Elizabeth Ann Edwards is one of the most in-touch people I’ve ever met.  And having blazed her way through a Michigan undergrad in three years, and a UC MBA in one, she’s also one of the smartest.

Elizabeth called me Wednesday afternoon around 2:45PM, and I showed up at her office at 4:40PM to record 20 minutes of thoughts about InOneWeekend.  Debbie Edwards, IU intern, Elizabeth’s assistant, and researcher extraordinaire, led me to a conference room, and around 5PM we got started. At 8PM, yes, three hours later, we broke for the evening.

I intended to interview Elizabeth, and I wrote out a list of questions in preparation for our discussion.  A mutual friend, Parker Bailey, let me know that Elizabeth was extremely focused, so I didn’t know what experience to expect.  Would this be a short and terse conversation?  Would this work at all?  I simply wasn’t sure.

As our discussion started Elizabeth admitted that she had never been interviewed before, and a few minutes into it I realized that I should have started the recording right away because this would be unlike any conversation I had ever had.  I quickly realized that the most productive thing I could do would be to set my pen and notepad aside and just listen.  So you’ll hear a couple of interjections from me as I thought about directing the conversation.  I stopped myself, though, as Elizabeth’s personal story about the context that brought InOneWeekend to life was much too rich, full of detail, and so intertwined that interruption would simply do injustice.  And I let her talk.

This is about much more than InOneWeekend.  This is about a vision.  This is about the homecoming of a woman who set out to do great things and learned that she could make the biggest difference right here.  In our hometown.  In Cincinnati.  Elizabeth loves this region, and her passion shows as she confessed afterward of nearly shedding tears at four different moments during our talk.  And when we broke I couldn’t very well reach out to shake hands and say, “thanks for talking.”  I felt a connection to our great city as if we had put a few more bricks in the wall together this evening.  So with a simple hug, I left - and with an understanding that we’ll be doing this again.  So consider this the beginning of a great conversation that will leave you wanting more.

I’ll make this short and sweet.  I have 2 1/2 hours of history here.  If you love Cincinnati.  If you love this region.  If you want to understand not just what InOneWeekend is but why it is, then listen to it all.  If you would like to hear just a few thoughts about InOneWeekend specifically, with some ancillary details, then listen to the piece here.  In any case, listen.

In an effort to get this out on Friday’s lifespoke launch, the audio is unedited and uncut.  I did not have the time to smooth out the rough edges.  I don’t believe this will make a difference, though, because with Elizabeth you don’t have to wonder what she’s thinking.  What you see is what you get.  Take a listen and you’ll get an education in self-realization.  Then mobilize yourself to help make Cincinnati even greater.

 

 Elizabeth Edwards on Cincinnati and InOneWeekend: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (22)

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- Andy

PS - As I balance this with other responsibilities of my day job, only the final part is posted here.  Yes, my company, LUCRUM, makes this kind of work part of my day job.  And I love LUCRUM for that.  Any company willing to fund work like mine in order to make this region GREAT is so worthy of my loyalty and respect.  LUCRUM wants to give back.  Still, I gotta get my other responsibilities taken care of, too. I’ll get the rest of the audio up over the weekend.