the episodes tie
together their themes.
You know, and you'll find thatthe majority of episodes in one
season is fashioned and I alwayshave an ongoing conversation
about beauty, beauty standards,hair, etc.
(40:41):
All the issues that affectBlack women, but mostly because
I find that these are the spaceswhere Black women have found
freedom and are thriving.
It's in service to ourselves,so I always make sure to amplify
that.
Whether you have a small batchproduction that makes skincare
(41:01):
or you know hair care, I alwaysmake room for those episodes in
a season.
I'm founded in the belief thatwe all learn through stories
Like if you think about it.
The first thing you know yeah,it's stories, fairy tales and
whatever folk tales, whetherit's from your grandma telling
(41:21):
you stories or reading in a book, etc.
Yeah, our, our life lessonscome from stories.
Yeah, so, in terms of episodes,how many do you do?
Do you do weekly?
Is it an open, ongoing thing?
Lizzy Hudson (41:37):
I used to just do interviews, but I think that in
between interviews I do apodcast of like a learning that
I've done.
I did one about impostersyndrome, I did one about
leveling your mindset, and so Ibreak it out between like
interviews and me, and then Iliterally do about also eight to
(42:03):
ten episodes a season.
But I'm trying somethingdifferent this, this season.
I want to see how like far Ican get, just consistently just
putting episodes out.
I don't have themes.
My theme, my constant theme, ismental health and your story
(42:24):
and then and also just how youovercame like hard situations in
your life, and then also verymuch it's mostly women in
business.
It's mostly women in business,women that, have you know, had
different experiences, maybemade a book, tv shows like yeah,
(42:44):
so it's just, it's justeverybody and anybody that has a
good story to tell andcontributes to my mental health
theme.
Kutloano Skosana (42:54):
Right, that's great.
So where do you want to take it?
Lizzy Hudson (42:57):
Good question.
If I'm looking into the future,like, do I want to be like a
huge podcast?
That would be great.
I think that would be myultimate goal, where I could
just podcast every day and likeevery day and meet different
people.
I think that's the the ultimategoal, but I also know that it's
(43:19):
just so much work you'd have todo it full time and there's no
money in podcasting.
Kutloano Skosana (43:26):
I mean, yes, you get little advertisements
here and there sure but it'sjust like I can't pay my
mortgage yeah, you have tofinance it some other way, right
?
Yeah, yeah no absolutely so Ialways do a rapid fire also with
all my guests and uh yeah.
So three questions.
First one what would you callyour memoir and why?
Lizzy Hudson (43:50):
what I would call my memoir.
I think it would just be verysimple, just the life of lizzie
or something like that, or maybeovercoming adversity.
I don't know, I don't know, butthose are the options or live to
thrive Uh-huh, I'm kidding andwhy?
(44:10):
I think it would just betouching on how, no matter where
you come from in this life, betouching on how, no matter where
you come from in this life, youhave the option to really
thrive and make a life that youwant.
I think that we get.
I've been in this situationwhere I get stuck in feeling
(44:32):
sorry for myself, so I think mymemoir would be about my life
story, about losing my mom at ayoung age, getting adopted into
a Y family, moving to boardingschool and coming to America on
my own.
Lots of turns and things havehappened in my life that have
(44:54):
been scary and I think it's justto tell people that, no matter
where you come from, you can doit.
Kutloano Skosana (45:01):
Yeah, awesome, and let's take that book and
turn it into a film.
Who would you pick for the leadactress?
Lizzy Hudson (45:09):
I feel like Gabrielle Union.
Oh, nice yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (45:12):
I can see the resemblance, yeah, yeah.
And the last one is whichfamous black woman would you
invite to dinner, living or dead, and why?
Lizzy Hudson (45:21):
First name came up as, like, rosa Parks, but I
don't know.
I think I want to change itthough, so what?
Kutloano Skosana (45:29):
famous woman.
Yeah, which famous black womanwould you invite to dinner, and
why?
What's her?
Lizzy Hudson (45:42):
name, that's from Empire, Taraji P Hansen.
Yes, Cookie, yeah, cookie,taraji, I love her, and Viola
Davis too.
So but I think I would want tomeet Viola Davis and I would
love to love her to take me outfor dinner, because I have no
money.
So she and I would love to talkto her about just her acting
(46:05):
career, because I know thatshe's gone through a lot in
regards to her acting career andstuff like that with not paying
, being paid enough as otherwhite actresses and things like
that and I also would love topick her brain on all her her
characters, like my favoritecharacter is from artsy getaway
(46:27):
with murder.
Kutloano Skosana (46:28):
I love her in that oh my god, and Analise here
and at least yeah, oh my gosh,yes, that was one scary woman.
Lizzy Hudson (46:36):
Yep, Yep.
So that's who I would.
I would want to chat to.
Kutloano Skosana (46:42):
Yeah Cool, that's fantastic.
So where can people find you ifthey want to connect and work
with you or you know, just sayhello.
Lizzy Hudson (46:52):
You can say hello to me on on my course page,
which is Live2ThrivePod, so it'sL-I-V-E-T-O-T-H-R-I-V-E-Pod,
p-o-d, so you can follow methere.
Kutloano Skosana (47:08):
Fantastic, and that is all from me this time
around.
Thank you for listening andthank you for recommending
Shades and Layers to yourfriends.
For a link to Lizzie Hudson'swork, please visit the show
notes While you are there.
Please do a girl a favor byrating and reviewing Shades and
Layers so that others can findus.
Five stars would be amazing.
(47:30):
Thanks so much for your support.
As always, I'm Guduanus KosanaRitchie and until next time,
please do take good care.
Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers.
I'm your Kutloano Skosana Ricci, and today we are talking
about podcasting for healing.
This episode is also the startof a bigger series where I'll be
interviewing other podcastersaligned with the Shades and
Layers mission of amplifying thestories of black and other
women of color in business.
My guest today is fellow SouthAfrican and podcaster, Lizzy
(00:25):
Hudson.
We met in Seattle.
She works in social mediamarketing as well.
Lizzy podcast is called Live toThrive and she mostly interviews
others who, like her, arehealing from racial trauma and
other challenges unique topeople of color.
She first came to podcasting inthe 2010s, but this iteration
of her journey was sparked bythe public murder of George
(00:47):
Floyd on the 25th of May in 2020.
In our conversation, wediscussed the personal impact of
this moment and how far she hascome since then.
If you have ever consideredstarting a podcast, if you've
ever wondered how to navigatesocial media while caring for
your mental health, or you'rejust simply curious about the
immigrant experience in 2020sAmerica, then stick around.
(01:10):
So, without further ado, let'shear it from Lizzy Hudson.
So how would you describe yourwork at Live to Thrive Podcast
and what's the deeper meaningyou attach to the activities
that you engage in deepermeaning you attach to the
activities that you engage in.
Lizzy Hudson (01:32):
Yeah, so with Live to Thrive podcast, I think how
I attached, my meaning and mywork and my goals was to provide
a platform for people of colorto come onto and speak about
their stories, how they can,maybe, how their stories can
impact someone else that lookslike them.
I feel like when I was lookinginto podcasting and the podcasts
(01:55):
that we have out there, therewas not many podcasts that
really focused on POC and howthey deal with hard times in
mental health.
I think a lot of it came frommy you know after 2020 with
George Floyd and that kind ofmade like this whole whirlwind
(02:19):
of how I could help incommunities that were not
supported, and so that's mydeeper meaning to my work on
Live to Thrive podcast.
Kutloano Skosana (02:33):
All right.
So you are amplifying voices ofpeople of color and you call
your podcast Live to Thrive.
Why is that your chosen titleand how does it tie in to this
work in real life?
Lizzy Hudson (02:50):
Yeah, Live to Thrive podcast.
I think how I came up with thatname is that, no matter where
you are in life, you should betaking the steps to thrive in
what realm or industry you're in.
Before we started this podcast,I told you I'm a paid social
media strategist and I said thatyou know that's nothing that I
(03:14):
should like maybe talk about,because I don't have, you know,
a deeper meaning attached to it.
And now this has just come fullcircle.
I encourage people thatwhatever they do in life and
whatever they choose to do inlife, they should be thriving in
it.
So something like paid socialmedia, off the top of my head is
(03:37):
nothing that I feel like I likeI'm thriving in.
I'm just doing it because,first of all, I'm interested in
social media but, second of all,I do it because it pays the
bills.
Kutloano Skosana (03:51):
You need to make a living somehow, sure.
Lizzy Hudson (03:53):
Yeah, I need to.
I need to make a living somehow, but at the same time, I need
to practice what I preach andmake sure that, where I'm at in
life, I'm thriving in every areathat I touch.
And so, with Live to Thrive,this is something I'm passionate
about, and it's why I decidedto name my podcast Live to
(04:18):
Thrive, because I want to pushpeople that look like me and you
, that are minorities, to makesure that they're thriving in
every aspect of their life.
Mm, hmm.
Kutloano Skosana (04:33):
You know, the one thing you do mention is that
you have a full time job thathelps you to thrive in other
areas of your life.
Life, and you know this wholeidea of thriving has become so
linked to affluence andprivilege.
You know financial means.
(04:57):
How does it land with you?
You know me mentioning thisbecause of course, you've got to
make money to keep a roof overyour head and all the things.
But the way thriving is sold tous nowadays is like if you're
not sipping champagne in theBahamas every vacation, then
your life is less than worthy.
Lizzy Hudson (05:16):
Yeah, you're not thriving, right?
Yeah, yeah, no, this is a goodquestion, because I think this
is something that I have toreally think about, because when
I think of thriving, mydefinite, my definition is not
(05:36):
necessarily sipping champagne inthe Bahamas, making so much
money that you, you know youworld, and I think for me,
thriving is more of like aninternal feeling being mentally
stable, being okay with who I amas a person, not showing off,
(05:57):
not doing things just to getthat pat on the back or that
external validation from otherpeople.
I think for me, it's very muchlike I am okay, I have a roof
over my head, I'm successful inand also success is different,
like my success might may bedifferent to what you categorize
(06:22):
success is.
So I think that is my answer.
I think that's where I likeland about.
I just it's like such a verymuddy waters in this day and age
.
I think that everybody wants to,you know, be Instagram ready,
and if you are doing this, thenyou should have this.
(06:43):
Or if you want to be this, this, then you should have this.
Or if you want to be this, thenyou should be able to travel
here like that's not.
That's not.
What I I feel is is like my endall be all.
I just want to help and bementally aligned with myself.
Kutloano Skosana (07:05):
So why did you choose podcasting as a format
for supporting the community andalso for amplifying these
voices?
Lizzy Hudson (07:16):
I think I chose a podcast firstly because, coming
from South Africa, I came to theStates and I was super excited
about coming to America becauseI wanted to be in the
entertainment industry since Iwas a kid and I either wanted to
be on being a celebrity guestinterview interviewer, like
(07:40):
being on the red carpet andasking people who they wearing,
or I wanted to be um I wanted tobe on the radio, so that was
like my dream ever since I was akid.
And when I came to the states, Ireally wanted to run after that
.
But during that time, know,breaking into the entertainment
(08:05):
industry as a young black SouthAfrican this was 2012, I was
like a fish out of water.
I didn't know where to start.
I didn't know how to start.
And I remember a couple ofyears later when I was doing my
lifestyle modeling becausethat's how I got into my
lifestyle modeling and socialmedia and marketing and all that
(08:28):
fun stuff.
Kutloano Skosana (08:29):
Right right.
Lizzy Hudson (08:30):
I found podcasting , where I actually had a podcast
called Lizzy Straight Out ofAfrica or something like that in
2014.
And I just spoke about my storya lot and that was the closest
thing to me as a radio host.
(08:53):
And so when I was talking aboutmy story and people were really
interested in what I had to saybecause that's another story
for another day I really got.
I found a passion forpodcasting, but I got bored of
just talking to myself the wholetime and I was like where do I
(09:16):
have people come into my, intomy space and we talk about
either business?
woman in business was one seriesI did and then, and it kind of
just grew from that when Live toThrive really came to fruition
was after 2020, I went through ahuge identity crisis, for some
(09:41):
like some reason.
Well, it's not some reason.
A huge reason was because whenGeorge Floyd happened and I saw
that with my own eyes I was likeI, we are not loved in this
country yeah and I moved fromSouth Africa to get a better
life, to find thoseopportunities and really get a
(10:05):
better life, to find thoseopportunities and really thrive
states, and when that happened,it kind of was like a light bulb
went off in my head and I waslike this is something that we
need to talk about, I need tobring this out.
I need to talk to people thatlook like me.
I need to talk to minoritygroups and talk to them about
(10:27):
their experiences, how they gothrough their mental health,
their struggles, and maybe thiscould be a tool for someone that
is having a really hard daywhere they may be in an office
where they're the only blackperson, and I mean, I'm in that
situation right now.
Yeah, and I think people don'ttalk about it enough.
(10:51):
Like as a black woman, as awoman from a different country
that sounds completely differentfrom everybody within the
office.
I have so much impostersyndrome.
I feel like I'm not, I'm notsupposed to be there, I think
that I'm not worthy of beingthere and I have to like
continually tell myself that Iwas, I was picked to be here for
(11:16):
a reason.
But that little voice in myhead is like you've been given
this opportunity, you need to behappy that you're here and you
need to prove, you need to workharder to prove that you allow
to sit at the same table.
A lot of pressure, yeah, it's alot of pressure, so that's why I
started it.
Kutloano Skosana (11:35):
True.
So who are your guests?
Where are they from?
Are they all people of colorfrom America?
You know who do you speak to ingeneral.
Lizzy Hudson (11:45):
I speak to everybody within the United
States.
I mean, if I get big enough,maybe I'll branch out, but yeah,
it's everyone from the UnitedStates.
I do like a little bit of ascreening to see if that
person's story resonates with myaudience, and it's been like a
(12:05):
huge learning curve.
I mean you have your ownpodcast.
Yeah.
It's a lot of work.
Of course.
Yeah, you have to be reallydiligent.
You have to line up guests, youhave to screen them, you have
to get them on.
It's a lot of work.
So all of my guests are fromthe states and they I I
(12:29):
primarily focus on black people.
It's been mostly like blackwoman in business or.
But now I've been, Iinterviewed a Latina, I
interviewed a Korean woman, soit's been I'm kind of I'm
(12:50):
branching out and it's reallyawesome.
Kutloano Skosana (12:52):
Right.
So the podcast for you is a wayto also maintain your own
mental health.
This is what I'm hearing yousay, and what are you hearing
from your guests in terms of howthey are staying sane in a
hostile environment, so to speak?
Lizzy Hudson (13:12):
First of all, yes, this podcast is very much for
my own mental health.
I think that it's helping meget through some situations that
I kind of feel stuck in.
Yes, therapy helps as well, butit's really nice to hear
someone else's story where weresonate and we go through the
same thing.
Second of all, a lot of myguests talk about they start
(13:35):
about like where they came from,their history.
Then they tell me about howthey have overcome that.
That I've had guests on thathave written books.
So I had a woman that actuallymade a journal that takes you
through step by step on how toovercome like that imposter
(13:57):
syndrome and that really stemmedfrom her background, with her
parents, you know, not caringfor her and things like that.
And then, she wrote a book andthat's how she got through her
mental struggles I have.
Another girl came on and spokeabout how when she's having that
anxiety and and mental stressfrom work, she really, really
(14:22):
makes the point to take threedeep breaths and just stand
where she is and feel the groundand for her to kind of come
back.
So it's just everybody goesthrough the same things but not
everybody deals with it the same, which is so great for me,
because now I have tools to belike oh, I can take three deep
(14:45):
breaths and just stand here fora minute, you know, like I never
thought of those things.
So it's been great.
It's been great hearingeverybody's mental struggles and
how they overcame them, andit's helped me a lot.
Kutloano Skosana (14:58):
Yeah, so what were your impressions of the
United States when you movedhere in 2012?
Lizzy Hudson (15:10):
Oh my word! I was a fish out of water.
I thought that I was.
If I tell you the story, you'regonna laugh, but I used to
watch Basketball Wives of LA ohmy goodness yeah, I used to
watch basketball wives of la insouth africa and I was like okay
, when I go to California I'mgoing to find myself a
basketball husband.
Kutloano Skosana (15:32):
I'm laughing because I've seen your husband.
Yes, let's hear it.
You couldn't get more different, but yes.
Lizzy Hudson (15:42):
So different, so different, and so that didn't
happen guys.
I do not have a basketballhusband.
I have a husband that's in thetech industry.
So yeah, so when I came here, Iactually landed in Santa
Barbara, which is just an hourand a half out of LA, and super,
(16:03):
super small town, beautiful,beautiful town, beach town, but
so white, like so white,literally.
I was like one of the two otherblack people that lived there.
Oh, wow.
And everybody would see mewalking down the street and call
me hey, South Africa, oh, no,yeah, yeah.
Wow, yeah, so Wow.
(16:23):
Oh yeah, oh, no, yeah yeah.
Wow, yeah so.
Kutloano Skosana (16:27):
Wow, oh yeah, oh yeah, I have a name, hello.
Lizzy Hudson (16:30):
Yeah, exactly, my name's Lizzie.
But it was a huge learning curvebecause I came here out of high
school and, you know, I went toboarding school in South Africa
, so I was already very isolated.
And then I came to the Stateswhere it was just such a
different culture, differentfood, and it was.
It wasn't a huge culture shock,but it was just a lot of trying
(16:55):
to change my mindset.
Being in a town that was superwhite and having to try and
blend in was really hard for me,and then also just navigating
life as an adult.
I didn't have, you know, I'mout of high school, I don't have
my mom, I have to figure outwork, I have to figure out how
to eat, I have to socialize andand make a living for myself and
(17:18):
make a name for myself.
So it was, it was hard, but Ithink that I would obviously
would not be where I am at today, living in Seattle and, and you
know, doing the things that Ilove, that I don't really have
to think about, which mostpeople don't have the privilege
to do.
(17:39):
So I'm very, very lucky, verylucky that I landed up here.
Kutloano Skosana (17:43):
I mean, you could have ended up anywhere in
the world UK, where SouthAfricans go, australia, new
Zealand why the USA?
Lizzy Hudson (17:52):
That's a great question, because after high
school, you know, we always takea gap year as South Africans,
and we I was going to go to theUK with one of my best friends
and spend about six to eightmonths there, and I then pulled
out just because I was likeevery South African goes to the
(18:15):
UK, let me try somethingdifferent.
So I planned to come to Americafor six to eight months and I
have family that live in SantaBarbara, so I went and I stayed
with them for a while and then Istarted going to college in
Santa Barbara and that's how Iended up staying.
Kutloano Skosana (18:38):
Oh, that's great, and the rest is history.
And the rest is history.
This is Shades and Layers, andmy guest today is the creator
and host of the Live to Thrivepodcast and social media
solopreneur, lizzie Hudson toThrive podcast and social media
(18:58):
solopreneur, Lizzy Hudson.
Up next, we discuss her take onhow social media has evolved as
a business tool and howartificial intelligence is
changing the landscape.
We also get to hear about herown struggles with social media
and mental health and, mostimportantly, we zoom in on how
the contrasts between SouthAfrica and the USA have
influenced her career and lifechoices.
(19:19):
So let's talk about thefreelancing side of it.
What do you do in that spaceand who do you work with?
Lizzy Hudson (19:29):
Yeah, so I still speak to a lot of my old clients
in Santa Barbara.
Still speak to a lot of my oldclients in Santa Barbara.
I had my own social mediamarketing business in Santa
Barbara and so with myfreelancing, I help a little
boutique store with her website.
You're doing online sales.
(19:50):
It's like an old mom and popbikini store and she doesn't
know how to really be online,and so I help her with updates
with her website and I help herwith selling stuff on her
website.
I have a lady that does wigsand hair that needs help with
her website, and then I alsojust give advice on how their
(20:14):
social media is looking, how togrow their following, how to
keep their Instagram feedscohesive and clean.
For businesses, I think thatlike, but now, in 2023, I don't
think people care about howcohesive your social media is.
I think it's just how authenticyou are.
(20:35):
So doing that switch, and also,people just don't like.
You can't like.
Back in the day, it was likehow many followers do you have?
Now it's actually about areyour followers interested in the
story you're telling and arethey quality followers?
So just giving them advice onthe online presence.
Kutloano Skosana (20:54):
Right, that's pretty cool.
I mean, social media is one ofthose areas where I think a lot
of people are doing guesswork.
Most of us are doing guesswork,so you know there's talks of
algorithms changing all the timeand now with AI, things are
getting even murkier.
(21:14):
So yeah, I mean, how do you useit personally?
How do you advise people toengage socially if you know they
have a small business and such?
Lizzy Hudson (21:26):
well, yeah, if you have a small business, I think
being the number one thingnowadays because, like you said,
ai everything is about to be sofake.
I got a Instagram ad, not likea couple of days ago, of a woman
just running down a randomfield and then she used AI to
(21:49):
make it look like she wasrunning in a field where there
was a huge castle and wateraround her.
And it's this new app that canmake you appear wherever you
want in the world, and thatwasn't intriguing to me.
That actually scared me.
Now people are going to share,like not the truth, because they
(22:09):
want to.
Kutloano Skosana (22:10):
And already there's a lot of that right.
Lizzy Hudson (22:13):
A hundred percent, and AI is a good thing and a
bad thing.
I think that there's going tobe things that happen that are
just fake living, but the adviceI have for businesses is yes, a
hundred percent.
Hire your social media managerto make your stuff look
(22:34):
professional and clean andwhatever you need to do.
But I think being beingauthentically yourself is the
biggest thing that resonateswith people in general, because
we scrolling all the time and soif I feel like you're not
authentically yourself, I'm notgoing to follow you.
(22:55):
In a world where everybody'sonline all the time, I think
showing that humanness with youand your consumers will build
that brand trust and just beingtruthful, because Instagram ads
sometimes get me and I buythings off Instagram and then
(23:18):
I'm like I should not have donethat.
Kutloano Skosana (23:21):
It's so easy, it's so easy.
Lizzy Hudson (23:23):
Yeah, yeah.
You asked me about my how I usesocial for my personal.
And I think when I was living inSanta Barbara, I was aspiring
to be a influencer and I hadthousands of followers.
I was in the 15,000.
If you look at my Instagram nowI'm down to nine because I was
(23:47):
really trying to get big and Iwas doing professional photos
and I was podcasting and I wasthis brand strategist and all of
this fun, exciting stuff and Ialways had to post every single
day.
And I think that during thattime of my life I went through a
lot of difficulty as a smallbusiness owner, just a
(24:07):
freelancer.
I went through a lot of hardtimes because I had to always
keep up with the times Becauseif I didn't post content I would
lose my following.
And now I think what I usesocial media for is just to be
authentically myself.
I don't post every day.
I don't post like beautifulpictures every day of myself.
(24:32):
I look sometimes.
Look back at my old Instagram.
I was like, oh, my word cringe.
I was so self-centered, if youwant to say, I would post a
picture of myself and make surethat I had over 300 likes to
make me feel better.
Now I don't care.
I love sharing things aboutmental health.
(24:54):
I love sharing things about mypartner and I.
I love home organizing, I lovelooking after my plants, so now
I'm really trying to just bemyself and being okay with not
getting that validation, andit's been a huge learning curve
(25:16):
for me.
Kutloano Skosana (25:18):
Yeah, yeah.
So you mentioned that GeorgeFloyd was a big turning point
for you.
Was there anything else thatbrought you to this realization
that you know this whole, Iwould say aesthetic aspiration?
Was not it for you and probablynot contributing to you
(25:39):
thriving.
Lizzy Hudson (25:40):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing was George Floyd.
That was like my biggest thing.
My second biggest thing was Iam adopted into a white family.
So I think like getting reallydeep now.
I think the trigger was GeorgeFloyd and then realizing racism
(26:06):
is very much alive in thiscountry but it's been sweeped
under the rug for many, many,many, many, many years.
I think I kind of had myblinders on from 2012 to 2020.
And I shared my feelings withmy mom and she kind of didn't
(26:26):
click how bad it was and shemade a comment that kind of
triggered me.
Where, oh, we living in America?
She's a white South African.
You know we went through aparty.
You know she adopted my sister.
Now she's giving us so many, somany opportunities that I love.
(26:47):
And so she made a comment whereit was like oh you know, we in
America, now we they'll, they'llfigure it out and they'll,
they'll get justice.
And I was like, no, but like,just literally killed him, like
let's open our eyes a little bityou know, and so that was like
(27:11):
the second thing where I wasjust like, oh my gosh, like I
have no way to turn, becauseevery time I turn there's
another white person and I andI'm not discriminating, I mean
my partner's white, my family'swhite.
We talk about this all the timeand I think that, like for me,
(27:31):
it was like realizing oh, and atthe time I was living in a very
, very predominantly white town,so everywhere I was looking, I
felt like I didn't have anyoneto turn to because no one could
understand.
And that is when I actuallywent into like a depression
where I was like what am I doing?
(27:53):
Why am I firstly in this town?
Why is my mom not clicking?
That there's something verywrong here.
Why am I feeling this way?
And that's when I was like Ineed an outlet, I need to get my
feelings out.
I need to, even if it's just metalking to myself or even if
(28:16):
it's me going online andinterviewing someone that is
going through the same feelingsof exhaustion and sadness and
like an identity crisis that I'mgoing through.
And so that was kind of theturning point for me and I think
it's kind of me, it's left astain, I think I, it's like,
(28:41):
made me realize wherever I go inlife after 2020, I am very
hyper aware of who's around me.
I never really used to care.
I used to to just be likepeople are people.
I love everybody.
Like you're black, you're white, and now I walk into a room and
(29:02):
I'll be like hmm, yeah, but the.
Kutloano Skosana (29:06):
US will also make you hyper aware.
I mean, did you find a hugedifference between being in
South Africa, where most peoplelook like you and you never had
to think about being black orbeing a person of color, but
still you did have to thinkabout things like that, but it
(29:27):
was in a different context.
So what were the contrasts foryou between South Africa and the
US?
Lizzy Hudson (29:37):
Well, I mean, I freaking love South Africa.
I miss it so much, but I thinkfor me there was the flip coin
of that.
right Is I was always called acoconut growing up back on the
outside wide in the inside,growing up, black on the outside
, white in the inside, and Ialways felt like I had to prove
(30:00):
myself, that I was black enough.
And because I was surrounded byblack people left, right and
center which was amazing,because, yeah, I saw myself
everywhere, I loved it.
But then there was the flipside, where I had to feel I had
to prove that I was Africanenough to my fellow black people
(30:22):
.
That was hard for me because Ispeak white yeah, that thing
right.
Kutloano Skosana (30:30):
Yeah, you know .
Lizzy Hudson (30:32):
I, I, I even remember like a vivid memory in
in in boarding school.
We were walking down to thehall to eat breakfast or lunch,
whatever it was, and we werewalking in and all the black
kids were around a table likelaughing and making jokes and
(30:55):
stuff like that.
And my sister was there evenand I like walked up there to
see like what they were talkingabout and all my white friends
took me back and was like Lizzie, that's not for you to wife
that table, oh.
And I was like what?
And they're like you too, toowhite, come, come coconut.
(31:16):
And I kind of, at that point inmy like growing up-ness, if you
want to say I was like, oh shit, like I'm black, but I'm not
black enough, like what.
That doesn't make any sense tome.
(31:38):
You know, and that's where I gotthe idea of always just loving
whoever you are, no matter whatyou look like around me, like I
would not notice what you looklike.
Because I knew how I felt whensomeone noticed what I looked
like and said that oh, I don'tbelong.
(31:59):
So I told myself growing upthat no matter who you are white
, black, asian, latina, whateveryou are I'm going to accept you
for who you are, because Idon't.
I just don't want anyone tofeel that like the feeling that
I felt in that moment.
And then also, when I came tothe States it was like that's
(32:21):
why I was so oh, love everybody.
And then it's just like I havea lot of weird no, absolutely no
, no, no, I hear you, I hear youyeah.
Yeah, yeah, which boardingschool did you go to?
I went to treviden college okayand kwaZulu-Natal yeah, yeah,
(32:41):
yeah, yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (32:43):
No, I I went to rodin and I still have scars
oh, really I need to know, allof those, because it's for real.
It is for real.
I mean it's the thing is it'sjust so insidious.
You know it's little things,you know it's like that, what
they call the death of athousand cuts.
(33:03):
It's not necessarily just onebig incident, you know, it's
this little things that chipaway at you, but yeah, so okay.
So we're getting into that,those contrasts between South
Africa and the US.
But now you know where do youfind yourself in terms of, you
know, making peace witheverything that's happened and
(33:24):
living your best life, living mybest life, still learning.
Lizzy Hudson (33:30):
You know, I'm 31 years old and I'm still learning
.
I am really trying to bemindful of how I talk to myself
because I'm in my head all day.
So just trying to be mindful ofhow I talk to myself.
I am really not puttingexpectations on people that I
(33:55):
care and love about, because ifI do that, I know that I'm going
to be disappointed.
So I don't want to bedisappointed.
So learning to not haveexpectations but just caring
about the people that I love andreally living in the moment is
the biggest thing that I'mworking on right now.
Living in the moment is thebiggest thing that I'm working
(34:20):
on right now In terms of peaceand how I've really embraced
that and working through it.
I think that I don't have anyanimosity to any of the people
that said those things in highschool and things like that.
I don't have.
I don't.
I'm not holding on to the past.
(34:42):
I think I am really focusing onletting go and letting be.
I know that sounds so clicheand cringe, but it's making me
really become at peace withmyself, at peace with people
(35:04):
that I interact with and reallyknowing that wherever one person
is in life is completelydifferent to where you're at and
you never know what otherpeople are going through.
Different to where you're atand you never know what other
people are going through.
So just not it's thatexpectation factor again, just
(35:24):
not having expectations onpeople, because then it just
leads to disappointment.
Kutloano Skosana (35:28):
This is Shades and Layers.
It's now time to get into thenitty gritty of podcasting with
my guest, lizzie Hudson, whohosts the Live to Thrive podcast
, which can be found on thepodcast player where you are
listening to us right now.
We also get into the shades andlayers rapid fire, so stick
around and find out what Lizzieis thinking in terms of writing
(35:49):
her life story and the blackwomen she admires.
Podcasting for healing, healing.
How do you meet otherpodcasters?
I know we met online, so do youhave, do you have, fellow pod
friends?
Lizzy Hudson (36:04):
no, and I really want to have fellow pod friends.
I think it would be cool to dolike a panel or something yeah
like you know, in podcast, yeah,it's even though we hate it.
We hate to love it, but socialmedia is where I find all my
podcast shows absolutely that'show I mean.
(36:26):
That's how I met you.
I've met another woman that hasher own podcast, which is also
just an apology particularlyherself, which I've like started
following and stuff.
And social media connects me toall my pod friends.
Kutloano Skosana (36:41):
Great, great.
And you know how are youorganized there.
I know you've got this website,or rather a link tree, right
where people can book to be aguest, and all of that, but you
know how are you organized interms of you know equipment.
Have you had a rough landingand learning curve as far as
(37:01):
getting into this space goes?
Lizzy Hudson (37:05):
yeah, it was pretty rough right at the
beginning, but no, I have myequipment, I have.
You can book through link tree.
But yeah, there's a link, itwill link you to my calendar.
You choose a time for screening.
I like to screen people, just tosee the fibers, because I'm
just interviewing random people,so I just want to make sure
(37:26):
that we know each other a littlebit before the podcast, and
then I'll send you a link to theactual podcast day, and then
I'll send you a link to where wemeet, which is Zencastle, which
is for podcasters, and then,and then we record, and I have
my little recording stationright here.
(37:47):
It's a big microphone, but thisis good for zoom, so I was like
, let me use this one so I haveall my equipment.
Kutloano Skosana (37:55):
That's all good yeah.
Lizzy Hudson (37:57):
But yeah, I do have everything.
Kutloano Skosana (37:59):
Yeah, and do you do all your own editing?
Do you outsource?
What's your setup there?
Lizzy Hudson (38:06):
Maybe I should get advice from you here.
Kutloano Skosana (38:09):
Oh my gosh.
Lizzy Hudson (38:10):
I do my own editing.
I did actually outsource tosomeone to edit and I paid them
a monthly fee, but I had to gointo to the podcast and re-edit
what they had edited becausethey would miss out certain
things because, like during apodcast, not everything flows
right you want to cut somethingout, but you have to make sure
(38:33):
that it makes sense.
So so I outsourced and I had toalways do that and I'm like I'm
doing more work than justsending my podcast to someone.
So I've just come to terms tojust editing and producing it.
I mean, I still have a lot tolearn with editing and I edit on
on GarageBand, which is supersimple and it comes on the
(38:57):
laptop, and I haven't gotten anycomplaints yet, so I guess
that's a good sign.
Kutloano Skosana (39:05):
It's always a good sign.
How do?
Lizzy Hudson (39:08):
you edit yours.
Kutloano Skosana (39:10):
Yeah, so I use a platform called Hindenburg.
That's because I'm an audiofirst podcast and because I do
have a background in radio.
Editing is something that I didprofessionally for a long time,
so it's it's quite easy for meto work with the platform.
You know, listen in, chop,change etc.
(39:30):
So yeah, so that that's that'sbeen working for me, and then I
just, you know, send it out viabuzzsprout and then.
I'm out on all the yeah it's mydistribution, yeah, channels,
yeah yeah, and then you know, asyou can see, I've got my little
booth here, which is literallya cupboard that my husband and I
(39:52):
kind of kitted out with.
You know, these pads, yeah, thesoundproofing pads, and yeah,
little decoration and yeah,thank you.
It's the simplest setup underthe sun.
My table is not even big enoughfor a mug of coffee, it's just.
Lizzy Hudson (40:09):
Well, I can't see that, which is a good thing, but
yeah, I love it, I love it.
And your podcast is weekly.
Kutloano Skosana (40:19):
So I do seasons and I usually have eight
to 10 episodes per season andmore or less the episodes tie
together their themes.
You know, and you'll find thatthe majority of episodes in one
season is fashioned and I alwayshave an ongoing conversation
about beauty, beauty standards,hair, etc.
(40:41):
All the issues that affectBlack women, but mostly because
I find that these are the spaceswhere Black women have found
freedom and are thriving.
It's in service to ourselves,so I always make sure to amplify
that.
Whether you have a small batchproduction that makes skincare
(41:01):
or you know hair care, I alwaysmake room for those episodes in
a season.
I'm founded in the belief thatwe all learn through stories
Like if you think about it.
The first thing you know yeah,it's stories, fairy tales and
whatever folk tales, whetherit's from your grandma telling
(41:21):
you stories or reading in a book, etc.
Yeah, our, our life lessonscome from stories.
Yeah, so, in terms of episodes,how many do you do?
Do you do weekly?
Is it an open, ongoing thing?
Lizzy Hudson (41:37):
I used to just do interviews, but I think that in
between interviews I do apodcast of like a learning that
I've done.
I did one about impostersyndrome, I did one about
leveling your mindset, and so Ibreak it out between like
interviews and me, and then Iliterally do about also eight to
(42:03):
ten episodes a season.
But I'm trying somethingdifferent this, this season.
I want to see how like far Ican get, just consistently just
putting episodes out.
I don't have themes.
My theme, my constant theme, ismental health and your story
(42:24):
and then and also just how youovercame like hard situations in
your life, and then also verymuch it's mostly women in
business.
It's mostly women in business,women that, have you know, had
different experiences, maybemade a book, tv shows like yeah,
(42:44):
so it's just, it's justeverybody and anybody that has a
good story to tell andcontributes to my mental health
theme.
Kutloano Skosana (42:54):
Right, that's great.
So where do you want to take it?
Lizzy Hudson (42:57):
Good question.
If I'm looking into the future,like, do I want to be like a
huge podcast?
That would be great.
I think that would be myultimate goal, where I could
just podcast every day and likeevery day and meet different
people.
I think that's the the ultimategoal, but I also know that it's
(43:19):
just so much work you'd have todo it full time and there's no
money in podcasting.
Kutloano Skosana (43:26):
I mean, yes, you get little advertisements
here and there sure but it'sjust like I can't pay my
mortgage yeah, you have tofinance it some other way, right
?
Yeah, yeah no absolutely so Ialways do a rapid fire also with
all my guests and uh yeah.
So three questions.
First one what would you callyour memoir and why?
Lizzy Hudson (43:50):
what I would call my memoir.
I think it would just be verysimple, just the life of lizzie
or something like that, or maybeovercoming adversity.
I don't know, I don't know, butthose are the options or live to
thrive Uh-huh, I'm kidding andwhy?
(44:10):
I think it would just betouching on how, no matter where
you come from in this life, betouching on how, no matter where
you come from in this life, youhave the option to really
thrive and make a life that youwant.
I think that we get.
I've been in this situationwhere I get stuck in feeling
(44:32):
sorry for myself, so I think mymemoir would be about my life
story, about losing my mom at ayoung age, getting adopted into
a Y family, moving to boardingschool and coming to America on
my own.
Lots of turns and things havehappened in my life that have
(44:54):
been scary and I think it's justto tell people that, no matter
where you come from, you can doit.
Kutloano Skosana (45:01):
Yeah, awesome, and let's take that book and
turn it into a film.
Who would you pick for the leadactress?
Lizzy Hudson (45:09):
I feel like Gabrielle Union.
Oh, nice yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (45:12):
I can see the resemblance, yeah, yeah.
And the last one is whichfamous black woman would you
invite to dinner, living or dead, and why?
Lizzy Hudson (45:21):
First name came up as, like, rosa Parks, but I
don't know.
I think I want to change itthough, so what?
Kutloano Skosana (45:29):
famous woman.
Yeah, which famous black womanwould you invite to dinner, and
why?
What's her?
Lizzy Hudson (45:42):
name, that's from Empire, Taraji P Hansen.
Yes, Cookie, yeah, cookie,taraji, I love her, and Viola
Davis too.
So but I think I would want tomeet Viola Davis and I would
love to love her to take me outfor dinner, because I have no
money.
So she and I would love to talkto her about just her acting
(46:05):
career, because I know thatshe's gone through a lot in
regards to her acting career andstuff like that with not paying
, being paid enough as otherwhite actresses and things like
that and I also would love topick her brain on all her her
characters, like my favoritecharacter is from artsy getaway
(46:27):
with murder.
Kutloano Skosana (46:28):
I love her in that oh my god, and Analise here
and at least yeah, oh my gosh,yes, that was one scary woman.
Lizzy Hudson (46:36):
Yep, Yep.
So that's who I would.
I would want to chat to.
Kutloano Skosana (46:42):
Yeah Cool, that's fantastic.
So where can people find you ifthey want to connect and work
with you or you know, just sayhello.
Lizzy Hudson (46:52):
You can say hello to me on on my course page,
which is Live2ThrivePod, so it'sL-I-V-E-T-O-T-H-R-I-V-E-Pod,
p-o-d, so you can follow methere.
Kutloano Skosana (47:08):
Fantastic, and that is all from me this time
around.
Thank you for listening andthank you for recommending
Shades and Layers to yourfriends.
For a link to Lizzie Hudson'swork, please visit the show
notes While you are there.
Please do a girl a favor byrating and reviewing Shades and
Layers so that others can findus.
Five stars would be amazing.
(47:30):
Thanks so much for your support.
As always, I'm Guduanus KosanaRitchie and until next time,
please do take good care.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.