Listen to our blog-casts through Amazon on your Alexa device. Subscribe to "What's Your Story" daily Flash Briefing

Just before my first child was born, my husband and I were shopping for a new house. We had just moved to a new town, and knew we needed to look for a home that was going to be suitable for raising a family.

We looked at a lot of houses….. week after week, our agent would set up appointments and we traveled all over town looking for something that ticked all of our boxes.

We had a certain number of bedrooms we wanted.
We had a price range.
We had school districts to consider
We wanted to be close to my husband’s work.

Each of the items on our wish list were easily searchable in the local MLS — and each week, our realtor showed us houses that ticked off all of our required boxes —

One day, after exhausting our search, she says to me,  “You know what? We’re just going to drive around and you tell me when you see a house...

Listen to our blog-casts through Amazon on your Alexa device. Subscribe to "What's Your Story?" Flash Briefing

Listen up close today friends because I have a good one for you.

This thing I’m about to share with you is the number one secret weapon to great storytelling and building connection with your audience.

 It’s the most underused trick yet every single one of us is fully capable of using it….

Any ideas what I’m talking about?

Listening. Yes…. listening.

If you look at some of the best storytellers of our time, they all use this skill with expert precision. Oprah, is someone who demonstrates this ability. Watch one of her interviews on her Super Soul Sunday series…. and pay attention to how intently she listens to her guests. You can visibly see her listening with her entire body. Her eyes are fixated on her guest. Her body leans in, her entire demeanor is engaged in the listening process.

And, this is why she is such a...

Listen to our blog-casts on Amazon through your Alexa device.
Subscribe to "What's Your Story" Flash briefing

There’s an aspect of storytelling I want to focus on to help you really hone in on a specific area of your story you shouldn't overlook…. your Transformation. 

In telling your story, I suggest you follow this simple formula: Start with your Before (which is some sort of historical context that sets the stage for your story), then you work your way to and through the Transformation, which explains a big shift/ a change/ an 360 in perspective, and then you end with the Other Side, which is where you figure out the lessons you learned in the process and the message you want to share with others.

Most people are pretty good at the Before and After part…. but it’s the Transformation piece they leave out. 

The reason why your transformation is so important is because other people are desperately seeking it. 

I was listening to...

Today is Day 5 of a special series this week on the broadcast — covering ways Your story Builds Community.

So far this week, we’ve talked about how to humanize your brand, how to bridge the gap between you and your audience, how to use your story to establish you as the expert, and how to engage in conversation with your audience.

The FINAL tip I have for you to be Consistent. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT tip and goes at the very tippy top of the list, because consistency wins the game every time — yet so many people — suck at it! I say this with love. 

They’ll show up with their message here and there, but there’s no real long-term strategy and intention behind being consistent.

Here’s why being consistent is so important to helping you build Community: Over time, showing up builds trust. Your audience will see you as someone who is reliable and consistent. When you engage with them, they feel your presence. People just want to...

5-Part Alexa Flash Briefing/Blog Series on How to Use your Story to Build Community 

So far, we’ve talked about how your story helps you humanize your brand; bridges the gap between you and your audience; and establishes you as the expert in your field ... and how each step helps draw people into your world and helps them connect with you & your brand on a deeper level. 

When you build community, it's important you see your audience as someone you really want to get to know! So let’s dive into how your story can open up conversation between you and your audience…. and how to keep those conversations going long after the sale.

Sharing pieces of your story — your personal story, your journey, elements of your business, client testimonials, and fun behind the scenes moments you choose to share — these all work in tandem to draw your audience closer to you. And as we’ve already discussed this week — it makes them much more...

Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing: We are continuing this Series on "How Your Story Builds Community"....

Today, I want you to consider how to use your story to establish you as the expert in your field. Let’s face it — we all follow people (and buy from them) when we consider them as someone who actually knows their stuff, right?

If you want to learn how to make fancy scrapbooks, are you going to follow your neighbor’s advice, when she only started making scrapbooks yesterday? — or are you going to follow someone who’s been making scrapbooks for years and has tons of ideas and resources to share? 

You have to find ways to share your story from this standpoint… how can you share stories and allow your audience to see you as an expert at what you do?

There are many ways I suggest you do this, but to get you started, try sharing stories of different experiences you’ve had becoming BETTER at your craft, and giving tips and resources away...

This week on my Amazon Flash Briefing & Blog, I am sharing ways Your Story Builds Community.

I talk a lot about how your story can help you create community in general — but what does that really mean? How does it really work?

Yesterday, we talked about how important it is to humanize your brand, so others can get a sense of the heartbeat behind your business. 

Today, I want to talk about how using your story can help bridge the gap between you the expert, and your audience.

When you share your story effectively, it allows others to see themselves in you; know they are not alone.

So how do you do this? Start by looking for commonalities and life lessons that nearly all of us face, and then ask yourself how can you share a story from this perspective and connect it back to your business.

Here’s an example for you — and one that most anyone can use.

I was listening to The Moth Podcast yesterday, and someone one shared their story by sharing an...

I’m starting a series this week on this Flash Briefing (and blog!) all around the theme of how Your Story Builds Community. I talk a lot about how your story can help you create community in general — but what does that really mean? How does it really work?

Every day this week, We will dive a little deeper into this.

No matter if you are a business with a tangible product, or a service-based personal brand, it’s important you find ways to share your story with your audience for this reason — it shows you are human. So often, marketing your business can feel sterile and cold, and your potential clients can be turned off by this.

You must find ways to share the heartbeat of your business and brand by showing the humans behind the machine.

In my own business, I use my social media channels to take my audience behind the curtain and show off different aspects of my life — I often will take the time to share bits of my story illustrate the passion for...

There’s a little-known side-effect to sharing your story that not a lot of people talk about — so let’s talk about it!

For a lot of people, the idea of having other people look at them, hear them, and observe them is truly unnerving. Think back to your school years, and the courage it took sometimes to raise your hand in class and answer a question. All of the other students in the classroom would turn and look at you while you spoke. 

Or, if you ever had to get up in front of the classroom to make a presentation — the nerves you likely felt, by having so many people look at you, hear you, and witness you.

As we grow up, that stuff doesn’t necessarily go away — it just manifests into a whole different fear and feeling. I call it the Vulnerability Hangover.

Part of learning how to share your story is learning how to deal with the aftermath of feelings — feeling naked and exposed, feeling raw and tender. When you first get up...

So often in business, we get in the weeds of the day to day operations, we sometimes loose sight of what we are really doing — who it is we serve, who are we trying to help with our products, our services, our message.

It’s really important that you take some time to think about who it is you serve.

This is your storytelling prompt for the day — it’s a fantastic way for you to share a piece of your story with your audience.

Think about who you serve — write about your audience/ your clientele, your ideal clients. Who are they? Why do they matter to you?

I think there’s a big disconnect in businesses today between their audience and the people running the machine.

The best way I know how to help you solve that disconnect is to get you to #1 — think more deeply about the people you serve…. and #2— get you to share your story with them.

When you can clearly identify and connect with who it is you serve, it becomes so much...