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About this Episode
Hi friends, it's Lyn.
When I first started dating Erik almost eight years ago I did what any smart women does, I Googled him. Among his search results were a TEDx talk, a Wikipedia page calling him an American Aviator, and images of him standing on the wing of a small airplane raising his arms in victory. My favorite image was of him laying on his stomach on the ground next to that same plane giving the ground a kiss.
Over the coming months I learned that these were images of his 75th Anniversary flight where he flew a single engine plane from New York to Paris solo to recreate his Grandfather's Flight. This flight was one piece of a larger story that helped jump-start the private space flight industry that we are seeing often in the news today.
In today's episode, I had the opportunity to interview Erik along side his publicist Diane Murphy. I met Diane at my first XPRIZE Visioneering event. At the time I was finishing my 20th year as a corporate employee in a soul-sucking job. The people at Visioneering were so much more alive, vibrant, and excited to network and connect. These were my people! It was such a contrast to my current corporate management role where I constantly felt like I had to keep my personality partially under-wraps because I was too much, too loud, too optimistic, too happy. Diane was one of the amazing people I met and it was at this event that I realized I wasn't a complete weirdo. There was a world filled with humans that are full of life who also believed that problems are solvable and optimism is critical. It felt great!
I went into this interview with Diane and Erik thinking it would be a rehash of history I had already heard a billion times. I left the interview reminded of how important human connections are and how making connections with others is what typically changes the trajectory of our lives. I left feeling a greater sense of accountability to my own ability to help others make connections in their own lives.
This interview has pushed me to think more about the larger topic of networking and how the advantage goes to the person who has the connections. Proximity is everything. It reminded me to take the connections I have seriously and to help others also make connections with others. I've been thinking about this a lot.
I hope you enjoy this interview and it also inspires you to look at the resources and connections you have and remember they are powerful tools to help others make the word a better place.
Sincerely,
Lyn
Our Favorite Quotes from this Episode
What do I do? I chase stories. When you look at a story, you have to look at different tiers. When you add the personal element into a story, this is what makes the story.
~Diane
The numbers were staggering. We did 2,000 print stories, 1,700 radio and TV stories. This was before Social Media which was amazing. There were 1,000 internet stories which is amazing because this was before people really used the internet.
~Diane
We started practicing for your interviews. We went through every single possible question. I wasn't trying to change Erik's response, I was trying to get him to have clarity with his answers.
~Diane
That's the value of practicing in advance. You never should have to be thinking in the moment. Practice helps this.
~Diane
I was hustler, I was a single mother of two kids and I needed money, and I wanted to be somebody. You can learn to take risks, and you can learn to chase those risks. I have no interest in taking on a client where everything is fine and good. All of my clients are doing something that nobody has done before. This is what excites me, this is what leads you to interesting people. Interesting people lead you into many, many, many different and interesting directions.
~Diane
If I inspire one person by doing what I did, it's all worth it.
~Diane
Mentioned in this Episode
Charles Lindbergh
75th Anniversary Flight from New York to Paris
Mark Arnold
The 100th Anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 Flight
About Diane Murphy
Diane Murphy is President of Aquarius Group, a multi-disciplinary public relations/public affairs firm, with principals in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, New York and Paris. The firm specializes in supporting individuals and business initiatives through targeted marketing, communications campaigns, political advocacy, and event management. The firm has represented leaders and disrupters in the aerospace, planetary science, energy, tech and biotech arenas.
Prior to starting Aquarius Group, Murphy served as Vice President of SpaceX, Airbus North America, and Northrop Grumman Corporation, as well as President of Federal City Communications. She has worked with the XPRIZE Foundation since its inception.
Murphy began her career as a press secretary to the Minority Leader of the US House of Representatives and subsequently joined the political consulting firm of Smith and Harroff, where she managed political advertising and communications for more than 30 congressional campaigns. She is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Singularity University Executive Program. In addition to the XPRIZE Foundation, she serves on the Board of Youth Service America. Her passions include her children and pets, music, tennis, travel and pretty much any kind of competitive game or challenge. She resides in Los Angeles, CA.
About Erik and Lyn Lindbergh
Erik and Lyn are the co-hosts of The Lindberghs Podcast. Learn more about Erik at: https://www.eriklindbergh.com and Lyn at: https://www.couchtoactive.com
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