317 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 are subject to change. Amanda brings intelligence, kindness, and humor to the conversation, which brings life and warmth to the episode.
Highlights
Things happen when we least expect them to.
Your stories matter, you just need to tell them.
Be mindful of how you phrase people and events in your stories.
If there is an inkling of revenge or blame when you're writing your story, you need to take a step back and ask yourself why you want to tell it.
Quotes
“One of the things I hear people say so often is, ‘well who am I to tell my story? No one cares who I am. I’m not Britney Spears or Michelle Obama, nobody cares about my story.’ And I always tell them they don’t care about your story because they don’t know it yet.”
“To me there is also such a powerful mindset piece, that hitting and exceeding that then suddenly so many more things are possible than you had ever imagined. Because you get so in your head about this goal you want to hit and I think it can be really counterproductive, there’s something to me about having that extra tool or that extra boost that people then get a little second wind and they hit these goals they hadn’t imagined.”
Dear Listeners it’s now your turn,
What is it that you’re holding onto that maybe a little space can get you to the place of learning and sharing lessons so that other people don’t have to learn the hard way? What are you going to write down, your story, that you can observe it differently and reframe it so that you can learn the lesson you need to learn from it? And which of your family members are you going to reach out to with a cellphone and a record button to hear some of their stories?
As always, thank you for listening.
Mentioned in this episode
About Amanda
Amanda is an award-winning author and the CEO of Page and Podium Press, a publishing house that offers coaching, writing, and publishing services to self-defined leaders of all types--political leaders, industry thought leaders, community leaders, and leadership consultants. Her company focuses on projects that inspire readers to take action to build their communities and to fearlessly shape society for a better tomorrow. In addition to her two award-winning books, she will shortly release a new book she co-authored, Summer of 2020: George Floyd and the Resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Be sure to check out Amanda’s LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Also check out Page and Podium, as well as the Memoir Strategy Quiz!
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."
Don't miss the opportunity to take our online Job Interview Storytelling course for just $99!
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 as well to make sure you nail that next interview!