298 You Have To Take Care of Yourself In Order To Be Your Best

Everything we do, whether it be work, caring for our families, or even going for a morning walk, all starts with ourselves and in today’s work culture of burning the candle at both ends, it can be easy to forget that we need to take breaks and prioritize our well being in order to do our best in everything we do. Hopefully by doing so we can model a behavior that others can follow and make a change for the better.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Mandy Hoskinson discuss the importance of self care in today’s day and how others will follow by example, especially when it comes to creating a healthy and thriving environment.

296 Storytelling Can Improve Your Career - It's Not Just Interviews

This is the 4th episode in a series on storytelling for professionals.

In episode 292, Sarah shared stories about her love language – which is cooking for people. She explained that when we share stories of the activities that bring us great joy in service to others, we offer a glimpse of our character and values to our audience, whether that’s at work, in an interview, with family and friends, or when we’re sharing content in any form of media or on any platform. Her stories of nurturing and nourishing people in her home demonstrated part of what makes her a good addition to any team – her positive energy and ability & ambition to create an environment where people feel safe and encouraged to bring their best.

Episode 294 was a story about a team she worked with at a job years ago. It was a work story that demonstrated her openness to learning, how she manages frustration and different ways of approaching projects and relationships, and her meeting facilitation skills.

And last week’s episode 295 was a personal story about planning a family reunion for 40 guests. It demonstrated her meeting & event planning skills, team building/leadership, and made it very clear what matters to her.

In this episode you'll hear about stories Sarah shared in job interviews, why she shared those particular stories, and the end result (spoiler alert: she didn't get the job).

The idea and goals for this series is for professionals to truly understand the value of sharing personal experiences and work stories in different environments, and to uncover your stories to begin collecting them so you're ready when an opportunity presents itself.

By preparing stories to answer the most common, (kind of stupid), questions, you have the opportunity to share so much about yourself, way beyond what’s on your resume and cover letter.

In any professional setting, whether around the proverbial water cooler, at a networking event, when presenting to your team or organization, side conversations during meetings, knowing how to share meaningful stories is a practical skill.

Collect your stories, practice them, and categorize them so you are likely to share the right one at the right time, with the right audience, demonstrating your skills, values, character, and vision.

Thanks for listening to Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will.

Curious about how Sarah's workshops and keynotes will help you and your audience or team be better ambassadors for your organization and their careers?

Visit her website, elkinsconsulting.com, to schedule a discovery call.

295 Personal Stories and How They Matter

The relevance of stories in career and life is something that is undeniable, whether it be a professional story about a time you were vital to your team at work, or a more personal story that demonstrates skills that are so second nature to you that you don’t even think about them any more, learning when and how to share every story and how they put your talents and values on display is a skill that can take you above and beyond.

In this episode Sarah Elkins shares a personal story that exemplifies her skills, talents, and values, throughout the story listen for cues, and take note of how she tells the story in a way that compliments everyone and the situation they were in, and not just herself.

292 Food Stories

Love languages come in many different forms; gift giving, words of affirmation, and for today’s episode specifically, the act of cooking and giving a good meal to those you hold close. It is vital to the health and continuation of relationships that we discover these languages and think about how these actions impact how others view us.

In this episode Sarah Elkins ruminates on the concept of love languages and how important they are to understand and how they influence how we are perceived by others and ourselves.

289 Fear Is A Liar

Doubt, fear, and feeling awkward is a normal human experience, although it is important to celebrate the great and amazing things you do and are capable of, it is just as important to acknowledge that we all have limitations and we all feel fear in trying the new or the not quite perfected. It is only through facing and accepting that fear and persevering onward that we can continue to grow into our ideal selves.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Tammy Hader discuss how fear influences our decision and the importance of overcoming that fear in order to succeed in life and grow as an individual by confronting your fears and inner monologue in order to become the best version of yourself.

288 Do Overs

It’s completely normal to have limiting beliefs and times in life that are stressful and discouraging, they can make you feel as if you’re alone and stuck in a rut that you can’t quite escape. However it is not the end of the world, although it is difficult you can change these thought processes and pull yourself out of the rut you’re in, through your hardwork and determination as well as a supportive network you can give yourself a “do over” and change the trajectory of your life for the better.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Curt Sassak discuss the importance of giving yourself grace to change and start over, as well as unlearning the harmful ideologies that have been ingrained in us, while working towards a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Episode 287 Should I Stay or Should I Go?

When you’ve been in a job position, or really any position, long enough you will notice things that make that position grating on your nerves, or maybe it’s even making you sick to some degree due to how you are treated in the workplace. Maybe these issues are simply perceptions you have or projections onto others of a much larger issue. Regardless it is your responsibility to be mindful of these actions and decide what will be best for you and fall in line with your values.

In this reuploaded episode of 217, Sarah Elkins and Karen Elkins Cohen discuss stories from their careers on clients they’ve helped and what these people inadvertently taught them, and through these stories they hope that you too will gain something useful and helpful to your own life.

I want to be sure I'm prepared for my next podcast interview!

So I make the most of my guest appearances...