On World Storytelling Day, I went live on Facebook to talk about – what else? Storytelling, of course! I’ve mentioned time and again how sharing our stories has been an essential part of communicating with one another and, more importantly, connecting with each other. It has always been an important part of community and humanity, and even more so today.

But if you’re new to storytelling, you might have hesitations and questions you want answered before you begin your journey. And because I got great Qs when I went live, I’m sharing them with you today, hoping you get the encouragement you need to take that first step towards becoming a storyteller.

Here are some of the questions I answer and the things I talk about:

• What’s the first thing you need to remember about storytelling?
• What key questions do I need to ask my audience so I can help them and also improve my storytelling skills?
• What do I do if the story I share is received negatively?
• How do I share my story when I’m...

It’s not easy being an entrepreneur. Everything depends on you, and you have to think carefully and weigh each decision you make for your business. And what can also be tricky and difficult is not always having someone to talk to about your plans and ideas. In fact, it can be really challenging.

Enter Masterminds. I’ve joined a few in the last couple of years. And as I have just gotten back from attending a Mastermind event, let me tell you: being part of a Mastermind is one of the best things I’ve done for myself and for my business.

So join me today on the show as I share with you:

• The five huge benefits of joining masterminds
• How I’m using what I gain from masterminds in my own business
• Why mastermind groups should be something you consider if you want to take your business to the next level 

I believe in the power of community. And that’s how I look at and approach being part of a mastermind: belonging to a community of individuals committed to growth and continuous im...

There are almost one million women who become widows each year in the US. And the grief of losing a spouse can overwhelm anyone to the point of not knowing how to pick up the pieces and start over again.

When today’s guest, Natalie Reid-Knutson, went on a Colorado expedition with her husband and their three sons, little did she know that it would be their last. The tragedy that hit their family two days after they returned home brought a different kind of grief to Natalie, and how she found a way to live life again to the fullest is nothing short of extraordinary and inspiring.

Listen in as Natalie shares with us:

• Who she was before she started Broken Halos Haven
• How her parody video of Johnny Cash became the start of her career as a blogger
• The events leading up to August 14th and why she felt that God was in the middle of everything that happened
• How a trip to New York with her sons became the inspiration for Broken Halos Haven, a place for new widows and their kids to ste...

Every day, limiting beliefs and self-defeating thoughts run through our heads. Feelings of inadequacy, fear of failure, self-doubt, and self-sabotage … these beliefs often come from past experiences, cultural conditioning, or messages we get from others.

After closing down her dance company, Relinde Moors took a completely different path, hoping to find freedom, independence, and abundance. But before she found success, she had to break down invisible blocks that were stopping her from achieving her goals. Today, she’s helping others shift their beliefs.

Join me and Relinde as we talk about:

• Her backstory and how a trip to Bali changed how she looked at life and the meaning of freedom
• How she figured out the kind of limiting beliefs that were in her subconscious and blocking her from reaching her vision
• What we can do to take away the fears that are telling us to play small in different areas of our lives
• My own daily practice of revisiting my goals and rewiring my brain to ...

Not everyone is a fan of speaking in front of a crowd, even a small one. In fact, glossophobia – the fear of public speaking – is so common that it affects roughly 75% of the population.

However, speaking has become an essential skill and tool in the business world, and even I have been using it to grow my own business. As leaders and entrepreneurs, communication is key, and we have to get better at it.

But how does one become an effective and impactful speaker? How can speaking help scale your career?

Join me in today’s episode as I talk about:

• Why you should add speaking to increase visibility for you and grow your business
• The main reasons why people shy away from public speaking
• The steps you need to take to get started on your speaking journey
• How and where you can find places to speak, share your story, and generate leads for your business
• My development programs for anyone who wants to crush the stage and monetize their talks

I always say: your story matters. And...

The textbook definition of leadership is “the ability of an individual, group, or organization to lead, influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations.” We all know, though, that leadership encompasses so much more than just this.

Our guest today is Sarah Young, founder and CEO of the Zing Collaborative. She spent eight years leading people, projects, and teams in the corporate world before she started her business in 2013. At Zing Collaborative, she partners with thousands of leaders across industries and geographies to go beyond the basic understanding of what a leader is and elevate their leadership capacity.

Here are some of what Sarah and I discuss on today’s episode:

• Her experience in the corporate world and what she saw as “the shadow and the light” that eventually led her to shift to what she is doing today
• Her book, Expansive Impact, and what the concept really means
• Where she sees the biggest gaps both in the corporate setting and in individua...

If there’s one thing I know to be true, it’s that our stories, when shared with the best of intentions, shine a light for others and show them they are not alone. And most importantly, stories provide inspiration, comfort, and hope that there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.

Today’s special guest is my good friend, client, and LIGHTbeamer, Ashley DeLuca. At a young age and in a short amount of time, Ashley has gone through and come out of a situation that takes others years to overcome. She’s such an amazing person, and I can’t wait to dive into her story as she shares it with us today.

Here’s what Ashley and I talk about in this episode:

• Having huge expectations for herself, doing everything right by society’s standards, and still ending up in grief and sadness
• Standing in the middle of a video game conference, feeling lost, and realizing it was not how she wanted to feel for the rest of her life
• What it means to live life in a quarterly abuse cycle that left her in...

When I meet and talk to someone who is as passionate about storytelling as I am, you can be sure I’ll bring on that individual as my guest on the podcast. And today, I’ve done just that.

Mark Carpenter is a Chief Storyteller who aims to help people teach, lead, sell, and inspire through intentional storytelling for business. He and I both value storytelling as a skill that’s underrated but so critical, and we hope to encourage more people to share their stories and use them to make a positive impact on their audience.

Listen in as Mark and I talk about:

• How a history book made him realize that he not only loved history (he used to think he hated it!) and that stories have a huge impact on teaching
• Storytelling as a serious skill you should intentionally include in your business if you want to become a leader that people will trust
• My own recent experience with a sales guy who shared his story with the company he was representing and how that made an impact on me
• The inspirat...

Every week, I bring you inspiring inside stories of individuals from different walks of life, as well as prompts and strategies to help you get started on your own storytelling journey. And it is my hope that in some way, you become motivated and encouraged to also look inward, dig out your own inside stories, and realize that when you share them, you shine a light.

Storytelling, however, is not always easy and can be quite daunting. I often get asked: How do you know which parts of your story are the right ones to share, especially in business? Here's an easy 1-2-3 for you!

In today’s episode, I cover:

• The pitfalls to avoid when you share your story
• The three key elements of storytelling and how these can help you craft the kind of story your audience will want to listen to
• What I reminded my husband about serving clients when he recently went away for a business trip
• How being a good storyteller can make you a good leader and help build trust between you and your people

Sharing your story can be the one thing you do that changes your life. And that’s exactly what happened to our guest today, Madge Gillen. 

Madge – as she has always been known and called by her family, friends, and even inside the LIGHTbeamers Community and The HUB – began her storytelling journey not too long ago. Shortly after she took my mini-course, Find Your Story, she started to share her story with her audience. And since then, she has gone from doing Facebook Lives to becoming the Rising Star speaker at the 2022 Storytelling Symposium. She has also gone back to using her given name, Amanda Kae, and she shares the story behind this with us today.

So join me and Amanda Kae as we talk about:

• Her empowering transformation from being Madge to becoming Amanda Kae and becoming the person she was always meant to be
• The story of how her grandmother inspired her to embrace who she really was in order to do what she wanted and help others
• Transitioning from being a crafter to be...