We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lily Hansen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lily below.
Lily, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I have been through a lot in my career and recently went through a situation that taught me a lot about resilience. I went to New Orleans this summer to write my fourth book. It has always been a dream of mine to expand my city book series Word of Mouth Conversations since I started it in 2015. My book series had a best-selling title in the city of Nashville called Word of Mouth: Nashville Conversations, which also sparked partnerships with the airport where I had a yearlong art exhibition and the prestigious Vanderbilt University. It is the project I am proudest of to this date because I funded the book entirely myself out of my pocket through my bartending and serving tips. I used to love telling college kids about how I put the project together with a wonderful team. I would beam with happiness when thinking about it. I wanted them to believe in themselves as well. That they, too, could accomplish whatever they put their minds to.
However, I recently realized my strength even more in New Orleans, a city I had only been to a few times, where I started collecting interviews for a book in July. It was my goal to collect fifty interviews that I would begin submitting to publishers. I also started connecting with photographers while I was here since my books always include sophisticated, black-and-white portrait photography. I was so excited to meet the New Orleans creative community and employ local artists. It’s one of my favorite things about what I do.
Unfortunately, someone I met down here who I ended up hiring to take ten photographs for me to get the project started ended up causing it to come to a screeching halt. There was a misunderstanding that I had tried to work out in a professional manner and it escalated to the situation being taken to social media without my consent. As someone who has worked hard to have a pristine professional image, it was shocking and beyond upsetting to be character assassinated on the internet. I was beside myself. I could barely sleep at night while it was happening and my heart was constantly racing. People were sending me messages telling me that she had written terrible things about me. It was like living in a nightmare, in a city where I had very little emotional support besides my good friend Donna with whom I have been staying. Fortunately, the person had blocked me so I couldn’t see what she was writing. Even though that was cowardly, it was a gift. I didn’t want to see false, cruel information.
Social media can be really ugly, which I proved through my 2022 film “Snowflake,” made with the talented young director Carter Bowden. It is about a social media influencer who has a nervous breakdown from too much focus on herself. I, too, during this time had to monitor how much I tried to look for information about what was happening and just give the situation over to God.
Inevitably, I received the best guidance from my legal team who handled the case beautifully, and my spiritual friends who gave me the best advice I could receive: pray for this person’s healing. I have always been a spiritual person and believe that we project into the world what we feel inside in regard to our own self image. If someone was going to be so hateful toward me then they must feel pretty badly about themselves. Maybe they even hate themselves. Who knows? But I don’t think anyone who is healthy spiritually would try to harm someone in such a public, nonsensical way. And so I prayed and prayed and prayed. While the situation is still happening to some degree, I feel peaceful. It also taught me that resilience is about forgiveness, for self and others, and also that the most important thing in life is to stand by your beliefs. We will never get anywhere if we allow the weak to bully us. I learned resilience by trying to be broken down by a bully in New Orleans and not letting them break my spirit.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Conversation drives author and interviewer Lily Clayton Hansen. One of the basics in life is communication, and in a digital age, Lily believes we need to re-prioritize it more than ever. Oftentimes referred to as the “people whisperer,” (one who lowers other’s walls and coaxes wisdom out of them) she finds nuggets of insight that are uniquely her own. Through her interviews, Lily reminds others to keep an open mind and heart.
In 2013, Lily relocated to Nashville, Tennessee [deemed by The New York Times as the “It City”], and began compiling interviews and portrait photography for her first book Word of Mouth: Nashville Conversations. Beautifully designed and printed, the 220-page softcover volume released in 2015, garnered local and regional praise, endorsements by name brands such as Madewell, yearlong partnerships with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center where she hosted a live interview series, and Vanderbilt University and the Nashville International Airport who hosted yearlong art exhibitions around her work. Lily’s book and her compelling speaking style also led to talks at arts organizations and universities across the country. Three years later, the author self-published Word of Mouth: More Conversations, featuring interviews with Nashville-based institution leaders, artisans, and activists, through her newly-formed boutique publishing house.
Soon thereafter, Lily was approached by HCA Healthcare, the largest hospital company in America, to write and produce a custom coffee table book to commemorate their 50th anniversary. The book showcases interviews and stories of team members across the board from the founder and CEO to the doctors, nurses, and janitor. The volume was enthusiastically received and said to have brought unity to HCA’s 250,000-person organization by highlighting the individuals who uphold the culture and value system every day.
In 2019, Lily’s stylized writing led to a contract with Gresham Smith, a global architecture and engineering firm, to pen 233-corporate bios for their resumes and proposals. That fall, Lily also debuted her TEDx talk, “Talking to Strangers Is My Self Care” at Tedx Nashville’s Women’s event. The talk was voted “most popular” and revealed Hansen’s secrets to connecting with any kind of person.
Since her arrival in Nashville, Lily’s empathetic nature, imagination, curiosity, and innate ability to ask challenging questions in a kind-hearted manner, has branded her as a unique and highly sought-after interviewer, author, speaker, and biographer. In a world where people often skim the surface and miss out on so much, Lily digs deep into her subjects to portray them as their most beautiful, authentic selves.
Hansen has also written hundreds of articles for the following publications: The Nashville Edit, Luxe Interiors + Design, Time Out Chicago, Nashville Lifestyles, Nashville Arts Magazine, and CS, CS Interiors and Men’s Book, all under the Modern Luxury umbrella.
Lily recently completed a project for Alliance Bernstein, a high-profile investment management firm, writing and finessing 350 employee bios for their website.
She is currently working on a book about New Orleans and preparing for her next book about Detroit.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Critical thinking: Read a lot, pray a lot, meditate, and dig deep within yourself to understand if something resonates with you or not. Too many people just take things at face value these days. They are sheep because of things like social media which make us all just go “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe they did that” instead of thinking ‘let me investigate what really happened.’ I believe people need to learn how to think for themselves and be unafraid to stand up for their opinions.
2. Writing skills: Too many people do not read and I personally, will never go on a date with someone who doesn’t read books. Reading is the most beautiful gift and teaches you to be a good writer because you are digesting words through your eyes and seeing how sentences are structured. You learn how to communicate in the process. Too many disagreements, particularly legal ones, happen because people do not know how to write or read. I believe everyone should focus on their writing skills, which happens by journaling, trying to write well-crafted emails and social media posts, writing essays or short stories, and reading.
3. Listening: A lot of people do not listen. I know this because I listen for a living. When you don’t listen, you don’t learn. I believe people need to learn how to listen which they can do by not thinking about what they are going to say in conversation. They can also listen to podcasts, audiobooks, and meditate daily which teaches you to listen within.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I’ve had many amazing mentors over the years it’s so hard to name, most of them men! I actually love working with men and have always had great success with it. I adore women too but men and I have a special relationship, especially when it comes to business.
My mentor Billy Tuchscher has always given me fabulous advice. Billy is a successful entrepreneur in both the music and real estate worlds. He is best known for his involvement with the ownership of RollingStone Magazine, controlling its brand, trademarks, and website domains.
We met through a mutual friend many years ago when I asked if I could interview him for my business class at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. That first night we talked for over two hours. From then on we would have regular calls where we would chat about everything under the stars. Billy taught me about spirituality, meditation, self-help, self-care, and most of all business. He and I would jokingly ask one another how were things in Billy or Lily Land because we both live in our own worlds. We create our own reality.
Billy has always encouraged me to be my highest self, rise above the bullshit, and step into my greatness. I am forever thankful for his mentorship and friendship and will one day dedicate a chapter in my memoir to our friendship titled “Billyland: How a Surfer Dude from San Diego Taught me Most Everything About Life.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wordofmouthconversations.com/
- Instagram: @lilychansen
Image Credits
Leea Gorell Joshua Black Wilkins Andrea Behrends Brett Warren Danielle Atkins Ron Manville
