Walking the Talk & Sharing My Story with Strangers
Last, last Thursday, I made my way up the Dave & Buster escalator into a large dining room full of fellow entrepreneurs and business owners, none of whom I knew. All of us were here to learn more about Storytelling for Salespeople. I had no idea what to expect—I’d seen ‘Storytelling’ in the Eventbrite description, clicked ‘Tickets,’ and continued with my day the previous week—but I was all in for whatever the event entailed. I stepped in, grabbed my name tag, and sat down, looking to the front of the room where a large screen displayed a photo of the evening’s speaker: Bryan Heathman , founder of Made For Success Publishing , who would share the power of book marketing with us. I was thrilled.
The event began with a short introduction, followed by a call to serve ourselves from the banquet tables in the back of the room. Once we’d all resettled with plates full of oven-baked chicken parmigiana and crisp salad, Bryan began his presentation.
His passion is helping entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life successfully publish and market their stories. I loved Brian’s acknowledgment that most of us wouldn’t remember the statistics he shared nearly as much as we would remember his stories. He wasn’t wrong; while the presentation was fascinating, one story stood out most for me. Bryan’s story began with an elderly man at a Mercedes dealership who’d written a tome of a book that was, sadly, unsaleable in today’s market. This isn’t my story to share, so I won’t go into the details, but Bryan displayed his passion through this story, conveying the pain points he solved through emotion rather than numbers on a graph.
In the Hero’s journey of Bryan’s business, this pivotal moment marked Bryan’s reckoning with his purpose—to ensure that people’s stories and legacies are shared successfully with the world at large—and helped us get it instantly.
Then Bryan opened it up to the audience, asking, “Who would like to share their story?”
Several people shared ahead of me, and while I was listening, I internally spun around in my head, at odds with what I felt compelled to do (raise my hand), what I did not want to do (raise my hand), and what felt safe to do (stay quiet and seated), entangled as I was with my inner dialogue.
Just go for it! No one will judge you. What’s the worst that can happen? Exactly. No one knows who I am! NO, it’s SO weird to stand up and share.
I subtly shook the nerves out through my hands as if my anxiety could be cast out physically. I took some deep breaths, and then I remembered:
I’m over here telling people to share their stories with confidence, and I’m creating a global community of empowered storytellers who reach the people they are meant to inspire ... I literally have no other choice except to stand up right now.
By then, they’d moved on to Q&A, but I wouldn’t let that stop me.
I raised my hand and asked, “Actually, could I share my story?”
Bryan walked the mic over to me, and I stood up slowly—aware that this was the first time I’d worn heels in many weeks—to speak. I mentioned Bryan’s story and how much it resonated with me, talked about my work in guiding entrepreneurs to their stories, and launched into a story that’s stuck with me for several years.
The story was about one of my first Brand Storytelling Guide clients. My pitch smoothed, and my tempo slowed as I described her incredible mission, kicking back up as I remembered the nervousness of sharing what I’d written with her. I paused when I arrived at the moment it all came together as I looked up at her Zoom screen to see tears welling in her eyes as she found herself in the words I’d written.
My story was far from perfect. It lacked many of the creative flourishes I’d written back in November 2023 when I’d first drafted it. There was a rushed quality to my words because I was balancing remembering with staying present, but I’d stood up and stretched past my comfort zone. I returned the mic to Bryan, who kindly complimented my cadence, and sat down to listen to the Q&A session.
It struck me as I sat down that I’d finally walked the walk as a Brand Strategy and Storytelling coach. I’d done the thing I serve my clients in—standing up with authenticity and courage to share ourselves through a story—and it felt wonderful. Speaking up and showing up fully are two of the most challenging things we do as human beings, but as my idol Brené Brown writes,
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” Daring Greatly
It would have been so easy for me to stay seated that night. My entire body wanted to stay put, but my mission pulled me through. My conviction that telling our stories matters made me decide to do the right hard thing for myself and my business.
Because what kind of storyteller would I be if I wasn’t willing to share my own?
There are so many ways to share your stories, and in this digitally mediated era, most of us only think about storytelling through social media, landing pages, websites, and ads. But as Bryan, TED Talks, and public speakers around the world show, telling your stories live, in person, is one of the most powerful decisions you can make.
Regardless of the industry you’re in, telling your story is a courageous choice to show up fully, lead bravely, and do the right kind of hard thing.
So the next time you get the chance, stand up, raise your hand, and say,
"I'd like to share my story."
