The Story Behind the Story: The Many Lives of Liza Kaufman

04\. Before luxury real estate, there were management consulting, fashion photography, entrepreneurship, race cars and more than a few unexpected turns. In this special episode, Liza Kaufman leaves the host’s chair and hands it to the person who knows her story best: her daughter and business partner, Alfee Kaufman. Together, they trace Liza’s journey from a childhood in Peru and an abrupt move to Canada to a cancer diagnosis in her twenties, motherhood and an almost accidental entrance into real estate. It is a candid conversation about independence, resilience and learning to see reinvention as an opportunity rather than evidence that the plan went wrong. **In this episode:** - How immigrating from Peru to Canada shaped Liza’s need for independence - The unexpected crisis that launched her management-consulting career at 21 - Why she refused to let cancer become the defining story of her life - The businesses and professional experiments that came before real estate - How one course unexpectedly led to a career in luxury real estate - What it means to build Kaufman Group alongside her daughter - Why family has always mattered more than business **ABOUT SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS** Smart Women Big Deals is a podcast hosted by Liza Kaufman, featuring candid conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention and the defining decisions behind extraordinary success. **CONNECT WITH SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS** Website: https://smartwomenbigdeals.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwomenbigdeals TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@smartwomenbigdeals YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smartwomenbigdeals Media and partnership inquiries: [team@smartwomenbigdeals.com](mailto:team@smartwomenbigdeals.com) New episodes every Wednesday. Follow Smart Women Big Deals wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe on YouTube to watch the full conversations.