I went to Cambridge University for a year. It didn’t work out. I left by mutual agreement. I’m glad I went; my family were pretty serious about my education and I would always have wondered, “What if?” if I hadn’t. Afterwards I went to Bath, where I had a fantastic time and got on well. I learnt that your dreams aren’t always in the places where you think. Now I like to look around, wherever I happen to be, rather than drive myself forward all the time.
I hope I would have found my way into psychology and hypnotherapy. That whole field – the human brain, and how it’s programmed; how we program ourselves and mis-program ourselves – it’s even more fascinating than programming computers. There are so many things we take for granted about the way we think and the nature of our consciousnesses, and we’re so often wrong about those things.
What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?
My biggest challenge is my energy, both physical and mental. I get tired if I’m training or coaching all day. Realising that has helped me recognise the need to only work part of the time, and take some time out for myself. That’s made me more effective when I’m working, which has allowed me to earn higher rates, which lets me take time out. I look back on what it was like to do this five days a week, and how much I was just floundering, and I laugh.
What drives you?
My parents have been a big influence on my life, particularly my mum. I’ve always wanted them to be proud of me and what I do. More recentlyI’ve driven myself. I feel a responsibility to my communities because of the Pask award, and because I’m privileged to hang out with some amazing people who have amazing ideas and are too busy to spread them
to everyone else. London is a wonderful place in that respect. Maybe London drives me.
I wrote a fantasy fiction book in my early twenties. I even sent it out to agents and got some positive feedback, but no takers. Lots of people say “Oh, I’m going to write a book”, and if – when! Dan North and I finish the BDD book, that will be an even bigger achievement, but I have already done it once.
- Fiction: Surface Detail, Iain M. Banks
- Non-Fiction: Management 3.0, Jurgen Appelo
“What’s the secret to eternal happiness?”
Real Options. Having choices, and living your life in a way which keeps giving you more choice, is wonderfully freeing and leads to some surprising outcomes. My next challenge is to be ready for anything, while travelling light – I still have a very big suitcase!
Chris Matts. I’d love to see his answers to some of these questions. His perspective on life and people is unlike anyone else’s I’ve come across, and some of his ideas are phenomenal – Real Options is only one of them.
6 comments on “Who is Liz Keogh (@lunivore) ?”
Liz, I get really exhausted on the rare occasions where I do training or coaching, I thought that meant I wasn’t very good at it or that it wasn’t the right work for me. It never occurred to me that it might mean I should just take some time off to recover from that and have energy to do it again, though now that you said it, that seems obvious! I always think people like you who are such gifted teachers and presenters actually gain energy from doing those activities, it makes me feel better somehow that you find it tiring too.
Your interest in human nature and how we think explains why your conference sessions resonate so much with me – you are not just addressing what we do at our professional jobs, but a more wholistic approach, I think.
Liz,
Everytime I hear you you surprise me. You have written a fiction book. What lovely.
It totally fits with who you are.
y