400 Of Reciprocity and Return

In celebrating the 400th Episode of Your Stories Don’t Define You How You Tell Them Will, Sarah Elkins ruminates on the many lessons and gifts she has been given throughout her journey as a podcaster, an entrepreneur, and a person. From returning to what truly matters, to reciprocating the good and beautiful things in life.

397 Our Talents Are For Us Too

When you first take the Strengths Finder quiz, we often feel like those skills and talents are what you can use to guide and influence others, however if we forget to take time for ourselves, to turn our talents inward and focus on ourselves, we are failing ourselves by not acknowledging what we bring to the table.

In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Lindsey Van Gorp discuss the importance of introspection, fostering and growing our strengths, as well as how we need to wield our talents and skills in order to be the best version of ourselves, not just for others but for ourselves so that we may feel fulfilled in our lives.

393 Being Direct and Intentional in Conversations

It can be far too easy to let yourself be passive in conversations, whether it be to let another person make a decision or to avoid conflict. However in doing so we rob ourselves and others of deep meaningful connection, which is why it is so important to be direct and intentional with your words.

In today’s episode Sarah Elkins talks about these points while also bringing up times in her life where she was passive and direct in conversation, and why it is so important to her to be direct and intentional.

386 Media Literacy and Division

In the age of the internet it is impossibly easy for us to see something shocking and outrageous, ending up with us emotionally and morally outraged. We want to speak up, to make our voices heard in the sea of noise if only for a moment. However, it is easy for us to make a mistake on who we follow or share posts from, it is very easy to be fooled by a wolf in sheep’s clothing, which is why it is vital to stop, take a moment to do some basic research, and make our own informed decision.

In today’s episode, Sarah Elkin’s has a solo show dedicated to her thoughts on media literacy, the division that has been amplified by social media, and how important it is that we not only do our own fact checking, but that we also convey our thoughts and stories with intention in order to accurately portray what we believe.

374 Passion and The Road To Fulfilling Success

When we were kids we all wanted to be something extraordinary. We wanted to be magicians, doctors, paleontologists, astronauts, ballerinas, but somewhere along the way some of us lose that sparkle. We get sucked into the everyday routine of work and taking care of those around us. However that spark is not lost forever, sometimes existing as a fleeting ember of ambition that only needs to be cultivated to turn into a roaring flame of fulfilling success.

In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Jimi Gibson discuss the importance of trying different paths in life and how there are many off ramps and back roads full of experiences to the destinations we want to reach.

365 Tools for Success

In the path to thriving and enjoying your life you must be able to identify and utilize the tools unique to your skills and values. Not everyone can use the same tool kit, just like plants require different soil to grow, we also require our own unique environment to grow.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Gina Riley discuss the importance of the unique tools we acquire through life and the best way to utilize these tools.

363 Taking Inventory

As the New Year begins it’s time for us to take a step back and reflect on the stories, messages, and values we want to bring into 2025. Just like tending to a garden by removing weeds and adding nutrients, we must also tend to the garden of our lives.

In this episode Sarah Elkins, Emily McVey, and Chris Wang discuss the stories that shaped them into who they are as well as how they have chosen to tell their stories through thoughtful and meaningful actions.