It’s an extra special day over here!!

Today is the official launch day of ELEVATE YOUR VOICE -- the first-ever LIGHTbeamers collaborative book!

After months of writing and working on promoting the book, this day has finally come. Along the way, I’ve featured some of the women who have written chapters for the book on this podcast, and in today’s episode, it’s my turn. I’m giving you some behind-the-scenes look at MY OWN journey: from initial talks about the project to writing my story … up until the day I held a copy of the book in my hands.

So tune in and sit with me as I share with you:

• How the project started out when I first talked to our publisher, Lannete Pottle, and its evolution into the book we are launching today
• Why it was necessary for me to create a safe space for the women joining the program
• The experience of putting my own story on paper -- and reading the first draft I wrote for the book
• The whole growth experience, and...

Community Highlights is a series I do on The Inside Story Podcast to showcase the amazing LIGHTbeamers who shine their light for others. And one of those people is Louisa Garrett, who is doing what she can to spread love and sow kindness out in the world.

But Louisa would be the first to tell you that being kind didn’t always come easy to her. In fact, 10 years ago, kindness was something she didn’t practice, and sarcasm was her norm.

So what changed?

Louisa shares her journey with me today, and I invite you to listen in as she and I talk about:

• The type of person she was before, always ready to dish out comebacks and clapbacks
• How her 15-year old niece became the voice in her head that urged her to re-think actions
• Starting her movement #MakeKindLoud with the belief that everyone is a good person at their very core
• How the events of 2020 made her dig deeper to find her real purpose in life
• Why showing up every single day matters in making an impact on someone
• Knowing...

You always hear me say that storytelling is impactful. If you want to grow your business, build community, and cultivate a great relationship with your audience, storytelling is key.

But just how critical is it for you to actually have a storytelling plan of action in place in today’s digital age? What can you do to give yourself the best chance of success when it comes to telling your story?

I'm sharing my go-to ways to infuse storytelling into the nooks and crannies of your online presence and business. Tune in today as I discuss:

• The characteristics of a good storyteller
• What you don’t want to do when it comes to sharing your story
• Five ways to become better at storytelling

If you’d like a safe place where you can begin your storytelling journey, head over to the LIGHTbeamers Community on Facebook, and take your cue from our story prompts!

You can also send me a DM on Instagram at @lightbeamers if you’d like to know more about storytelling! I'd be more...

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Do I drink too much?”, and go back and forth between saying yes and no without really understanding why, today is a good day to listen to The Inside Story Podcast.

Our guest for this episode is Kari Schwear, Founder of GrayTonic and the Question the Drink movement. She’s a former gray area drinker who struggled with understanding how and why she landed there. She shares her story of finding out what her real problem was, and how she’s now helping others who are stuck in the gray area.

There’s so much to gain from my conversation with Kari, so I invite you to listen in as we talk about:

• When her journey of questioning the drink began, and how and what she learned about the gray area
• Why having awareness and paying close attention can help you begin to have the right mindset about alcohol and your relationship with it
• Her reason for starting the business and how she’s empowering 
• How her programs Question...

Vulnerability seems like such a big, scary word. But when we allow ourselves to become vulnerable at the right moment, something magical can happen.

Deb Cummins Stellato is another one of our authors for Elevate Your Voice, the first ever LIGHTbeamers collaborative book. She considers herself the Princess of Pivots, having gone through so many changes in a span of a few short years.

Today, Deb tells us what it means to power through grief with courage, vulnerability, and acceptance.

Join me and Deb as we talk about:

• How her storytelling has evolved and what the continuum of courage is
• The invitation to write a chapter for the LIGHTbeamers collaborative book, and the fears that came with making her story public
• Her writing journey and the pain that came with reliving the grief of her mother's death
• How sharing her story has helped her heal and move forward
• The experience of becoming an author for Elevate Your Voice, and what it felt like to build a community with the other women of...

In the line of work I do, I always have women come up to me and tell me that they want to change their lives, and live in alignment with their passion and purpose. And the advice I give to them is to go all in and to focus their energy on what the outcome they want to achieve, because really, it takes 100% of your commitment to see results.

Trisha Deming did just that: she persevered and made the decision to only move forward (and not look back!) in the network marketing industry. The result? She’s living her best life today and is doing what she can to help others create the life they want.

There’s so much you can take away from our conversation, so listen in as Trisha and I talk about:

• How she was living on autopilot and no longer finding fulfillment in her business
• Experiencing failure and making the decision to not give in the face of adversity
• What has changed for her after finding success in network marketing, especially the self-development that came with not...

So many of us women -- yes, myself included -- have been conditioned to think that we should stay small and quiet, to stay behind the scenes even when we have something valuable to give to our community.

One woman is trying to change that by helping other women learn how to “say NO to things that don’t serve you and YES to things that light you on fire.” Pamela Meadows -- one of the 14 women who took up the challenge to elevate their voice and let their story be told -- is on a mission to help women create and live their best lives.

Join me and Pamela today, as she and I talk about:

• How she owned her expertise and what she did to advocate for herself in the workplace
• What she’s doing now to affect change in the company she’s with, including getting everyone to have their own Smile File!
• Her reason for joining the LIGHTbeamers Author Program and what it was like for her to go on this journey
• Her message to women about confidence, value, and self-worth,...

Today on The Inside Story Podcast, I’m featuring another LIGHTbeamer as part of our Community Highlights -- a series focusing on members of our Community who are working on sharing their story to shine a light for others.

Terri Ann Heiman landed in the LIGHTbeamers world more than a year ago, and since that time, I’ve seen her embrace storytelling as a way to reach the audience she serves: those who want to dig deep into their soul, find their spirit, and transform their life.

Join me and Terri, as she and I talk about:

• Her backstory and what happened as a result of her not paying attention to what was going on around her
• The day she heard the words, “You’re going to be okay,” and her vow to follow that voice
• The awakening period in her life and her journey to healing
• How storytelling has helped her reach more people, allowing them to relate to her better as she does her work of being an intuitive healer and spiritual mentor
• What it means to have an...

I always like to say doing story work is like peeling an onion. 

As you go, you remove each layer, revealing more stories you have to tell. 

This is certainly the case with Becky Burroughs. When I first met Becky, she didn't think she had a story to tell. Like so many of the women I meet, she thought her story was worthless -- not important to tell. But as we began our work together, Becky began peeling back the layers of her onion. 

Now, Becky is one of the 14 authors who've come together to write their story in our community collaborative book, Elevate Your Voice.

And before the book has even officially published, Becky has already begun working with a publisher to write and publish her first solo book this year. 

Becky is on the move! Her work as a leadership coach for women in ministry has seemingly been set ablaze with passion as a result of Becky doing her own story work! 

Nowadays, you can find her live-streaming, creating Instagram reels,...

Last week, I talked about creating and building your story bank.

Today, we’re going to look into story “composting” and yes, this is something akin to what we do when we want to use or recycle organic matter to enrich and improve the soil and make it fertile.

When it comes to stories, composting can also happen, but what exactly does this entail? What do we do in order to let our stories bloom over time?

Join me in today’s episode of The Inside Story Podcast as I share with you:

• How story composting works, and why having a story bank is an important part of it

• Why your storytelling journey can take time to progress – and it isn’t because you’re story’s not good enough!

• The 4 key things you need to have to make your own story composting a success

Storytelling involves trusting the process and knowing that one of these days, you will share your story in a way that comes naturally and with so much depth. And when that...