401 Exploring Our Identities
It can be daunting to explore outside of your comfort zone, it is vital to your growth. Whether that be leaving your hometown or simply stepping into a new field, we must challenge ourselves to unlock our true potential.
In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Sarah Degn discuss how important it is to spread your own wings and to travel outside of your comfort zone and to find who you are through your own skills and knowledge.
401 Exploring Our Identities
It can be daunting to explore outside of your comfort zone, it is vital to your growth. Whether that be leaving your hometown or simply stepping into a new field, we must challenge ourselves to unlock our true potential.
In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Sarah Degn discuss how important it is to spread your own wings and to travel outside of your comfort zone and to find who you are through your own skills and knowledge.
Highlights
Leaving home behind to pursue your dreams.
It’s never too late to try and to explore.
Learning and growing as an individual to in turn help your community.
Quotes
“You can come back, just the reminder that yes you absolutely should go experience something beyond your small town.”
“You just need to find the new opportunities and things that are missing.”
Dear Listeners it is now your turn,
Sarah and I spoke for nearly an hour about what it’s like to explore our identities through our youth and maybe come back home, and find out what life is like and how our identities can be shaped by our environments and by the things that we think are important. We talked about what it’s like to travel and tell people our story so that they uncover their own stories and that they can understand truly what the rest of the world could look like. It was full of inspiration and ideas and now I want to know, what will you do with this? What was one thing that stood out in this conversation? I’d love to hear from you.
And, as always, thank you for listening.
About Sarah Degn
Sarah is a fourth generation farmer near Sidney, MT. With her family, she raises 800 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat. She’s represents NE Montana of the Farmers Union Board of directors.
Be sure to check out Sarah’s LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram! As well as The Montana Farmers Union, and The National Farmers Union!
About Sarah Elkins
"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!
247: Our Biggest Obstacle Is Sometimes Ourselves
Many times in life we do everything within our power to achieve our goal, whether that be a new job, to bring pride to others or ourselves, and to finally get over that hurdle our mental health has been lately. It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come when you see how far you still have left to go, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate your accomplishments now.
Our Biggest Obstacle Is Sometimes Ourselves, Featuring Megan Miller of Aprovechar Language Solutions
Many times in life we do everything within our power to achieve our goal, whether that be a new job, to bring pride to others or ourselves, and to finally get over that hurdle our mental health has been lately. It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come when you see how far you still have left to go, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate your accomplishments now.
In this episode Sarah Elkins and her good friend Megan Miller discuss the importance of allowing yourself to change and to celebrate every victory, no matter how small, because those victories are proof of your success.
Highlights
Sharing personal, vulnerable stories without any intention doesn’t help you.
Sometimes you don’t notice how much things change until you step back or get an outside perspective.
Celebrate the wins.
You get out what you put in.
Quotes
It’s soul, it’s about how you do it and why you do it.
The advice we give a lot of the time is advice we need to hear at that point in time.
Mentioned in this Podcast
About Megan
Megan Miller is the CEO of Aprovechar Language Solutions, LLC, a company which acts as a bridge between English and Spanish language learners. Her personalized and small group programs take a habit-based approach, and whether it’s in class or a Book Club – you know you’ll have fun!
She also helps IT companies in Latin America and Europe tell their stories for a U.S.-based audience through translation and localization projects. Megan has a Bachelor’s in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture and is a certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language.
Check out her Instagram and LinkedIn! As well as her website, Approvechar Language Solutions!
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.
Show notes by Chinook Bromlie
246: How Your Authentic Self Changes With Time
As we journey through life, conflict and confrontation of the self is inevitable, but it is how we face these challenges that reveal our most authentic selves.
Episode 246: How Your Authentic Self Changes With Time
As we journey through life, conflict and confrontation of the self is inevitable, but it is how we face these challenges that reveal our most authentic selves.
In this episode, Sarah Elkins and her guest Lisa Lackey discuss this idea, as well as what authenticity means to them and how it is something that can change with time.
Highlights
Authenticity is fluid and ever changing.
We can't be everything all at once.
Face challenges and pursue your dreams.
Quotes
Authenticity is malleable, it is not this rigid thing. You have to allow space for transformation, and if you have this rigid idea of your authentic self then there is no room for transformation
We can't be everything all at once, we can be what we want to be but we can't do it all at the same time.
I didn't know where I belonged, and I still don't know where I belong, and I have to constantly give myself permission to be able to sit in that and be okay with that. I ask myself, "what do I need?" and "what do I need to make myself feel like I fit in?" and "Is it okay to not fit in?"
About Lisa Lackey from her LinkedIn profile:
After a successful career in the entertainment industry beginning in my home country of Australia and spanning over 20 years here in the U.S, along with a life changing volunteer opportunity in Ghana, West Africa, I am excited to continue my work in this new and purposeful career focusing on social impact. Based in Los Angeles, I strive to be a vehicle for change, and I look forward to many more opportunities to align myself with the those who are rethinking how we can alleviate poverty especially as it pertains to the empowerment of women, and youth, locally and internationally.
About Sarah Elkins
"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.
Show Notes by Chinook Bromlie
243: While Your Mindset Shifts Over Time, Your Purpose May Not
Sometimes in life we will all have moments where we think to ourselves, “Is this really who I want to be? Is this how I want my story to impact others?” and we either wonder or plan for the next steps in becoming the person we want to be.
In this episode Sarah Elkins and her guest Tony Michaelides, an accomplished Author and former Music Industry Executive, discuss the importance of being authentic in your stories and how they influence your audience in a way that is for the better, instead of being outrageous and telling your stories for the perceived “glory” of having a legacy.
While Your Mindset Shifts Over Time, Your Purpose May Not
Sometimes in life we will all have moments where we think to ourselves, “Is this really who I want to be? Is this how I want my story to impact others?” and we either wonder or plan for the next steps in becoming the person we want to be.
In this episode Sarah Elkins and her guest Tony Michaelides, an accomplished Author and former Music Industry Executive, discuss the importance of being authentic in your stories and how they influence your audience in a way that is for the better, instead of being outrageous and telling your stories for the perceived “glory” of having a legacy.
Highlights
It's okay to be lousy when you first try something.
In order to pursue your dreams you have to be willing to be uncomfortable in order to learn what you need to do.
How many people can you benefit by being your authentic self?
The influence of being insistent on personal growth.
Show appreciation for the road life has lead you on.
Quotes
Be true to yourself, don't find yourself being lead down a road of uncertainty.
There comes a time in your life when you stand back and say "what about me?" and that's not being selfish towards others, that's just putting yourself in the mix.
We can be heroes if just for today.
Featured in this podcast:
Moments that Rock Podcast
About Tony Michaelides (from his website):
Having spent thirty plus years in the music industry and working with some of the world’s leading artists I could see that big changes were about to happen. It was clearly time for me to make a change too so after being labelled an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability” for services to the music and arts I was awarded a green card, packed my bags and headed out to America for the next part of my journey. As I began writing my first book it dawned on me that I had learned a lot from both the artists I had worked with together with the people I like to call ‘music industry insiders.’ I started to take ‘The Lessons Learned from Rock and Roll’ out on to the road and to numerous events internationally. As I was writing my second book, ‘Moments That Rock’ I decided to keep the lessons separate and to release them as a series of E Books and Audio books. My ‘Moments That Rock’ became a storytelling podcast and a new dawn beckoned. If I can no longer do what I did then why not talk about it? The Lessons Learned from Rock and Roll is not exclusive and can be applied to anyone. It opens people’s eyes in to what it takes to be a real Rock Star.
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.
Show notes by Chinook Bromlie - Estey
Episode 97: Your Identity is Created by the Stories You Share
Family Narratives Can Impact Your Identity - For Better or For Worse
Dr. Kate McLean
Dr. Kate McLean was raised by a man who loved to share stories. Her father is a master storyteller, entertaining family and friends for hours with his sense of humor and insights. It’s not surprising that Kate found herself compelled by the narratives she heard in her first research position, focused on attachment theory in human development and psychology. She was so touched by the trust of people sharing their most intimate memories and experiences, that she knew her area of focus would revolve around the impact of telling those stories on the people sharing them and on the people hearing them.
Some of her colleagues focus their research on early childhood narrative, Kate’s area of interest revolves more around the transformative years between young adulthood and adulthood, roughly 17 - 22 years old.
She finds that the stories parents and caregivers share about their children in front of them, can have positive and negative effects in terms of their relationship, and how the young adult moves through those transformative years.
If the stories a parent or caregiver share about the young adult’s childhood don’t fit how that young adult sees themselves and how they are transforming into adulthood, conflict develops between them, and the transformation can become stilted.
On the other hand, if the narrative continues to resonate with the young adult, it may help them move forward with confidence in their identity as they move into adulthood.
Our conversation took some twists and turns, one thing that struck me was our mutual respect and admiration for those who share their stories with us. When someone chooses to trust you with their most intimate memories, we must respect that story and the person sharing it.
Learn more about Dr. McLean’s work, and check out her book, The Co-Authored Self.
Kate C. McLean, Professor of Psychology at Western Washington University, was trained in Developmental and Personality Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Ph.D., 2004). Her research focuses on adolescent and emerging adult identity development. She is on the governing council for the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, and is an Associate Editor for the Journal Personality and Social Psychology: PPID. She teaches courses in Developmental and Personality Psychology, as well as research methods. She currently serves as the Director for the Center for Cross-Cultural Research at WWU.