Norman J. Liverpool IV is an entrepreneur and speaker, with a passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that community faces.

He's also the creator of a signature mentorship and coaching program designed for that same LGBTQ+ community called Over the Top Living. Prior to accomplishing so much not only for himself, but others as well, Norman left his home in Chicago and relocated to Las Vegas in 2007, that he began his journey to finding himself. By 2008, this journey led him to the realization that he was gay. Then identifying as a gay black man, he would spend the next several years in and out of varying versions of himself. This process has spanned for over 15 years. We're here to talk quite a bit about that.

Show Notes

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Theme music by: Ruel Morales

Audio Transcript

Brian Schoenborn  0:01   

Hello, hello. Hey everybody. Our guest today is an entrepreneur and speaker, the passion for spreading awareness for the LGBTQ plus community and the issues that community faces. He’s also the creator of a signature mentorship and coaching program designed for that same LGBTQ plus community called over the top living prior to accomplishing so much not only for himself, but others as well. Norman left his home in Chicago and relocated to Las Vegas during this time in 2007, that he began his journey to finding himself by 2008. This journey led him to the realization that he was gay. Then identifying as a gay black man, he would spend the next several years in and out of varying versions of himself. This process has spanned for over 15 years. We’re here to talk quite a bit about that. Give it up for my friend, Norman J. Liverpool, the fourth.

Brian Schoenborn  0:55   

My name is Brian Schoenborn. I’m an explorer of people, places and culture. In my travels spanning over 20 countries across four continents, I’ve had the pleasure of engaging in authentic conversations with amazingly interesting people. These are their stories on location and unfiltered presented by 8B Media. This is Half the City.

Brian Schoenborn  1:21   

What’s up, man? How you doing, Norman?

Norman J. Liverpool IV  1:23   

I’m good as another day in paradise, that’s for sure.

Brian Schoenborn  1:25   

Another Day in Paradise. You are absolutely right, man. Now, I gotta tell you, man, I’ve so I’ve known you for quite some time. What is like, 10?

Norman J. Liverpool IV  1:33   

Yeah, we met we met back in ’08.

Brian Schoenborn  1:36   

yeah. 2008 That’s right. You know, when I first saw you talking about what you’re up to now, I got…Well, I was really interested, of course, but I was also really, really impressed with how far you’ve come in the last, you know, 12, 12-plus years. You know, it’s really inspiring, you see, to see people growing and changing like that, you know, like, like the way I see things is everyone’s kind of a collection of our moments, right, where and how we respond to it. So everyone’s unique, you know, 8 billion people, which is why I named my company 8B Media, and everyone’s got a story and everyone’s perspectives and frameworks and everything like that are all unique to their experiences. So I’m interested, if you can kind of tell me how, how you went from Northern Liverpool, coworker, to kind of to discovering that you’re a black gay man, and then kind of coming into your own a bit.

Norman J. Liverpool IV  2:35   

Well, it started back actually in 2007, when I moved to Las Vegas from Chicago. And a huge reason that I decided to move is because my family back home were extremely religious. And I was still trying to figure out myself, I was trying to come into adulthood. And I just didn’t feel like I could do that with All of these influences around me. So I got a one way ticket and came to Las Vegas in December of 2007. And I got the job at Metro right away. But then again, I was still like a baby, you know, I’m 21 years old. I didn’t know up from down. I didn’t know what expressing myself and living as a gay man what that actually meant, because for so long I was told that it was wrong, I’m going to hell, all of that. 

Norman J. Liverpool IV  3:32   

So when you and I met, I was going from one extreme to the next because I did not know like where to even begin. So I remember back then, like I would have like long hair and carry big purses and have you know, like all of that and then because that’s what what when you look at media, you know, that’s what I saw. And I did not know that that I didn’t have to be anything but myself. And so I spent quite some time kind of acting, if you will, trying to figure out what being gay means. And what, what it meant for me. 

Brian Schoenborn  4:16   

Mm hmm.

Norman J. Liverpool IV  4:17   

And, oh, it was years of of turmoil and going up and down and in and out of relationships, and it was just like a lot of craziness. And then I got into property management back in 2012. And that really shifted things for me because prior to that, you know, I was working, you know, as you know, at Metro PCS, and then I was also a part time bartender. You know, I did drag shows and I was doing all these things. And then when the property management came on the table, I didn’t have time for all of that because now working nine to five I have really important responsibilities and duties and so that was kind of like the catalyst that kind of started a lot of this, just because it changed the way that I had to interact professionally. And then from there, I just really started doing the work. I started writing, journaling, and really doing the work, you know, get in touch with myself and figure out what the heck that even meant. But to be completely honest, it wasn’t really until last year, where things begin to shift focus for me, and my my vision and my purpose became a little bit more clear.

Brian Schoenborn  5:39   

That’s interesting. I um, kind of similarly, um, you know, like, I’ve lived with PTSD for like, almost 20 years at this point. 

Norman J. Liverpool IV  5:50   

Right. 

Brian Schoenborn  5:51   

And, you know, because of that, I’ve spent a lot of time searching for my self, my purpose and all of that as well. Right. 

Norman J. Liverpool IV  6:00   

Yeah. 

Brian Schoenborn  6:01   

You know, that that took me to Vegas, it took me to Boston and New York and, you know, China for a few years and all over the place and just trying to find a fit, right? Like, where, where my sweet spot is right?

Norman J. Liverpool IV  6:13   

Right. For sure. 

Brian Schoenborn  6:14   

And it wasn’t until, like, I moved up the corporate ladder, and all this and that, and, you know, at a fairly young age, my early 30s, I was near the top of a major corporation, Jose Cuervo. Living a job of, you know, a lot of people’s dreams, that sort of thing. And I was just miserable, you know. And so, finally, at that point where I’d kind of like I’d given up and I’m like, you know what? This isn’t sustainable for the next 30 years of my life. 

Norman J. Liverpool IV  6:39   

Right. 

Brian Schoenborn  6:40   

I got to figure out what the hell I’m going to do with my life who am I, you know, and so I started doing the work as well. You know, I kind of locked myself in my bedroom after work for like two months and like, I was journaling, doing skill and ability assessments and you know, things like that. And that kind of set me off on this path of you know, figuring out is something related to communications, international stuff, that kind of thing. But even then it took me a couple of years until I kind of finally realized that it’s, it’s the storytelling stuff, right, that’s that’s the stuff that gets me. You know, it’s, it’s telling my story, it’s helping other people tell theirs, that kind of stuff, but but it took a long time to get there. 

Norman J. Liverpool IV  7:21   

Yeah. 

Brian Schoenborn  7:22   

Just you know, when you when you talk about doing the work, you know, there’s a lot to be said about that. What kind of stuff did you do? Like what was your…did you have a process that you laid out? Or was there you know, certain books that you read, or

Norman J. Liverpool IV  7:35   

I don’t necessarily know that there was a process, I just knew that I was destined for greater. And so then the work became connecting A to Z. Oh, I’m here, but I know I need to go there. 

Brian Schoenborn  7:49   

Hmm. 

Norman J. Liverpool IV  7:50   

So part of that was me surrounding myself with like minded people. But it’s also surrounding myself with people who had already attained certain things that I wanted for myself and professionally, personally. So, I mean, I’ve read books, you know, but a lot of the work had to do with me letting go of toxic family dynamics, toxic friendships, letting go of the the self shame that I had dealt with being a black gay man, and dealing with that kind of thing. And it was mostly internal, the work that I had to do. It was it was working on myself so that I could allow myself and give myself the permission to be the person that I knew that I’m destined.

Brian Schoenborn  8:47   

Yeah, no, I hear that and, you know, like for me, you know, so I went through some I had a little bit of process and I kind of figured out, you know, it was a lot of internal processing to, but it wasn’t until like, you know, when I, when I made that decision to go to Chi