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#112 Story Matters w/ Tovit Neizer
29 Plays27 days ago
Tovit is a business storyteller and communication strategist who helps tech startups, companies, and executives clarify their message and communicate their story with confidence — both internally and externally.
A former journalist, published author, and advisory board member, Tovit brings over 15 years of experience across marketing, business development, and B2B strategy. She works hands-on with leaders to sharpen pitches, conference talks, and company narratives, while also delivering workshops focused on communication and essential soft skills.
Originally from Tel Aviv, Tovit moved to Toronto with her family two years ago. When she’s not helping founders find their voice, she’s writing fiction, performing stand-up comedy — and embracing Canadian winter through her latest obsession: skiing.
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Transcript
Introduction to Tovit Neiser
00:00:31
Find A Way Podcast
Welcome, everyone. This is episode 112, Story Matters, and our guest today is Tovit Neiser. Tovit is a business storyteller and communication strategist who helps tech startups, companies, and executives clarify their message and communicate their story with confidence, both internally and externally.
00:00:51
Find A Way Podcast
A former journalist, published author, and advisory board member, Tovit brings over 15 years of experience across marketing, business development, and B2B strategies. She works hands-on with leaders to sharpen pitches, conference talks, and company narratives, while also delivering workshops focused on communication and a sessionion essential soft skills. Originally from Tel Aviv, Tovit moved to Toronto with her family two years ago.
00:01:17
Find A Way Podcast
and When she's not helping founders find their voice, she's writing fiction, performing stand-up comedy, and embracing Canadian winter through her latest obsession, skiing. Welcome, Tovit. Welcome.
00:01:28
Tovit Neizer
Hello, great being here.
00:01:30
Find A Way Podcast
We are so happy to have you here. And before we start, can you share more about your business?
Challenges for Immigrants in Canada
00:01:36
Tovit Neizer
Yeah, so I help companies and executives find their unique value proposition, their narrative and communicate the brand voice with their audience.
00:01:47
Tovit Neizer
I do it via one on ones, um strategic projects, and also, like you mentioned, workshops, hands on workshops.
00:01:57
Find A Way Podcast
Amazing. Well, thank you. um Okay, now let's deep dive into you, which I know a little bit about, but our listeners don't and we have so many incredible questions and i want to share your story. So you moved from Tel Aviv to Toronto two years ago.
00:02:14
Find A Way Podcast
What was a major cultural major cultural or business challenge that you faced in the Canadian market and how did you navigate this?
00:02:22
Tovit Neizer
Okay. You know how people say that's how a culture is? I don't like bragging or or repeating that because I think, you know, people are people. But there is something that's apparent and repetitive here in the culture of the Canadians market and business market, which is
Strategies for Overcoming Canadian Market Challenges
00:02:41
Tovit Neizer
the Canadian experience it's something that i heard from immigrants in the beginning and later on i experienced myself it's a thing think it's even maybe not legal to ask for but it's still very much present and it makes it's like a moat for people to it's a hurdle and it's hard to It's hard to break through businesses directly or indirectly.
00:02:44
Find A Way Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:03:10
Tovit Neizer
Ask if you have a Canadian experience. Now, it's funny because as an immigrant, invited to a country or accepted to a country you want to be part of, you want to help the economy, be part of it, immerse in the culture. but then asking you or you,
00:03:27
Tovit Neizer
needing to have that without the ability to to get it's a vicious cycle so when i i think the first time i met that was I was giving workshop for immigrants in tech and helping them take part and enter the tech scene in Canada. And they kept saying, we don't have experience here, but that's what we asked for. How can we break through? So we did a lot of work on building your personal brand. That's something I teach so often to so many like executives and corporates and women and medical scenes, very different. But for the immigrants, it was really interesting because it it touched the spot. It was close to home.
00:04:09
Tovit Neizer
um The way that i helped them and taught them to go about that and crack that was to find what's that unique thing that only they have.
00:04:21
Tovit Neizer
Something that no one else can say, I have it as well.
00:04:21
Find A Way Podcast
Yes.
00:04:24
Tovit Neizer
Something that no locals can answer that. Something that makes it reasonable and sensible to take them over someone else and embrace it. So there were people from Eastern Europe who did something very unique in the tech scene that no one tried here. No one started. No one experienced that.
00:04:44
Tovit Neizer
putting that high up on the resume, on the cover letter and starting by embracing I'm different. You know what? I can fake it. I can change it. i can hide it. But you know what? Being different is something that you need and transforming kind of head on its head, this story and and showing why you need that thing that makes me different that stopped you from considering me.
00:05:10
Tovit Neizer
Um,
00:05:10
Find A Way Podcast
Yes.
00:05:11
Tovit Neizer
kind of telling that narrative very differently, upside down, and reversing it to their own benefit. And then later on, of course, we worked on building their network and finding connections and sharing value so they won't feel like they're outsiders, unaccounted for, not needed, not important, not useful.
00:05:34
Tovit Neizer
Bringing back that confidence in what they have, which is unique. But I think as immigrants,
00:05:38
Find A Way Podcast
yes
00:05:40
Tovit Neizer
I guess part of immigration is trying to be part of something, right? To immerse. But there's a fine line between immersing and keeping your own identity, that unique thing that you brought, those roots that you cannot deny, they're there.
Impact of Immigrant Experience on Business
00:05:56
Tovit Neizer
You have an accent, you have a cultural gap, differences, stuff that you hold with you. And I think the best way is not to shy away from them and try to you know hide them. that actually bring them to light to the front.
00:06:12
Find A Way Podcast
Embrace it, right?
00:06:13
Tovit Neizer
Yeah, exactly.
00:06:14
Find A Way Podcast
i agree. And one of the pillars I always talk with, you know, my clients, it's about their authenticity. You know, what makes them different is what makes them unique.
00:06:20
Tovit Neizer
Mm-hmm.
00:06:24
Find A Way Podcast
And that's exactly what you're saying to be proud of it, embrace it. And that's going to be your unique advantage and your you know advantage as an individual, as professional in your business. So thank you for sharing that. That's very powerful. And I couldn't agree more.
00:06:43
Find A Way Podcast
How has your immigrant experience shaped the way you built Yellow Bricks Consulting and the way you work with your clients today?
00:06:54
Tovit Neizer
I had to rebuild in a way the business. I had to retell the story. So on the one hand, it's very challenging. Middle of your career, middle of your life, you've done so many things and now you know one, you need to rebuild and you need to find a network.
00:07:11
Tovit Neizer
But on the hot other hand, my past experience, most of my career has been entrepreneurship, has been inventing things, be it content products or just businesses or startups, failing, starting again, building, rebuilding. So all of that brought me this experience or this, I think, experience.
00:07:34
Tovit Neizer
go-getter attitude I have this cape that I can do that can do attitude so that really helped me of course it's not an easy thing but knowing that I've done so many things in life that started from scratch finish one project restarted started something different something new different domains taught myself build a network, fresh, different domain, different space.
00:08:01
Tovit Neizer
So it's not very far from that what I've been asked for or needed to do. And I've done that. I think it helped me, the fact that um I explored many, many different spaces in my life, different like tech and low tech and hard tech and software.
00:08:21
Tovit Neizer
um It helped me because I knew that in the end, I succeeded.
Effective Storytelling and Communication Techniques
00:08:25
Tovit Neizer
So you have that glimpse of it's going to be hard, but you know that in the past you've succeeded and it's worthwhile trying, exploring, building that.
00:08:35
Find A Way Podcast
and And you're you're a person that's worn many hats, right? As a journalist, an author, strategist, advisor, and even a comedian, which this is amazing.
00:08:43
Tovit Neizer
That's a hobby. That's a hobby.
00:08:46
Find A Way Podcast
ah But you you know, you can make this is a talent and you can make people laugh. So that's that's a talent. How does that background of you know you've you've you've had an overall career as well?
00:08:58
Find A Way Podcast
um give your clients this unique edge? How does that reflect in your storytelling and your communication with your clients?
00:09:08
Tovit Neizer
So it definitely is what's needed because I don't come from a very specific niche in the domain. I come from with a broad perspective of things, of trying things, of getting into the trenches of different spaces and different industries.
00:09:25
Tovit Neizer
So I have this, first of all, very wide vision and visibility of my past, from my past experience. And also there's a lot of cross-pollination The fact that I managed marketing and business development at a hardware company, which is a tech company, which is a start and lean company. That's one thing. The other experience of building a software company that didn't make it through so far, that failed actually. That's another experience.
00:09:59
Tovit Neizer
The fact that I built a company that catered a lot of national organizations and big corporates and did low tech offerings for them. That's more experience.
00:10:10
Tovit Neizer
So on the one hand, i can say, and I always say that very candidly, I'm domain agnostic and it's good for you guys. But also I've been to many different spaces and industries. So I have that experience.
00:10:25
Tovit Neizer
I mean, it's good not to be from the hardware industry or the manufacturing, but I actually have been there.
00:10:25
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:10:32
Tovit Neizer
I've been there and I went on different conferences around Europe and helped build relationships with industry change painters.
00:10:33
Find A Way Podcast
if
00:10:43
Tovit Neizer
So that's that's a plus. But I think a very good storyteller is one that's good in storytelling and communicating ideas with humans. And I think the most helpful part of my career is the fact that I was a journalist and investigative reporter, meaning I have this drive and sense of smell for good stories And I would do a lot to dive very deep and dig deep to find that unique, how do you call that mushroom that the hogs go and trough, trough, trough.
00:11:16
Find A Way Podcast
Oh, the black turf. Okay, yes, yes. truff Truffle? Truffle.
00:11:20
Tovit Neizer
So just like that, I actually used to be a food critic. That's just hindsight.
00:11:25
Find A Way Podcast
Wow. Another one.
00:11:25
Tovit Neizer
Yeah.
00:11:26
Find A Way Podcast
Another one of the facets of Tovit Neyser.
00:11:29
Tovit Neizer
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's funny because people say that it's the number one job thing that that they want. That's the desire, the dream job. But I have to say, this is a new, I have to break it to you.
00:11:41
Tovit Neizer
It's just job at the end of the day. And the people who have the most fun are your friends because they come as one time, you know, once a month, I go to five star, mi three stars, Michelin restaurant with Tovit and it's free, all paid, amazing.
00:11:55
Tovit Neizer
But for me, it's just, you know, just another day in the office.
00:11:57
Find A Way Podcast
I don't.
00:12:01
Tovit Neizer
but But yeah, journalism really helps because you have that sense of smell for good stories and you have the ability to get those juicy, interesting facts from people and make it something that's um easy to communicate and people relate to your readers.
00:12:01
Find A Way Podcast
you
00:12:20
Tovit Neizer
Same goes with brands, building brand voices for companies, cracking up briefs, coming up with unique and original and creative campaigns.
00:12:24
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:12:30
Tovit Neizer
we need to think of the audience, we need to come up with what would make them interested, what's different about your company, about the industry now.
00:12:42
Find A Way Podcast
And I'm curious, because you do a lot of work with startups and executives on their messaging, what are some of the mistakes storytelling mistakes that you see founders and executives as well make over and over again?
00:12:56
Tovit Neizer
One thing, um At least in the early stages, companies tend to describe what they do, take those first letters, come up with an abbreviation, which is, I don't know, DFSR or BNOG.
00:13:13
Tovit Neizer
and that's their name and for four years they could be stuck with it like two, three first years this is what we do and then ask them okay what is it what does the name stand for? and it's so easy they explain this is I don't know catering dog food for whatever that's the what that's not interesting you're not an abbreviation do much more than that so that's one mistake um They also talk about the what in their communication, in their messaging, on on stage, in all their assets, the digital assets, on the website.
00:13:52
Tovit Neizer
They start with, you know, we have a bottle, and in that bottle we have that liquid metal, and that metal does that, and I'm bored, I'm gone, you lost the audience.
00:14:02
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:14:02
Tovit Neizer
No, you don't have a lot of time. You have, know, five seconds today, something like that. It has to be very, very relevant. They tend to forget that they're there for the audience and not vice versa.
00:14:16
Tovit Neizer
No one's waiting in line. No one's knocking on your door in the office and outside that building for that thing that they don't understand what it is. You have to think of the audience first and to think what's the goal? What what do I want to sell to get the introductions, to get an investment, and then to come up with what is it about them?
00:14:39
Tovit Neizer
what's that unique snowflake that they bring into the world and then connect everything. But going to towards abbreviations and boring the audience with what they do, that's not the way. And it it's just, it's all over the place. It's every time I meet someone or someone sends me to this company, you have to help them. I know I have to help them because look, it's so boring.
00:15:08
Tovit Neizer
repetitiveness or just throwing an idea to chat getting paragraphs over paragraphs of beautiful nonsense that's not that's not helpful it's just not helpful and we don't have time for that the audience
00:15:22
Find A Way Podcast
True. And I'm curious in these, um because fast moving tech environments, every communication, you know, all sorts of communication now have been to a level that's like really rushed. I don't know if you've noticed this different pace and you know, you're talking about like seven, five seconds to deliver a message. How do you help leaders slow down enough to find clarity without losing the momentum? Because we have to be within the seconds, we have to deliver a message.
00:15:58
Find A Way Podcast
but How can you help these leaders slow down enough to get to the clarity of, you know, the essence of what they're Yeah.
00:16:08
Tovit Neizer
I think it's not only about the messaging. It's a lot about communicating a way that's nice and
00:16:20
Tovit Neizer
like a magnet. do You hear someone, it doesn't matter the words, it matters. The tone, the pace, you want to listen more. You want to know more about that person. you seem like someone you would have coffee with.
00:16:31
Tovit Neizer
At times, they're rushing towards that goal.
00:16:32
Find A Way Podcast
yeah
00:16:34
Tovit Neizer
Give it in 10 seconds, in 140 characters. Give me that, you know, tagline. It's not just that. if you're on a stage, if you're on a podcast, if you're on, you know, in a panel, you want people to want to hear you, to be that person who's nice enough and not just rushing towards or here to get something out of it.
00:16:58
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:16:58
Tovit Neizer
It's giving.
00:16:58
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:17:00
Tovit Neizer
It's listening to to them or asking questions, being present, being, you said before, being honest, being authentic.
00:17:05
Find A Way Podcast
present
00:17:09
Tovit Neizer
Those are feeling like, I want to, I trust that person.
00:17:09
Find A Way Podcast
yeah
00:17:13
Tovit Neizer
I want to listen more. But there's a lot of auditing war work. So what I do is i help them uncover what's exciting for them in what they do or what's exciting about them for the audience.
00:17:29
Tovit Neizer
I'm looking for that you know that spark. That spark helps us come up with the right terminology, the right phrasing, the right messaging. I want to see that sign excitement in their eyes, but also most importantly in the user's eyes, in the audience. If someone gets your product, whatever it is, and you see that spark and you see, oh my God, that caught me. Why?
00:17:57
Tovit Neizer
because of the packaging, because of the messaging, because of the size, because of the functionality, because it solves a problem. That's where the answers lie. It's not a lot of wording. It doesn't have to be.
00:18:09
Tovit Neizer
It's the right words that we need to uncover. and that's It's funny, one of my sessions, the last question was, It was more of a comment. Someone said, it seems so easy.
00:18:23
Tovit Neizer
You do that in a second. You ask us, what do we do? we tell you like a very bad um tagline, that bad description. And you come up with, oh my God, this is what you are. One word.
00:18:37
Tovit Neizer
clicks and it seems so easy that's what they said and I told them first of all it's not easy it's years of work years of years of working different domains different hats like you said and I bring it all together this is my zone of genius but it's not easy and it won't be easy for you guys we need to work we need to look under the hood and find what's so unique for everyone how to make it click and make sense
00:19:05
Find A Way Podcast
No, I love that. And also for our listeners that in case they don't know, Toby also runs a newsletter that is focused on storytelling, messaging and communication. So my question to you is what inspired you to start it and how should listeners use it as a resource for them?
00:19:25
Tovit Neizer
Great question. I felt like there were so many great ideas going around between cracking up briefs and campaigns and working one-on-ones with entrepreneurs and because there's so many and you meet so many and you help with all these i wanted a resource a place that actually new clients or anyone who doesn't use my services but needs help can go and look through really get some help with that get some inspiration also i
00:20:01
Tovit Neizer
usually tell my clients you have to do something consistent and this is where I stopped and listened to my own advice and felt like if I'll show up consistently twice a month with a great idea people can use it people can benefit from it it's a great way for me to share my value to show others how i can help them and to just help them regardless even if they don't know me there are great tangible actionable advice written in the same format, like I tell, again, my clients. You have to come with a format that works, something that is repetitive and easy to understand, easy to use, fast because we don't have time.
00:20:45
Tovit Neizer
And you see the value in the title. And then you scroll, and you get the actions at the bottom, very fast, very soon. What was the second question? How do they how can they use it?
00:20:57
Tovit Neizer
Yeah.
00:20:58
Find A Way Podcast
Yes, how can they use it as a resource?
00:21:00
Tovit Neizer
So just subscribe. And then at times it's just inspirations. At other times it's a hands on follow the steps, copy, paste, do this for your industry.
00:21:12
Tovit Neizer
And it's very, very um heterogeneous. So it deals with all sorts of companies. It could be B2B, it could be B2C. It would be, it could be applied very easily to whatever you do.
00:21:26
Tovit Neizer
You can, um, Offer a visit inside your factory to your clients and you can start a newsletter like I offer and encourage people and you can have them stay over the for a night in your vicinity because it's a unique place.
00:21:47
Tovit Neizer
These are all things that are based on stories, micro stories that I share and how to that I write there.
00:21:55
Find A Way Podcast
This is amazing. I'm curious. Now I will for sure.
00:21:57
Tovit Neizer
Subscribe.
00:22:00
Find A Way Podcast
I'm like, how come I'm not ah yet?
00:22:02
Tovit Neizer
Creative Congress is on subscribe.
00:22:03
Find A Way Podcast
Well, will be for sure.
00:22:05
Tovit Neizer
Yeah.
00:22:05
Find A Way Podcast
um i love talking about the creative aspects of the individuals, you know, because I'm, you know, I'll have my creative side. I have my things that I do to unwind, to connect with my higher self, let's say. And i know standup comedy is a big part of your creative life.
00:22:21
Tovit Neizer
Yeah.
00:22:22
Find A Way Podcast
What you guys think? What has performing comedy taught you about presence, vulnerability and connecting with the audience, especially you in high stakes business settings as well, but feel free to go the direction you like, but I'm curious what has it taught you?
00:22:30
Tovit Neizer
Wow. Wow.
00:22:37
Tovit Neizer
I love this. I love this question. And I'll start by answering something you didn't ask. Why did I start that? And the reason is, I'm always curious about different forms of storytelling.
00:22:49
Tovit Neizer
So like you mentioned, I started in journalism, magazine, the fun things of writing about food, you know, food critic, that's the idea, but then I went into the hardcore investigative reporting where you get threats on your life when you uncover crazy stories. So that's another format.
00:23:08
Tovit Neizer
um And then I published a novel and I created a podcast for children. So all these are very different audiences, different um seriousness level, right?
00:23:20
Tovit Neizer
Some are fun, some are more heavy
00:23:20
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:23:23
Tovit Neizer
And then I figured, you know what, let's do something which is totally fun, but fun for the audience. It's not fun for those who perform. It's pressing. you You said it right. It's high stakes. You go on stage.
00:23:38
Tovit Neizer
Everything is there. Everyone sees you. And if you stop and if they don't laugh and you hear crickets, that's hard. But... I felt at that point, I think I did a lot of work with executives and sent them on stage and told them, you'll be amazing and gave them tools. But then was at the backstage. I was in front of them. I was giving them cue notes, but not more than that. And I felt like, okay, go and practice what you preach. Do that, but do that even more extreme. Take that to a very, very high level level.
00:24:14
Tovit Neizer
you know, extreme level, that's my sport. So I started writing materials and sharpening them and it helped me so much because that's practicing what I do.
00:24:25
Tovit Neizer
The cadence is different though.
00:24:26
Find A Way Podcast
Okay.
00:24:28
Tovit Neizer
The audience is much harsher. If they don't like it, it's not like walking away, which could be, voice case, but it's not laughing. Zero response is a hard one.
00:24:40
Tovit Neizer
And i it involves my skills. I know much more, much better on cadence, on riding, on being very sharp, on coming up with super short ideas because comedy is short. It's just, it has that cutthroat speediness.
00:24:59
Tovit Neizer
You have to make the last soon and then to build on something and segue and the transitions.
00:24:59
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:25:05
Tovit Neizer
And there's so many principles, but then there's so much art. And there's so much practice, which I tell my clients all the time. you can you know You can learn it, but if you're not practicing it, if you work together on a great pitch, but you never deliver it, if you don't meet investors, if you don't go to competitions, if you don't go to that huge conference and give that 10 or 20 minutes pitch and walk the stage and look at people's eyes and comment with the audience and
00:25:39
Tovit Neizer
you know, in interact, it won't help, it won't work, but you have to do that. And I do that. I committed and I'm doing it once a week. and
00:25:47
Find A Way Podcast
Wow.
00:25:48
Tovit Neizer
Yeah, it's a thing.
00:25:48
Find A Way Podcast
Okay.
00:25:49
Tovit Neizer
I write and I perform and I get some laughs and at times I don't, but then and I want improve.
00:25:55
Find A Way Podcast
That's me.
00:25:56
Tovit Neizer
It's addictive. It's addictive. And it's
00:25:58
Find A Way Podcast
I have to go to a comedy, standup comedy show. I have to go now.
00:26:01
Tovit Neizer
it's... It's my fix when it's good, when they laugh. Wow. cloud number nine, it's amazing. And I learned so much about stories. So it was it was its a stage in my career that I felt, okay, I'm giving a lot of knowledge, a lot of ideas, a lot of um ways to improve and I helped them, but I want to up my game.
00:26:23
Tovit Neizer
And that was my way of being more sharp, more creative, coming up with new ways of looking at things. And it helps everyone, I think.
00:26:35
Find A Way Podcast
Thank you for sharing that. You know, our platform here is for you know talking a lot about the immigrant stories, their journeys, their entrepreneurship journeys as well.
00:26:48
Find A Way Podcast
And for immigrants and professionals rebuilding their voice in a new country, it's it's a tough it's a tough job. It's tough to rebuild everything that you once were so known for you know in a different setting with zero connections.
00:27:03
Find A Way Podcast
What advice would you give to these to this audience about confidence, communication, and being heard?
00:27:12
Tovit Neizer
So we talked about, we talked briefly about this. Is first finding what makes them so unique. That thing that's painful, you mentioned that they were different. They were probably successful back home, or maybe they had something going on for them.
00:27:28
Tovit Neizer
So let's work on that. Let's understand what you had. I know you don't have it yet here, but let's focus on the power of yet. So what was it that you were known for? Why? What were the successes that you brought to the table?
00:27:43
Tovit Neizer
And then let's reframe it. It's okay that it's not here, but you've had it. You were successful at once. one point in your life at one country or one place, it's okay. You're still the same person.
00:27:57
Tovit Neizer
You need to adjust. you need to learn a lot about the cultural gaps and differences and to adjust, but then not let go of who you are because that's what you bring in. And you can be good for everyone. You can be a great fit for everyone.
00:28:13
Tovit Neizer
Trying to be that is just, it's fake. It won it will never happen. So maybe letting go of that and knowing that
00:28:18
Find A Way Podcast
I agree. Yeah.
00:28:21
Tovit Neizer
It's okay. I won't make it into all these companies. I just need one. And that one that will take me will be the one that actually sees me for who I am and why am I that shiny object that they need and that thing that will help them.
00:28:40
Find A Way Podcast
you know
00:28:41
Tovit Neizer
So they should focus on building their network. It's really helpful to learn from other immigrants stories. I met with so many here, people who immigrated 20 years or grew up here, but their parents, their first generation here, but their parents are immigrants. And I love listening to these stories because they give a lot of hope and they teach you a lot.
00:29:08
Tovit Neizer
What else? Find what's unique about you. um And also that's kind of a personal advice. I think they should split the eggs of happiness into a few different buckets. And I'll explain. it's It's a quote, I don't remember that climber, it's an Olympic climber, a rock climber that shared that. And he said once he was injured and then he couldn't climb anymore. And that was the only thing that defined him.
00:29:37
Tovit Neizer
So he didn't know what to do with his life and he just started getting depression. um You have to find more things that make you happy. And you have to find more things that define you it's not just that job that now you don't have because you don't have a canadian experience or that business which you used to have so many clients back home but now you're rebuilding starting from scratch your life is not just that there are so many other things it's like failing one exam well you'll have more exams in life maybe you have a family here you for sure have a family back home you have your health
00:30:02
Find A Way Podcast
I love
00:30:12
Tovit Neizer
um maybe some time to do your hobbies and if you don't have time just know so basic things that make you balance and balance your happiness because it it's it's a long process it's a marathon you need to prepare for that
00:30:23
Find A Way Podcast
that. It is.
00:30:27
Find A Way Podcast
Thank you for sharing that. That's extremely extremely valuable. um We have this thing in our podcast, Tove, that we always ask our previous guests to leave a question to the next guest.
00:30:40
Find A Way Podcast
And the question that was left to you was, what have you learned in 2025?
00:30:40
Tovit Neizer
haha
00:30:47
Find A Way Podcast
And what will you continue like to continue to learn in the upcoming year?
00:30:52
Tovit Neizer
Oh, wow. So I started French.
00:30:54
Find A Way Podcast
Oh, yay.
00:30:54
Tovit Neizer
That's actual learning.
00:30:55
Find A Way Podcast
yeah Okay.
00:30:56
Tovit Neizer
Yeah. um In the summer, me and my husband, we left the girls, we sent them to an overnight camp and we went hiking and backpacking in Quebec. And it reminded me that back in junior high, I studied for, i think, three years French.
00:31:11
Tovit Neizer
And I started using it in Quebec, very, very basic, but I loved it. And what it does to your brain, you know, at a certain age, learning a new language is just amazing. And it's so important for the memory and, you know, just keeping up with things. And I came back to Toronto and I looked it up and I think, yeah, Canadian government, that's their motivation to to have people speak that language and they sponsor that for immigrants.
00:31:40
Tovit Neizer
And I applied immediately and I think within three weeks I started learning twice a week. And I'm so of excited about 2026 because I'm going to the next level. I'm going to level four.
00:31:55
Find A Way Podcast
Congratulations.
00:31:55
Tovit Neizer
It's early on, but but there's a lot of, i I've improved so much. So I've learned that's an actual learning thing. I learned so many things about myself, balancing my happiness,
00:32:09
Tovit Neizer
um doing professional and amateur that the stand up thing helps me professionally, but also personally, and it splits my happiness into different buckets.
00:32:20
Tovit Neizer
So so that's, that's helpful.
00:32:23
Find A Way Podcast
That's beautiful. Thank you. If you could have dinner with any person, alive or dead, who would that be?
00:32:31
Tovit Neizer
Well, sadly, lu up sadly um Rob Reiner, you know no longer with us. This is quite new from this week.
00:32:47
Tovit Neizer
He's been a prolific storyteller on so many different formats and platforms. Behind the camera, in front of the camera, creating, directing, comedy, thrillers.
00:32:59
Find A Way Podcast
Wow.
00:33:02
Tovit Neizer
It's too late now, but that would be A fascinating, fascinating dinner. But if we're speaking of about comedy and storytelling, Jerry Seinfeld, he's still around. He was here a few months ago. I went to see him downtown Toronto.
00:33:18
Tovit Neizer
He was hilarious. And I think I got a bit seasick because although he's, I think, 17, he rushed through the stage nonstop. It was so hard to follow him.
00:33:30
Tovit Neizer
And even the camera that broadcasted it on a huge screen,
00:33:30
Find A Way Podcast
Oh
00:33:34
Tovit Neizer
It was so sickening. it was I was so dizzy. Yeah, because he moved.
00:33:38
Find A Way Podcast
my gosh. Someone should give him a feedback about that. Stand still.
00:33:41
Tovit Neizer
Yeah, but you know what? Yeah, but that's his energy and that's his um that's his snowflake. that uniques
00:33:48
Find A Way Podcast
His element, right?
00:33:50
Tovit Neizer
Yeah, all that energy.
00:33:50
Find A Way Podcast
That's amazing. I love that.
00:33:53
Tovit Neizer
That would be fun dinner. Wow.
00:33:55
Find A Way Podcast
And if you could summarize in one sentence, what is success to you?
00:34:00
Tovit Neizer
Wow.
00:34:03
Find A Way Podcast
We're going
00:34:05
Tovit Neizer
dick But then you ask it very, very we summarized. Just 140 characters. by this Yes. Oh my God. Okay. It's creating something that lasts forever and makes people happy.
00:34:24
Tovit Neizer
Yeah.
00:34:24
Find A Way Podcast
Beautiful.
00:34:25
Tovit Neizer
Yeah. Anything that stays doesn't need me to be around, but makes... someone happy by itself so creating stuff yeah i guess that's art yeah yeah
00:34:38
Find A Way Podcast
that That is art. You said it all. If you could choose one superpower, what would it be? Speak Speak all languages that ever existed.
00:34:46
Tovit Neizer
course yes have that bubble babylon how do you call that from um from that book
00:34:50
Find A Way Podcast
Oh. yeah
00:34:57
Tovit Neizer
And also later on you have it in Wonder Woman that she speaks, she has the the skill to speak whole languages.
00:35:05
Find A Way Podcast
That's a very interesting skill. That's definitely in my top list too. I'd love to have all top tops of like types of superpower. You know, I have a whole list of them. And and and I love asking this question because then some of the guests, they say like this incredible new superpower that I never thought about. I'm like, oh, I want that too. so it's hard to choose only one. Yeah.
00:35:24
Tovit Neizer
but I get languages. It would just make communication amazing. I'm just thinking, Toronto has so many languages on the street, on public transportation.
00:35:32
Find A Way Podcast
yeah
00:35:34
Tovit Neizer
And every now and then I'm thinking, wow, it would be so amazing if I could just reach out to that woman or to that man and tell them something so nice in their language. So I know a lot thank yous in different languages.
00:35:44
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:35:48
Tovit Neizer
like In my bouldering gym, there is a Korean couple. So I wanted to say something nice to them. And I told them, kamsahamdi dah. That's the only thing I know. And at one point, we realized, we can't really develop a conversation over a thank you because it's just one word.
00:35:57
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah. I
00:36:03
Find A Way Podcast
agree.
00:36:07
Tovit Neizer
But it would be so amazing. I think the world really needs great communication skills. And we need patience things to each other and tolerance and by learning languages, knowing how.
00:36:19
Find A Way Podcast
It opened so many doors and and even the the little, you know, like a simple word, like you said, the, the, the thank you as the same way.
00:36:20
Tovit Neizer
Yeah.
00:36:26
Find A Way Podcast
And people know that I'm Brazilian and they say, obrigado. And it's just, it creates, it's an icebreaker. It creates an instant connection. You're able to start opening a path to, you know, connect connecting deeper and learn more about the other individual, which I think is something that nowadays, unfortunately, people are lacking. This patience, this willingness, this openness to truly connect and build relationships. So that's something I i advocate so much for.
00:36:54
Find A Way Podcast
And I'm glad I know that you do it too. So,
00:36:57
Tovit Neizer
if someone knows your language it's amazing they do a lot here okay
00:36:58
Find A Way Podcast
okay It is. That's a definitely a really great superpower to have. Yeah. Moving on to some rapid fire questions. I'll give you two options and then you pick whatever aligns best with you. Okay.
00:37:13
Find A Way Podcast
Podcasts or playlists.
00:37:15
Tovit Neizer
please ah
00:37:17
Find A Way Podcast
Road trip or flight.
00:37:19
Tovit Neizer
go to it
00:37:21
Find A Way Podcast
Reading a alone or book club.
00:37:25
Tovit Neizer
book club, I guess.
00:37:26
Find A Way Podcast
Ooh.
00:37:28
Tovit Neizer
Yes.
00:37:28
Find A Way Podcast
Mountains or beach.
00:37:30
Tovit Neizer
Mountain.
00:37:31
Find A Way Podcast
Okay. Well, thank you. Is there any book recommendations that you'd like to leave with our audience?
00:37:38
Tovit Neizer
Yes, yes, yes. We didn't get to talk about it, but the name of my company, Yellow Bricks, comes from The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum. And I love this book. I just love it. And it corresponds perfectly. That's the reason I chose it. But it corresponds perfectly with my company's name.
00:37:57
Tovit Neizer
Because finding all these people can help you and navigate you through that yellow brick road towards success. Meeting them for advice, but at times just for that connection. They become her friends in the book and worthies. And also in the end, knowing that You have all the answers inside.
00:38:20
Tovit Neizer
They weren't really advisors. They were just there to highlight stuff that she knew.
00:38:26
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:38:26
Tovit Neizer
She just needed people with her.
00:38:27
Find A Way Podcast
I'm a big believer in that too. I love that.
00:38:28
Tovit Neizer
Just read it.
00:38:29
Find A Way Podcast
Thank you for. time
00:38:29
Tovit Neizer
Go back to read it with your kids for yourself. It's an adult's book as well.
00:38:34
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:38:34
Tovit Neizer
It's a
00:38:36
Find A Way Podcast
That's beautiful. Before we close the episode, one of our, you know, the previous guests is going to leave. So I want to, that the question that you would like to leave to our next guest
00:38:48
Tovit Neizer
curious to know what inspires them.
00:38:51
Find A Way Podcast
Perfect. Amazing. Thank you so much, Togit, for, you know, dedicating this time with us to being here, sharing your story, your vulnerabilities, your journey, and getting letting people to get to know a little bit more about you.
00:38:57
Tovit Neizer
Thank you.
00:39:09
Find A Way Podcast
um Is there anything that you'd like to add before we close the episode?
00:39:14
Tovit Neizer
So for immigrants, um just remember who you are, who you were. You are not a different person. It's just a different setting. It's a long journey.
00:39:26
Tovit Neizer
Find those advisors who are actually friends who can see you for who you are. for that beautiful accent, for that beautiful mother tongue, for those dishes and cuisine and that humor that you bring with you, that unique humor.
00:39:45
Tovit Neizer
Embrace it.
00:39:48
Find A Way Podcast
Oh, thank you.
00:39:48
Tovit Neizer
You're doing fine. That's what I want to say. You're doing fine.
00:39:52
Find A Way Podcast
That's a great, that's a great reminder. Everybody needs to um really sink that in and internalize that, right? Just, just by being, taking this journey, it's a huge um proof of resilience and resistance and um openness.
00:40:10
Tovit Neizer
That's your superpower, by the way.
00:40:10
Find A Way Podcast
So that's a superpower itself.
00:40:13
Tovit Neizer
are voyager.
00:40:14
Find A Way Podcast
Yes.
00:40:15
Tovit Neizer
You are a voyager.
00:40:15
Find A Way Podcast
There.
00:40:16
Tovit Neizer
You're exploring new places within and outside.
00:40:17
Find A Way Podcast
Yeah.
00:40:21
Tovit Neizer
the voyage is here, but it's also, that's that's the journey that you've taken up, and it's ah that's your odyssey.
00:40:21
Find A Way Podcast
I agree.
00:40:29
Tovit Neizer
And enjoy it So few people got a chance to do that. So look at that as an opportunity. Hmm.
00:40:37
Find A Way Podcast
I love that. Thank you for the reminder. Well, was our episode 112, Story Matters with Tovid Neisser. We'd like to thank all of our listeners and would like to remind you that we will be posting one episode bi-weekly, always with a different guest. So make sure to subscribe to your favorite streaming platform.