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218: How Does Identity Change? What Stories Delineate the Before & After

Jenifer Gursky: Breaking the Box

Jenifer Gursky didn't show up as a missionary in Cambodia with clear knowledge of its history or the trauma its people had recently endured.

And she didn't show up as a Montana state legislator with a clear delineation between her faith and her politics.

And that's the beauty of the complexity of humanity.

216: Parenting is a Story All Its Own, How Are You Sharing Yours?

A Child’s Mental Health is Dependent on their Caregiver’s Mental Health

Is therapy beneficial to parents and their children? How can it help parents become the best that they can be?

Join in as Sarah Elkins and Leah Ore ponder the strength in parenting and the tools parents need to best suit their child. Stories such as the difference between Sarah managing a tantrum vs. her husband and Leah’s response to their individual strengths are discussed. 

Highlights from this episode include: 

  • Different parenting styles and their great value to kids.

  • Importance of a support system.

  • Leah’s journey to becoming a therapist.

Listen to the latest episode of Your Stories Don’t Define You today! 

Discovering Clarity One Bite at a Time course is now available and sign up for the No Longer Virtual 2022 Conference

“A lot of us will look at other people [parents] and see there are so many ways to do it [parenting]. It's easy to compare yourself to them. It's important to ask, 'What am I good at?'.” 

*podcast show notes contributed by Tracy Ackeret

 

About Leah: 

Leah is a mother of two and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is passionate about helping parents become their best selves to live fulfilling lives with their children. She has almost exclusively worked with children and families her entire career and believes that happier healthier parents raise happier healthier kids. 

She enjoys reading, writing, listening to music (live and otherwise), walking, and hiking. Leah is an extroverted introvert and has a gift for seeing the good in people.       

Visit Leah’s website and Strength in Parenting course.

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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.

207: Want to Bring Out the Best In People? Listen to Them.

Listen, Ask Questions, Give Them An Answer

Have you ever had a job working for a difficult or mean boss? Or maybe you are a boss that struggles to connect with your employees? Thomas Jackson’s most memorable bosses are the ones who listened to his ideas and either implemented them or let them know why not.

Listen to Sarah Elkins and Thomas Jackson, as they discuss the difference between an encouraging leader and a negative one. In this episode, Sarah and Thomas dive into this topic and share the memorable moments, whether good or bad, from their work experiences and the long-term effects on workers. They also talk about the No Longer Virtual event, and how you can build your professional network face-to-face. 

Join in to see how your work environment can change based on the attitudes of the people around you. 

“The difference between a nice person showing up in different ways, versus a mean person showing up the same way.” 

*podcast show notes contributed by Tracy Ackeret


About Thomas: 

Thomas Jackson is a UPS Driver Helper and Belt Splitter.

He enjoys writing articles for his LinkedIn profile and has over 2,000+ articles on the platform. 

Visit Thomas’ LinkedIn profile and don’t hesitate to dive into his collection of articles. 


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.

Bicentennial Episode! An Accidental Podcaster Reaches Her 200th Episode

Hundreds of stories, people from all over the world, and life-changing conversations all have to lead to this special 200th episode of the "Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will" podcast.

Sarah Elkins and her good friend, Neil Hughes, look back to the beginning of the podcast’s creation and the unexpected moments and lessons that emerged.

Episode 170: Focus on the Client, Not the Reward: Stories of Service and Gratitude

Your goal in any situation cannot be about you, about making money, about getting the job, about closing the deal. The goal has to be service to others. It must reflect your humanity and align with your values, your goal is most valuable to you when it is about helping the person in front of you reach their goals or solve a problem.

The money, the contract, the job offer - those are the results of meeting the goal, not the goal itself.

Episode 87: Share Stories and OWN Your Talents

Al Swanson has always been an outdoorsy guy, so much that his first plan out of high school was to study turf management. Yes, turf management. His interest began with a manager who was on the cutting edge of sustainable, ecologically healthy golf course management. That manager was way ahead of his time, and Al knew it.

When Your Heart is In It, You Bring Great Value

Stories of Understanding the Value of Your Work

Going into the resume and job search business, John Sattler underestimated the impact he could have on the lives of others. His interest in starting this business had more to do with using the knowledge and skills he had developed as a recruiter to make his income, and less to do with the “why” behind it.

His “ah ha” moments came when he opened his mind and heart to really get to know a few of his clients. John realized that each client had a completely different and interesting story to tell, they just didn’t know how to tell it.

He’s not a soft-skills guy, in terms of how he approaches his work. John isn’t the guy you go to cry on his shoulder; he’s the guy who will tell you exactly what he thinks, and will not sugar coat his advice and suggestions. That’s why he won’t take on every client that knocks on his door. If he gets the impression that the client isn’t going to put in the work and effort it will take to get a job, and if he gets the impression that the client won’t choose to be self-reflective about his or her past challenges, he will refer that client to someone else. And that’s what makes him such an asset to the clients who retain him.

It’s magical when you realize that your skills and competence can make a real difference in a person’s life, and that they realize your value and will invest in themselves to benefit from those skills and competence.