Last week, I posted a story prompt inside my LIGHTbeamers Community on Facebook and it went like this:

What is something positive in your life now that you didn’t have a year ago? 

Today, as I sit in a quiet spot by the beach — on a much-needed break with my family — I am sharing with you by way of this podcast episode, my own reflection and response to this significant question.

I hope you join me as I share with you:

• How I paused and looked back at the last 12 months, including my family’s recent bout with Covid
• What’s at the top of my positive list
• The concept of tight containers which I learned from my own mentor and coach
• How even just managing my time using Google calendar has made such a huge impact in my business and personal life!
• What I believe this past year has taught us and brought about in us

To say the least, these past months have been consequential for all of us one way or the other. So I invite you to take some time to really...

Sometimes, life takes you on a path that’s way different from the one you thought you’d be on.

For Melonie DeRose, being a corporate lawyer was a big check mark on her to-do list. She was doing what she thought she was meant to do, and what everyone else said she was supposed to do.

But when she realized most of her days were just spent on autopilot and not making her feel alive, Melonie knew there was something missing. She knew she had to make a change. So she went and took a leap of faith, pursued her real passion, and never looked back.

There’s a lot you can take away from Melonie’s story, and I invite you to listen in as she shares with us: 

• The three things that made her rethink her life
• That pivotal moment she had leaving work at 2AM while 7 months pregnant
• Her mission to empower women which drove her to create Empact Bars
• Her unconventional way of partnering with non-profit organizations in her pursuit of making an impact on women’s lives...

Today’s episode with international keynote speaker and public speaking trainer Melanie Spring is such a good one!

She takes us on her journey from being a brand strategist interviewing companies and finding out what made them work (hint: it has something to do with stories!), to becoming a public speaker and trainer who helps other people bring their stories to the big stage.

I had such a fun and enlightening conversation with Melanie, and I invite you to listen in as we talk about:

• How she unexpectedly found her passion in teaching people how to say what they need or want to say
• Her life-changing retreat that goes beyond public speaking, and allows people to find out what’s standing between them and who they want to be
• What she feels are the things holding people back from sharing their stories and making an impact on stage
• Being an introvert and why her personality makes her good at what she does
• A major tip she has for anyone who is getting ready to speak on stage...

Whether it be in our personal lives or in business, creating connections and building relationships get easier when we openly share stories with our audience. A work presentation, a social media post, or even just an email to a friend becomes more interesting when injected with relevant stories.

But it isn’t always easy to dig up stories we can use to engage with others. Sometimes, we feel our stories are too personal to be shared, or we may think they’re not interesting enough to be told.

So how and where do we find stories other than our personal experiences?

Find out in today’s episode as I share with you:

• Why the practice of being aware and intentional is important in finding stories
• How I came up with the concept of Found Objects
• Two of the stories I share that are centered on Found Objects, and how I use them to send a message to my audience
• Why it’s important to pause and take the time to notice what’s around us

Stories are everywhere. But...

Stories are powerful. They can teach us, give us hope and encouragement, provide comfort, inspire people, and transform lives.

On the other end of the spectrum, these same stories can also leave us feeling defeated, ashamed, and tied to an invisible chain.

After years of doing storytelling work, I’ve discovered far too many people are on the latter side of the scale: shying away from telling their stories and hiding behind feelings of guilt, shame or regret.

What we need to realize is these stories we’re running away from are the ones that will have the most impact when we open up and share them.

So join me in today’s episode of The Inside Story podcast as I talk about:

• The story of losing my teeth — and how I learned a powerful storytelling lesson early on in my life
• How to free yourself from the negative hold your story has on you
• How my community — the LIGHTbeamers Community — has become a safe place for women who want to share their story

...

It has been a while since my last solo episode so this one right here is pretty special!

In all honesty, it took me some time to get around to recording this, which is ironic because as you will find out, the reason I’ve been holding off is actually what our topic today covers and addresses.

So listen in as I share with you:

• How I have been staying in my comfort zone and what that looks like to me, especially in producing this podcast
• The story behind my first encounter with the concept of “pushing the edge” and the man who introduced it to me
• The image I immediately thought of when I heard about the concept, and why I feel like it’s an apt analogy for pushing the edge
• How staying in the smallest circle stops us from going after and getting what we truly desire for ourselves
• Where I’m struggling to push myself over the edge in different areas like my health and my mindset
• The reason why I don’t really believe in the concept of failure...

When life gives you a series of unfortunate events, throwing in the towel seems like the easiest thing to do. But for Brittany Clayborne, admitting defeat wasn’t an option. She chose to push through everything that was put in her path and as a result, is now living out her soul’s purpose. She’s using her voice to tell her incredible story, and create awareness and intention in those who hear her words.

Today’s episode resonates with me so much because it reminds me of my own conviction and message to other women: to stop waiting for the perfect moment, and to ask for the big story and receive it with arms wide open.

So join me and Brittany as we have a deep — and at times funny — conversation about:

• Her journey from being diagnosed with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy or PPCM and getting a pacemaker
• Going through heart failure seven times before getting a mechanical device to help her weakening heart
• Spending 9 months at the hospital away from her...

There's a story prompt I teach called,  "Trials to Triumph"... and this month's spotlight feature certainly fits that storyline. 

I first met Shannon Rafalowski when she attended our very first Storytelling Symposium in Dallas, Texas. 

I could sense immediately her story was raw and fresh. She was at the very beginning stage of healing from a 35+ year battle with an eating disorder and body image issues. 

She had just finished up her life coaching certification and was searching for a way to share her story in hopes of helping others. 

That was in May of 2019. 

Over the past 2 years, I've had a front row seat as Shannon has unraveled and rebuilt her life from the ground up.

This work isn't for the faint of heart, but it's worth it when you are able to look back on your story and see how beneficial it can be to share it with others. 

These days, Shannon pours her energy into her Tush Tribe Community, where she is helping women recover from their own...

Denice Chenault is one of the most powerful women in network marketing. But she will also be the first one to tell you that she never thought of herself as a sales person, let alone imagined she could build a meaningful career people tend to associate with selling.

On today’s episode of The Inside Story Podcast, we go beyond the basics of network marketing and look at the heart of it through the eyes of Denice. From thinking of it initially as just a source of income, to understanding the real foundation a great career in this industry actually stands on, Denice takes us on her journey that goes back more than 22 years.

Our conversation is an enlightening one, so join us as we talk about:

• Denice’s back story and why she really got into network marketing all those years ago
• Appreciating how this industry provides equal opportunity for everybody — regardless of background — to become abundant
• How network marketing has taken her from being the shy girl from...

We all have money stories. Yet this topic is one that most of us shy away from and are even discouraged from discussing. Whether it’s from being told that it’s not polite to talk about money, or we’re too ashamed to discuss our own financial status, we do not talk about wealth as much as we should.

But more than just the amount that’s sitting in your bank account (although this matters quite a lot!), true wealth depends on the mindset we have about money and our relationship with it, and letting ourselves open up to the infinite abundance that is our birthright.

Today, my dear friend and money mentor Alexandra Taketa shares with us how our money stories can either stop us from reaching our full wealth potential, or allow us to attract the unlimited and abundant life of our dreams.

So listen in as Alexandra and I discuss:

• Her own money story rooted from childhood, and the work she did (and still continues to do!) to shift from a state of lack into the...