Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother.
She is really my superhero.
That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities,
perspectives, and emotions about life.
Too many women in this world feel alone.
They worry about the judgment of others, and they struggle with their mental health.
But when they listen to the Rare Girls podcast where empowered women share their voices and
tell their stories, many women will feel inspired to live a life of freedom and to
overcome all their insecurities.
They will feel it is a safe space to find their confidence, to remember their unique
beauty and to feel their self-worth, and they will connect with the sisterhood of rare girls
who encourage their success and support their dreams.
That's what this podcast is all about.
My guest today is Isabelle Lippmann.
Izzy is a German girl who loves to travel.
She lived a year in the US, six months in South Korea, and now lives in Japan.
When she's not traveling, a good book takes her places she has never been before.
She likes to express her creativity in acting, writing, drawing, singing, cooking, and baking.
Izzy, how are you today?
Hi, I'm doing good. How are you?
I feel blessed. I feel very excited and energized by life and very curious about you as a person.
So I'll begin with this nice question.
If your friends could describe your personality, what would they say about you?
My friends would describe me as creative, as ambitious, and as hard-working.
I love those. I want to dive deeper. But one of the things I noticed since you love to travel,
you are creative, you have many, many varied interests, often someone like that would get
bored easily, and they're hungry for new experiences, so they want to discover more.
Is this what drives you and motivates you to try so many things, or what is the source
for all this desire to explore?
I feel like curiosity is definitely a big part of that, but I'm a people person,
so I love just meeting new people because I feel like through them I can make like
experiences. So definitely curiosity is just a big part of that, I would say.
I love that. I want to discuss that. But I remember very recently I read something related
to the psychology of maturity and people and it said that people who are curious
evolve so fast that their friendships or relationships often they outgrow them too
quickly and they keep losing people who are not growing because they're not as curious.
Did you experience that? Is that part of your life like the story of your being or is it different in
a different way? I would say that I pick my friends very wisely. I feel like somehow I've
got a very good grip on who do I like fit with as a person. So usually when I grow, they grow
with me. Maybe because of my experiences, maybe because of their experiences. Right now I'm in a
distance relationship with my partner and that's been going on for like more than a year now.
So I feel like in that regard I don't get bored easily. I also tend to come back to the people
I really care about but that means usually I know a lot of people and I get along with a lot
of people but I have a small circle of friends that I really care about and that I'm gonna keep
being in touch with. I love that. It's absolutely wonderful. At the same time, you said when you
grow other people, you bring them along to grow with you. Did you mean it in a sense that you're
more of a leader kind of person, that you lead relationships, you lead people into new experiences
or you're choosing people who are already on the path of growing and therefore it's all of
You are your own leaders or something.
What is your experience with that?
I would say I'm definitely unconsciously always leading, but I also I feel like some people
are not like in the right headspace to change and to experience growth.
So those are the people that I usually don't tend to get along with in the first place.
That's just why my influences, when I tell them stories, and I like to talk a lot,
so when I tell stories about my adventures, I feel like I also find new opportunities for my friends to get those new perspectives that I've gathered.
So that's just a great way to share what I've known.
I love that. You said you subconsciously lead.
Some people would call that like having high masculine energy.
And to some people that might not be comfortable, especially to some women,
they think, well, it's too much responsibility.
I don't want to be the one who's always in charge.
Sometimes I want to relax like I interviewed some dancers.
Let's say even Bachata.
They say, you know, to just flow with the emotions and just relax
and let someone else be the leader sometimes.
It can be a very healing experience.
What's your perspective on this?
Do you feel or believe?
I mean, of course, men, women, everyone has all energies,
masculine, feminine and all that.
Do you feel comfortable with masculine energy?
Is it your element or do you feel you have to do it
because otherwise nobody will step up?
Or what is to you then the energy of masculinity,
femininity, how do you balance both?
Well, I would say that I don't... I feel like I'm a good mixture between masculine energy
and feminine energy. When I notice that nobody is taking the lead and that a conversation
is not getting anywhere, then I do tend to step up. But I don't do that in a way
that I'm consciously thinking about, okay, let's go. Maybe in a group project, that
would be my like incentive, but otherwise it just sort of happens that I like to go
places and I like to bring other people along to the same headspace, not
physically speaking. So it just always kind of happens that I have an idea or
like somebody else has an idea and I subconsciously make sure that this
person gets hurt. So for me it's not only about leading but also making
sure that every voice gets heard.
So for example, in a big group conversation,
I would be the person who kind of moderates through.
I also like to share my opinion, of course.
But I want to make sure that the harmony is in there.
And for the part where you said
that going with the flow relaxing,
I love to do that if somebody else steps up.
So I can totally relax.
I just, I feel like there needs somebody like leading.
Thank you.
I love that.
And you spoke about how people are the source
of new experiences to you.
Do you mean this in a psychological way
that when they share their story,
how they have overcome some struggles,
their creative dreams and perspectives,
you almost like in an imaginary way,
go on a journey with them,
almost like traveling to a mini country
within each person.
Or do you mean it in a leadership way that you gather people like a gang and you go create
like trouble in this world and therefore you're constantly having adventures in that
way?
Or what did you mean with that?
I think I mean it in every way.
I mean it in the way that you gather people and you go together and make new experiences
like physically, but also I like to learn from them.
For example, now that I'm living in Japan,
I go to university here and I live in a dormitory
where a lot of international students are.
So for the first time I got to know people
from Indonesia, from Malaysia,
those kinds of countries
that I haven't been in touch with previously.
And that was super interesting
because like in comparison to the US
and comparison to Germany, South Korea, Japan,
the political system is so different.
And the whole situation, corruption, whatever,
I've never like, of course you hear about it,
but I've never actually heard about it
from a person who's experienced that.
So just going on that mental journey,
learning about new things,
even though you might've heard about it,
it's so different coming from somebody who's experienced it.
That's very, very interesting.
And to ask you a bit more, you even enjoy baking and such activities that could be solitary somehow?
Is it because sometimes you need to be alone to recharge yourself, to do something with your hands, to not get bored?
Or are you daydreaming about sharing it with some people and their faces when they're like,
oh, it's heavenly, I love the taste or something, and you're like everything to you is related to people somehow?
Just to understand how much of an extrovert you are,
Are you so extroverted that you need no downtime, even your downtime is in preparation to be around more people or is it just like a meditation where you do some things in order to forget the world and get into a headspace of relaxation?
To be fair, I'm both.
So I love food. So I like to cook for myself. I like to bake for myself, just because I enjoy eating it and I enjoy the process.
I guess, well, first of all, I do need time to recharge for myself. I usually would do that by reading rather than by cooking.
But also a big part of me is just sharing food. For example, I had a time where I was visiting
a friend's and I was just in the process of making cupcakes. So I not only made cupcakes
for me and her, but also for friends that came over, for her grandparents, for her parents,
and for the friends of the parents that came there. So I like sharing food, but I also just
the process of it. I like tasting the food, so I'm just very happy most of the time.
Thank you. And, well, you're originally from Germany, you lived in the U.S., and now you
have lived in South Korea and in Japan. What interested you and fascinated you about the
culture in Asia? Why did you choose to go there? Because it's so different to Europe
and to the US in a way that is even more introverted.
Some people say that extroverts there will struggle
while introverts will be in heaven.
So to you, what was the fascination?
What drove you to decide to live there that long?
Well, first of all, about the Ling,
it had to be one semester.
So six months was out of my control.
About Asia, I would say I had no idea about Asia.
And that was why I wanted to go, because I kind of I want to experience what I don't know.
Of course, there will always be something I don't know about.
But I didn't want to go back to the US because I've been there already.
So I just looked around and I thought, OK, Asia, I have no clue what that is.
So let's go there. And then I thought, OK, China, Taiwan, the situation is not ideal right now.
So what other countries does my university offer?
And they had Korea and Japan, and I couldn't decide,
so I'm just doing both.
But to be fair, it is not always easy as an extrovert,
especially in South Korea.
I've noticed that Japan, I'm also a lot happier in Japan
just because of that.
The people are very outgoing.
If you need help, even if they don't understand you, they will support you, and they will help you so much.
So I'm blooming here because of that. Koreans value privacy a lot more, which I also respect,
and that's why I think it is an introvert's dream.
But when you have an issue, when you're asking for directions, you might not always get the help you need.
Thank you. That sounds absolutely like a life adventure, and I know that's very exciting
for you, but to get an image and an idea of who you are even more, how would you? Let's
say you could live anywhere on this planet, spend your day, an ideal day that balances
all your interests. Where would you live? Would it be like Hollywood near the celebrities?
would it be Australia like playing with kangaroos, would you be in Brazil on the
beach tanning or getting red? I don't know how it will work for you. And how would you
design your day? When would you wake up? What would you do? Who would you be
with? Would you be making new friends? Would you be doing some yoga at
some point? Whatever it is that you'll do, can you describe that so that
can imagine how in an ideal situation you would be as a person?
That is a big question. I would definitely be getting red in the sun, not tan.
But I would be somewhere where it's hot. I love the heat. I love summer.
So thinking I would probably be in Arizona, so in the US probably, or basically anywhere where it's hot.
but I have really good memories from Arizona.
And I would be with my family, with my boyfriend,
basically spending the time with the people I love.
Maybe not everybody at once,
but maybe having breakfast with my mom
and then chilling by the pool with my boyfriend.
And then, I don't know, watching a show with my dad,
making dinner with my grandma, something like that,
Hopping on a call in the evening with one of my best friends, something like that.
So definitely being around people, but also being fine with being quiet around people.
So you don't always have to talk with them, but maybe just chilling by the pool with
my boyfriend could be that we're both reading a book next to each other and just enjoying
the company without having to talk.
Something like that.
Thank you.
That's interesting.
and it makes me want to ask more now some things that you could inspire other women with.
There are women and girls in this world who worry, who think, well, if I'm alone far away,
even at the university, what if something happens to me? My family's too far and they have some
anxiety, so they stay close to their families rather than pursue their big dreams. Maybe
they're born somewhere that is super cold
and they dream of living in the sun,
but they feel limited like,
oh, maybe some danger will wait me there
or whatever it is.
How did you take care of your mental health?
How do you encourage yourself
and keep yourself going after those life experiences,
even though sometimes you might get anxiety
or worry about it?
I would say that I remind myself
that I'm always in control.
I can decide what I'm comfortable with doing
and what I'm not.
And even if other people want me to do something,
I don't have to do them because of them.
I don't have to be a victim of peer pressure
or anything like that.
So I feel like that is a big factor.
And also it just, it helps having a person
that you can call.
So for example, for me, the people I live with right now are amazing, like they really make my time the best time here.
But for example, last semester, I could I know I could always call my boyfriend, even though he's in a different country.
He will be kind of my pillar holding me up.
And even in Germany, like even when I'm at home, you need those kind of people that back you up,
that are there for you no matter what,
where you can come to when you're worried
or anxious or whatnot.
So I feel like you need those kinds of people anyways.
And in a new country, you will find them no matter what.
I like that.
That's very interesting.
And you as an extroverted girl,
imagine there are some women who are girls
who are shy, introverted,
and they have to go to a new university
in a new city in a new dormitory and they're like oh my god I'll be alone I don't know how to make
new friends my friends I made them when I was a kid playing in kindergarten it was so much easier
than what is your technique or method or way especially that you said that you're comfortable
with losing some people who might not be growth oriented which also some shy or introverted
girls or women they want to please everyone and they think oh if they don't like me they
reject me, I feel hurt, blah, blah, blah, all that.
Well, I feel like for somebody who's introverted,
there's a lot of trust involved.
And if you're an over-thinker, it's never easy.
But I feel like that there's always
an extroverted person who's going to adopt you.
There's always somebody who's going to find you.
And maybe those might not be the right people at first.
but there is always going to be like a good thing coming.
You kind of have to have that positivity
to be able to go abroad and go make new experiences.
But if you trust in that,
then definitely good things are going to be coming your way.
And it also has a lot to do with
not only how you act towards people,
but also how you just simply are as a person.
People are going to realize the goodness and kindness
inside you. They are going to realize how humorous and funny you are. So if you just be yourself,
then people are going to love that. 100%. I love that authenticity recommendation because that's
what really matters. And then when you have relationships with people and friendships,
they are true, honest, and sincere, and they matter a big ton a lot. And to finish this,
We live also in a time of social media where many girls and women, even teenage girls,
compare themselves to photoshopped or even AI photos of women that don't even look like
that in real life. And they feel ugly. Their self-esteem is destroyed. Even when they try
to go for their big goals, they think, oh, I'm ashamed of myself. I'm not good enough. Who's
going to listen? I'm just a normal girl. I'm not one of those superstar, jet-setting
celebrity women? Did you deal with that? And how do you feel beautiful? How do you take
care of your mental health? How do you believe in yourself and take care of your self-esteem
even when the whole world is showing you some images and stories and situations that
might not be supporting that mindset?
Well, first of all, I feel like still I'm in control of myself. So you're always
you have the power. You are powerful, not maybe of the external environment, but you can control
your thoughts, to a certain extent at least, and you can control what you're happy about,
what you're worried about, and what you're not. So for me, I grew up as a little chubby kid,
and my dad used to tell me a lot that I shouldn't eat as much.
So, I kind of grew up with a bit of like anxiety about my body, but I have had like, I feel
like when you voice those thoughts with people who care about you, but also people who
can show you a different perspective on life, because you have your point of view, and
then somebody has a different perspective, maybe he's taller so he just sees you from
a different life. But that just always gives you another like,
way of thinking. So I told my friends about it. And they were
like, No. And I keep friends that are honest around me. I
don't like people pleasers that much. I want to hear your
honest opinion. So I know that I'm fine. And I just I
about their opinions a lot. But I'm also, I'm pretty confident as a person. I know, of course,
my boyfriend helps a lot when he tells me, yes, you're the most beautiful girl. And I'm like,
oh, thank you. I know. But no, basically, I feel like a lot just comes from support of others.
And then at one point, you're like, I know, I know I'm beautiful. I'm gonna feel beautiful
now. And that just, if you feel beautiful inside and out, you're going to make everybody around
you, including yourself, happy. Thank you for that. That's such an empowering, confident mindset
that many, many women will also be inspired by. And to end this, is there something that now,
through your travels or maybe your self-development, a lesson or a mindset or a perspective that
you're trying to adopt into your life
or something that you believe you want to share
with other women because it's something
they should remember, remind themselves of,
and if they use it in their lives,
it will be an even more positive experience.
I feel like I'm repeating myself,
but you are in control of yourself.
Maybe there are some external factors
that are gonna influence you if you're from a country
where women's rights aren't as like prominent.
If you don't have that much money or something,
you might feel limited,
but there are always ways you can make your life your life.
And if you're like remembering
that you're in control of yourself,
you can be in control of your mindset
and you can start being more empowered and more yourself.
Don't let like your life being led by other people.
It is your life.
100%. Thank you, Izzy. It was my privilege and my honor to include you in this podcast,
to hear your interesting thoughts and perspective. I wish you all the success, all the exploration,
all the love with your boyfriend, and to live in the warm place, get in red, so red
that you become tan, and then everything will become complete. Thank you again.
Thank you so much!
