Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will

432 The Power of Kindness featuring Joe Emery

432 The Power of Kindness featuring Joe Emery In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Joe Emery discuss the importance of dispelling misconceptions, serving our communities, and elevating voices of kindness and positivity. Highlights * The beauty of visiting places we've only seen in pictures or film. * Misconceptions about places and people and learning the truth to be able to see the world for the better. * Emotional storytelling and the importance of making people see the humanity behind the story. * The importance of being kind, patient, and empathetic in a world that is becoming more jaded. * Remember that there is a human on the other side of the screen that doesn't deserve to be treated poorly because you don't like a post. Quotes "That's something I really like doing, helping people who really need it." "We all see things everyday that we're not interested in, and it's amazing how many people stop to take time out of their day to comment." Dear Listeners it is now your turn, What is it that drove you to be a fan of something? What is your obsession? Have you ever thought about where that could lead you or how it has contributed to where you are now? I think about a lot of the things in my childhood that made me want to meet people or to learn something or to read more and I'm curious what that is for you. And the other thing I want to know is what are you doing when it comes to seeing the one comment that is mean or one boss that treated you badly, are you still holding on to that or are you starting to see it for exactly what it is, that those people who are cruel have their own reason for being that and when you give them the greater voice over the people who are kind you're giving them this power and you're taking away and reducing the power of people who are doing good in the world. And, as always, thank you for listening. About Joe Senior & Lead Digital Copywriter | Brand & Messaging Specialist | Tone of Voice Consultant Be sure to check out his LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/in/joeemerywrites-forbondfansonly], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/joeemerywrites], and Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/00emmers]! About Sarah Sarah is a Montana based workplace communication trainer, TEDx [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW-zrlsZPHk] speaker, DisruptHR [https://disrupthr.co/vimeo-video/show-dont-tell-why-your-stories-win-at-work-sarah-elkins-disrupthr-talks/] speaker, public speaking coach, professional storyteller, musician, and podcast host. Her workshops and coaching packages with teams and their leaders are known to address and reduce miscommunication – the most common cause of tension and stress in the workplace. Using the team's results from the StrengthsFinder assessment, she guides teams in learning to speak each other's "language", learning to value each other's strengths and connecting with each other through enhanced self-reflection and effective listening. Sarah's nearly 20 years working in government agencies inspired her to complete her MBA and to achieve her StrengthsFinder certification to improve work environments for others, guiding teams toward increased satisfaction, productivity, and happiness. Visit her website [https://elkinsconsulting.com/books] to purchase her book, Your Stories Don't Define You in paperback or audiobook.

431 The Art of Aging - Featuring Diane Place

431 The Art of Aging - Featuring Diane Place In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Diane Place discuss the art and beauty in aging and how it allows us to collect amazing stories, learn new things about ourselves, and how we can use these experiences to help others. Highlights * Aha moments and how trusting yourself will most often take you to better places in life. * Bringing in other story tellers to enlighten yourself with intergenerational, interracial, and interhuman connections. * Reframing aging and how we perceive aging, in that it is never too late to do anything and you don't need to step back just because of a number. * The stories we tell ourselves and the stories told around us shape our perceptions, and we need to take active steps to make sure that it is positive and healthy instead of cutting ourselves and others down. Quotes "I've had "Aha" moments in my life that led me to make crazy decisions. Some of them didn't go so well most of them did because I trusted my heart." "Find connections with who we are not just what we've done." "We need to seek the new stories if we have some of those old stories. We need to ditch them. We need to erase them, and reinvent them." Dear Listeners it is now your turn, What part of this conversation made you realize something about your own aging and maybe your internal messages that are affecting who you are and that you're modeling and sharing with younger people. If you're one of the younger listeners, under 50, what part of this conversation made you eager to hear the stories of people around you that you've only ever known skin deep? I would love to hear what resonated with you in this conversation. And, as always, thank you for listening. About Diane (From her LinkedIn) After years of dancing on the edges of my passions through a roller coaster life and career, it was the coincidence of four lightning strike experiences: a cancer diagnosis, loss of a business, my 60th birthday, and a soon-to-be empty nest, that compelled me to dig deep to focus on what I truly wanted to do with my "one wild & precious life." This became my "third act quest." Our "third act" CAN be the most exciting chapter in our life's story. My mission became clear - to inspire women and reframe the perception & experience of what life can be after 50. I've unearthed what had been calling me all along. Now, I couldn't imagine doing anything else! ______________ Creating Third Act Quest to inspire and connect women 50+ is the most exciting and rewarding venture in my career journey (so far!) I launched Third Act Quest in 2018, with the dream to reframe the perception and experience of aging through initiatives that connect and inspire women as they create the most exciting chapter in their life's story — their "third act." Third Act Quest initiatives: the 333 Collective, "AHA" Third Act Stories, Quest Year, and QUEST, a biennial gathering & celebration. _______ My 35+ year career: - Leaps of faith to embrace my passions and talents to have an impact - My values and dreams are my GPS - Synchronicity - Resilience My professional career includes: a decade in Boston with an international ad agency; ten years with America Online (AOL/Time Warner) in a leadership role during the early days of the internet culminating in a role as Senior Vice President; and four unique entrepreneurial ventures. In the early 90's, I founded a cause-marketing firm. Later, post-AOL, I launched a photography business and The Global Design Post. Though each of these experiences expanded my life and my mind, it's what happened around my corporate career, the breadcrumbs that I followed, that has driven me, and has been "calling" me all these years. I've finally put my personal passion front and center. _____ All of your life's experiences; the highs & the lows, the turning points & transitions, shape how you see yourself and the world. Within just a few generations, 30 years have been added to our life expectancy. Our 50's & 60's can be a turning point; not time to step back, but time to expand, engage & thrive. It can be our time to unearth dreams that have been buried and create a vision for how we truly want to live,love, work and contribute. "What is it you plan to do with your one wild & precious life?" (Mary Oliver) Be sure to check out Diane's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadunbarplace/], and especially Third Act Quest [https://www.thirdactquest.com/]! About Sarah Sarah is a Montana based workplace communication trainer, TEDx [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW-zrlsZPHk] speaker, DisruptHR [https://disrupthr.co/vimeo-video/show-dont-tell-why-your-stories-win-at-work-sarah-elkins-disrupthr-talks/] speaker, public speaking coach, professional storyteller, musician, and podcast host. Her workshops and coaching packages with teams and their leaders are known to address and reduce miscommunication – the most common cause of tension and stress in the workplace. Using the team's results from the StrengthsFinder assessment, she guides teams in learning to speak each other's "language", learning to value each other's strengths and connecting with each other through enhanced self-reflection and effective listening. Sarah's nearly 20 years working in government agencies inspired her to complete her MBA and to achieve her StrengthsFinder certification to improve work environments for others, guiding teams toward increased satisfaction, productivity, and happiness. Visit her website [https://elkinsconsulting.com/books] to purchase her book, Your Stories Don't Define You in paperback or audiobook.

430: Every Emotion Comes from Needs, Met and Unmet - featuring Morgane Borzée

430: Every Emotion Comes from Needs, Met and Unmet - featuring Morgane Borzée I thought I understood the connection between emotional intelligence and behavior, but I was missing a key component: "... we talk about feelings, but... At the end, every feeling has an underlying need. If it's a pleasant feeling, it's a met need. If it's an unpleasant feeling, it's an unmet need. And needs drive our behavior." This conversation with Morgane Borzée filled in so many gaps in my understanding of what I've heard referred to as trauma-informed coaching, teaching, and counseling. If you're anything like me, you associated the word trauma with something dramatic, like abuse or neglect, death, major accidents, war, natural disasters, etc. Many of us don't feel comfortable using the word trauma to describe experiences in our lives that don't seem to compare with what we know others have experienced. But trauma in childhood can be something as innocuous as an underlying current of the repression of anger, financial stress and anxiety, sibling rivalry. And each person experiences it differently. Ask your siblings or cousins about growing up and they'll remember completely different episodes as traumatic - or not. Morgane suffered from severe anxiety as a young adult, and was referred to a therapist that she didn't realize was a trauma specialist. She thought she might be in the wrong place until she heard from the therapist that her anxiety might be coming from repression of anger. And she might be repressing anger because that's how she responded to her fear of the anger she saw expressed in her childhood home, among her family. "... for years, I was shortcutting anger with anxiety. So whenever a situation would make me angry, I didn't feel angry, I felt anxious." Her experience with the therapist not only gave her the tools she needed to start truly addressing the anxiety at that deeper level. It gave her the inspiration she then used to create an incredible platform to make what she was learning more accessible and approachable for others. She took what she learned in academic, research-based, deeply intellectual settings, and translated into everyday language and characters that the rest of us can apply, learn from, and make real change in our lives and those of the people we influence. Highlights * The word trauma feels big, feels significant, and it is, but it's also relative. Each person experiences it differently. * Needs met and unmet are what drive our emotions and behavior. Listeners, now it's your turn. During our call, I started writing notes about my own needs and how they affect my behavior when they're not met: My need for respect and how that might show up in emotional responses and anger. What are yours? A need for basic food staples in your house? If somebody gets upset when you run out of peanut butter or eggs, it may be a need in terms of food security that wasn't. What is a pattern of conflict or frustration that you've experienced yourself or experienced with somebody else that might be related to this issue? When your needs are met, you have a particular emotional response, and when they're not met, you have another emotional response. I'm curious to hear what came up for you, what patterns you've uncovered, and maybe what you're going to do about it. --- From Morgane: I'm the founder of Equanima. I created it after years of struggling with anxiety and realizing how powerful emotional intelligence can be when you actually understand what's happening inside you. As a designer, I saw a gap between complex psychological concepts and what people can realistically use in daily life. Equanima exists to bridge that gap by turning emotional intelligence into clear, practical, and visual tools that help people understand their patterns, regulate under pressure, and live more aligned lives. Visit my website [http://www.equanima.io/] to learn more, and be sure to connect and/or follow me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganeborzee/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/morganeborzee/]. --- About Sarah Sarah is a Montana based workplace communication trainer, TEDx [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW-zrlsZPHk] speaker, DisruptHR [https://disrupthr.co/vimeo-video/show-dont-tell-why-your-stories-win-at-work-sarah-elkins-disrupthr-talks/] speaker, public speaking coach, professional storyteller, musician, and podcast host. Her workshops and coaching packages with teams and their leaders are known to address and reduce miscommunication – the most common cause of tension and stress in the workplace. Using the team's results from the StrengthsFinder assessment, she guides teams in learning to speak each other's "language", learning to value each other's strengths and connecting with each other through enhanced self-reflection and effective listening. Sarah's nearly 20 years working in government agencies inspired her to complete her MBA and to achieve her StrengthsFinder certification to improve work environments for others, guiding teams toward increased satisfaction, productivity, and happiness. Visit her website [https://elkinsconsulting.com/books] to purchase her book, Your Stories Don't Define You in paperback or audiobook.

429 Lynn Harris - Comedy, Creativity, and Community

429 Lynn Harris - Comedy, Creativity, and Community In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Lynn Harris discuss the importance of comedy and creativity in the heart and soul of a community and how overcoming the doubts and assumptions of others can not only strengthen yourself but as well as the people around you. Highlights * How we defy the expectations and assumptions of others. * If we can't talk about a problem we can't even begin to fix it. * The power of community and contributing to it and encouraging others to contribute. Quotes "As with all industries and all context; Girls would have to work twice as hard to get half the applause and half the credit." "That's something we've learned about community, is that it's not just us. It's -especially a creative community of any kind- there's skill building you can kind of do on your own, and some cases not all, but then what do you do with those skills? Making stuff in other words. So we really encourage our members to actually make things and actually do the thing and do the thing together." Dear Listeners it is now your turn, What I love about this conversation is that accessibility to humor, and we all need this probably now more than ever in our lifetime. We need to find humor, we need to laugh together, and it is one thing that can connect us very similar to music and story. And I can tell you that in just a recent experience where I was talking to somebody on the opposite side of the political spectrum to me, I was reading a book by John Scalzi; When The Moon Hits Your Eye, and I asked him if I could read out loud that had made me laugh so hard I was almost crying, and it was one way that I connected with this person next to me. So I'm asking you listeners, what will you do to find humor today? And, as always, thank you for listening. About Lynn Lynn Harris is a culture-shifting producer, award-winning journalist, and author/co-author of six books. Her comedy and campaigns for social justice and gender equity have changed laws and conversations from Capitol Hill to NASCAR. She is founder and CEO of GOLD Comedy—the comedy school, professional network, and content studio where women and non-binary creators grow their comedy careers, build powerful communities, and make funny stuff. Harris co-created Breakup Girl (acquired by Oxygen), one of the first multiplatform internet success stories, and co-hosted, with Ginna Green, The Forward's A Bintel Brief: The Podcast. Lynn served as the first VP of communications at global human rights group Breakthrough, where her blend of humor and advocacy powered some of the team's most effective U.S. campaigns. She has also worked as a Tonya Harding lookalike, which is a long story. GOLD Comedy [http://www.goldcomedy.com/] is the online comedy school, professional network, and content studio where women, non-binary creators, and other "others" build their comedy careers, join a powerful community, and make funny stuff that gets seen on all kinds [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIuuv2VrgNQ] of stages [https://frigid.nyc/festivals/neurotica/] and screens. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9hxUCDdWOo] Unlimited classes, community, shows, and more, all online. Join from anywhere, anytime! Be sure to check out Lynn's Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/lynncorinneharris], her personal Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lynnharris/] as well as Gold Comedy's Instagram [http://instagram.com/goldcomedy], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnharris1/]! As well as Gold Comedy [http://www.goldcomedy.com] and Gold Comedy Club [http://club.goldcomedy.com]! About Sarah Sarah is a Montana based workplace communication trainer, TEDx [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW-zrlsZPHk] speaker, DisruptHR [https://disrupthr.co/vimeo-video/show-dont-tell-why-your-stories-win-at-work-sarah-elkins-disrupthr-talks/] speaker, public speaking coach, professional storyteller, musician, and podcast host. Her workshops and coaching packages with teams and their leaders are known to address and reduce miscommunication – the most common cause of tension and stress in the workplace. Using the team's results from the StrengthsFinder assessment, she guides teams in learning to speak each other's "language", learning to value each other's strengths and connecting with each other through enhanced self-reflection and effective listening. Sarah's nearly 20 years working in government agencies inspired her to complete her MBA and to achieve her StrengthsFinder certification to improve work environments for others, guiding teams toward increased satisfaction, productivity, and happiness. Visit her website [https://elkinsconsulting.com/books] to purchase her book, Your Stories Don't Define You in paperback or audiobook.

428 Building Bridges Through Kindness and Compassion

428 Building Bridges Through Kindness and Compassion In being human we are able to connect more authentically with people not just in the workplace but in everyday life, by allowing them to see us for who we truly are and what we are capable of. In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Neal Foard discuss the importance of compassion and connection. Highlights * Being present and aware of your actions on others and the world around you. * Building trust and genuine connection that lasts lifetimes as opposed to a quick and easy contract. * The importance of working in a diverse environment. Quotes "What I have been taught again and again is to try as much as possible to really wait for their personality to emerge, to wait for the real person to emerge. Don't hurry it along and don't make any judgments." "Knowing as much as you can about somebody's personhood as opposed to their professional attributes is a marvelous thing to communicate well. Any time you can speak from personal experience and people can get a sense of what your experience was, it will help them react to you in a human way." Dear Listeners it is now your turn, I am really curious about what you will do with what you picked up from this conversation maybe it'll be from the very beginning of this conversation when you realize that a really good test for the people you want to spend time with is watching how they interact with other people. People that can't serve them, people that can't help them, people that can't do something for them. Maybe it's somebody on the autism spectrum, maybe it's someone who acts or behaves differently than you do, maybe it's a server at a restaurant, or someone in retail. How we treat each other is a really good indication of if you want to spend time with them. And, as always, thank you for listening. About Neal Neal Foard is a master storyteller and branding expert who spent 25 years shaping award-winning ad campaigns for global icons like Budweiser, Lexus, and Sony. For his international work on Toyota, he was listed among the top ten most decorated creative directors in the world. As Worldwide Director of Creative Learning for advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, Neal authored a program to teach professionals to sell their work more effectively. Today, he consults with Fortune 500 companies, universities, and governments on the art of persuasive messaging. A sought-after speaker with multiple appearances on the TEDx stage, Neal is known to millions for his viral videos celebrating everyday human kindness. Be sure to check out Neal's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-foard/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nealfoard/]! As well as Supercharge Your Leadership Skillset [https://www.storyfire.net/] and The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders [https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=axoPzs4YahiUOB_Q&v=QvbSCLpwq6w&feature=youtu.be]! About Sarah "Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision." In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I've realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don't realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they're sharing them with. My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home. The audiobook, Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available! Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana. Be sure to check out the Storytelling For Professionals Course [https://sarah-elkins.mykajabi.com/offers/F2WN65Xg/checkout] as well to make sure you nail that next interview!