Journal Profile: LisaBeth Thomas is a behind-the-scenes star
TV producer celebrates decade as co-founder of Texas Women in Business
ARNOLD WELLS / ABJ
I’ve been privileged to coach LisaBeth “LB” Thomas for over 10 years. While she’s always been dynamic, I’ve watch her grow through extraordinarily challenging times.
Within four months, she lost her 14-year business along with her house where her children grew up, and her mom passed away. Although she was homeless as well as financially and emotionally devastated, these experiences planted the seeds that later created her metamorphosis.
In the midst of other accomplishments, this year she harvested one of the fruits that grew from the soil of those hard times — her online course called Outwitting Fear. www.outwittingfear.com
While celebrating 10 years as a co-founder and current Austin chapter president of Texas Women in Business (TWIB), this month she was profiled on the front page of the Austin Business Journal.
When I interviewed her for this blog post, LisaBeth offered these kind words:
“Virginia, you’ve helped me get through these challenges and encouraged me to transform what I’ve learned to impact the world.
“Thank you. As my coach and friend for over 10 years, you’ve seen me through even when, after so many losses, I didn’t see the light at the end of many tunnels. I did the work, but you walked me through.”
“Let people know that they can get through their challenges, too.
“Source is our source.”
I’ve taken her online course, and I LOVE it! Outwitting Fear is a great value, too, because the process can be used repeatedly whenever challenges arise. We can discover and release core fears behind what’s holding us back.
From her website: “I want everyone to find freedom from fear as I did. So that they can have the life and success, and the opportunity to fulfill your dreams, the ones you’ve always had.”
You can watch LisaBeth’s video and find more inspiration by following this link: www.outwittingfear.com
Here’s the link to her Austin Business Journal profile:
This is how it begins:
By Patricia Rogers – Research Director, Austin Business Journal
Nov 5, 2020, 8:47am EST
A lot can happen in 10 years — just ask LisaBeth Thomas.
A decade ago, Thomas’s career as a film and video producer was in high gear. Her credits included a wide swath of work from movies like “Hope Floats” to TV shows “Real Life with Gerald Mann,” plus commercials like a campaign celebrating the 20th anniversary of Amy’s Ice Creams.
Referrals, such as from GSD&M to produce Anheuser-Busch commercials for the Keep Texas Beautiful recycling campaign, fueled growth that turned her little Austin production company, LBTJ, into a seven-figure agency handling everything from marketing to media buys.
But of her creations, she is most proud of being one of the original five founders of Texas Women in Business, a nonprofit women’s group dedicated to fostering personal and professional growth along with pooling resources to give back to the community through philanthropy. The group celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2020.
“[We] took the idea to 20 of our friends, and from there it grew to Houston and Lubbock — and 10 years later, we’re still here,” said Thomas, who is once again leading the charge as chapter president during its anniversary year. Collectively, the Austin chapter has donated more than $40,000 since its start.
For this special year, TWIB has partnered with the governor’s office and women’s groups across the state to create an awareness campaign and fundraiser to help fight human trafficking. The “Not On Our Watch|TX” campaign will culminate with an event at the Texas State Capitol next June.
Thomas is also rebuilding her life and her business after a 2015 divorce forced her to shutter the company and sell her home. Her mother also died around the same time, leaving LB — as Thomas is called by friends — devastated, homeless and jobless. She recalls keeping it all to herself and how liberating it was when she finally opened up about her struggles to the TWIB faithful and faced her fears.
“My identity was completely tied to the business, so I thought their love and respect for me was because of the business,” Thomas said. As she worked through her own insecurities, Thomas began to understand how much unconscious fears had sabotaged her and influenced her actions. Thomas has taken what she has learned from her own journey and turned it into a motivational program to help others called Outwitting Fear.
Now, Thomas sees herself as a corporate dropout, preferring instead to pursue opportunities on her own. Thomas is producing again. She calls herself The Big Cheese and her new production company is called Big Cheese TV.
What productions are you working on now? Right now, I’m working with a technology company and we are creating the first “shoppable” hunting and fishing show. You literally can watch the video and click any item you see and are able to read about it or buy it right then. It is very cool.
What are your three favorite productions you had a hand in? “Hope Floats” with Sandra Bullock. Montana Rib & Chop House, we flew Pat Green up to Montana to shoot the commercial — so fun. Grand Roatan Caribbean Resort, we shot Conni Reed of Consuela at the resort. She was being photographed for the cover of Austin Woman Magazine so we did some behind-the-scenes footage and also created commercials and videos for the resort while we were at it.
I have to add a fourth. We produced all of Amy’s Ice Creams 20th anniversary commercials and we had a blast.
What do you like most about your career? I love producing. I have a gift of seeing what’s in the client’s head and creating a film strip in my mind and then bringing it to life.
What has helped or hindered your career? Creating long-lasting relationships has been instrumental. What hindered me is thinking I could do it all. So, when my husband/partner and I divorced, I should’ve gotten someone to handle the operations and let me do what I do best. I thought I could do it all and that impacted my creativity.
What inspires you? Seeing people go for it. We all have setbacks, but what inspires me is when someone turns that setback into something life changing for them or for others. Or when they face their fears or hurts, that’s when you heal.
How would you describe your management style? Making sure everyone feels valuable and what they say or do matters.
How do you start your day? A cup of French-pressed coffee, about 15 minutes by myself in the courtyard then David and I do devotions. Even if I’m traveling, we call and do them together.
Search Results for “LisaBeth Thomas” – Austin Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Titles: Owner and founder, Big Cheese TV; co-founder and current Austin chapter president, Texas Women in Business
Age: 61
Hometown: Stevensville, Michigan
Family: Three children, Sarah, 37, Paul, 28, and Kacey, 27; four grandchildren
Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Central Michigan University; studied at Lee Strasberg School of Dramatic Arts in New York City
Phone: (512) 923-4574
To read more: https://bizj.us/1q7d0i
| If you’d like help transforming your challenges into successes, contact Virginia for a free consultation at: virginia@soulgoals.com I work with people who choose to share their gifts or business in a BIGGER way but don’t know how, feel stuck or could use new tools or support. I help them ignite their Soul’s goals and be richly compensated doing what they love. |
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