“One Bite At A Time”: The Value of Multi-Phase Project Planning with Liz Hutson of EGH, LLC 1-21-26

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast
Host: Chanel Bunger (guest hosting for Scott Becker)
Guest: Liz Hudson, Principal Consultant & Founder at EGH, LLC
Episode Title: “One Bite At A Time”: The Value of Multi-Phase Project Planning
Date: January 21, 2026

This episode centers on practical strategies for leaders and teams facing overwhelming projects, with a particular focus on the power of multiphase project planning. Liz Hudson, a seasoned consultant in healthcare and private equity, walks through her process for taking massive goals and breaking them into actionable, manageable pieces to avoid paralysis and drive momentum.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Guest Background

• Liz’s Experience in Healthcare and Private Equity
  • Liz introduces herself as the founder and principal consultant at EGH, LLC, consulting primarily in healthcare products and services within the private equity sector.
  • Her work includes services spanning mergers and acquisitions, product development, marketing support, and a focus on change management.
    [00:53]

    “We provide services in all gamuts, whether it’s with mergers and acquisitions or product development, marketing support, but a whole series of things really focused on change management.”
    — Liz Hudson

2. Getting Unstuck at the Beginning of Big Projects

• Common Challenges:
  • Liz describes the universal feeling of paralysis at the start of significant projects, emphasizing the very normal, human doubt that comes with daunting tasks.
    [01:32]

    “When I'm at the beginning of a really big project… I often feel really paralyzed… after that first thought… comes this idea of doubt, like, ‘Can I even do any of this?’ Am I capable of pulling this off at all?”
    — Liz Hudson

• Her Personal & Professional Approach:
  • She advises “eating the elephant one bite at a time”—a philosophy that underpins her multiphase project planning method.

3. The Three-Step Multiphase Project Planning Process

• Step 1: Start with the End in Mind
  • Visualize the ideal future state to anchor all subsequent plans and actions.
    [02:56]

    “It's so important that you know where you're ultimately headed before you even begin. You want to visualize that ending… every plan, every step should move you in that direction.”
    — Liz Hudson

• Step 2: Break It Down
  • Instead of focusing on the overwhelming entirety, identify the simplest first action and map out small, manageable phases.
    [03:38]

    “Ask yourself, what's the first step, simplest thing that I can do? And then go do that… You map the journey into those small phases.”
    — Liz Hudson

  • This approach keeps the feeling of heaviness at bay and makes the project more attainable.
• Step 3: Celebrate Progress Along the Way
  • Recognize and celebrate even small wins; early success boosts momentum, belief, and excitement, infecting the entire team with energy.
    [04:44]

    “Those early wins… are incredibly important because they build belief, they build confidence and excitement. And that success in the beginning, it's contagious, right?”
    — Liz Hudson

  • The cumulative effect of many small steps leads to significant progress, often surprising in hindsight.

4. Takeaways and Practical Advice

• Summoning Energy for Action
  • The key, per Liz, is to just get started and keep moving forward steadily, step by step.
    [05:46]

    “It's all about summoning that energy to just take that first portion of the plan and then the next, and then the next. And all of a sudden that project that felt overwhelming doesn't feel so intimidating anymore.”
    — Liz Hudson

• Overcoming Intimidation
  • By focusing on motion and incremental action, leaders and teams find even the scariest projects become approachable.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Feeling Overwhelmed:

  “That reaction is just supernatural and it's very human. But it's a place we need to make sure we don't stop.”
  — Liz Hudson [01:40]

• On the Importance of Visualizing the End:

  “While this multiphase project planning is about breaking things into smaller parts, it's so important that you know where you're ultimately headed before you even begin.”
  — Liz Hudson [03:06]

• On Building Team Energy:

  “Your energy rises, the team's energy rises. If you're working with a group, the tempo starts to build.”
  — Liz Hudson [04:58]

• Closing Motivation:

  “Start eating that elephant one bite at a time.”
  — Liz Hudson [06:03]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:53: Liz Hudson’s background and consulting focus
• 01:32: Liz on the paralyzing feeling at the start of big projects
• 02:56: Introduction of the three-step multiphase planning process
• 03:38: Importance of small, actionable first steps
• 04:44: Early wins and their impact on momentum and team morale
• 05:46: Final advice on pushing through intimidation and just getting started

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Summary Takeaway

Liz Hudson offers a candid, encouraging playbook for tackling intimidating projects: know your destination, break the journey into small bites, celebrate every win, and keep the energy moving forward. Her approach is rooted in practical experience and delivered with the clarity and empathy of someone who’s helped many others get unstuck and find success, one phase at a time.

Transcript

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[Chanel Bunger]

Hello and welcome to the Becker Private Equity and the Becker Business Podcast. My name is Chanel Bunger, and today I'm excited to speak with regular guest Liz Hudson, principal consultant and owner at EGH llc, who joins us today to discuss the value of multiphase project planning. Liz, thank you so much for joining me. Could you get us started out by giving a brief introduction for listeners that may not be acquainted with you yet?

[Liz Hudson]

Absolutely. Chanel, great to talk with you. Yeah. I am Liz Hudson. I am the founder and principal consultant of EGH, llc. And we focus on healthcare products and services, primarily in the private equity space. And we provide services in all gamuts, whether it's with mergers and acquisitions or product development, marketing support, but a whole series of things really focused on change management.

[Chanel Bunger]

Perfect. Thank you so much for that introduction. Now let's get into it. Getting stuck at the beginning of a big project can be a major hurdle for leaders everywhere. Can you talk a bit about the process that you use to get unstuck?

[Liz Hudson]

Absolutely, yeah. When I'm at the beginning of a really big project or a goal, I often feel really paralyzed. Right. I don't know where to even begin. And because I'm stuck there at the beginning, the idea is somewhere in my head, but I can't stop. Start right after that first thought of, like, I don't know where to begin comes this idea of doubt, like, can I even do any of this? Am I capable of pulling this off at all? And I think that reaction is just supernatural and it's very human. But it's a place that we need to make sure we don't stop. So if it's any big task, whether it's things like what we do, which is company integration, or if it's writing a book, losing weight, or even cleaning up a closet, the key to all of this is eating the elephant one bite at a time. And that's what I really want to explore today, Chanel, is that instead of trying to tackle the Entire project at once. Let's talk about multiphase project planning, because I believe that can be, it has been for me, my greatest ally when work feels overwhelming.

[Chanel Bunger]

Got it, got it. Thank you so much for setting that up for us. And speaking of breaking things down, can you give us the step by step process that you use in multi phase project planning?

[Liz Hudson]

Absolutely. So I think about it in three parts and let's talk about each one of those. So the first one, anytime you're doing any kind of planning, but particularly with multi phase project planning, you want to start with the end in mind. And while this multi phase project planning is about breaking things into smaller parts, it's so important that you know where you're ultimately headed before you even begin. You want to visualize that ending, visualize that ideal future state, and then anchor on that as your target. And then from there, every thought, every plan, every step should move you in that direction. So that first step is to start with the end in mind so you know where you're headed. The second part of that, then after you have that anchor, after you have that focus, is really to just break it down. So a lot of times we get stuck under the weight of what's ahead of us. The scope feels heavy, and that heaviness then just keeps us from moving at all. Right. Like I said, sometimes we feel paralyzed at the beginning. But remember, you don't have to finish the entire project right now. All you need to do is just take the first small step. I ask myself, I talk to my clients, my colleagues, my kids. Ask yourself, what's the first step, simplest thing that I can do. Ask that really straightforward question, what's the simplest first thing that I can do? And then go do that. And then you map the journey into those small phases. It helps it feel controllable, it feels more attainable. It's still hard and it still requires effort, but it's not as overwhelming as it was in the beginning. And then the last part of it, Chanel, is really just celebrating the progress along the way. So even though each step of this multi phase project planning feels small and maybe even a little trivial, when you string all of those small steps together, you start to build momentum. And those early wins in a project or when you're accomplishing a goal, they're really important. They're incredibly important because they build belief, they build confidence and excitement. And that success in the beginning, it's contagious, right? Your energy rises, the team's energy rises. If you're working with a group, the Tempo starts to build and when you look back, you can really see clearly. Gosh, I've really come so far. Those are the three steps that I think about, right? Number one, start with the end in mind. Two, break it down. And three, celebrate the progress.

[Chanel Bunger]

Absolutely. Well, Liz, I want to thank you for your time today. But before I let you go, is there anything else that listeners should know?

[Liz Hudson]

Yeah, I, you know, just to maybe just tie it all up together, I would just say it's, it's all about summoning that energy to just take that first portion of the plan and then the next, and then the next. And all of a sudden that project that felt overwhelming doesn't feel so intimidating anymore. You just want to get started. Just get yourself in motion. Start eating that elephant one bite at a time.

[Chanel Bunger]

Absolutely. Well, that's a great note to end on. Liz, I want to thank you once again for your time today and for sharing your insights on the Becker business and the Becker private equity podcast. Thank you so much.

[Liz Hudson]

Thanks, Chanel. Great to talk with you.

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