Episode 85: What Feels Like Internal Conflicts Are Likely Close Connections

Conflicting Personal Stories Uncover Depth of Personality

Caroline Mays

Caroline Mays felt conflicted, almost like she had two completely separate lives. She had her life on the road as an endurance runner, with a group of peers and friends she could share all the aches, pains, and achievements of that sport. And she had her life as a writer, with other writers and friends she could share the disappointments, obstacles, and accomplishments in her work.


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It seemed to her the two pieces of her life were always in conflict; few athletes she knew were professional writers, and few professional writers she knew were athletes.

But as she worked through her own brand theories and intentions, she realized those two parts were not in conflict, they ran in parallels.

Caroline is a writer of bios for professionals, but that doesn't even come close to describing what she does. That would be like saying Meryl Streep is an actress. There is so much more to the art and style Caroline employs to create a unique and compelling bio, in writing and via video storytelling.

Here's her bio, as an example:

To really stand out, we have to know how to share those unique parts of us, the parts that might at first look conflicting or mismatched. The best way to do that is to tell a story that connects us not only within our own lives, but to connect us with others.

Our conversation was broad and deep, and we spoke about everything from her endurance running to the why behind what we do with storytelling for our clients. One thing we agreed strongly about was that people often misunderstand their own stories, sharing them as if they were a linear experience, one thing happens, and then the next, without any context for what we learn and how we grow in between.

Connect with Caroline on LinkedIn to learn more, and check out her company’s website, Switchblade Lemonade, making waves, thanks to that powerful video.