423 We Need Each Other
In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Cory Brown discuss their ideas and the influences in their lives that they have had that gave them the push to act on their ideas or to think them through, as well as the importance of putting something into the world that will make a genuine authentic change.
423 We Need Each Other
In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Cory Brown discuss their ideas and the influences in their lives that they have had that gave them the push to act on their ideas or to think them through, as well as the importance of putting something into the world that will make a genuine authentic change.
Highlights
Eat your feelings, coming together over a meal to discuss your feelings.
The importance of mental health and reaching out to others for their sake and our own.
You must be the one to take the first step to make a change.
What can you put into the world to make others feel less alone and begin to heal?
Quotes
“I would do anything I can to help you, but you got to take that first step.”
“Over these past few years I’ve kind of let myself be okay with being emotional. Because I was like, “how can I help people think about these stigmas and try to find these breakthroughs if I’m not willing to do it myself?”.”
Dear Listeners it is now your turn,
Cory mentioned that there was a point in his career where he hit a level of success where he knew that there was something more out there and he chose to serve, and he didn’t know what that would look like at the time but he came up with this idea and almost didn’t activate on it, until somebody said; “Get off your ass and do something. Stop talking about it, and do something.”
Now you know listeners, I am a Gallup certified Strengths Finder Coach. One of the things that I’ve found when using any kind of assessment tool, is that we need to surround ourselves with people who have different talents than we have, for exactly this reason. Everyone who is quiet and talks a lot about things and does a lot of research, has a best friend or partner that activates them. That says; “We’re gonna go get out of the house, come with me.”, “I’m gonna go do this, come with me.” And each of us that has more of the action behind us, we need those friends that do the research first and help us set up for success. So I encourage you, look for your personal board of directors. Those people who will help you take action or help you think through before you take action. Those people who are ‘get shit done’ people, and those people who are ideators and big-picture and lovingly relationship building people. We need each other and this is a perfect example.
And, as always, thank you for listening.
About Cory
Cory Brown is a veteran, strategist, and creator focused on helping people reconnect with themselves and one another through honest conversation. After more than sixteen years of military service, including a combat deployment to Iraq, Cory experienced firsthand how difficult it can be to talk about mental health in ways that feel human rather than clinical.
He is the founder of Eat Your Feelings, a cooking-centered storytelling project that uses food as a doorway to deeper conversations about resilience, identity, and care. Cory’s professional background spans research, strategy, and leadership, but his current work sits at the intersection of service, storytelling, and creating spaces where people feel safe enough to be real.
Whether in a kitchen or a boardroom, Cory believes how we tell our stories shapes how we understand ourselves and each other.
Be sure to check out Cory’s LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube! As well as his website Eat Your Feelings Show!
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 as well to make sure you nail that next interview!
Episode 184: If 90% of People Never Felt Like They "Fit In", Where Does That Leave the Other 10%?
Rachel Druckenmiller Discovered Her Adventurous Spirit by Not Fitting In
"I'm allergic to that."
Podcast cover art with quote
When she arrived in Spain, a shy, incredibly picky eater and study abroad student, that's what Rachel would tell people to avoid having to try new foods. It didn't take long for her to choose to be polite and try the foods, and that simple act of kindness and curiosity became the key to unlocking her adventurous spirit and become, as she says, unmuted.
Rachel's Spanish teacher had suggested that she apply to study abroad saying: "You really have an affinity for this, have you considered studying abroad?" Her immediate response was no, she wasn't interested in leaving her small liberal arts college for a semester. But the adults in her life encouraged her, saying that she would regret not going, and sharing their own regrets for turning down a similar opportunity.
She remembered arriving at the airport in Madrid, which appeared to be in total chaos, especially for a sheltered young woman.
It was her study abroad experience that awakened Rachel to her sense of adventure, which only increased with more experiences outside of her comfort zone, and isn't that always our path toward personal growth?
Podcast cover art with quote and image of Rachel Druckenmiller
A highlight of our conversation was when we talked about our human tendency to underestimate people and things that we make a snap judgment about. We began our conversation on that topic when she told the story of her experience with an eggplant dish presented to her by her host family in Spain. It's not a stretch to apply that lesson to people we meet.
Both of us had stories about our spouses related to this idea:
"If I had never opened the door to the possibility that he could be different than my first impressions of him on the surface, would I have even allowed for that possibility to happen?"
"When we're willing to stay curious and open, things we're not even aware of are possible on the other side of that."
In our conversation I mentioned my friend Shelley Brown's recently published book, Weird Girl Adventures, in the context of allowing our sense of what's weird about us to be a larger part of our best relationships.
When you've listened to the episode, I'm sure you'll want to connect with Rachel on LinkedIn, and be sure to dig into her website to learn more about what she does, and how magically she does it. And check out the song Rachel sang a line from at the end of our call, This is Me from The Greatest Showman.
If you're also curious about the lyrics I shared, here's Mary Mary with Can't Give Up Now.
ABOUT SARAH:
Elkins Consulting logo, image of Sarah Elkins, book cover
"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.
Audiobook cover art
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.
Giving Thanks When You Don't Have Much to Give
Shiquita Yarbrough is a single mom, which isn’t too unusual these days. What makes her really special is her incredibly generous spirit, and commitment to not only being a positive and active community member, she’s committed to helping her children see the importance of being a productive and kind member of your community.
Family Traditions Build Lasting Stories and Strong Relationships
Shiquita Yarbrough is a single mom, which isn’t too unusual these days. What makes her really special is her incredibly generous spirit, and commitment to not only being a positive and active community member, she’s committed to helping her children see the importance of being a productive and kind member of your community.
After her divorce, she decided to start over again with her three youngest children, the oldest was in college. She researched parts of the US, knew generally what she wanted in a community, and landed in Austin, Texas. It’s not easy to start over, especially with three young children and a full time job. Shiquita found herself immediately welcomed into that community, which if you’ve met her wouldn’t surprise you.
Neighbors, teachers, parents of friends all saw what she was trying to do with her children - getting them involved in the community through sports - and started to offer help with rides to and from activities. As the Christmas season was in view, she thought hard about how to demonstrate her appreciation for all the people who were helping her. Gifts seemed not quite personal enough, especially because she simply didn’t have a lot of money to spend.
But she loves to cook, and people love to eat what she cooks, so she talked it over with her children and they all agreed to host a Giving Thanks dinner the night before Thanksgiving. This would give the family an opportunity to show their appreciation, while leaving the traditional holiday for them to spend the way they choose. That first year her children invited a few friends, teachers, and parents of friends, a relatively small group. But by the last year they were in Austin, it had grown to over 40.
Shiquita’s family Giving Thanks dinner became an important and well-loved tradition, offering all kinds of lessons for her children and her community. Because when you feed people like Shiquita feeds people, you’re not only filling their bellies, you’re nurturing their souls.
She exudes warmth and generosity of spirit, and I was lucky enough to meet her at the Atlanta airport when we were both on our way home.
Shiquita is the Office Manager at the Community Foundation of Boulder County, but she doesn’t end her days there. She’s also on the boards of her local YWCA and League of Women Voters, and has a monthly radio show for single parents. This is one generous member of the community.
Share Your Vision, Build Your Business
She stood outside her restaurant, unassuming, obviously an artist, with her cool hat and hip vest. I didn't know who she was; she introduced herself as Natalie, the owner of Chow in downtown Las Vegas.
She stood outside her restaurant, unassuming, obviously an artist, with her cool hat and hip vest. I didn't know who she was; she introduced herself as Natalie, the owner of Chow in downtown Las Vegas.
We visited for a few minutes, she asked about Montana and about music. And then I asked about her story and her restaurants. This is a remarkable woman. I had no idea, as I stood on the sidewalk with her, that I was hearing the story of a woman who has hit rock bottom and come back to achieve and succeed not only in her career, but in inspiring others.
The staff are shared between her two downtown Las Vegas restaurants, Chow and Eat, providing quality training and opportunities for all of them. And it shows. That evening in Chow, the restaurant was closed to the public for a private party. The group rented music equipment for the evening, microphones, amplifiers, speakers, etc., and planned to have a jam session while they ate. When the truck with the equipment arrived, staff immediately jumped to help and ask what they could do for their guests.
Chow's staff were accommodating, kind, and warmly professional all evening, and the food was delicious. Chef Nat stayed for a while, sitting in the back observing the party, and sometimes visiting with staff and guests. When the party was ending, staff immediately jumped in to help put the equipment back into boxes and store everything near the door for pickup the next morning.
It was a late night for those of us playing music and visiting the bars afterward, so when we woke the next morning, my first thought was to try Chef Nat's other restaurant, Eat. I was not disappointed. As we walked into the restaurant, Jessica, the hostess from the evening before greeted us not only with a smile, but with recognition as guests from that evening. Kevin, the adorable young man who made sure I had everything I needed at Chow was there at Eat the next day to serve again. You would never know they had been up late the night before, hosting, serving, and accommodating a rowdy group of engineers/musicians. Even Chef Nat was sitting at a table with customers, chatting away with a smile on her face.
We had one more day in Las Vegas; guess where we ate breakfast again that next day? Yes, Eat, and we were pleasantly served by Robert, the same kind, excellent staff who served us breakfast the previous day.
I've spent enough time in the restaurant/hospitality/customer service industries to know what I'm observing in any service environment, and this was unique. Her employees, though wonderful at their jobs, weren't there just for work. They were there, serving and caring for customers for Chef Nat and her vision.
A while ago I wrote a post called Hire People Who Love Your Product. When a person loves your product, they become advocates and brand ambassadors for it. But if they also share your vision and understand it, they become part of something much bigger than a job or a product. That's what Chef Nat is doing in downtown Las Vegas. This woman is building more than fabulous little restaurants. She is building communities. She is building hope, opportunity, and resilience.
*Cover Photo by Heidi Roth: http://www.foodnwhine.com/blog/2015/12/17/chicken-and-chinese-at-chow-las-vegas