Be Powerful with Liz & Lee

There is lots going on this season and it all shows up in this episode. We discuss a little bit of everything from studio news to supporting health and one another. Hilliard Studio Method is expanding into Winston-Salem and possibly several other cities as we continue to support and empower women and men. Health and gratitude reign large on our radar this month as we support breast cancer, St. Jud...

Everyone is going through a lot these days and it takes courage to bring it to the surface and start to dig through it.  Sometimes this untangling of thoughts and feelings is just what we need to find clarity and strength. In a departure from our usual episodes, Lee and I sit down to have an honest, hard conversation about the struggles of raising teenagers, navigating life as a single mom and fin...

This has truly been a whirlwind summer of travel and exciting changes for us, and last week was no exception as we flew to NYC to be on the Tamron Hall Show! In this episode, we're sharing all the details of our experience in the city, from being on the show, to our run-in with a hilarious celebrity and our favorite spots in NYC. We're also sharing our thoughts on the autumnal equinox and embracin...

Our society is obsessed with staying young but we keep getting older. How does a modern badass woman handle that? Growing older can't be stopped, but understanding our bodies using wisdom and strength is something that Liz (68 years young) has mastered. In this episode, Liz and Lee discuss the way Lee's body is changing at 43 years young and what this means as she creeps closer to menopause. We co...

Have you ever wondered what goes into owning and operating some of the BEST restaurants in Charlotte? I'd say it's our personal opinion that Supperland is the best, but Bon Appétit agrees, naming Supperland one of the "Best New Restaurants" of 2022! In this episode, we sat down with our friends and restaurateurs Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown of the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group , the minds b...

Big news!! Liz recently wrote an editorial piece for the Huffington Post, boldly titled "I Was Married to My Husband for 37 Years. Then I Fell In Love With My Best Friend." While you've heard some of this story on the podcast, this article is even more vulnerable and detailed than what she's shared on the show. In this episode, Liz reads an excerpt from the piece and dives into a discussion on why...

Climate change. Social injustice. Human rights. Every day we hear more and more news that paints a bleak picture of our futures. We know it's important to stay informed about what's going on in the world while staying on top of our busy personal lives, but how do we do this responsibly without harming our mental health? In this episode, we're sharing how we balance watching and processing the news...

This week we're back with a brand new, laid back episode piggybacking off last week's replay of "Living Out Loud." This week we're talking about loving out loud. Loving yourself, loving the people you surround yourself with, and how you can discover who you are and who you want to be. Plus, what we're currently reading and watching! Some key takeaways from this week's episode: Try this journaling...

We are throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes of the podcast, Living Out Loud, originally released in February 2021 but more relevant than ever! We're often led to believe we need to live smaller than who we really are, to fall in line, not "make waves," "ruffle feathers" and on and on. But when we try to fit in, we can sometimes sacrifice the unique beauty and purpose of why we are here...

It's been a while since we've talked in depth about Hilliard Studio Method on the podcast, but we have the most exciting update: we're expanding!! The pandemic tested our resilience, but we continued showing up for our community, and our community showed up for us. Now, we want to bring that exhilarating, supportive, and transformative in-person experience to more people while providing an amazing...

We're so happy to have our friend and fellow wellness expert on the show today! That's right, plastic surgeon Dr. Guarav Bharti, MD, FACS, joins us to discuss his perspective on the intersection of healthy living and plastic surgery. In this episode we want to remove the taboo of cosmetic surgery even further and have Dr. Bharti answer common questions about when someone might want to pursue it, w...

If you're listening to this interview on your podcast app of choice, you need to hop over to our YouTube channel to watch the animated, entertaining delight that is Philips Wood! Philips is one of our dear friends, and in this episode he's sharing his experience and opinions as a gay man growing up in the South. Plus, his favorite movies of the summer, refreshing cocktail ideas, and living in New...

This episode took a few tries to get just right… kind of like learning how to have great sex! In this episode, we're going there! We have some key points about learning your body, ditching the shame and guilt around enjoying sex, and talking openly about sex with our partners, friends, and kids. That's right, our kids deserve a safe space to talk about their bodies and learn about safe sex from th...

Do you ever think about how much our stories shape who we are? From the fun interactions we had in Italy to how Liz's dad modeled what a strong partner looked like, in this episode we're sharing the stories that have shaped us in childhood and adulthood and why it's so important for you to share your own stories. Oh, and we do have an in-depth discussion about how Tom Cruise has still got it. If y...

We are almost to the end of our adventure in Italy and wanted to share all the amazing experiences we've had and lessons learned so far! From our favorite places we've stayed to our favorite excursions, this is a casual chit chat to hopefully inspire your future travel plans. We've linked some of our favorite spots below!    Resources mentioned: Lucy Williams , our travel agent Villa Cora in Flore...

In light of Roe v. Wade being overturned on June 24th, we decided to record this episode. Liz is sharing her story of getting an abortion at age 17, in 1971, before Roe v. Wade was put into effect just two years later. As Liz says in the episode, this is a story of two strong women: a 17-year old with a bright future of impact and empowerment in front of her, and a strong mother that moved mountai...

It feels like summertime! We are sweating through this heat wave and counting down the days until our two-week trip to Italy! In this episode, we're sharing all the ways we're looking to find and add more mindfulness, adventure, and child-like wonder to our summer. Whether you're going on a luxury trip abroad or spending the summer at home, there are so many ways to find adventure wherever you are...

This week, we hosted our first ever LIVE in-person podcast recording at the studio! We had such an amazing group of women in the audience that shared their stories, questions, and lessons learned. We chatted about everything from the Be Powerful motto and when Liz realized it was a rallying cry, fears of aging and everything we've gained from getting older, and details of our coming out journeys t...

We got a ton of feedback on last week's episode, which was definitely more of a heavy hitter (though hopefully we still made you smile at some points!). This week, we're mentally preparing for vacation and discussing what we think is within our power to control when the world gets heavy. We truly believe if you put love, joy, and some patience out into the world, it can create an amazing ripple ef...

Just when you thought the topics we cover couldn't get more controversial… here we are! After the elementary school shooting in Texas last week, we had to record something about our thoughts around all the freedoms being challenged in the U.S. over the last few months. It's been a dark week, but after processing it we feel fired up and ready to share our feelings on abortion, gun control, racism,...

Is perfectionism holding you back? You might not think so at first, but so much of our headspace can be consumed by what others think of us, and the fears of others can seep into our own thoughts. But what if you were unapologetically fearless? Erin McDermott, the Owner & Designer of Erin McDermott Jewelry in Charlotte, is on the podcast this week to share her fearless and free upbringing that ins...

We are often raised to look at things as black or white, meaning we can put a clear and comfortable label on what we do, who we love, and how we live. But what if your love - or anything you do - isn't black or white, but shades of gray (no, not that shades of gray, just somewhere in the middle of black of white)? In this episode, we're sharing more of our coming out journey and how challenging it...

So many of us are out here forcing it. We're comparing ourselves to others, presenting a certain way on social media that isn't true to reality, and avoiding creativity because we know it won't be perfect on the first shot. In this episode, we're interviewing our great friend, artist, and entrepreneur Windy O'Connor on how to let that shit go so your authenticity can flow. We talk about how to qui...

Our self-expression can be impacted in so many ways, from how we're raised to the groups we spend time with. In this episode, we're exploring all the different ways we express ourselves, including Lee's transformation from Pollyanna princess to sexy sequin queen, and Liz's ability to speak her mind on a dime (Lee could never!). If you've been hiding your true self from the world, this episode is f...

People constantly ask us, "So… are y'all getting married?" And the short answer is, mind your business. Just kidding! We're open books here. Honestly, we're not sure yet! Marriage shouldn't be taken lightly, and we have a lot of thoughts on how society views marriage as the biggest way to "legitimize" your relationship. In this episode, we're diving into the topic of our relationship and how we fe...