I Work at Zeus: Liz Master

In this edition, we connect with Liz Master, our interim VP of Customer Success. Liz joined Zeus Living in 2019 and manages our bookings and customer experience teams. Read on to learn more about Liz and what led her to Zeus.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up moving around a lot. I was born in Dallas, Texas then moved outside of London with my family for five years. After London, we moved back to Dallas and then to New York before settling in the Maryland suburbs of D.C.

You’ve lived in a lot of places. Did moving around give you a new perspective on living?

Moving around made me constantly crave something new. Even after my family moved to D.C., my dad continued to live and work abroad. We’d travel to visit him in different places, like Hong Kong, China, Australia, and Europe. So my lifestyle now is about trying something new, seeing new places, and meeting new people. I don’t crave going back to the same place.

What does home mean to you?

Since I’ve been on the move this past year, home is where my dog Bodie is. As long as I have him and my laptop, I’m good to go.

Tell us more about your travels this past year.

I started on a two-and-a-half-month road trip last fall. I drove to Colorado, San Francisco (where I stayed in a Zeus home), Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon, Texas, and Nashville before making my way to D.C. for the holidays. Then in the spring, I spent time in Richmond, Virginia, and headed to New York for the summer.

That sounds amazing. Out of all your travel experiences, which has been the most memorable?

I studied abroad in Morocco, which was an incredible experience. It was beautiful and felt the most culturally distinct from anywhere I’ve lived before. The experience forced me out of my comfort zone and taught me how to understand a new culture and language.

Do you have any tips for traveling abroad?

You may experience a huge language barrier when traveling abroad. In those moments, it’s best to have a sense of humor and try to genuinely connect with people through other creative ways, like gestures, drawings, or writing. If all else fails, just be warm and friendly. It’s important to go with the flow and lose your expectations when traveling. Take time to ask questions, read, and explore. Just be open.

You’ve stayed in a few Zeus homes throughout your travels, which did you enjoy living in the most?

Over a year ago, I flew to LA for a dinner party (my favorite one-liner, but not representative of my lifestyle at all) and stayed in a Zeus home, which was an incredible bungalow in Venice beach. It had beautiful natural light, was just the right size, and was within walking distance to the beach—it’s all you need.

Let’s switch gears to your experience at Zeus Living. How long have you worked here?

It feels like a decade (laughing), but I’ve worked at Zeus for two years.

Tell us a little about what you do.

I currently lead our customer success department and manage our bookings, owner experience, and resident experience teams. We follow our residents’ experience from the moment they first inquire about booking a home to the time they check out.

What was the progression to your current leadership role like for you?

I started out as an associate-level booker in our D.C. office (the first East Coast metro office) and handled D.C.-specific leases. Once we decided to expand the D.C. bookings team, I helped with the process and eventually transitioned to bookings lead for the East Coast. Six months later, based on my previous job as a general manager, my team management experience, and the strong relationship I built with the team, I transitioned to the inbound sales manager.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, our team saw an opportunity to reassess our processes. We decided to create an umbrella team over our bookings and support teams called customer success. I was asked to lead the new department, which was both an awesome opportunity and a massive compliment because I went from simply sharing how I thought we could improve our level of service with a new Customer Success department to being tapped to see it through.

Every step of the way, I feel like the Zeus leadership team and my teams have put a lot of trust in me to build things, take on challenges, and grow into roles that I initially felt I didn’t have experience in. I attribute much of my growth and our accomplishments to my team—it’s always a joint effort.

With all of your responsibilities, how do you manage work-life balance?

I don’t have any work notifications on my phone, so I don’t get buzzed unexpectedly unless it’s urgent—this has been really important to me. Traveling has also helped because there’s been so much to see, so I try to stop working on time to go out and explore wherever I am.

What keeps you at Zeus?

That bungalow in Venice beach (laughing). It’s the amazing people—Zeus is a warm, kind, friendly, and impressive environment. The product makes a lot of sense and it’s something that I use. Also, hearing our residents’ great experiences and being able to facilitate a lifestyle that so many people are living right now is exciting to me.

Liz, thank you so much for your time! Before we end, we’d like to ask you a few rapid-fire questions. Ready?

Yeah!

High rise in the city or cabin in the woods?

Cabin in the woods.

Beach or mountains?

Mountains.

It’s 7:00 PM on a Friday night. What are you doing?

Holding my dog.

What’s something big or small that you’re really bad at?

Guestimating numbers.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

That question has gotten harder the more I travel. I really think I could be happy in most places, and I’m slightly afraid of picking one—I don’t know where to start.

If you had to pick one age to be forever, which age would you choose?

The mid to late twenties.

If you could switch homes for a month with someone, who would it be?

I’d totally live in a castle, like Windsor.

Thank you, Liz!

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I Work at Zeus is a monthly blog series that features the talented humans of Zeus Living. Interested in learning more about our work, culture, or joining the team? Visit our Careers page.