Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum. 

We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. Welcome to Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, the podcast where we stop playing small, start calling things out, and actually do something about it. I'm your host, Erica Rooney, executive coach, speaker, and a little bit of a movement maker, and I'm on a mission to get more women into positions of power and keep them there. Because let's be honest, we've been told to lean in but not too far, to speak up but not too loudly, to be ambitious but somehow still likable. And y'all, we're done doing that.

This is the space where we break it all down. The sticky floors, the ceilings, and the gaps that are shaping who gets ahead, especially in this next era of AI and leadership. Some of it's mindset, some of it's burnout, and some of it is the system working exactly as it was designed. Either way, we're not staying stuck in it. Each episode is your nudge to move.

One decision, one shift, one bold step forward. No overhauls, y'all. No waiting until you feel ready. Just real momentum. So if you're ready to think bigger, move smarter and build power on your own terms, you're in the right place.

Let's smash the ceilings and close the gaps. Today's conversation, y'all, it is with somebody who I am super pumped to have on the podcast. It is a woman that I deeply admire and one of my closest friends. I've got Liz Prochaska on the podcast, and she is someone who knows what it means to have your life change in an instant and what it takes to keep going even when the path in front of you looks like nothing you would have ever planned. Now over the last year, Liz has walked through an incredibly difficult season, one that I think has asked more of her than it has asked of most people in the entire world.

But what I admire the most about Liz is that she has not only made it through, but it's how she has continued to keep showing up as a mother, as a woman, as a friend, as a human who is having to rebuild her life in real time. And she has done this with grit, with humility, with courage, and an incredible amount of heart. So y'all, Liz has built a career in recruiting, leadership, and business, and now she is stepping into a completely different chapter, one that is rooted in resilience, resourcefulness, and doing what it takes to move forward. Her story isn't just about hardship, but it is about identity rebuilding and what it takes to really begin again when you never asked for the reset. So, Liz, welcome to the podcast. I'm so pumped.

Liz: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Erica: Oh my gosh. So Liz and I have known each other unknowingly since 2020 when she was my son's one of his first baseball coaches, but we just realized that. And so, gosh, we've known each other for now, what, four, five years?

Liz: Yeah. I feel like it's been forever, though.

Erica: It has been forever. So for people who are just meeting you in real time today, what is this season of your life?

Liz: Yeah. So I am a single mom of two boys, Banks and Brooks. They're six and 10. And I am trying to build a business. I mean, I'm just recreating myself completely. I'll be 40 this year. Which is crazy to think about. And, yeah, I left corporate, and it's been about a year now in Liz-B-Mowing.

Erica: Alright. So tell me real quick, what is Liz-B-Mowing? We're not gonna get into how it came to be yet, but I just wanted to lay the groundwork of what we're doing today.

Liz: Yeah. So Liz-B-Mowing is a woman owned and operated landscaping company. And so I do everything from basic lawn mowing and maintenance all the way up to full hardscape and softscape installs.

Erica: Yep. And you are leading the world on Instagram. I see it all over there. So follow her there. But alright. We didn't always start there, and you and I connected because we were both in the HR world. And so we're obviously this is a complete left turn from HR.

Liz: Yeah.

Erica: When you think about the last year, what feels most true about what you've lived through? Kind of talk about the last year, what's happened, and, you know, this is how Liz-B-Mowing came to be.

Liz: Yeah. So I started in, obviously, corporate. I was with the same company for fifteen years straight out of college. And I started out as a recruiter. I had no idea what I wanted to do after I graduated college with a business and HR degree. Started out in recruiting. I worked my way up to leading teams across the country recruiting in semiconductor. So high-tech, and then it went boom. Life went boom, and it slapped me in the face very hard. I'll share my story if that's okay.

Erica: Yeah.

Liz: So let's see. 01/22/2025. Yep. So it's been a little over a year now. It was a snow day, a fake snow day, I call it, in North Carolina. Just a little bit enough to cancel.

Erica: I was gonna say, which non-snow day was this?

Liz: I know. And, yeah, I remember it all too well. So I had just bought my boys a golf cart for the three of us for Christmas a couple weeks earlier. So we had about three weeks, and we had been hanging out with their best friends in our neighborhood, drove the golf cart down because there's no ice or anything on the streets. And we spent the day sledding with them, and then, you know, I was working from home like moms do, multitasking. Gotta check that email. Gotta be on these Zooms. So I was on it along with the other two moms. They're working, have my computer up and everything. Took a break after our call, and the boys wanted to go get some toys and baseball cards for my house. So we all jumped on the golf cart. Now, obviously, there was five kids. So what do you do? You leave out the little siblings, or you take them with you? And so I had the consent of both the parents, and we jumped on the golf cart. And I buckled four in, and I had one with me on my lap, and we just went like we do all the time down to my house.

Erica: All through the neighborhood.

Liz: All through the neighborhood. So we rode to the house, rode back. My favorite thing to do was teaching them how to properly drive, and all the rules of the road. And as we're coming back, something tragic happened. We were coming around a roundabout, and the child kind of jerked the wheel. And I tried to overcorrect, and we went down. So, there was a golf cart accident. I mean, I like to tell this story because it could happen to anyone. Now back up just a little bit. It was a work from home day, snow day. I'm not gonna hide the fact. I had one to two White Claws. So did the other moms. No big deal. I was not impaired, but that's important to the story. And so I went down. The children were, thank god, totally fine. No scratches. Nothing. No one had to go to the hospital. Unfortunately, I got pretty hurt with my arm, but my biggest concern when it happened was the kids. So got all the kids out. Other than being obviously shaken up, they went to get help, and every child was okay. And that's all I care about.

Erica: Yeah.

Liz: I was not okay. I injured my arm pretty badly, my left arm. I had to get multiple surgeries, and I don't have feeling in a lot of my hand, but that's okay. I'm here, and I have an arm. The worst part about it though, and why Liz-B-Mowing came to happen, we're getting there.

Liz: We're getting there. Sorry for the long story. But, obviously, the police and ambulance came. And that day ended with me in the hospital room in triage. My neck's in a neck brace laying on a stretcher, and I am getting handed nine charges. Nine criminal charges from what I thought was a seamless golf cart accident, or golf cart ride turned accident. The children were okay. I was thinking, what's the problem? What's the problem here? Let's total the golf cart, get me some medical help, and we're gonna be okay. Their parents were supportive of me, worried about me. Everything was fine. And, yeah, they would have arrested me that day, for a suspected DUI. So my charges were five counts of child abuse.

Erica: Yeah.

Liz: That one hits hard. The hardest one for me. DUI, failure to register, all those little things.

Erica: Yeah.

Liz: But, yeah, nine criminal charges. So my parents are sitting there with me thinking the person who had never gotten in trouble my whole life in the world. I haven't even had a speeding ticket, going, what in the world? My mom actually thought the cops were outside, checking on me. Bless her. I love her to death. So, yeah, I went through my surgeries and everything came out, and I was still on pain meds and two days post surgery meeting with a criminal lawyer in downtown Raleigh. I was told not to tell my company what happened, which is so weird to me because I'm somebody of honesty.

Erica: Yeah.

Liz: And I said, I'll just tell them the story. And my boss at the time was like, no. You can't. You can't because HR. And I'm like, what? What do you mean? This is an accident? And lo and behold, I was told by the judge that there are no accidents in life. So I think that's funny how you think about it. So that's what we're teaching our kids, that there's no accidents in life. But, really, if you think about it the other way, I think there aren't any accidents in life because what I came to find out is, you go through everything for a reason, and that led to my resiliency. So fast forward, I did end up losing my job, same company for fifteen years. I exited that, and I was left with two little boys, a single mom, and a house and a mortgage and all these bills to pay.

Erica: And no income.

Liz: No income. Charges pending. No income, legal pending charges, no insurance for me or them. And I had no idea the fight that was about to start for the next year of my life. So you were involved in that. I mean, you came to see me right when I got home. Oh, and to add on top of that, as if that's not enough, with child abuse charges, obviously, as they should, CPS was at my door thirty minutes when I got home from the hospital. So it was a lot. It was a lot. And, all of that seems like a blur now, and we're out of it, and we're good, and we're thriving. But at the time, it was a lot.

Erica: So I just, I remember I was on a vacation, and I came home, and I was laying in bed as I do, scrolling, doom scrolling my Facebook, and I see the news article.

Liz: Yeah.

Erica: And it didn't say your name in the headline, but I saw the golf cart, and you'd driven over to my house earlier to show me the golf cart. So I was like, oh my god.

Liz: Yeah.

Erica: And I just had this immediate sinking feeling. And sure enough, I scrolled, saw your name. And I immediately ran out and told my husband. And, I mean, for me, it was like, I've gotta do something. Because I know who you are at your core. And I knew that, holy shit, she needs more support than ever. So that's when I immediately drove over to your house and brought food, all the good things. And this is where we started talking about Liz B.

Liz: We did. And you, I have to thank you, because you seriously, I don't know if you know what you did to me, from the minute I met you. But through that, it was insane, the connection that you just, you were real. You were like, listen. This isn't gonna define you. You're good now. We're gonna have our little moment. I think that you told me that. We're gonna have our little pity moment, but we're gonna pick ourselves up and we're gonna move forward because you're gonna do something out of this. And I don't know if you know what you're gonna be in a year, but this is gonna be a blip, and there's a reason you went through this. And you were the first person to say that to me. And so I thank you for that, because you actually are the reason Liz-B-Mowing happened.

Erica: So was Liz-B-Mowing a joke first?

Liz: A total joke. So, literally, I did not know where my money was gonna come from. I didn't know what I was gonna do. We even talked about what, I have to rent my house out and move in with my parents. As an almost 40 year old, I'm like, that's not even an option. I love you guys, but I'm supposed to be taking care of you. And my friend, I was at her house and her next door neighbor was moving to Wilmington and said, I don't know what I'm gonna do with my grass. I'm gonna have to drive back up here every two weeks. And I was like, I'll cut your grass for you. And he's like, you will? I said, yeah. $30. Literally. He was my first client. Thank you, Neil and Becky, so much. First client. And I realized how much I liked it. So $30. That was my first client for Liz-B-Mowing. And you, we were joking when I told you about that. And so you ChatGPT'd me a logo right up, and I think it started with Liz B Mowing. And we said, let's soften it a little bit for clientele. But, yeah, you're the reason that my company got built.

Erica: It is a thriving business today. I love it. I mean, y'all I see her all over the gram. She's everywhere. But I'm gonna take us back a little bit to being in the thick of it.

Liz: Yeah.

Erica: Right? Because I think this is the part that people don't talk about, that other people don't wanna think about because it is really uncomfortable. And I think the thing that is probably the hardest about your situation is that it could have happened to anyone. And when I think about it, it's like, what are you even talking about? She's having CPS show up at her door. She's trying to protect her children, and this is what's coming for her. So when you think about your lowest point trying to be in the middle of all of that before Liz-B-Mowing was really born, how did you find, I guess, just the ability to wake up every day and be a mom and get these kids dressed and ready for school and everything that had to happen?

Liz: Yeah. So Banks and Brooks are my driving force. They're the reason for everything. And so I just knew that it wasn't an option to give up. It just wasn't. And my parents, my parents and my brother are really critical of who I am and the reason I am who I am, and they're very positive people. And, of course, growing up in the South, I listened to one of your other podcasts the other day. It was like, don't share too much. And I had to warn my parents today, this is the first time I've shared my story, and I'm gonna go all in. And, you know, their fear is they don't want people to judge you, but I have a different view on that. And, my dad had always told me growing up, do your best and a little bit more. That's what we said every day of my life. Do your best and a little bit more. So what does that even mean? You're told that, but you're not taught how to do it. And, in my lowest point, which was multiple points over that year, I would be crying on the bathroom floor by myself. I never let my kids see that. Well, I just decided to be honest with them. And so they didn't understand. Their friends who were on the golf cart didn't understand. Why am I in trouble? I didn't do anything wrong. The kids, if I could've sent the kids to court to be my witnesses, I would've gotten out with nothing. No convictions, because they were like, Miss Liz, it was just an accident. And I'm like, you're right. It was. But I take responsibility. Could I go back in time? I wouldn't have had that many children on there. That wasn't as safe as it should be, and all these things. And I wouldn't have had some alcohol in my system and things like that. And so it was an accident, but I've been honest with my kids about the entire time. I think it's built resiliency in them. And I just knew that it wasn't an option to give up. And so when I felt at my lowest, I tried to think there's a reason that I'm going through this. There is a reason. I don't know what it is now, but maybe my story can help someone else. And since I've gone through this, I've heard of three other accidents. Same situation, DUI, child abuse. And so I've tried to reach out to those people because they're gonna need someone. I mean, I went from my lawyer in the court, immediately, said you're going to thirty days of rehab.

Erica: Hey there, listeners. If you have ever felt like you're stuck in a place, held back by self doubt, perfectionism, or that pesky inner critic, you're not alone. We all face those sticky floors that keep us from reaching the heights we dream of. But guess what? It's time to shatter those limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors to uncover infinite possibilities.

Erica: My book, Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, is your ultimate guide to smashing through barriers, overcoming limiting beliefs, and stepping into your full potential. This book has been endorsed by none other than the great Mel Robbins, best selling author and motivational powerhouse. It's also been featured in Success Magazine, so you know it's packed with insights that work. Inside, you'll find real life sticky floor stories, practical strategies to help you navigate your own sticky floor moments, and a whole lot of inspiration to keep you climbing. This isn't just a book. It's your road map to success, confidence, and freedom. Grab your copy of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors today at www.ericaandersonrooney.com. Whether you're in the boardroom, the classroom, or just starting out, this book is for you because no one, and I mean no one, deserves to stay stuck, no one deserves to feel small, and you have glass ceilings to shatter. Let's do this.

Liz: I don't care that you're not an alcoholic. You're gonna go to rehab. You're gonna go through child abuse classes. I went through every Wednesday night from six to nine. I spent time with my ten other child abuse charged individuals. Met some wonderful people. Some that were in the same boat as me and some that should be in there. I went through Alcoholics Anonymous classes. I mean, I did the whole nine yards for all of that year, and I'm thankful for that. I learned things that I didn't know, and some could have looked at it and thought, god, why do I have to do this? I'm a victim, or, god, I must be a really bad person to have to do this. And instead, I chose, I don't know how, but I chose to look at it as I get to do this. This could be so much worse. And so I'm going through this. I'm gonna go all in. I'm gonna learn what I can to hopefully meet some amazing people who are also in probably worse seasons of life than I am, and maybe I can change their life while they change mine. And that's what I've done. And so I'm looking at it in the sense of I've reconnected with a ton of people who I went through these classes with. My teachers have me come back and speak to them. And I just think that a moment in time shouldn't define the rest of your life. And I think that we can teach others that, because mental health is a real thing right now, and I'm no stranger to that. I've struggled with depression and anxiety my whole life. I am, I'm gay. You know that. So shocker, Liz-B-Mowing, and rainbow. That's what it's for.

Erica: It's a full owned identity branding situation, and we're all here for it.

Liz: We're in it.

Erica: So what you're getting.

Liz: Yeah. I mean, I'm no stranger to that. I came out at 14, and I went to Leesville High School. No one was out at that time. You didn't talk about that. It's very taboo, which seems so crazy now.

Erica: That was only that long ago.

Liz: Yeah. But I'm no stranger to being the first to do things, or walk my own path. But, I came out early. I got married when it wasn't even legal in North Carolina, so I went rogue with that. We had our children, Banks and Brooks, my ex wife and I, and had to adopt our own children, because in North Carolina, the non-bio parent has to adopt, which involves social services and investigating you. Why do you wanna adopt your own child? Things like that. So I'm not a stranger to having to go through hard things and emotional tolls. But I will say, I thought my divorce was the hardest thing that I'd ever been through. And, no, that was like a cakewalk compared to what I've been through this last year. And, I mean, I guess I should mention that they're not pending anymore. So we went through the whole trial and everything, and I'm past it. I ended up getting, they would not let me off with the child abuse thing, so I got contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Obviously, they proved that I was not impaired. It was a point zero four, so half the legal limit.

Erica: But let's talk about that, because I learned something. In the state of North Carolina, if you even have anything in your system and you have a child in the car, it is the worst level DUI in the state of North Carolina. And what I find fascinating about that is, go to any restaurant on a Friday or Saturday, or go to brunch on a Sunday. And how many families do you see out where somebody has one mimosa?

Liz: Oh, absolutely. I mean, let's be real. The world now is, we have baseball get togethers at breweries. That's where we go for end of year celebrations. Right? And, I mean, that's the culture we live in. After 2020, that's what it was built. These breweries pop up. It's family friendly. They have fields for kids to run in. The parents are having a beer too, and they're talking or whatever. And one or two might turn into three. And you leave to go home, and you feel fine. And literally, and what I tell people now is it's not even you.

Erica: You may.

Liz: You may feel okay. But what if somebody taps you? What if you hit a deer on the way home? I mean, something crazy. Right?

Erica: Please. Stop. Rear end you, and then you blow anything over in your, and that's why I say, this could happen to anyone. It could. You know, you were talking about people judging you. And I think when you look at everything on paper, right, nine charges. Horrible. Five kids in a golf cart. She absolutely is someone we should shun and shame and shouldn't be in this society. And I mean, that's why, again, I saw the Facebook post and, people who don't even know you are ripping you apart, dropping all sorts of things. And I just wanted to be like, excuse me. Have you ever had a drop of alcohol and gotten in a car? I'm sure you have. Most people have. And it's so easy to judge, I think. And we do that as a society, but I think your story especially is one to just highlight to people that good people get in these situations all of the time.

Liz: Oh, yeah.

Erica: And there's more context and there's more nuance than anyone could ever understand. And, you're talking about being in these classes with these people. And, sometimes those people are really struggling, and it does give you that ability to switch the perspective.

Liz: Yeah. And, I mean, what I learned too is, yeah, I take full responsibility. If I could go back to that day, I would change how I did things. Right? A hundred percent. But I think that's being real. And a lot of people feel that way. They just don't say it. But, yeah, that news article came out, and it made me look like a horrible person. It was like, Wake Forest mom, drunk, crashes with five children on golf cart, and injures all five. Two of those things were inaccurate. But that's the news for you. Right?

Erica: The news. Sensational.

Liz: That's how it is. They gotta bring people in. And so, but that alone, along with my charges, even though not convictions, have absolutely had the ability to ruin my life. My life and my reputation. I no longer can volunteer at my kids' school. I can no longer coach my kids' teams, which I loved, as I was your son's coach. I have a six year old. He's still young to be able to do that. And that honestly crushed me because I love kids. I love everything about kids and volunteering with them. So, honestly, that charge and conviction hurt me worse than anything. But the alternative was they wanted me to go to jail for multiple years with this conviction. That's crazy to me. And so I was thinking maybe just a little bit of time, but, no, years until my kids were teenagers. And I can't even fathom that. And so I think it's important. This is the first time I've told my story, but I think it's important. I think it's time. I've healed so much in the last year. The biggest one is I quit drinking from the day of the accident. So from January 22, I have not had anything to drink, and I'm gonna continue that, because it's not a judgment thing. Like you said, I don't judge anyone. Most of my friends do. But sobriety has been wild to me. And you know this. We've talked. It has made me open my eyes to be able to see and feel everything in life. And I experienced life almost like for the first time this last year. And it's like I'm present. I truly listen to people. I think not only sobriety and going through what I've gone through, but I got sober now in corporate, that it's almost like this life change was something that I didn't need it the way it happened, but I needed it. Because you and I talked for probably two or three years of knowing each other about me finding something else, finding my joy, leaving my job, and how could I do that exit strategy. And you helped walk me through it, and I just, you knew. I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready. I didn't know what would be next. And then life said, well, we got other plans for you. Boom. This is gonna happen to you, and then you're gonna sink or swim, and you're gonna figure it out. And I grabbed it by the bootstraps and knew that I had to do anything I could to make money and make my boys proud. And failure was not an option. So, I literally borrowed my dad's truck, took a push mower that I had residential, a blower, and a weed eater, and I started going around mowing lawns, for $30.

Erica: But now what kind of lawn mower we got?

Liz: Now we got us a John Deere. It's not new, but it's new to me.

Erica: Hey, girl.

Liz: And, girl, that thing, I can't imagine pushing lawns every day now. I mean, it's wild. I don't know where that willpower came from, but, boy, it was strong. And now I'm almost 40, and I'm feeling it. But I got my first trailer. I got my storage unit, a whole shop.

Erica: I mean, we've upgraded.

Liz: We're doing it now. We're a real company.

Erica: Strong social media presence. We're on our first podcast. I mean, woah.

Liz: Well, I have you to thank for a lot of that, and I appreciate you.

Erica: So, but Oprah says, life speaks to you in whispers. And if you don't hear it.

Liz: Mhmm.

Erica: Then it kind of becomes, a little heavier, a little hand, a little push, a little shove into the brick wall.

Liz: Yeah.

Erica: And I just think that that is so true. And when I think about the Liz that I knew who was stuck in corporate, who was miserable, who was responsible for having to do x, y, and z, I don't wanna say that life was hard. But you could definitely feel that there was just struggle. And then when I see the list that I have now in front of me, I mean, you look good. You're healthy. You are doing a job that lets you be around your boys whenever you want to. You get to schedule your own days, and you are showing them that it does not matter how hard life gets you down. You can always get back up and make something of it. And, when I look at your life pre-accident and now, I'm like, well, damn. She upgraded. She is living. And like you said, sometimes you have to go through it because I don't know where you would be today.

Liz: In the same place. I would, Erica. I would be in the same place, and I would be miserable. Literally, just that rat race of checking your email, and you gotta call somebody just to do it. And I just, I would be miserable. And you're not the first person to say that, as far as my energy is lighter. I have more energy. I'm excited about life, and I am. I think life, everybody's taught that life's supposed to look perfect. Life's supposed to be perfect. And when you go through hard things, you don't talk about it. And it's not. It's not supposed to be perfect. Life is supposed to be lived. And you're gonna go through hard stuff, but it's the story that you end up writing. And that's the story that you can live and tell. And that story will impact people in a way, negative or positive. And so why not try to make a positive impact on someone else? Because I feel like that's my way to give back. I've had so many people make a positive impact on me, that maybe somebody hears my story and it can change their life too. And, yeah, I don't know. I feel good, and I'm thriving.

Erica: I love it. Before we wrap up, tell me about your tattoo.

Liz: Oh, yeah. Okay. So funny story. I had never gotten a tattoo before, so I just went all in and decided I wanted a tattoo after what I went through. And I designed it with ChatGPT, my logo and my boys. So this is a tree root. The roots represent the hard parts, the fractures, all these fractures of what happened after my accident. So they're deeply rooted. They changed me, however they grew into beautiful flowers, and these are my boys' birth flowers. They picked them. And then the open delta right here just signifies that it's open. It's not closed. And so whatever you go through, you just keep moving forward in life, and that's why the arrow points up. I love it. Really important to me, and I love it. It's just a daily reminder. And then I wear this also. It says never look back, and I got this a week after my accident in one of my son's baseball training things. I said, I'm gonna steal this. And I haven't taken it off at all, and it was just my daily reminder when I didn't feel like I could get up again. It's not what's happened to you. It's where are you gonna go now. So live a good life. And now I'm ready to move on, and I'm ready to find someone to give this to. So I hope that I can pass that on to someone who needs that reminder.

Erica: I love that. And Liz is a girl's girl. That's why she also has her Hersey bracelet on, which me too. Look at that. I know.

Liz: I wear this every day since I got it too.

Erica: That's right. And if you don't know what her say is about, you better check out my LinkedIn. But, Liz, last question, best question. If you could go back in time and give the corporate Liz, right, and the Liz who's waking up in a hospital with cops surrounding her, here's nine charges, ma'am, what one piece of advice would you give her now that you're on the other side of this?

Liz: Yeah. Wow. That's tough. It's tough and easy at the same time. I would say to the corporate Liz, life's too short and you need to wake up. In the rat race of life, this doesn't matter. You're not fighting joy. Take some time to figure out what do you wanna do next and just pull yourself out of it and go live a life instead of letting life live you. And the Liz that was laying there, tears streaming down my face, thinking I have ruined my life forever, that this one moment in time, this one lapse in judgment is not gonna ruin your life. Don't let people ruin your life for you. It's the same thing, kind of connects. And you're gonna come out of this, and you're gonna come out stronger. You're gonna come out happier. You're gonna come out showing your boys that no matter what happens in your life, you're gonna be okay, and you determine your destiny. And now you're gonna come out with a new job that maybe I can leave to them, leave them a legacy one day.

Erica: Hey, girl.

Liz: So I'm excited for school to get out because I'm a put them to work. Hey.

Erica: And then you got a plus one, a little Bennett Ketchy who'd be ready to get his lawn mowing services going.

Liz: That's right.

Erica: Alright, Liz. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast. Your story, it's one of the most clearest as day examples of what it looks like to actually have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, not knowing where that's even leading. And I just think that it is so commendable how you picked yourself up and how you refuse to let something like this get you down. And you have literally just adjusted. You've found your tribe. You found your happiness. You've gained relationships. You've lost relationships, but I think it makes you a stronger woman, a better mother, and just an all around better human. So thanks for being here.

Liz: Thank you, Erica. For more than just this, thank you for being there. You change lives, and you need to know that too.

Erica: Oh, thank you. So thank you, girl. Thank you. If this episode resonated with you, don't let it stop here. Send it to a woman you care about, a colleague, a friend, someone who's been on your mind while you were listening. These conversations are meant to be shared, and you never know what one small shift can unlock for someone else. And if you haven't already, make sure that you're following the podcast. Leave a rating and write a quick review. It helps more women find this space, and it keeps these conversations going. If you're ready to go deeper, come a little closer. Send me a DM. I'll invite you to sit in on a live her collective session as my personal guest. No pressure. No strings attached. But you get to experience it, feel the room, and see what happens when women start moving together. Until next time, y'all keep going, keep choosing differently, and let's smash the ceilings and close the gaps.