Episode 76
Teen Mom To World Traveler | LAYC 76
I'm beyond thrilled to share with you this inspiring episode of "Teen Mom to World Traveler," where I'll take you on a captivating journey through my life's adventures. It's been an incredible ride, from being a young farm girl to becoming a world-traveling entrepreneur, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.
Let's rewind to my younger years, when I was just 16, a high school graduate from a small-town in a rural area. I had this burning desire to escape and find my place in the world, so with one suitcase and a mere $75 in my pocket, I set out on a brave adventure. Little did I know, life had some unexpected surprises in store for me.
But you know what? I decided not to let anything hold me back. I embraced the challenges ahead with determination, knowing that there was no turning back now. My upbringing in a farming community and the wisdom instilled by my entrepreneurial parents played a crucial role. Work ethic, reliability, and resilience became my guiding stars as I transformed from a teen girl to a strong, independent adult, and eventually, I took charge as the CEO of my own life.
Throughout my journey, I had the privilege of witnessing the incredible power of helping and supporting others, and that gave birth to my "Lift As You Climb" philosophy. I learned that the more we lift ourselves up, the more we can support those around us, and the more we grow in our own competence and confidence.
So buckle up, my friends, as we follow my transformation from a teen mom to a world traveler. Get ready to step out of your comfort zone, embrace opportunities, and embark on your own adventure of growth and self-discovery. I'll see you at the airport as we take off to experience the wonders of the world together. Let's make every moment count!
About the Host:
Isabel Alexander
Your Next Business Strategist and Transformation Catalyst
Dynamic, a self-made entrepreneur who overcame obstacles with an unrelenting positive nature, a farm girl work ethic, and a conscious choice to thrive rather than survive, Isabel Alexander cultivated an award-winning, $10+ million global chemical business and grew it from dining room table to international boardrooms.
Isabel’s strengths include the ability to initiate and nurture strategic relationships, a love of lifelong learning and talents for helping others maximize their potential. An inspiring speaker within both industry and community, she is a driving force behind those with the courage to follow her example of thriving against the odds.
With 50+ years of business experience across diverse industries, Isabel is respected as an advisor, a coach, a mentor, and a role model. She believes in sharing collective wisdom and empowering others to economic independence.
Founder:
Lift As You Climb Movement (www.facebook.com/groups/liftasyouclimbmovement)
and
Chief Encore Officer, The Encore Catalyst (www.theencorecatalyst.com) – an accelerator for feminine wisdom, influence, and impact.
also
Author & Speaker ‘Who Am I Now? – Feminine Wisdom Unmasked Uncensored’ (www.IsabelBanerjee.com)
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/isabelalexanderbanerjee/
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Transcript
Hi, I recently declared I am the Encore Explorer, in addition to the many
Speaker:other titles that I've had on business cards and given myself over the years.
Speaker:This time, the Encore Explorer is the caption for the adventure
Speaker:that I'm about to embark on.
Speaker:On the eve of my 69th birthday, I am taking off to travel
Speaker:and work around the world.
Speaker:Now, that got me reflecting on other times in my life where
Speaker:I have embarked on adventures.
Speaker:Some of them were of my own choosing, and others had circumstances that were
Speaker:the catalyst for what I learned about, grew through survived from, and became
Speaker:more of me because this time I'm thinking back to a young girl graduating from a
Speaker:small town high school in a rural area.
Speaker:And shortly thereafter, packing up one suitcase and with $75 in her
Speaker:pocket, walked down the highway, itching to ride to her future.
Speaker:That, of course, was me.
Speaker:I was 16 and I was so over ready to leave home and leave behind a
Speaker:place that I just didn't feel like I belonged and didn't feel happy.
Speaker:Off I went, like a brave little camper, into the great big world, and it really
Speaker:was so much bigger than what I grew up in.
Speaker:Surprise, a few weeks after that courageous march out of home,
Speaker:I discovered I was pregnant,
Speaker:and I thought about it.
Speaker:And then I decided, there's no turning back, Isabel.
Speaker:You just gotta hitch up your big girl panties, and figure out how
Speaker:you're going to continue to support yourself, and now an impending family.
Speaker:Fortunately for me, because I did grow up in a rural area in a farming community
Speaker:and with fairly entrepreneurial parents, I had learned a lot about work ethic,
Speaker:reliability, dependability resilience.
Speaker:Commitment and figure it out as you go ness, and that's exactly what I did.
Speaker:All of those experiences were the catalyst for me growing up faster and
Speaker:transitioning from teen girl to adult to head of a family to CEO of my own life.
Speaker:This was also the beginning of the seeding of the Lift As You Climb philosophy in
Speaker:my life, and to this day, ultimately my lifetime legacy goal is to have
Speaker:the Lift As You Climb Foundation exist worldwide to help young women like
Speaker:myself with a hand up, And a warm, kind environment in which to grow and thrive.
Speaker:The fabulous thing about growing up in a farming community is I had a lot of
Speaker:opportunities to witness and prove to myself that people really do better.
Speaker:They thrive when they're helping each other.
Speaker:And that everyone has something to offer in terms of supporting and lifting others.
Speaker:And in doing so, I witnessed that they also grew themselves, grew in
Speaker:their own competency and their own confidence and their own capacity.
Speaker:To share and give more and to want to grow themselves.
Speaker:That was Lift as You Climb's origin.
Speaker:And I was so fortunate to, and I must say I was open to, the opportunity
Speaker:to meet people who had more skills, experience, savvy resources than I did.
Speaker:And to get employment with them and to learn and to grow along the way.
Speaker:All of this is.
Speaker:Probably what's giving me, the confidence to do it again and know that there's
Speaker:so much I don't know about heading out with a backpack and a portable
Speaker:office and traveling around the world.
Speaker:But I'm going to do it and I'd like to share all of this with you so that if you
Speaker:are at all curious about what it would be like to step out of your comfort zone
Speaker:and step into possibilities then you can take a look through my eyes and see what
Speaker:that does for you, and how you would do what I'm doing, or do something different.
Speaker:But The same in that we are expanding and stretching and growing, and we're
Speaker:choosing, we're making decisions to choose where to allocate our resources
Speaker:and the relationships that we can, we choose to maintain when we are together
Speaker:with them, or when we're in another time zone or a different part of the world
Speaker:. Over the years, I think so many things have happened for me and I've had the
Speaker:privilege because of my own business.
Speaker:So being exposed to quite a lot of the world.
Speaker:Certainly.
Speaker:There's so much more that I haven't yet, but I have been going to.
Speaker:I plan to continue to seek out those opportunities and move forward
Speaker:with getting to know other people and Thank you Experiencing other
Speaker:cultures and food and languages.
Speaker:I thought we can start today.
Speaker:If you're thinking about this, if you're thinking about your encore and just
Speaker:give you a couple of takeaways from my experience, or shall I say, from that
Speaker:young farm girl who became a mom at a young age, and that was the catalyst
Speaker:and the impetus for me to dive in.
Speaker:And figure out how to lift myself and build my own success ladders
Speaker:as we do when we left us recline.
Speaker:So my takeaways from that early adventure were that embrace where you're starting
Speaker:from, and I was starting from a what I thought was a very humble ignorant farmer.
Speaker:So I'd like to share some takeaways that young 16 year old farm girl
Speaker:would share with you herself and did with others along the way.
Speaker:And that is Embrace exactly who you are and where you came from, because
Speaker:that's the foundation of who you become.
Speaker:And out of that, embrace what you've learned and the strengths and
Speaker:the skills and the relationships.
Speaker:And of course, as in my case, you also get to choose not to do some of the
Speaker:things that you experienced yourself.
Speaker:Also, that lift as you climb means that lifting yourself enables you to support
Speaker:others, and the more that you refine your strengths and you grow, the more
Speaker:you have to give and share with others.
Speaker:And that doesn't mean that you have to have a lot of money or credentials.
Speaker:It means a willingness to be open and look and listen to what others
Speaker:need that you have, and to give that generously and without conditions also
Speaker:that through life now and then seeking a really holistic view of living between
Speaker:personal relationships and growth and career is very important for those
Speaker:of you that raised children and work.
Speaker:Do you know what I mean?
Speaker:There's always this constant struggle to keep up with everything and
Speaker:often criticizing ourselves that we aren't keeping it all in balance
Speaker:because you know what my friends, I don't believe that it is possible
Speaker:to live a perfectly balanced life.
Speaker:Because if that's the case, it's just flat, and your teeter totter is not
Speaker:going anywhere, and there is no movement.
Speaker:So knowing that there are some times the energy that you have is going into
Speaker:your career, or your business, and other times it's going into your own
Speaker:personal restoration and relationships.
Speaker:And be okay with that.
Speaker:And know that one supports the other without movement in your work
Speaker:life, there can be no reciprocating energy in your personal life.
Speaker:And I learned that the hard way as a failing superwoman many times.
Speaker:So the final part of this message is I invite you to come along
Speaker:with me on this adventure.
Speaker:And Be part of my orbit, part of my community, whether it's through the blogs,
Speaker:the podcasts, the YouTube channel, social media, because without a doubt, this
Speaker:is just the beginning of one adventure, which will flow into many others.
Speaker:And I would very much like to hear from you about what you'd like to
Speaker:know about the Encore Explorer, and maybe give me some suggestions about
Speaker:what to get out there and explore.
Speaker:I gotta get back to downsizing, packing, figuring out how I can get those suitcases
Speaker:under the airline's limits, and to make sure that I have all my technology figured
Speaker:out so that you and all the people I serve will be able to be in touch with me.
Speaker:Thank you for this time.
Speaker:Bye for now.
