Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
333 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsIt's not the things that happen in your life that define you, that create your identity. It's how you talk about those things.
That’s the theme behind this podcast. Research shows that the stories you tell have a major influence in how you see yourself and in how others perceive you, so it’s important to be intentional about which stories you share and how you share them.
Guests on the podcast share the pivotal moments in their lives and careers, offering keen insights and “ah ha” moments to listeners, while triggering related memories of listeners, opening up opportunities to uncover their own patterns and discover better ways to share their stories.
During this podcast, I’m asking you to listen to consider your related stories, and to listen to consider which stories in your life might have impacted you in a similar way.
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Sarah works with executives who know that story sharing makes them more compelling as speakers and leaders, and who want to improve how they connect with audiences, by uncovering the right stories and learning how to share them effectively so they can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision.
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Episodes
328 What Is Soul In A Business?
April 23, 2024 05:30 - 21 minutes - 17.2 MB328 What Is Soul In A Business? Serving your clients, team members, and the community you live in is vital to the health and wellbeing of not just your company but to yourself and those you serve. In serving others and your community you will find that you will be more fulfilled and enjoying your life and work even more than before. In todays episode Sarah Elkins and Steve Ramona discuss servant leadership and the life and soul brought to your business and life. Highlights R...
327 The Company We Keep
April 16, 2024 05:30 - 46 minutes - 37.4 MB327 The Company We Keep It’s a fact of life that we will make poor decisions, sometimes in the form of negative influences like people, often times repeatedly when we’re young. It’s normal and completely natural to make mistakes, as human beings we are allowed and expected to grow and change, rarely we are ever the same moment to moment, which is why it is vital to choose actively everyday to do your best and put your best foot forward despite all previous hardships. In today’s epis...
326 Giving What You Get
April 09, 2024 05:30 - 39 minutes - 31.6 MB326 Giving What You Get Skills and talents -our “magic”- manifest differently in everyone, but what matters is how we use these abilities to achieve our dreams and to lift up others around us. In helping others we will often find ourselves more fulfilled and happy in our daily lives. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Alicia Branham discuss the importance of loving what you do and giving yourself the same grace you give others while also continuing to strive for the future you want....
325 Writing Our Own Stories
April 02, 2024 05:30 - 35 minutes - 28.3 MB325 Writing Our Own Stories Although hard work and dedication can get you quite far in life, it helps immeasurably to have someone at your back who believes in you and inspires you to strive towards your goals and future. Our stories, though valuable, do not define us and should be used as kindling for the fires of ambition. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Kïrsten Blake discuss the importance of how our stories shape our paths in life but most importantly how the people involved in...
324 Facets of Value
March 26, 2024 05:30 - 52 minutes - 41.9 MB324 Facets of Value Valuing every facet of where you work, especially if you work with other people, is vital to the survival and prosperity of any company. From treating your customers with integrity and respect, to rewarding the hard work and dedication of loyal and valuable employees, in order to thrive in the world as a business you must value every facet of that business. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Blake Hutchison discuss the importance of appreciating the skills and abili...
323 Authentic Connections
March 19, 2024 05:30 - 51 minutes - 41.3 MB323 Authentic Connections Authentic connections can be difficult to find, whether it be from not being taught the skills to form these connections or simply losing touch with former acquaintances, it can be difficult but not impossible and with the proper tools and a heartfelt message, authentic connections can be found anywhere. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Amy Daughters discuss the importance of authentic connections and how having meaningful conversations with individuals ...
322 Give Yourself Grace
March 12, 2024 05:30 - 54 minutes - 44 MB322 Give Yourself Grace To give yourself grace for mistakes you’ve made or for expectations that seem unattainable is something that can be more daunting than many of us want to admit. As difficult as it can be to be gracious with ourselves in order for us to grow and thrive as human beings, it is vital that we do be patient with ourselves and own our mistakes or failed expectations so that we can grow. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Nikki Campbell discuss the importance of resilie...
321 Your Innate Worth
March 05, 2024 06:30 - 47 minutes - 38 MB321 Your Innate Worth Throughout life we are told from an early age what to do, what jobs would be best for us, and what society expects of us. Quite often this leaves us in a job that doesn’t bring us fulfillment, so we end up looking for that fulfillment and sense of worth by exploring other career paths as well as life paths, and exploring what makes us feel our innate worth. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Corree Roofener discuss how labels impact us and our skill sets from an ...
320 Anchored in Time
February 27, 2024 06:30 - 9 minutes - 7.48 MB320 Anchored in Time Labels and judgment are an unfortunate symptom of society, more often than not people will be framed in a particular light without any chance to defend themselves or for a full explanation to be given. Because of one person saying something, one bad interaction, or one misinterpretation a person can be frozen in time under whatever label was given to them. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins ruminates on enlightening experiences that have recently occurred that have ...
319 Cultures, Conversations, and Community
February 20, 2024 06:30 - 1 hour - 48.1 MB319 Cultures, Conversations, and Community The beauty of humanity is that we all share different cultures, from the differences in our food to whether we take our shoes off in the house, culture shapes how we interact with our community and our career which is why it is vital we have conversations about culture, so that we may find our community, teach others, and learn about another person’s beliefs and values, in doing so we will all be stronger together as a community. In this epi...
318 Cultivation Of The Self
February 13, 2024 06:30 - 53 minutes - 42.5 MB318 Cultivation Of The Self Change and growth are seen everywhere in life, from caterpillars becoming butterflies, to saplings becoming towering trees, it is a normal and expected part of life that should be encouraged and embraced, especially when seen in ourselves. Change can be frightening but if you keep pressing on and contributing with the best of your ability, you will come to a better place. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Kristopher Lopez discuss the importance of apprecia...
317 How Our Stories Frame Us
February 06, 2024 06:30 - 47 minutes - 37.9 MB317 How Our Stories Frame Us Taking the time to reflect on our stories and consider how they frame us and others is a uniquely powerful tool for storytellers. When we take a step back to look at how and why we are telling our stories we can see the lessons and the messages that are built into our stories and we can see just how important our stories are. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Amanda Edgar discuss how important our stories are, how they shape us, and how through time they a...
316 Community In The Age of Social Media
January 30, 2024 06:30 - 51 minutes - 41.3 MB316 Community In The Age of Social Media Want to join this year’s NLV Conference? Register here! Throughout our careers we will all need to make decisions to benefit ourselves and others by being a good leader and building up our teammates. In the age of social media and technology it is easy to focus on progress and monetization over the health of your community and your team. It is vital to your growth as a person and a business owner to choose community and growth for the bet...
315 The Risks Of Following Your Passion
January 23, 2024 06:30 - 44 minutes - 35.5 MB315 The Risks Of Following Your Passion In life we are bound to do any number of things on our path to a successful career, adding to our portfolio of stories and skills in our pursuit of happiness. These things do not take away from our skills but instead add to them and our expertise, it all depends on how you choose to apply these acquired tools in our life and career. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Elaine Belson discuss how walking the many paths of life have helped shape them ...
314 What Builds Community (Like Chickens)
January 16, 2024 06:30 - 49 minutes - 21.7 MB314 What Builds Community (Like Chickens) Want to join this year's NLV Conference? Register here! Community is the life blood of our growth and success as human beings, even in the very beginning of humanity’s first steps across the globe we were hyper social creatures who relied on one another to survive, whether that be to have enough food or blankets for the cold months or maybe even knowing you could go to your local carpenter to ask for a new chair. We have always relied o...
313 Rediscovering Yourself
January 09, 2024 06:30 - 47 minutes - 38 MB313 Rediscovering Yourself Change is a fundamental law of nature, nothing stays the same forever. This is especially true when it comes to people, we are never the same even from moment to moment, we are allowed and expected to change, to grow, to become a version of ourselves that we can be proud of. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Michelle Cooper discuss growth, change, and the pains that come with it. Michelle brings warmth, empathy, and a depth of emotion that will make you laug...
312 Approaching Differences With Curiosity
January 02, 2024 05:00 - 9 minutes - 7.46 MB312 Approaching Differences With Curiosity Differences between people are as certain as night and day, however it is entirely up to us to determine if we will embrace these differences and learn more about them or to further isolate ourselves into an echochamber of similar ideology. In this episode Sarah Elkins reads from her upcoming book Authenticity is Overrated and ruminates on the importance of embracing differences as opposed to getting frustrated over them. Highlights ...
311 Admiration And Action
December 26, 2023 06:30 - 47 minutes - 37.7 MB311 Admiration And Action Inspiration is a necessity for growth and success, whether inspiration be drawn from daily life or from attending a keynote doesn’t change the importance, all that matters is finding it and determining whether you will admire said inspiration or take action because of it. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Seth Dechtman discuss their roles as storytellers and how hosting or participating in keynotes and similar functions have helped shape their craft and o...
310 Painting A Picture Of Yourself You Can Be Proud Of
December 19, 2023 06:30 - 42 minutes - 34.3 MB310 Painting A Picture Of Yourself You Can Be Proud Of Stories. We all have them and we all share them at some point or another, those stories may make your listener laugh or they may make them cry, what is equally important in storytelling is how you tell stories about other people in your life, how you talk about others says just as much about you as your own personal stories. By exploring the world around you and experiencing the diversity and unique qualities that every place and e...
309 Building Stories To Last
December 12, 2023 06:30 - 52 minutes - 42.4 MB309 Building Stories To Last Dedicating your time to something that fulfills you is a vital part of the human experience, an example from today’s episode being home improvement projects on a property that’s almost one hundred years old. Dedicating time to something that was loved so it can be loved again and in turn become a testament to your skill and care for details, can only empower you and elevate your skills and reputation. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Dylan Cinti discuss...
308 Change For The Better
December 05, 2023 18:30 - 38 minutes - 30.9 MB308 Change For The Better Change is inevitable. It’s a fundamental rule of the universe that everything must change, however it is entirely up to you for the perception of that change to either be a blessing or a curse. Perhaps that change was what you needed to become the person you are today and shed the identity you once held. It's understandable to mourn the person you were but you must look to the future and the new changes that will come. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Chase ...
307 An Analogy For Happiness
November 28, 2023 06:30 - 40 minutes - 31.5 MB307 An Analogy For Happiness In today’s environment that is so rife with the use of social media it can be both bewildering and disconcerting to not know what is or isn’t manufactured for content, as well as the perceived obligation to have to participate in social media. Although both overwhelming and exciting one must always remember to have their values at heart and to put forth what you want in the world while also keeping in mind how to support your friends and family online. In...
306 The Escape of A Good Book
November 14, 2023 05:00 - 44 minutes - 35.7 MB306 The Escape of A Good Book Following the theme of art and how it inspires us, this week is writing. We have all picked up a book that shaped us in one way or another, and maybe we’re still looking for that next book capable of bringing us comfort and escape from our busy lives. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Adina Edelman discuss the importance of how writing impacts us and how working with authors has given Adina the opportunity to read and contribute to these works of art. ...
305 The Anthem of Poetry
November 07, 2023 06:30 - 55 minutes - 44.3 MB305 The Anthem of Poetry The arts have always been impactful and meaningful to humanity, however one stands above all the rest in this episode and that is poetry. Poetry conveys emotions and thoughts that are often difficult to put into words, making it one of the most important avenues for both emotional understanding and human connection. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Maya Williams discuss the importance of poetry and how Maya’s experiences and life paths shaped them into the a...
304 Women's Relationships
October 31, 2023 05:30 - 31 minutes - 25.3 MB304 Women’s Relationships Whether it be in the workplace, in daily life, or anywhere we go in the world, we meet exceptional individuals that make life both enjoyable and enlightening. It is vital to not only appreciate these people, but to seek out more kindred spirits to lift up and to be lifted up by. In this episode Sarah Elkins and her friends Kimberly Davis and Heather Younger discuss the importance of support and relationships in both our careers and in our down time. Hi...
303 Hang On Little Tomato
October 24, 2023 05:30 - 48 minutes - 39.2 MB303 Hang On Little Tomato To achieve personal success in life is a feat worthy of celebration, only at the end of a long road can we triumphantly declare our dreams have been achieved. However it can sometimes seem like that road never ends. Whether it’s dreams of career success, or dreams of a healthy environment, the road to success can be daunting. What is vital to remember is that even the smallest action can make a difference. A snowflake does not know it will become a snowman or ...
302 Spread Love
October 17, 2023 05:30 - 8 minutes - 6.42 MB302 Spread Love With how the current world is it can be incredibly easy to become desensitized and disheartened, especially when we are surrounded by ignorance, hatred, and suffering. Feeling helpless and heartbroken in times like these is completely normal, but it’s important to take a breath and consider how you can help others, your community, and yourself. Traumatic events like these take time to heal from and no one is going to be okay overnight, but we can try to spread kindness ...
301 Sharing Meaningful Stories To Portray Your Values and Skills
October 10, 2023 05:30 - 7 minutes - 5.93 MB301 Sharing Meaningful Stories To Portray Your Values and Skills Storytelling has been a part of human culture since we lived in caves, from stories of great heroes to warnings not to go into dangerous places, knowing how to tell stories has been vital to our existence more now than ever. Knowing how to tell stories and knowing what meaningful stories to share is a skill that is important to hone and practice daily. In this episode Sarah Elkins shares another meaningful story that ex...
300 An Accidental Podcaster
October 03, 2023 05:30 - 15 minutes - 12.4 MB300 An Accidental Podcaster Sometimes when we’re trying to give others an opportunity we don’t realize that we are the ones that would benefit most. We try our hardest, using our talents to the best of our ability, and through that hard work we can achieve greatness or sometimes stand in our own way. In this episode Sarah Elkins ruminates on how she began this podcast and how it has given her the opportunity to hear the stories of others as well plenty of time to reflect on her own s...
299 Clarity and Having The Courage to Do What You Aspire To
September 26, 2023 05:30 - 42 minutes - 34.4 MB299 Clarity and Having The Courage to Do What You Aspire To The constant pressure to do the best and be the best is something many of us grew up knowing. Thinking we had to have straight A’s in school, trying to be the best in our extracurriculars, and even taking up tasks that should have been given to someone who’s skills would suit the task better, whether it’s because of our own internal voices or external pressures we need to learn to seek clarity and focus on the skills that make...
298 You Have To Take Care of Yourself In Order To Be Your Best
September 19, 2023 05:30 - 28 minutes - 22.5 MB298 You Have To Take Care of Yourself In Order To Be Your Best Everything we do, whether it be work, caring for our families, or even going for a morning walk, all starts with ourselves and in today’s work culture of burning the candle at both ends, it can be easy to forget that we need to take breaks and prioritize our well being in order to do our best in everything we do. Hopefully by doing so we can model a behavior that others can follow and make a change for the better. In this ep...
297 Change, Growth, and Hope - How The Belief Others Have In Us Can Move Us
September 12, 2023 12:30 - 54 minutes - 43.7 MB297 Change, Growth, and Hope - How The Belief Others Have In Us Can Move Us Change is an inevitable part of life, how you choose to handle that change is what defines us as people. Will you crumble and erode like an immovable boulder, or will you bend and grow like a sapling waiting for it's time to reach the sky? We never know what we are capable of until we are put to the test, even though sometimes others see our potential better than we ever could. In this episode Sarah Elkins r...
296 Storytelling Can Improve Your Career - It's Not Just Interviews
September 03, 2023 21:59 - 9 minutes - 7.94 MBThis is the 4th episode in a series on storytelling for professionals. In episode 292, Sarah shared stories about her love language – which is cooking for people. She explained that when we share stories of the activities that bring us great joy in service to others, we offer a glimpse of our character and values to our audience, whether that’s at work, in an interview, with family and friends, or when we’re sharing content in any form of media or on any platform. Her stories of nurturing ...
295 Personal Stories and How They Matter
August 29, 2023 05:30 - 12 minutes - 10.2 MB295 Personal Stories and How They Matter The relevance of stories in career and life is something that is undeniable, whether it be a professional story about a time you were vital to your team at work, or a more personal story that demonstrates skills that are so second nature to you that you don’t even think about them any more, learning when and how to share every story and how they put your talents and values on display is a skill that can take you above and beyond. In this episo...
294 Communication is Key
August 22, 2023 05:30 - 12 minutes - 10.3 MB294 Communication is Key Frustration and irritation is common in every relationship, more often than not it stems from not understanding others or hearing out what others have to say. It is up to us and those we work with to find a peaceful and healthy resolution. In this episode Sarah Elkins ruminates on the early points in her career and how she saw her talents even before knowing about Strengths Finder, but most importantly how she was able to help her company and colleagues. ...
293 Self Reflection: Assessments
August 15, 2023 13:00 - 10 minutes - 8.26 MB293 Self Reflection: Assessments Fear of the self is something that has existed for hundreds of years, it’s been something remarked upon by Plato and Socrates, and it is a very common human experience. However if we approach our talents and sense of self with curiosity we can foster a healthy, loving relationship with yourself, your career, and your future. In this episode Sarah Elkins reflects on the assessments she was hired for and found that some of the audience didn’t “buy into” her...
292 Food Stories
August 08, 2023 05:30 - 11 minutes - 9.07 MB292 Food Stories Love languages come in many different forms; gift giving, words of affirmation, and for today’s episode specifically, the act of cooking and giving a good meal to those you hold close. It is vital to the health and continuation of relationships that we discover these languages and think about how these actions impact how others view us. In this episode Sarah Elkins ruminates on the concept of love languages and how important they are to understand and how they influe...
291 The Stories We Keep
August 01, 2023 05:30 - 1 hour - 55.6 MB291 The Stories We Keep As much as we all may wish for life to be sunshine and daisies we can often end up focusing on the storms and trials that accompany them. It can be easy to lose yourself to grief and bitterness when viewing your life through those storm clouds, however it is important to remember that it is only a passing thing that shadow and even darkness must pass, and how you tell your story after those times can reframe how you see your life and give hope to others who may ...
290 Ideation
July 25, 2023 05:30 - 13 minutes - 10.8 MB290 Ideation Working on ourselves is a never ending yet very worthwhile endeavor that shapes who we become as people, and where we want to go in life. Sometimes that work is hard and can seem intimidating or at the very least tedious, especially if our strengths have been criticized or used against us in the past. However, like anything worth doing, growing as an individual takes hard work and support, especially from yourself. In this episode Sarah Elkins poses this thought to the l...
289 Fear Is A Liar
July 18, 2023 05:30 - 45 minutes - 36.8 MB289 Fear Is A Liar Doubt, fear, and feeling awkward is a normal human experience, although it is important to celebrate the great and amazing things you do and are capable of, it is just as important to acknowledge that we all have limitations and we all feel fear in trying the new or the not quite perfected. It is only through facing and accepting that fear and persevering onward that we can continue to grow into our ideal selves. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Tammy Hader discuss...
288 Do Overs
July 11, 2023 05:30 - 46 minutes - 37.2 MB288 Do Overs It’s completely normal to have limiting beliefs and times in life that are stressful and discouraging, they can make you feel as if you’re alone and stuck in a rut that you can’t quite escape. However it is not the end of the world, although it is difficult you can change these thought processes and pull yourself out of the rut you’re in, through your hardwork and determination as well as a supportive network you can give yourself a “do over” and change the trajectory of y...
Episode 287 Should I Stay or Should I Go?
July 04, 2023 05:30 - 11 minutes - 8.99 MBEpisode 287 Should I Stay or Should I Go? When you’ve been in a job position, or really any position, long enough you will notice things that make that position grating on your nerves, or maybe it’s even making you sick to some degree due to how you are treated in the workplace. Maybe these issues are simply perceptions you have or projections onto others of a much larger issue. Regardless it is your responsibility to be mindful of these actions and decide what will be best for you and...
286 Choosing and Creating Your Own Community
June 27, 2023 15:45 - 39 minutes - 31.9 MB286 Choosing and Creating Your Own Community Connection and choosing the community that will help you grow and thrive is vital to self growth and peace of mind, especially when you are going through major changes in life or are thinking of how you want to spend your life. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Vanessa Jupe discuss the importance of community and connection while navigating life and its changes. Highlights Planning for the future and enjoying the time you have. C...
285 Bloom Where You're Planted
June 20, 2023 05:30 - 38 minutes - 31.2 MB285 Bloom Where You’re Planted When we are first starting out in our careers it can feel like we’re lost and in a rut, constantly fighting the tide as we try to sail the seas of life. However, much like the humble dandelion, it’s through this resilience and persistence that we can grow in whatever environment we find ourselves in. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Nathalie Lussier discuss the importance of thriving and trying new things that can bring us joy and fulfillment, even if t...
284 Satisfaction
June 13, 2023 05:30 - 10 minutes - 8.35 MB284 Satisfaction It is inevitable that we will encounter a person or an event that can make anything seem like a trial. From a dead car battery on a trip in another country, to a little bit more rain than you planned on during a work commute, these events can seem like thorn after thorn in your side. However when you take a step back and contemplate how you handled these situations you may just be pleasantly surprised in yourself and your abilities. In this episode Sarah Elkins refle...
283 Cultivating Your Ideal Environment
June 06, 2023 05:30 - 44 minutes - 35.7 MB283 Cultivating Your Ideal Environment Creativity and problem solving often go hand in hand usually in very unexpected ways, however when given the chance to bend and try things in new and unexpected ways without judging yourself or your abilities you may just find that these two vital skills can shape your strength and identity going forward. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Dr. Cyndi Burnett discuss the importance of creativity and education and how these two things can shape o...
282 Turning Points For Our Growth
May 30, 2023 05:30 - 55 minutes - 44.8 MB282 Turning Points For Our Growth Stepping out of your comfort zone can feel frightening, from massive changes to the tiniest ones can feel like the world is ending if you are not stretching and growing as a person. Traveling, whether it be a new way home from work or halfway across the world, can impact your perception on life, as can being open to the thoughts and feelings of others, and accepting what you cannot change. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Tom Jackobs discuss the impo...
281 Perfectly Imperfect
May 23, 2023 05:30 - 49 minutes - 39.8 MB281 Perfectly Imperfect As we go through life it is absolutely imperative to our well-being as human beings to grow and keep an open mind, to search for the fulfillment that brings us peace despite the turbulence of life, be that through a career, education, spiritualism, or family, finding that peace is possible however hard work can only take you so far if you do not give yourself grace and love. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Jana Wilson discuss the importance of taking care of ...
280 Learning To Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
May 16, 2023 05:30 - 40 minutes - 32.1 MB280 Learning To Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable It’s one of the inevitabilities of life that we will be thrust into situations that make us uncomfortable and nervous, but it depends on how we handle these situations and help others through situations like our own that determine how we grow as individuals. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Kari Maribal discuss the importance of stretching and growing through challenging situations and how vital it is to our growth to extend a ...
279 The Art of Conversation
May 09, 2023 05:30 - 47 minutes - 38.4 MB279 The Art of Conversation Understanding what we can offer and what is needed in each situation is paramount to our success as individuals. While it is always great to connect and share our stories with others, we need to learn how to answer every question posed to us by either finding someone to teach us how or to learn what answer isn’t resonating with our audience and learning how to communicate more effectively with those around us. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Brian Glibkow...